Bibliotecas and carnavale!

Bienvenidos a 2009!!! Greetings and salutations from the DR! Needless to say its been awhile and its still mindblowing to think that it is 2009. More mindblowing that Feb 27th I will have completed 1 year living, working and playing in the DR. As always, let's play catch-up: The Baseman family brought a lil slice of America to me here in the DR por La Navidad. I brought Alan, Lil Jo and Aaron to Fantino, where they met Daniel (novio/boyfriend) which went very well minus the whole language barrier and showed them around town (what there is to show for that matter.) We went to the house where I lived when I first moved to site. Like all good Domincan Donas we were promptly served coffee and like all good Domincan cafe it was super sweet although she thought she made it amargo (bitter). Alan, Jo and Aaron all concurred later, that no, in fact it was quite sugary. After an afternoon of Fantino, we went to the Church of the Holy Game of Baseball: went to a ballgame in Santiago which was lots of fun and ironic because the other "gringos" we saw there happened to be another PCV on vacay with her family. After an Aguilias victory we bid Daniel adios and made our way back to the beach in Puerta Plata and stayed there and enjoyed for the rest of the week. The hotel was incredible but it was kinda weird because I kept finding myself speaking Espanol to people who I know speak English, therefore I kept getting: Baseman family member: Ari, you go talk to them, explain etcetcMe: They speak English.BFM: Yea but...Me: Ok. The week's end came too quickly and with a few tears I said adios once again to mi familia and headed back to reality (well my reality) in Fantino. I rang in the New Year with some other Volunteers in Cabarete Beach which was awesome, watched the GATORS win ANOTHER BCS CHAMPIONSHIP and perhaps most important of all got goosebumps and slightly choked up watching Obama take office. Now that February has rolled in, I am trying another round of proyectos. I have ditched the English classes for now as well as the Newspaper. However, I have found a GREAT project that I am very excited about: Renovating the Municipal Library here in Fantino. The library here is right next door to my house and while there are books they are from 1492. The paint is terrible, the doors are roted out and people barely know that the place is open for bizness. SO, I met with the main "librarian" and he, myself and another gent have formed a Library commitee. We had meeting this week to discuss goals, needs and an action plan if you will. This Monday we are going to attempt to meet with the Mayor and present our project and hopefully really get the ball rolling. My hope is to get some new books, fresh paint, paint map murals of the DR and the world, get new doors and few other ideas that will take time and money...but we have a start. As far as my work in informatica, we are trying to start with classes in the beginning of March and if I can work it right I won't be teaching, but rather facilitating the teachers and doing some managment if you will. I was hopeful to commence with try numero dos in regards to the youth group but since the highschool teachers aren't being paid, they are on break right now so for the moment so is my youth group. I got some other ideas marinating, but I'm trying to focus on the two projects ahead of me now and put all my esfuerzo (effort) into them... Also exciting about Febrero: Febrero equals Carnavale! Therefore, every sunday different groups dress up in various costumes and dance around and drink lots and lots of Presidente and Brugal...this all comes to a head Feb 27th Independance Day with a HUGE parade with said groups and said intoxication...should be an interesting month. Hope this finds everyone well. oh yea...write me people! Much love,A

Obamanos

Hola my fellow Americans, As always it has been too long and I have botared (cast you off, thrown you out) you, not really but this is always the reaction after I haven't seen someone in my community for 2 days or 2 weeks....go figure. Well much has happened since we last "talked". I was still the la lucha and Barack Obama had yet to crowned the savior of America. As for my lucha, we'll get to that, but allow me to digress for a minute here. As Volunteers we are told to stay apolitical in our views so that we do not alienate community members as well as to avoid further suspicion that rather than tree hugging hippie Volunteers, we are in fact government spies (more on that later too). Well my friends, let me tell you during the DR election cycle it was one thing to stay apolitcal and play dumb as to the differences in the candidates and such, but this was different, this was/is way too important to keep my mouth shut. Therefore, when asked Local Fantinoite "Quien quiere ganar? " (Who do you want to win?)Me "Que tu piensas?" (What do you think?) No, this was not sarcastic, it was real!LF "Obama, el negrito?!" (Obama, you get the rest...however please note this is not rascist here...they just call it like they see it)Me "Claro que si!" (Of course!)Juntos (together) OBAMANOS! Then, depending on who I was talking with there would invariably be a dicsussion on how Obama was new, different full of esperanza (hope) for not only America but the world. The DR is counting on Obama in so many ways and they can't get enough of him...it was so interesting to see how involved and interested people were here in our elections when then can't vote. Sometimes its hard to remember to not get frustrated at the stereotypes of Americans and teach and share myself as a "different" American, different in the sense that I am not here on vacation (well at least not here for 2 weeks), I'm not a rica americana, I'm not a Bush supporter, nor am I here to llevar (bring) someone back to the US aka Visa w Boobs, I'm not driving a fancy jeepeta nor am I a spy. However, I must say that this election filled me with pride, pride in my country, pride in my fellow citizens, pride in the young people of America who ROCKED the vote. I felt so proud that we didn't let pettyness and racism and open face lying close our eyes to what is happening not only in America, but to the world and our place in it. I don't and won't wax on poetic that Obama is the answer to all the problems that face our world, but I believe he's a start and that's more that I can say for the other politicos... Ok lets move on...as for my lucha with what I came here to do: work, well everything right now is taking a descanso (a rest). Why you ask? But you haven't even done anything yet to be taking a rest! Yes, partially true. I tried twice to have cursos de ingles and not one person signed up. My other class with the two university students lasted one week and I have yet to see la muchacha since. My Escojo Mi Vida (youth group) held strong for 3 meetings and then everyone dropped off the face of the earth and when I see some of my muchachas they are sin verguenza (shameless) and don't even try to give me an excuse or an apology. My newspaper is still on hold and I am waiting to go the water filter work shop sometime in Dec or Jan. Once I go to the workshop, I will then bring this information to the "people" if you will and get the ball rolling. As for computer class and the like, I did have a mini presentation with my counterpart and while I worked for two days on a power point presentation, finding games and uses of technology in the classroom, it was all put by the wayside by another website found by my counterpart morning of...but I guess in the end it was fine, bc the teachers left "motivated" and excited to go to the AVE and use Information Technology to better the world (ok that one was sarcastic!) The biggest project however, is to self-motivate again and again and again. So after New Year's I will, as they say, be hitting the groud running AGAIN! As for El Dia de Accion Gracia aka Thanksgiving, some of the wonderful PCVs organized a huge event at a fancy country club in the Capital, where we swam ate and drank and watched a rediculous "talent" show put on by our fellow PCVs, not too mention a meregue and bachata contest. This was interesting as it was my first Thanksgiving away from the rents as well as, gasp, a vegetarian! Yes, friends, for those who don't know or don't remember I have converted. But let me say this, while the food at the country club was quite delish, the turkey was not inticing at all...I mean had there been an Alan Baseman turducken or something I might have faltered...so instead I ate veggie lasagna, veggie stuffing, salad, potatoes and sweet batata (a starch veggie here that is similar to yams). Que mas? While chisme (gossip) is the national sport here in the DR, not to be confused with the national religion baseball, I am fairly certain that certain South Floridians take part in their fair share too. With that said, to clear up any confusion, I have in fact become a statistic. Yes friends, I have found my Dominican Novio, in one fine young man named Daniel. He's 25, plays guitar, has taugh me to cook (mostly Dominican fare) and I occasionally teach him English and last night I brought tofu into his world! So there it is...he keeps me sane in Fantino when I wanna bang my head against the desk both literally and proverbially and the Donas feel much better because I am not sola anymore. Hope this finds everyone well and in the fiesta spirit! much love,A

A lil cultural exchange

I felt the need to share my latest in cultural sharing and teaching: the young English teacher in my school Ramon, always likes to practice English with me and most days I indulge him. Today was one of those days.
Ramon: Oh, your sweating.
Me: (sweaty and annoyed) Wow, thanks.
Ramon: (looking slightly confused) Huh? but...?
Me: Yes, I was using what we call sarcasm there.
Ramon: Yes I thought so, that was what i was thinking.
Me: (still sweating) Yes, it is very rude to tell someone to their face they`re sweating.
Ramon: Yes, but its culturally ok in Spanish.
Me: Yes, but we`re speaking in English and its still offensive.
Ramon: You know your sarcasm could be rude in Spanish.
Me: I know. But we`re still speaking in English.
Ramon: Ok, I have an article at home about sarcasm, I am going to study it.
Me: Ok.
While this exchange might appear rude and impatient I felt it necesary to share my cultural feelings of the subject of constant comments on my pituary glands. I am in fact fulfilling a goal of PC by sharing and teaching what it is to be an American and this American can be quite sarcastic (as you all know) and is always sweating as there are no fans, if there are they do not work because usually there is no electricity and there is no breeze, if there is it dies in the CB builiding that is my school.

hasta luego
A