2nd National IT youth conference

First place winners for the Movie Maker Video Contest.

Hurry. Find a boat of 4. Sorry Lori, you´re out of the game.

How to manage their labs. Who will make the most funds?

Our local super heroes. Aqua Man- cleaning the water and talking to the fish. Super Belleza- turns everything she touches into somthing of beauty. Helmet Man- Protecting people from falling objects, etc.

Isn´t Photoshop Fun!

Birdie in a Perch. Avita Ramita.

Second National Encargados del Futuro conference put on by us Peace Corps Volunteers was yet again a success. I would say an even bigger success. The tech classes were interesting for the youth, and the games blew their minds. I rocked out all the dínamicas (icebreakers) I could think of . There was hardly ever a dull moment.

The youth learned about Robots, Photoshop, Lab management, Publisher, Excel, and had a great time being creative in the digital scavenger hunt, talent show, and their home videos made with Movie Maker (way impressive). Check out the video my youth put togther for Las Uvas. They won 2nd place for all their techi tricks. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e69bx44aR84



We finished the 3 day conference with certificates, prizes, and a surprise 1gb flash drive for each youth. They were ecstatic.

Another special visit

Face off. The best in Las Uvas vs. the best in Fargo. Chess, connect four, and ping pong. Who won? Let's just say Enmanuel has some practicing to do before he heads up to Fargo. We'll have a rematch.

It was just like Alice in Wonderland. Why is everything so big? No, Dave and Enmanuel didn't shrink if that is what you were thinking, but it was like we were warped into another world. Just beyond a few giant concrete walls was paradise, a place most inlanders never catch a glimpse of, a place known as Playa Dorada. The games were giant size, the drinks were free (well, prepaid for), the pools were clean and beautiful, and the people were mostly white. Were we really in the DR?


Of course, Ramonita's cooking was a hit, again, with the new visita.


Why rent a car when you can have great carro publico photos like these!



Free but very expensive prepaid for drinks.


The hippest Merengue, Bachata, and Salsa discoteca in Santo Domingo. Everyone was out on the dance floor that night.



Practicing the Dominican Lifestyle.



We saved the best for last. 27 charcos. Wow, what an experience. It was an absolutely beautiful, breath taking (meaning exhausting), hike up the mountains and into the waterfalls of Imbert. Note our helmets and life jackets- yeah, they were a necessity for this rough and tough adventure. Our well trained guide pulled us up waterfall after waterfall. He was one strong man. By the time we got to the twelfth waterfall, my legs were frozen and my knees were shaking. We then turned around and had options of sliding (if slideable) or jumping down the 12 waterfalls. However, after Enmanuel made his first jump of his life (take a look at the video below) and forgot to plug his nose and swallowed a gallon of water, he managed to find a way to monkey down the side of the rest of the falls.



All made it back to their homes alive that evening, but we were exhausted and I had a very sore tailbone from jumping off a very high cliff and doing a butt flop. Now, a month later and I still can't sit right.

Wedding Gobbles

The guests before anyone else could even choose what their wedding ensamble would be, were the gobble gobble live-in turkeys, the year round inhabitants of our wedding discoteca, El Karina. Once a happening club, El Karina´s business died off slowly until they were eventually replaced by chickens and turkeys. The dance floor is stained with remnances of circular chicken coops. Now the turkeys just have their one big coop off to one side of the dance floor. They sang to us while we set up the lights, the tables, and the chairs for the wedding. They finally quieted down once we finished changing their home from a coop to a giant white paper cake. Suprisingly we didn´t hear a peep out of them for the rest of the night.

Other planning went as smooth as a campo wedding can go. The rain made it´s appearance in mid-afternoon, but lightened up for the wedding in the evening. Mom and Dave`s luggage was lost (with wedding lights, candles, and plates inside), but friends took the time to seek out all that was missing. Maid of honor showed up 2 hours late, but so did everyone else, so she was just in time to walk down the isle with Enmanuel`s brother (Maximo, best man, MIA). My heel caught on my dress while Dave was spinning me around and around and ripped the hem, but I recovered beautifully by hopping around on one foot until my foot was free and we could finish the dance with grace and beauty. We had a great turn out with volunteers and local friends and family. Correographed dances, lindy hops shows, and delicious dinner, and an even more delicious cake made it the best wedding Las Uvas has seen yet. Everyone had a blast.

I´ll let the photos do the rest of the talking.

We`re In!

Can you believe it?

We´re in, we`re done, we made it!

Yesterday we had our long awaited interview at the consulate for Enmanuel`s Visa. We were ready. Asking each other every question that could come to our minds "Which are your favorite panties?", "what is your favorite meal?", "something personal that no one else would know about?", ect. All our paperwork in order, and we had a lot of suerte and blessings from our friends. We arrived early Tuesday morning, 6am, and put ourselves at the end of a line of over a hundred other dominicans waiting, hoping for their resident visa. Mothers and daughters, grandpas, kids, babies, couples, brothers, sisters all trying to get their family over to the other side. The line went faster than we expected. At 7:15 am we were in the doors. We sit and wait. Eat snacks. Check papers. Wait. 9am we were called up to one of the 20 windows.

"Your papers please."

Shuffle, check, rip, staple.

"Sign here."

Shuffle, check, rip, staple.

"Go pay and bring the receipt." That was a relief to hear, because we knew all our paper work was done correctly. Some people are handed a sheet that states all of the corrections they have to make or what papers they might be missing.

3 minutes and $400 later we changed our receipt for a number, 192.

We sit and wait some more. 191, 193, 368, 272. We decided there was no rhyme or reason to the numbers they were calling.

192 window 13, 192 window 13

They took his fingerprints with the green machine (very advanced) and then.... we sat and waited some more.

Enmanuel made friends with a few other dominicans waiting, waiting to hear their fate. Accepted or Denied. A life changing decision that most dominicans never get the opportunity to even hope for.

Finally, 192 to window 19. We swore in in spanish. They asked me about Enmanuel´s daughter, my family and when they met him, the peace corps, and his $ sponsor. They sat back pointed to the screen, conversed and minute, and then they said, "congratulations, your visa has been approved."

What, really, that quick and easy! We were ready for the attack. A million questions. We brought photos, letters, and affidavits- everything to prove that our relationship is legitimate.

We kissed and hugged and left to pay the messenger service. Everyone looking at us, knowing we were one of the lucky ones. Wow, que emoción.

"Enmanuel, How do you feel?"

"Happy but sad. This means I´m actually leaving. I´ll be leaving my home, my family, and my friends, everything I have ever known."

We called everyone we know back in the campo and shared the unimaginable good news. His mamà was crying.

This calls for a celebration. So what better way to celebrate than McDonalds. My first McDonalds visit in this country and Enmanuel´s first visit in his life. It was delicious, but boy did we have a gut ache later.

So now what. Wedding planning, wedding, then a trip to New Jersey at the end of October.
Felicítanos and Wish us luck.

We`re In!

Adios Tommy June 2008 - Sept. 21, 2008

Yes, lamentablamente, our puppy, our hijo, is gone. The disease that attacks many campo puppies attacked him. Dysentary, I believe. Thursday he was a fun and energenic puppy. Friday he was kind of depressed (we thought he was mad because we didn´t go for a walk that morning.) Then saturday hewoke with bloody diahrrea so we took him to the vet, but by sunday morning he was dead. Que triste. He was a good puppy. Loved his mami and papi. We had only been taking him out for walks with us for about a week, but he followed us wherever we went, no leash was necessary. He loved to run through the tall grass and feel the morning dew on his face. He played with the other puppies and kids that came to visit. We will miss him. That leaves us dogless. From 2 to 1 to none. Don´t know if I can handle the heartache of another.

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.