Last weekend we were able to make up the volunteer visit that the rains and hurricanes canceled the week before last. Another volunteer and I went to Nizoa, about an hour and a half from where I am currently located. As much as I have enjoyed my Doña´s cooking, it was really nice to give my tummy a break from Dominican food. It was also helpful to see how a volunteer lives and know that at somepoint I will be able to chose and prepare my own food and create my own little home.

Last week in training we were learning about the community diagnostic. The first three months of service are devoted to conducting a community diagnostic. This entails going house to house, drinking lots of coffee, sitting on porches, and compartiendo with your vecinos in order to gather information (a baseline) of your community through informal interviews. Also this week for my Spanish classes I did a little mini investigation of home remedies. Some were somewhat boring (teas, aloe vera, etc), but there were plenty that did not fail to disappoint and proved to be quite......creative! It was a fun project. This week were are going through the nutrition curriculum and learning how to start community gardens and build chiken coops.

A few of my favorites or highlights from the week.........

Realizing that when my Doña says the milk is leche de la vaca, that she doesn´t just mean it is cow´s milk, but that it is milk straight from the cow next door! It´s actually not too bad.

Going for a walk and having little kids accompany me along the way. Returning to my house drenched from the rain storm that caught me and my Doña reprimanding me for forgetting my umbrella. Then eating warm arapa with fresh cow´s milk with the rain still beating on the roof.

Going running at 6 am before the bachata gets going and there is quiet in the campo.

Pausing on my runs and walks to climb up to the sanctuario (Pictured in the last entry) to get a good eyeful of the sunrise over the mountains.

Sitting with my host family and them getting a thrill out of teaching me to talk like a Dominicana.

Helping the kids in my house with their homework and seeing their eagerness to learn.

All the lechosa (papaya) that my Doña gives me!

The joy of getting to the internet.

Dancing on the porch to the bachata and merengue that is faithfully playing from the colmados with the kids


Sorry for the lack of fotos. I forgot to save them to my disk at home. Next time!