Huelga!

I was so happy that today there was a nation-wide strike against the PLD! Not only because I don’t particularly like the government party currently in office (anybody hear the word corruption?), but especially because it meant “DAY OFF!” By the time I arrived at the English institute yesterday, the secretary still didn’t know if we’d be open during strike day or not. Sometimes there are bombs especially for those businesses who decide to stay open, people throwing nails in the street to pop tires so people can’t get to work, etc… so they tell me. Mao, thank goodness, has always remained a quiet little place in the political world. Yet, you never know how it’ll go and don’t necessarily want to chance it by sending your kids off to school that day. So, when my English kids asked if we’d be having class today, I figured heck, let’s all just enjoy a free day! Everyone was happy, as expected. It turned out that nobody had school and most didn’t have to work, so I went with Marxengels, his mom, brother and extended family to Rio Mao for a 7-hour picnic: complete with cooking rice, beans and chicken over an open fire! The river was gorgeous and clear, with a big enough current that you had to lodge your feet against rocks and lean your body so you wouldn’t be carried away. It was wonderful! I have never had to get out of a river before because the local herd of cows decided to trot on down and have a cool drink. Later, when it was sunset and time for all the cows to go from their grazing lands to their place of rest, I saw a shepherd carrying across a calf that had been born the day before!


It was funny but unfortunate that the truck had a flat on the way to the river. Funny, because it seems as though whenever there is a combination of me, the family, and the white pick-up, it always has issues. (Here's a picture of Jualmarxkh, Marxengel's brother, trying to fix the tire. We had to document this one!)

I really needed the day off, because the last week and a half was crazy busy. I have been running around so much inside and out that I’m literally the tannest and most freckled I’ve ever been in my life.

Last Sunday, a nurse I know through public health brought me to her home and showed me the tallest and thickest banana tree grove I’ve seen in my life growing in her back yard. The funny thing is that they bear baby bananas! (The kind you like, Dad!) She took me in a round-about tour to another piece of property her church gave her to farm, where corn, yucca, bananas, pineapples, chinola, fancy lettuce and random other varieties of fruits and vegetables are growing in and around the deserted concrete frame of a house that was never finished. She also took me to her church property, another small property of hers with an absolutely gorgeous view of the mountains, and some friends’ homes to check out more plants and meet some important people in her life.

During the week, I worked at full speed giving piano lessons and English classes, and being at the public health office and in the community each and every day. One of the highlights was finally getting the attention of someone (I was trying for 1 1/2 months!) to look further into the case of a 6-year-old girl who I met while making home visits on a public health mission at the end of February. When I first met this girl, she was preparing food for lunch and just about to fry plantains… while acting as the babysitter to three tiny children younger than she was! Obviously, this is a horribly unsafe situation, and I was so glad that I was finally able to contact the local child welfare department. It looks like before, I was trying to get the other child welfare organization to hear about this case, and they just didn’t care enough to tell me that they didn’t want to do anything about it, but rather completely avoid me, and pretend that they are just too busy trying to save all the kids in the world to call me back. Humph. Some kind of child welfare. Anyway, this particular day, the “good” child welfare department was horrified that the “bad” organization didn’t jump on the case and that it had been so long for help to arrive. They decided to go right away as they didn’t have anything more pressing at the moment. We walked out the door, took public transportation, and had a really good interview with the family who fortunately were all at home this time. It was lunchtime, when most people migrate home from work or school to share the main meal of the day. I was so happy and encouraged to work alongside two women who are good at what they do for a change. Thank goodness for people who actually care about the people they’re serving!

This past Sunday, SESPAS and some other pharmaceutical and medical Leonel fans put together a free clinic in a community building to make the PLD look real good. I went for the people, not the politics. Of course, it was rather unorganized and I’m glad that there wasn’t more of a turn-out, because we wouldn’t have been able to handle any more people. It was cute that some local military dudes participated by setting up in a corner, giving free haircuts to a bunch of little boys.

So, with a tan and a good, full week behind me, I was really glad to call off class and take complete advantage of this strike day. And how glad I was that I did!

Carnaval!

Today was Carnaval! Honestly, we all agreed that it was the worst Carnaval any of us had ever been to, but I had fun out on Mao's main street, Calle Duarte, with Marxengels and several buddies. I met a bunch of new friends, as well. Unfortunately, the worst thing about this celebration was how many people decided it was pleito time. After just a half hour of arriving, a nasty fight broke out right next to us between a group of guys in their late 20's, early 30's. Everyone began running from the scene, and I thought one dude was going to put the other guys' head through a glass shop window. Ugg! There were several other times when people began running due to fights breaking out up and down the street. Enough to make me tremble all over! One young guy was shot to death by the police. This is becoming the thing to do nowadays when there's any crowd. Marxengels and I try to stay away from crowd situations, because something always seems to go wrong. Too much alcohol mixed with the heat and general problems people have with drugs, etc. Anyway, here are a bunch of colorful photos of the traditional Carnaval, which includes a huge parade and plenty of colorful masks and costumes. It's always held on Sunday afternoons/evenings in the month before Easter, and each city claims their own Sunday. So on any given Sunday, you could pick and choose which Carnaval you'd like to go to somewhere or another.

Politics.

I have never been one to get deep into politics. Although I voted in both the last Presidential election and gubernatorial election and encouraged all my college friends to do the same, I have not followed the details of what is happening from day to day in my state, nation, and world.

But as I am working in a government run public health office and see the effects of corruption around me daily in the office, on the streets, and in the homes of those I love, I have begun to realize just how important the decisions of our government officials truly are. I suppose that living in the United States where things are generally good and stable, I, like many others, had grown up not thinking twice about many government policies. But when you live in a place where things are backwards, where the government thrives by being served by the people, not by serving the people, you begin to realize how fortunate you have been all your life. Dishonesty. Bribery. Fraud. This is what thrives in a fallen world where power plays are the games of the weak.

What a strange feeling to now live in a world where Fidel Castro is no longer the President of Cuba! I can barely comprehend it. He is all that my generation and my parents’ generation have ever known about the government of Cuba.

On Sunday, I had the rare opportunity of seeing the President of the Dominican Republic in person. What craziness! Everyone knew that he was coming to Mao, in order to further his political campaign for another presidential term. I was waiting at the house for him to pass by, camera and sunglasses ready so that I could run out the door and down the block as soon as I heard the caravan coming. Apparently, he passed by without much hubbub, seemingly not too well received in this city. Margot called me around 4 o’clock and told me to hurry on over as the President would pass right in front of her house. As Marxengels was playing baseball, I begged his brother, Jualmarxkh to take me over on the scooter so I could get there quickly. On the way, we ran right into the caravan and had to make some loops until we could just squeeze through to get to Margot’s house. Jualmarxkh dropped me off and drove away, not at all interested in seeing the president who we agree to be quite shady. I have never seen so many people before on Margot’s street! I had to laugh as I ran inside and upstairs, to find her wearing white – the color of the other main political party who she’s for – and drinking a glass of whisky by herself on the balcony. She told me that Emerson and his sisters were in the neighbors’ house, talking before the President came. I was super shocked when the president finally arrived, got out of the car, and entered the neighbors’ house where they were! The neighbor, , told me afterwards that her daughter is a huge fan of the president, and that her 15th birthday was coming up soon. As quinceañeras are huge in Latin America, this was the ultimate birthday present for her daughter to meet the president, and invite some neighbors
and friends to join her. It was kind of a weird feeling when the president actually came out of the house and sat atop the car he was riding in, waving directly to the people around him. As Margot and I were the only ones on the balcony and the rest of the crowd was out in the street, the president looked directly at us, smiled and waved as he passed by. He was so close and so personal, that I couldn’t think so horribly about him at the moment. I guess it’s easier to see the humanity in someone if they’re right before your eyes and not just on posters and television.

This afternoon, I have been watching the telebroadcast of the Cumbre Grupo de Rio, a meeting of all Latin American presidents that just so happens to be hosted in Santo Domingo. The greatest part of the meeting has been devoted to the discussion of the current crisis between Colombia and Ecuador, as the FARC terrorist guerrillas of Colombia entered far into Ecuador this week. After President Uribe of Colombia gave a long explanation of his point of view on the present crisis, President Correa of Ecuador gave what I view to be one of the best speeches I have ever heard from a
modern-day President. He pleaded with Uribe to control the guerrillas within Colombia so that needless bloodshed and violence would not be even farther widespread throughout other nations. I have to say that I feel kind of bad just looking at the President of Colombia, as he’s unanimously not supported by the general assembly. He looks like a little kid whose parents are confronting him on something bad he’s done. But, it’s true that he really needs to shape up and fight this guerrilla crisis within his own country.

Happy Women’s Day!

Ewww!

So, it looks as though I've had strep throat. But it's a lot more fun to say in Spanish: estreptococo. And it has nothing to do with coco. How sad.

I ended up going to a clinic on Tuesday, waiting around all morning to see the eye, ear, nose and throat doctor. In true Dominican style, you just show up first thing in the morning, the secretary puts down your name, and you wait your turn. Well, Marxengels didn't want to get up so early, and I didn't feel well anyway, so I was #11 in line by the time we arrived. I had plenty of time to master my vocab flash cards for the GRE, and we even took off for a while and had breakfast and watched part of an old Western at Margot's house down the road. Once my turn came up a bit past noon, the doctor surprised me. He looked in my throat, took my temperature (normal), and gave me some sort of antibiotic. No throat swab, lab tests or anything. He just told me what he thought I had, gave me some sample antibiotics, and told me to get some more plus an antibiotic/pain killing spray at the pharmacy.

Even though we tried to prevent it, Marxengels ended up getting whatever I have. He decided to bypass the doctor and called the pharmacy yesterday, asking for some amoxicilin, because it's stronger than whatever slow-acting antibiotic I was on. Perhaps you could say that things aren't so regulated here?

Because I was so tired, I took most of the week off from the public health office/community work. I decided that teaching English and piano - a little more distant from my students - would be manageable. I feel like I'm doing much better, and am glad that I had the ability to take it easy this week.

So Much to Say!

So much to say! I took a super relaxing and super necessary Christmas break in Michigan from December 23rd to January 10th, visiting with family and friends in the Detroit area, home in Burdickville, and Holland. My family says that it started snowing in Detroit right when they picked me up from the airport. Sounds to me like God honored my sincere desire to have snow while I was home! I enjoyed the snow so much, playing in it while both downhill and cross-country skiing, sledding down the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes, and taking beach and forest walks. I wouldn’t have traded all this, plus cups of hot cocoa, after-Christmas cookie making, and annual Goryl family homemade pierogis for anything.

One of the greatest things is that I feel more emotionally healthy now than before I left for Christmas. Before I left, I was highly stressed out with the public health office and government in general, seeing all the abuse of power and wanting to tackle all the problems that I saw around me. We had just gone through two tropical storms, Noel and Olga, which provoked massive flooding and loss of property and life in many areas. Within my own household, it seemed like a cloud fell over us, as Emerson lost a large percentage of his plantain and banana crop… and nearly several of his workers. For several days, no blaring music or laughter was heard in the streets like normal in the festive Christmas season, and all seemed downcast. I could not handle the piropos carelessly thrown at me from the guys on the street whenever I so much as stepped out the door. My emotions were shot. Being home, I was able to refocus, re-prioritize, and take things into perspective from afar. I feel that my attitude has turned around for the better. I took to heart what one wise friend shared with me, that instead of having an attitude of criticism, I would achieve far more having a continual attitude of service.

Although many things have stayed the same upon arriving back in the DR, there have been a few significant changes. Put simply, I've been quite busy. My schedule has gotten much tighter, with each week rather tiring yet productive. I continue to work at the provincial public health office and in the surrounding communities in the mornings till about 1 pm, Monday through Friday. I am also still at the music academy teaching piano lessons, but my class size has risen dramatically. I expected my 6 faithful students to return after Christmas break, but had no idea that 12 more would show up to my new-student information session! Later, several more asked if they could join. I honestly don’t know how many people I could potentially be teaching, but the total was somewhere around 26. I only had enough time slots for 15 students at the music academy, even though we created some more slots on Saturday mornings, so I invited the rest to begin private lessons at my home (with familial approval of home usage, of course). Not all have taken up the offer, but in reality, I look at that as a good thing!

As soon as I returned to Mao, the director of the most well-established and respected English Institute in town contacted me to see if I could take up a class. I had talked with him several months back when I was getting a little desperate for not having any income, but all classes were well taken care of at the time. We set up a time to talk about details, and I stopped by the institute. It was Monday afternoon (I had arrived back in the DR on Thursday night)… a few minutes before the class was about to start. I found out that I was being asked to teach a 1-hour, third level English class to a group of almost twenty kids 4 days a week He said he’d teach the class that first day, but I’d need to decide if I was going to agree to the job by 8 am the following morning. I wrestled with the situation in my mind that night, as I knew it would be very little pay and possibly taxing on my schedule, but my first experience in teaching regularly in front of a class. I still hadn’t made up my mind that night, so I decided to sleep on it and hope that the answer would be clear in the morning. Right before the director called, I firmly decided that I would take the plunge. It's hilariously absurd, because the director told me to come to class a few minutes early that first day. I came earlier than that, but he just took about 5 minutes to basically explain the way the book works and what I should do that first day, handed me a brand new piece of chalk and an eraser, and pointed in the direction of the classroom. I had to laugh. That's the way some people function, I guess. One good thing is that I'm really learning to roll with whatever comes my way... or rather maneuver in whatever situation I find myself in. I found that I actually love teaching this class, but I'm pooped by the end. It makes me wonder how people can teach 8 hours a day. Maybe the context I'm in is really different, or maybe it's just that everything is so new to me that I have to wing it as I go.

It's funny, really, because from a career standpoint, I came to work and learn new skills as well. But it turns out that I am doing all this while really teaching all along the way, too! I never would have guessed that I'd be teaching piano lessons, I left teaching English as an open but “ehhh, only if necessary” type of possibility, and had no clue that I'd end up helping to train the "social workers" here! I find that in fact, it's quite the learning opportunity on the teacher's side. I am learning for the first time how to teach one on one, in front of a group of 17 kids, and on a professional level. There's a lot of learning in how to best teach. I think one of the main things here is learning how to adapt to my audience and how they learn best.

It’s truly been a balancing act working at 3 different places along with currently studying for the GRE and applying to Public Health school. (Recap: I have already been accepted to the University of Michigan for my Masters in Social Work, and am now hoping to complete a dual major.) Having to jog around to so many different places from day to day, I don’t know how I’d ever fit in seeing Marxengels and his immediate family if I wasn’t now sharing the same house with them. Right after coming back from Christmas vacation, I found out that I could no longer stay with Margot and Emerson as several immediate family members were coming to visit. (When Dominicans come home to visit after living in the States, the norm is to stay at least a month.) I was very thankful that Marxengels’ mom opened up their home to me. It seemed a bit of a difficult and almost awkward move at first, but has proven better in the long run. In addition to being able to see the family daily, this new living arrangement has made Marxengels my personal moto-chauffer on occasion, taking me directly where I need to go if I am exhausted and don’t feel like taking a 15+ minute walk to get there. Plus, I am creating a garden in my free time in order to fashion a quiet, cool place where we can sit and see the land be productive where there used to be a miniature family garbage dump. After a long day, it has been a good way to quiet my mind outside before the sun goes down.

So, in all this, I feel that I am able to achieve much more and feel more at peace than before because my emotional health has improved greatly. Yet, my physical health feels compromised. I am getting plenty of sleep, but I am considerably tired a lot more than normal. This week, I have been crashing on average at 9 pm, going to bed with a migraine and dizziness. I would sincerely appreciate prayers, because this and other health oddities have been plaguing me recently. I know that stress is playing a role, so I need to further figure out how to better manage my time and relax a little bit every day.

I have to say that all in all, all is well. Currently, I am expecting the soon arrival of our blond, tiger cat, Mickey’s, kittens. I’ve never seen newborn kittens before, so every day my excitement grows. And I trust that the Lord will continue to guide my path and open the right doors to meeting the right people and having sweet new opportunities. He has always proved himself faithful. Honestly, I couldn't have imagined that I would be in many of the situations that I am! I think the main thing is that GOD is so amazing, and when we decide to follow him literally wherever he leads us, it's quite the adventure.

January 18th

I declare it to be…
the 1st Annual Hanley Denning Day!

In honor of Hanley and her work at Safe Passage, I hope that others will celebrate with me. Even if I am the only one who ever celebrates this day, it reminds me of Hanley’s vision and how much of an inspiration she has been in my life. It seems to fall appropriately right before Civil Rights Week. She was truly one who fought for the rights of education for all.

www.safepassage.org

¿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.