July July

Wow what a month! I thought summer vacation meant I would be able to relax a bit, but not here.
We started summer camp at the beginning of July and we just finished the 1st of August. Enmanuel and I were the Coordinators of La Vega summer camp for poor campo kids. The idea is that all kids ages 5-12 can participate in summer camp. The Síndico of La Vega gives quick trainings to the camp counselors and then sends the materials and snack for the kids. We had 200 plus kids, 30 counselors, 3 coordinators and an elementary school. Three weeks of supposed coloring, painting, crafts, dancing (however there wasn’t electricity to play music), modeling, chess, cards, computers (until the inversor died- about 2 days), indoor games, and sports. Wait, Wait, let me translate 3 weeks of crafts, cards, sitting in the shade, motivating counselors to get up from sitting in the shade, chasing after kids, games and icebreakers, and babysitting.
After a week of camp, all of us were exhausted and counting down the days until the big presentation for the Síndico. Hours of practice in Dance, poetry, modeling, and singing to get the kids ready to show off just what they learned during their 3 weeks of Campamento Vegano. Aug. 1, we pulled it off. The Síndicos assistant came for the show, and then passed out backpacks and notebooks to all the kids. The kids loved it, so all was worth it.

I have two kids now. Stuey and Tommy. They´re about a month old. They like to pee in all rooms of the house and bite my ankles at all times. Stuey´s favorite place to hang out is beside my dirty cloths in our bedroom and Tommy likes anywhere he can stick his head under and hide. Sadly, Stuey has been missing since this morning. He snuck out last night and has yet to be found. But they are our two children. I didn´t ask for either, but now they´re here, so I´ve turned into mama Angela. We love them despite their parasites, unruly urinating, skin flaky fungus, smelly dog smell and running away.

Tommy

Stuey

My Escojo group has officially graduated. Sunday we hosted the sub-regional escojo conference in Las Uvas and then had our heart felt graduation that very evening. The youth received their certificates with tears in their eyes and shared words of absolute appreciation for the group and how it has helped them in their lives. It couldn´t have gone better. Enmanuels mother made us a delicious american chocolate cake with frosting. She was rather distressed when I handed her the Betty Crocker cake in a box and a can a frosting. "Angela, I´ve never made cake from a box, you´ll have to help me." "Sorry, Can´t, busy for the next 36 hours straight. Read the instructions on the back of the box, thanks." Apparently Enmanuel helped by mixing in the egg and oil, so therefore he "made the cake".


After tears, sweet acceptance speeches, and chocolate cake, we danced the night away. Six youth and two volunteers from other communities stayed around to help us celebrate. It was a great day.


Enmanuel and I have now been married for two months. "Felicidades"! -thank you

We had our petition for our Visa the 17th of July. We went in, payed $355 dollars, turned in all the papers, were asked various questions about the validity of our married, and then sent on our way to wait for something in the mail or a phone call from the consulate. Weeeelll, I just got the packet of papers in my mailbox today. Now we just have to fill out papers, get him his medical exams, vaccines, criminal history report, pay $400 more dollars and go in for our final visa interview. They will then decide yea or nay. They have no reason to say nay, so lets start celebrating the yea.

Oh, and the most exciting news...I´ll be home in less than a week! See you soon.

Dominican Court Wedding

Let me show you just how it was done:
1.) Stand outside the office, waiting nervously, hugging and kissing your soon to be husband. While they work on setting up the 4 chairs needed for the bride, groom, best man, and maid of honour. The rest of your guests stand behind you.

2.) We are told to sit down opposite the judge. He continues shuffling through papers, while we are told to sign the GIANT marriage book. We all sign, two times.

3.) The judge asks us to stand and reads us some paper about the court and our marriage.

4.) Then he reads us our Marriage Certificate. We raise our right hands, one by one, saying “Si” when he asks us if we accept to love, respect, and take care of one another in good times and bad.

5.) He says you are now “Marido y Mujer” and you can kiss.
6.) We then hug and kiss all of our family and friends.
7.) We take pictures outside, because the judge has another ceremony to do immediately after ours.
8.) Off to the bar for various rounds of Presidente Light.

9.) Then off to the Cabaña for quick honeymoon and……..well, that part is for just Enmanuel and me to remember.

I´m looking forward to our ceremony in September. Hope you all can make it. If not, I´ll definitely have some great pics to show you afterwards.

a special visit

Anhela's hermana y papa ah que! Hey I tried! :-) by Teresa Olin

Yes the country was gorgeous and yes it was wonderful seeing the country side and the towns, villages and all the crazy activity but the real stories are in the adventures that weren't planned. As you can see from the pictures above....We had some great times! The gas in our car was natural gas....oh my what a stench..Angela and I had to ride with our heads out the window so we wouldn't be gassed to death! haha. The car broke down about 14 miles from home! Woo Hoo! I was having a blast. I mean what more could you ask for then the car breaking down in the middle of no where with no one around or help for miles! OK my dad didn't think it was so fun...he was worried the gringos were going to steal his daughters and ravish them in the bushes! haha. What a hoot! Enmanuel blew chunks on the boat ride and all we did was laugh at him...not nice I know but what a perfect thing to happen! Someone had to barf on the boat! haha. Driving in the back of a run down pickup with an old man carrying a very large KNIFE...eating a cacoa ......riding on the boat to the caves....getting sick....ugh....(it was worth it!)....eating oranges the dominican way.....chasing chickens.....and last but not least....all the LOVE!!!

The ocean tides in Las Terenas. We stayed in El Toriedo in a combania. What a great day! Enmanuel was learning an American water game...CHICKEN!

In the early morning hours of March 12th it was time to say good bye to our sweet dear Anhela. To tell you the truth I would have put up with the explosive diarrhea and the cold showers a little longer for more time and hugs from all the wonderful, special individuals we left behind. They will forever be a part of me and I will forever be grateful for this amazing experience and the chance to let so many beautiful people enter my life. What an adventure!

For about 2 months now, I’ve been working with my new Escojo group (AIDS education/prevention, communication, values, self-esteem, condoms, healthy choices, ect.) and last night we had an emotional break-through, you know the kind that leaves one glowing with love and tears in their eyes. Our theme last night was self-esteem so I wanted to start out with a good old self-esteem booster. Spin the bottle and wherever it lands the spinner has give a compliment about the other. Well it turned out to be something like ¨yeah, she’s a cool chick, she has a lot of friends and treats others well¨. Some were a little more sincere than others, but all the kids felt very uncomfortable giving and both receiving a compliment.

So I asked them, “Why was that so hard for us to hear or tell something nice and heartfelt? Is it really that hard to see the good in someone?”

We are so used to pointing out character flaws that sometimes we forget to tell someone what we really like about them. Que malo.

“Let’s try the activity again, but this time you can pick who’d you like to compliment. Remember that you have to talk directly to that person, not about the person, look them in the eyes, and say something sincere. We will all have an opportunity to share our thoughts. We will sit and wait until each of you feels you’re ready to talk.”

And so I started, “Juana, I admire the fact that you have participated in all the activities the community and I have put on. It truly shows your dedication to your own education and that you are choosing your own path. That quality is so important in a person and it will take you a long way.” She smiled, looked down, and said Thank you in English. Then we waited. Looked around and waited some more. Finally one would start, then another, then another. A few minutes would pass, looking around, and then another would go. Fifteen minutes later we all finished. Amazing amounts of love was shared, leaving us with swollen blushing hearts. It was the first time that I had received true, heart felt affirmations from my youth about my work. I know now just how important my presence and activities are for the youth in my community. I loved it, I loooved it. Best meeting I’ve had all year.

“So this week let’s share the love and give compliments to 3 other important people in our lives”

The kids’ faces filled with looks of fear and doubt. “But whenever I try to say something nice to my parents or my friends they just think I’m acting weird or making fun of them.”
“Or what if I try to say something and they just tell me to shut-up and get out of their view of the telenovela on TV?”

“Ok, lets take a minute and ask for strength in this assignment as well as give strength to our family and friends so they are ready to listen and accept what we have to say.”

So we prayed and hugged and kissed.

Amen.

Carnaval

Orange. A cell phone company with their super cave.

I lasted about 5 seconds.

Examples of the many elaborate costumes and masks.

Black object in the middle is a hitting butt tool. Sand, rocks, and if your lucky filled with just air.

Carnaval. Carnaval. Carnaval.

What an INSANE fiesta! Streets are packed, butts are wacked, and you will be a sweating like no other.

Enmanuel, myself and the family headed out to La Vega for the last sunday parade in February. Around 1pm the streets were nearly empty allowing us to visit the ¨caves¨ put up by local company. The caves provided the richies with VIP shady chairs and cold beverages. Us campo folks wandered the streets trying to avoided getting wacked in the butt with an air (or sometimes rock filled) beating bags. Those participating in the parade were dressed with elaborate beautifully ugly devilish costumes parading through and dancing like wild jungle beasts.

Fusimania Med Mission

So, At the beginning of January, I went for a trek with my good buddy Jon up to the Mountains north of Santiago. Our night were spent in this retreat center and our days spent traveling out to the surrounding villages to visit the patients and translate for the Med people.

Our Maine Crew. Docs, Pediatricians, Sports Med, Gynocologists, Nurses, students, and translators all coming together to help out in the DR.

We were set up in churches, schools, and houses, any building that were availabe in their communities. The clinics were set up with 4-6 stations, all with a translator, a student, and a nurse or doctor.We saw everything from Diabetes, to open sores, to fungi, to parasites. The patients got a full analysis and were sent on their way with any medications that needed filling.

Rain or Shine we were ready to roll.

When the patients were too sick or old to come in to the clinic, we brought the clinic to them.

But not without stopping for a quick game of baseball with the local muchachos. An old plastic juice bottle for a ball and a stick for the bat. Med mission vs. Campo muchachos. Despite the lack of my eye-ball skills, I got a few good hits.

And now after such a successful mission, Jon and I have decided to take over Med Mission Chairs and run the whole show. Well, peace corps side of the whole show. Wish us luck.

a DR christmas

Santa Georgina with gifts for the kids over her shoulder.

A small part of the Reinoso Duran Family. Gathering to bless the abundance of food.

And then you just dig in!

Enmanuel, Sylvana, Francis, and I

Evony, Lily and I on Christmas Eve

Christmas here isn’t quite like back home. 70 degree weather instead of -20, platanos instead of scalloped potatoes, Christmas merengue instead of jingle bells, raisins, apples and grapes instead endless Christmas cookies, and of course my Dominican family instead of my ND family. I was a trooper, but I can`t say I wasn`t home sick.

Traditions are quite different as well. Christmas Eve is celebrated with enough food to fill a large family of elephants. We had roasted pork, roasted chicken, platanos maduro, boiled green bananas, spaghetti, bread, chicken pastries, beef in a leaf, some eggplant dish, and much more. Sophy mixed up an Alexander cocktail and Georgina pretended to be Santa. Even I got a few gifts, isn´t that special. Normally gifts aren’t given on Christmas but instead el dia de Reyes (Kings day, Jan. 6), but relatives were here from the capital so we had to aprovechar.

Christmas day is spent drinking, chatting and dancing, nothing too out of the ordinary. I was a little under the weather with a mucusy cough so I didn´t partake in the drunken dancing so much. I’ve been served various concoctions of natural foods with a guarantee it will clear up my gripe. Right now, I’m drinking a mixture of honey and aloe plant filling. Tastey.