¿Tormenta Olga?

It's been pretty wet and noticeably cooler here in the DR the past few days, in the mid to low 70's. Shocking all of us, Tropical Storm Olga formed yesterday. This is a very rare occurrence, as Hurricane Season "officially" ends November 30th. Currently, it is completely covering Puerto Rico to our east and beginning to touch Hispaniola. The entire country is on emergency alert, especially the northern coast. From the projected path, that would pretty much be us in Mao, Valverde. I've always loved seeing the grand power of storms, but this type isn't always that sweet when it comes to the devastating after-effects. I can tell that Emerson and his fellow comrades in agriculture are starting to get a bit nervous about their banana crops surviving Round Two.

It's strange that our last big storm was called "Noel," which basically means "Christmas" in French. It ripped through the Caribbean the very week that everyone was putting up Christmas decorations. (I find it hilarious that they start so early here, at the end of October!) I pray that in this Christmas season, Olga won't be as devastating with flooding and mudslides as the last. I have a feeling that it won't be.

I'm sort of stuck working at home today as the roads are too muddy to pass through to rural communities. The plan for today and tomorrow was to go with a team from the DPS office visiting poor communities that often pose public health risks. We had a great time last week on the same operativos. We achieved a lot, and it ended up being a great way for me to further bond with the staff. An added plus was that I got to be on local TV yet again! (I didn't get to see it, but some friends were excited to have seen me passing out mosquito nets, medicines, etc.) I think I've been on TV more in the past couple months than ever in my life. This time around, Carlos from Mao's channel 10 went everywhere with us to video tape our operativos.

You can read more about the storm here.

There are certain days...

"There are certain days I think this is a drop in the bucket," Farmer said one morning in mid January. "And there are certain days I think we've started a virtuous social cycle that can't be stopped."

Now, if Paul Farmer feels this way on occasion, it makes me feel a whole lot better! (I think he may be my new hero.) Better days are coming... Maybe the not-so-good days are truly catalysts in disguise to keep us going stronger than before.

Paul Farmer is one of the top leaders in public health, and the above and below quotes are taken from an article on his work. http://www.sptimes.com/2004/02/22/Floridian/A_healer_in_Haiti.shtml The resemblence in the below statement is so similar to what I was remarking on yesterday.

Farmer studied medical anthropology at Duke University, and, after graduation, worked and traveled throughout Haiti. Once he had seen the suffering and injustice there, he began to feel, as he has ever since, that to turn his back on it would be moral cowardice.
"What I always say is, "The only thing worse than doing something about it is not doing something,' " Farmer said. "I mean, you can leave, but unless you have some pretty good drugs, you're not going to forget."

Thanks to encouragement from my Dad, here's a good story to remember in times like these, when we don't see anything good coming out of what we try so hard for... "Pushing Against the Rock." http://www.forhimracing.com/pb/wp_01430745/wp_01430745.html

Wait Upon the LORD

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." -Edmund Burke

"Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: you don't give up." -Anne Lamott

I'm really struggling right now with the value of my work here. Am I just wasting my time on projects that won't achieve much, not being appreciated or getting paid for what I see as legit? There are more obstacles than smooth pathways, and I am tired. The way is long. Those in power want the people to serve them; they do not serve those they represent. I cannot sit and do nothing. I cannot waste a moment just looking at the world pass me by. There is so much work to be done! There are so many hearts hurting and people struggling to get by. I have arrived to a place that often seems to be in the thickest, darkest black of night. Yet, every once in awhile, a little ray of light comes shining in, illuminating all around me with its joyful hope. I know that the dawn will come one day...

"Who among you fears the LORD and obeys his Servant? If you are walking in darkness, without a ray of light, trust in the LORD and rely on your God." -Isaiah 50:10

Wait on the LORD, oh my soul
Wait on the LORD, oh my soul
Wait on the LORD, oh my soul
Be strong and take heart
Be strong and wait upon the LORD
He is beautiful and good
He's the lover of all men
He has rescued us before
And he will rescue us again
He is faithful and true
He is loving and just
Surely he will deliver us
-Kate Hurley

Check this out:
http://www.padfield.com/1997/goodmen.html

Our First Dominican Thanksgiving

I just finished eating the most perfect banana that was ever created. The perfect ripeness, freshly picked from the large cluster of bananas sitting in back of the house. How different is the taste between the Chiquita bananas found in their sad little bunches at Meijer and the joyful, sunripened ones right from the tree... Like a completely different fruit.

On Thursday, we had a get together of close family and friends. Our first Dominican Thanksgiving! It was a fun mix of American and Dominican tradition, with food from both cultures. I made sure that we had turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy on the menu, then left the rest of the guests to make or bring whatever their personal specialty was. I hadn't planned on being in the kitchen all day, but we found ourselves with only one working oven among several households. (Note: The typical oven here is used for shelving pots and pans, not baking. The stove top is used daily, but the oven... maybe once a year?) I went to Marxengels' house and cooked the traditional fare, waiting ever so patiently for oven space. Of course, we didn't get back to Margot's house (where I live and where the guests were lingering with their tummies rumbling) till 8:30 p.m., an hour and a half later than most people arrived.

It was exciting to find nearly 30 people at our gathering! Far more than I had expected. The table was decorated with three pillar candle holders in the shape of palm trees, and Yaira's homemade cake caught everyone's eye as it looked like it came straight from a gourmet shop. Once the food was set in place, Margot asked me to say grace. I used the opportunity to share with everyone a basic history of why Thanksgiving is celebrated in the USA (the pilgrim's survival depending on the kindness of their indian neighbors, the sharing of one culture with another, etc.), and what it means to people today as people gather with their families. I explained that one tradition we have is to go around in a circle and have everyone say one thing that they are thankful for. I started out by thanking them so much for being like my second family here, ironically being almost like the pilgrim who has depended on the locals to keep me safe and well, throwing a party for what we share together. I was astounded by the depth of thankfulness that most everyone expressed when it was their turn to share. It was really quite beautiful. There truly could not have been a better way to say grace! (To "say grace" in Spanish = "dar gracias," to give thanks.)

Now, about the turkey... When I got back home on Wednesday night, it was already dark and Margot and Emerson had already gone to bed. I decided to check one of the back doors to the laundry room and make sure it was locked. I didn't turn the light on, so when I opened the door and saw two little things slowly moving about near the floor, it totally freaked me out. I thought they were either two little pigeons or two fat mice eating from a huge rice bag, too busy to notice me. My heart jumped, and I quickly closed the door. I couldn't just let my mind wonder all night as to what they were, so I turned on the light and slowly, bravely opened the door again. To my surprise, I saw two black turkeys sitting in a white rice bag with their funny looking heads sticking out! They looked exausted from a long day of being caught up in the bag with their legs tied, and really didn't mind my presence. I felt really bad for them and thought about chopping their heads off so they wouldn't have to suffer any more. But, as they were nodding off to sleep and I really didn't want to mess with blood, I closed the door and let them sleep peacefully for their last night on Earth. The next morning before I even got up, someone took them to market to be slaughtered and plucked. The next I saw them... well, you can see for yourself. Talk about fresh!

Margot →

Goodnight, little fellers!