Thanksgiving was Awesome! I loved spending some quality time with the girls... even though part of it involved planning for saying goodbye to one of my closest friends in Peace Corps... I'm going to miss your face Sabine... and our talks... and everything about you in general.
Sabine and I had a discussion about our perfect months we did earlier in the year... I think we both agreed they we ambitious, yet the simple setting goals made it easier to accomplish things that are often set aside, and build better habits. Out of my perfect months I have started the habit of making awesome smoothies for breakfast everyday, running on the reg, I studied more for that GRE, and in general writing and planning personal goals. However I did not stick to my plan completely (life gets in the way). So here's to making goals and finishing out 2013 in the DR with a bang. From the 1-12 of December I've made some personal goals to be accomplished in my site. From the 12-18 of December I will have the lovely Alana with me, and one should not plan personal goals when they are planning on seeing their best friends for the first time in 2 years! My goal from that time will be to relax and let loose a little.
So here are the goals for 1-12:
-Finally conquer GRE studying... I planned badly last time and I guess it means I need to study more.
- Plan party for my book club
-Plan/possibly do another mural
-Create collage with photos for Women's Association
-Run! everyday
-Blog! everyday... food journal... Maybe I should include photos?
-Write out more concretely the next two years of my life that I planned out last week... (we'll see)
-Yoga/exercise other than running
-Swim twice a week (why not... ?I live next to the ocean)
-Dance party at my house every night...
-Read another book (Simona if I read this book that you told me to read, and you don't, than our private book club is off!... get on that!)
On a different note, it has come to my attention that I might be broke, even in PC terms (We all know I've been broke for the past two years...) So I've decided to save some money for my visit with Alana, who will be coming on the 12th by controlling my diet a little. I know volunteers often go with less than $4 a day on food, hell half the time I do too, but not consistently. My goal for the next week is to not spend more than $4 a day (completely possible) but focus on spending $2.5 a day ($100 RD...maybe possible). I've done the math... kind of... and this is the break down as it stands now. in a week I will spend $200 RD on Breakfast (Papaya Smoothies and Coffee). That leaves $71 RD or $1.79 US to spend on lunch and dinner. Staples will include onions, tomato, cucumber, lettuces/cabbage, eggs, bananas, plantains, and milk. I will be cheating slightly by using pre-owned whole grain pasta and noodles.
Saturday, November 30, 2013
Friday, November 22, 2013
The other side of the river
Last month I hit a wall with my projects... The river trash problem is what it is... How can one fix a problem on a local scale that comes from a problem on a national scale. My water project fell apart due to a company coming in to buy up all the land... People stopped coming to meetings... it was hard. I struggled with the idea that I'm wasting my time here, that I am not the type of person that can create meaningful change in other people's lives. Luckily it was rainy season so I had a good excuse for hanging in my house and giving myself the space needed to get over the poor Kristie mood. I decided to take a break from the town across the river, and focus on other things that seemed more successful (Books and Trading Books like cards with neighborhood kids).
Wednesday I saw the president of the Junta de Vecinoes of the other side of the river, and he was happy to see me. He asked the typical questions when one's been absent.. Have you been gone? Did you go home? We thought that you went back to your country! and he asked me to come back to the meeting Thursday. So I did. Everyone was happy to see me :) Menga, one of the christian grandmothers, told me how happy she was with my work and how the Teacher had really started to teach this year. We did a campaign to get him to act more like a teacher over the summer... She said he loved the mural we did at the school and was using it to teach the kiddos. I got her kid to read me a book (which is amazing considering last summer I was trying to get her kid to identify letters). I don't know what kind of impact I've truly had but I was proud yesterday. I'll go back again next week.
Wednesday I saw the president of the Junta de Vecinoes of the other side of the river, and he was happy to see me. He asked the typical questions when one's been absent.. Have you been gone? Did you go home? We thought that you went back to your country! and he asked me to come back to the meeting Thursday. So I did. Everyone was happy to see me :) Menga, one of the christian grandmothers, told me how happy she was with my work and how the Teacher had really started to teach this year. We did a campaign to get him to act more like a teacher over the summer... She said he loved the mural we did at the school and was using it to teach the kiddos. I got her kid to read me a book (which is amazing considering last summer I was trying to get her kid to identify letters). I don't know what kind of impact I've truly had but I was proud yesterday. I'll go back again next week.
Saturday, November 9, 2013
Guagas...
In training we went in depth about guaguas (public buses)... Try to have exact change, always have your ID on you (especially around the border), DON'T ride hanging onto the side or half way in if it's full (This is not safe...), be aware of where the hands of the people sitting next to you are and your wallet....ohh and get off if the driver is drinking...
Well I have to say I have had a passionate love hate relationship with guaguas and the adventures that they come with. I have had a crazy old man sit next to me and sing loudly about me (the gringa that doesn't want to tell him her life's story), I have gotten lost many a times and found myself with the help of some friendly cobradores.. If you ask me about it I'll tell you about my close call with the train and the many reasons I'm happy to be alive today. I have been on a guagua when it ran into another guagua, at which point the cobrador got off put the bumper back on and we were off again...Yet I have to say that at this point I love going on guagua rides. I have always loved staring out the window of a moving vehicle and doing it on a guagua with the Dominican countryside passing in the window and background music of Bachata it's a perfect way to clear one's mind. I like knowing that I don't have to know exactly where I'm going because there are Donas (old Dominican women) that will guide me... They will go so far as to call someone on the phone to check directions when they don't know... They will get off with you and walk you to the right street or house. I am sure that I can not explain the feeling I get about guaguas... It's like floating along with your life in the hands of a complete stranger, but also knowing that for the most part everyone just wants to go to the same place and are willing to help you get there. I guess that's life, most days. Maybe I just like asking directions, because the responses tend to surprise me :) Anyhow this is my advice... Follow the instructions given above (just good common sense) and always ask directions, even if you know where you're going you might find a better way.
Well I have to say I have had a passionate love hate relationship with guaguas and the adventures that they come with. I have had a crazy old man sit next to me and sing loudly about me (the gringa that doesn't want to tell him her life's story), I have gotten lost many a times and found myself with the help of some friendly cobradores.. If you ask me about it I'll tell you about my close call with the train and the many reasons I'm happy to be alive today. I have been on a guagua when it ran into another guagua, at which point the cobrador got off put the bumper back on and we were off again...Yet I have to say that at this point I love going on guagua rides. I have always loved staring out the window of a moving vehicle and doing it on a guagua with the Dominican countryside passing in the window and background music of Bachata it's a perfect way to clear one's mind. I like knowing that I don't have to know exactly where I'm going because there are Donas (old Dominican women) that will guide me... They will go so far as to call someone on the phone to check directions when they don't know... They will get off with you and walk you to the right street or house. I am sure that I can not explain the feeling I get about guaguas... It's like floating along with your life in the hands of a complete stranger, but also knowing that for the most part everyone just wants to go to the same place and are willing to help you get there. I guess that's life, most days. Maybe I just like asking directions, because the responses tend to surprise me :) Anyhow this is my advice... Follow the instructions given above (just good common sense) and always ask directions, even if you know where you're going you might find a better way.
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