Last Post

After 27 months in the Peace Corps in the Dominican Republic, my service finally came to an end on November 20th, 2009. It was by far the most incredible experience of my life. Getting to know another culture on such an intimate level has helped me realize so much more about my life, and about life in general.

Sorry for not updating more often, but after a year or so in country, many things just didn't seem blogworthy anymore.

One thing that I don't know how I forgot to post about, but just realized now, was the inauguration of the rural community water supply system. We inaugurated on July 11th, 2009. The aqueduct serves 60 families who now have potable, running water in their homes. In total, the system cost $15,000 US. You can check out some pictures at picasaweb.google.com/kebmodee

Thanks to my family and friends for supporting me throughout this adventure. I could not have done it without you.

To follow me during my current trip in South America I have started a new blog:

Kevin's South American Adventures

I'll update as often as I can.

Peace.

The Ants Go Marching One by One

Disclaimer: Lisa, do not read this until after your visit.

I don’t know what it is lately, but the ants around here have been completely out of control.

One day, I went to put on my pants, which were hanging on a hook on the wall (and by hook I mean a nail), and they were completely covered in ants. Luckily, I had another clean pair to wear, so I just had to shake the ants out of the dirty ones and give them to Doña to make sure any remaining ants would be dead before I wore them again. Needless to say, I didn’t want ants in my pants.

If there’s one thing I hate more than ants in my pants, it’s when ants (and other creepy crawlers) go to the one place where they know they should not. You may have already guessed where this place is, since it’s the only place that is covered with a protective barrier, warning impending doom to whatever passes through. So yes, ants were in my bed. Now these weren’t just any ants, but ants that bite. Their sting isn’t too bad, a little worse than mosquitoes, but not as long lasting. I would have preferred that a big spider were in my bed rather than ants because spiders are more easily removed. Also, there is no other choice but to kill the ants.

This all occurred when I went down to my room to go to bed. I walked in to my room, and noticed a large, brown, moving mass on my mosquito net. I walked over and saw a ton of ants not only on the mosquito net, but also on the sheets, traipsing along as if it were their territory that I was trespassing on. It seems as though ants are just the right size to fit through the holes in the netting. I would have taken a picture, but this was a serious situation that required immediate attention. There was no time to fiddle around with a camera.

To begin the removal, I needed to think of a way that wouldn’t involve killing the ants one by one with the tip of my finger. Immediately I thought of mosquito repellant. I figured that if mosquito repellant repels mosquitoes, it might also deter ants. At once, I began spraying the ants. They slowed down but they didn’t seem as bothered by the repellant as mosquitoes. Time to think of a new solution.

I had seen a friend do this before, not to kill ants though. This solution would also require mosquito repellant, in addition to a flame. It just so happens that mosquito repellant is highly flammable. These ants had no idea what they were in for by invading my sleeping quarters.

It just so happened that the ants were entering my mosquito net and bed through a light fixture that is closely placed to my bed. There is a small gap between the ceiling and the fixture through which they were passing. I had to deal with this area first, to reduce the amount of ants that were coming in. While using my makeshift torch on this light fixture, I had to be careful not to come to close to the netting, as it is very flammable. In sequence, I would do a torching, then a sweeping. In this process, some of the ants would just be knocked out for a little bit, and in the sweeping stage I would be bitten. After getting rid of the ants on the light fixture, I covered the gap with duct tape (use number 142 I have found for duct tape here). Ant problem solved.

However, there were still some ants on the mosquito net and bed. Not as many as before, but still plenty. This would require the one by one smashing with my finger. After the situation was all clear, I went to sleep, only being bitten by 4 or 5 rogue ants throughout the night.

So even though most of you guys think I’m living the life here, I still have to deal with some pretty nasty shit.

Pictures from the Race

This was before the race:

And significantly sweatier/dirtier after:

I even got a medal!

10K

Yesterday I did a 10k, without having practiced or anything. I cannot use the verb "run," because there was little of that going on. Just to prove to everyone that I actually did it, here is the results page:

http://www.allsportcentral.com/results/results.cfm?EventID=21821

If you scroll down way to the bottom, I'm number 1546...yay!!!

Also, I'll be back in Chicago for 3 weeks on June 3rd...only 16 days left!

A Whirlwind Week

This past week has been quite an experience. It was jam-packed, and one of the best weeks I've had in a really long time.

It all started with Semana Santa, or Holy Week. I ate at least a gallon of habichuelas con dulce. Unfortunately I had to leave my community during the heart of the celebrations, in order to help my friend with a Builders Beyond Borders group who was coming to his site to work. On the bright side, my Dona filled my nalgene up with habichuelas so I got a bunch to go. I stayed at my friend's site helping out from Friday till Monday and we had a lot of fun.

On Monday morning my friend and I got a bola down to my site. I had to change out some things from my backpack in order to prepare for a water conference in the capital. After spending about 1 hour unpacking and packing (and another glass of habichuelas), I was off to the capital.

When I got to the capital we finished editing our presentation that we would be giving the following day. The conference was headed by an NGO called Water for People. They are looking to start work in this country, and they wanted to have a little conference with all the other organizations that work in similar fields in order to get an idea of work that is going on this country. The best thing about this conference: we got a free, 2-night stay at the Hilton. We checked in at about 4, and already took advantage of the pool and hot showers by like 5. Oh yeah, and it wasn't some room on a lower level looking over the parking lot, it was on the 11th floor overlooking the ocean. The room itself was pretty small, but they were some of the nicest accomodations I have ever been in. The evening we checked in there was a meet and greet with all the people who would be attending. Cocktails and appetizers were served. And not just any appetizers...there were fried coconut shrimp, caviar, shishkebobs, and lots of other great things.

The next day was spent listening to presentations by other organizations, talking about their work being done in this country. It was a great experience overall...especially the hot showers. And the group of us 4 Peace Corps Volunteers won US$2000 for our projects. Since two of us there had all our funding, the remaining two volunteers are going to split those funds.

Unfortunately, at 12 on Thursday our time at the Hilton had to come to an end. It was really sad to leave, but we definitely took advantage of everything it had to offer.

On Thursday, I was planning on going back to my community, but when I got to the office, they were taking down names for people who wanted to go to a meet and greet with Hillary Clinton at the United States Embassy. As I'm sure you guessed, I decided I would stay in the capital one more night. The Secretary of State kept us waiting for quite awhile, but it was worth the wait. I was probably about 15 feet away from her while she was giving her speech. She gave a little shout out to the Peace Corps, and then walked around and shook hands. And yes, I got to shake her hand and say nice to meet you. It was very surreal. I think that is the only famous person I have ever had an encounter with.

And as usual, all good things must come to an end. Today I'm heading back up to Santiago, where I will be for the weekend for a little get together with some friends I haven't seen in awhile.

As far as the project goes, we're just doing some final touches, and then we should be done. Projected inauguration date: May 23rd.

Peace and Hugs!

Aqueduct Udpate

It´s been about 2 months since I last posted an update...sorry about that. The reason is that we´ve been working really hard and we´re almost finished with everything. We did a test in one part of the community the other day and water is successfully arriving. Since we had to turn it off, so as not to be favoring one part of the community over the other, people were filling all their buckets and tanks in order to have water until the next time we could turn it on.

Within a few weeks we should be done, and we should be inaugurating in the middle of May. Everyone is welcome to come. There should be enough beds for everyone. I´ll give more information as it comes to me.

In the meantime, check out some of my construction pictures.

picasaweb.google.com/kebmodee

Inauguration

The presidential inauguration has brought me to Santiago once again. A group of about 20 volunteers came to watch it. I was debating whether or not to come because it is a work day, bit since tomorrow is a holiday, I decided I'd leave work early and let my community do their thing without me. Hopefully they don't screw things up.

Once again I'm going to keep things short because my computer is still being repaired and I'm writing this on my iPod touch. I hope everyone enjoyed and took to heart the inauguration speech.

Peace.

Update

Just wanted to give a quick update since it has been so long since I last posted.

Work is going really well and we are moving along a lot faster than I ever expected. We hope to be finished in a few months.

I have to keep this short because I'm writing this on my iPod touch because my computer is currently out of commission. I'm in the city now to hopefully get it fixed if it doesn't cost too much.

Until it is fixed I probably will not be able to post pictures or blog updates as often.

I hope everyone is enjoying the cold weather while I'm here in my shorts and flip flops.

Happy New Year

Just wanted to wish everyone a happy new year. I know it's not actually the new year yet, but it's close enough. Below is a picture of our view from the balcony where we are at. Notice there is no snow and it's not cold. It's the perfect place to ring in the new year.

Pictures from Christmas

I'm not going to do a whole blog post on Christmas, because it was pretty much the same as last year. If you didn't read my post from last Christmas, go and read it now and you'll know.

On the 23rd we roasted all the pigs that we would be eating on the 24th, La Noche Buena. There were about 17 in total. I couldn't keep track because there were just way too many.

Check out pics from the pig roast here:

http://picasaweb.google.com/kebmodee/PigRoastDec232008#

On Christmas day, the 25th, a few friends and I went to Santiago to celebrate. We decided on meatloaf since it's affordable. There was also some Carlo Rossi wine. Nothing but high class for us on Christmas. The food tasted a lot better than it actually looks in the pictures. Even in person it didn't look too appetizing. It kind of looks like food you would get in prison, or in those hot lunches in the foil containers from grade school. But it was way tastier. We even had leftovers on the 26th. We also made a gingerbread house, of which there are way too many pictures. I must have had one too many glasses of wine by that point.

Check out pics from Christmas day here:

http://picasaweb.google.com/kebmodee/HubChristmas2008#

First Weeks of Work

My last post that I was going to do has changed from “First Week of Work” to “First Weeks of Work.” Unfortunately I became extremely busy after Thanksgiving and didn’t have time to update about only my first week of work, so I’ll just do a summary of my first three weeks of work.

A typical day goes like this:

6:30-7:00 - Wake up

7:00 – Eat Breakfast which usually consists of oatmeal because it’s easily and quickly prepared.

7:30 – Load the truck up with materials and go to the worksite

8:00 – After rounding up the troops and getting everything ready we’re usually off to work. Depending on where the worksite it at, we sometimes have a half hour hike, which involves crossing a river.

8:30-11:30 – Dig trenches. Fortunately, I don’t have to get involved with this physical labor. I could if I really wanted to, but honestly it’s probably better that I didn’t. There are plenty more capable men than I, and they do a way better job with physical labor than I ever could. If I were needed to do this I certainly would, but the fact is, is that it’s just not necessary. My American family has given me a lot of s*@t for that, but oh well. My role here is really as a technical resource, as an engineer, not as a laborer. Don’t get me wrong, when we’re doing our 30 minute hike, I help out in carrying materials and tools, but as far as the digging goes, I’ll leave that to the experts.

11:30-12:00 – Lunch. Usually a lo crio (rice cooked with meat, usually ham or salami) or moro (rice cooked with beans). We get a big plate piled with the stuff, and usually spaghetti or a salad, and since it is avocado season, a slice of avocado or two.

12:00-2:30 – More trench digging and gluing pipes. After the trenches are dug to an acceptable depth, we begin to glue the pipes. This is the part I am more involved in since it’s more technical, but the Dominicans have begun to take charge of this also, under my supervision. After the pipes are laid in the trench, the trenches are then filled back up with the dirt that was taken out.

2:30-3:00 – Finish up everything. Gather all the tools and extra materials. Hike back down.

I then have another 10 minute walk back to my house where I usually arrive exhausted. A nice, cold glass of juice is usually awaiting me, and if I’m hungry, there are always leftovers.

We work Monday thru Thursday. Each day there are brigades of between 16-18 men. If it is raining a lot one day, we’ll make up the day on Friday. The next numbers are estimates since I have taken an official count yet, but I would guess we have installed around 200 pipes thus far. We are halfway done with the main delivery line to the tank. The only work items left are two river crossings, the tank, and the distribution line. I estimate it will probably take 2-3 more months to complete the project. This is provided that the money promised by the local mayor arrives on time and the motivation of the people continues. I’ll keep my fingers crossed.

Usually once a week I also make a trip to the hardware store in order to purchase materials for the coming week, and to fix stuff up that was missing in the previous week. So the next couple months I’ll be a little busy and probably will not be able to update often, but I’m not going to forget about you guys.

Also, I’m not sure if I mentioned in a previous post, and since I’m not writing this when I’m on the internet I can’t check, but the grant that was online has filled up. I have the money in the bank and it’s just waiting there for my next materials purchase. Thanks to everyone who donated!

Check out some pics from the first day here:

http://picasaweb.google.com/kebmodee/FirstDayOfWork02#

My First Week of Construction

Pictures and story coming soon!

Starting Work

Last Wednesday (which by now it wasn’t actually last Wednesday, but Wednesday, November 12^th…man how time flies) I went to the hardware store to get our first round of materials for the project. It was a rather stressful experience, but everything worked out.

First, I went to the bank to pick up my debit card so I could do the transaction without cash. Unfortunately, the debit card was not ready. There was some miscommunication between the bank and one of my friends who also went there to open up a bank account. Since we are starting work on Monday, I couldn’t wait for the debit card, and had to decide that I would do the transaction in cash. First, I would go to the hardware store to know the amount of money I would have to withdraw.

So, from there I went to the hardware store, without cash, to purchase materials. After finding everything I needed and getting a quote, I went back to the bank to withdraw the money that I needed. Since I was going to have such a large sum of money, I decided to travel from the bank in a taxi; I wasn’t risking public transit.

I then successfully purchased the first bunch of materials, for around RD$107,000, or US$3,060 to get the project going. It would be next day delivery, for about US$25.

Without a flaw, the goods arrived the next day. After a little bit of arguing, we decided where we would store all the materials. I preferred the locked warehouse in a separate part of the community, closer to where we would be working. Other people preferred putting materials out in the open next to a house, where they would be better watched, since stuff had been robbed in the past from the warehouse. Also, a close friend offered the use of his truck for free to transport tubes and materials closer to the worksite every morning. This would come to be a minor problem. I try to let them make most of the decisions themselves, so out in the open next to the house was were we put the materials. Since there are pretty much always people around, and the location next to the house was actually pretty hidden behind shrubs and stuff, I decided it would be ok.

So far, pretty much everything is well and nothing has gotten stolen. We have however decided to begin using the warehouse. This is because the second day of work, the owner of the truck told me that there was no gas, and wanted to know who was going to pay for it. I told him he was because that was what I thought the deal was. I told him I didn’t put money in the budget for it and I couldn’t be using project money for stuff that wasn’t in the budget. I ended up giving a little money, since not only is he transporting pipes, but also helping with some technical masonry and concrete work. I told him in the future I will not pay, and that we would be storing everything the warehouse. Other community members seem to be in agreement with me now. We’ll see what happens. The other day we got a shipment of pipes and it was raining. If the truck went down into the lower part of the community where the warehouse is, it wouldn’t have been able to get back up, so guess where we put them…yep, outside next to someone’s house. Let’s see how long it takes them to get into the warehouse, if ever.

I Love Luxury

So right now I'm staying at the house of a USAID employee for Thanksgiving. They are a lovely couple and are very welcoming and nice, for letting 6 volunteers stay in their home for the better part of a week.

The reason for this is because I'm part of the Thanksgiving committee. I will be baking desserts with some friends for our Peace Corps Thanksgiving celebration for about 200 or so people. My group is in charge of making 25 pecan pies and countless chocolate chocolate chip cookies. The cookies that I eat as we go along are countless as well.

So, just a small list of the luxurious things I love:

• Hot Water - Not only is there hot water in the shower, but also in every sink and faucet in the house. My most frequent encounters with hot water in this country are attachments to the shower head which heaten up the water really quickly as it comes out. Not very efficient, and not very hot. I'm pretty sure I took off a layer of skin in my shower tonight.
• Air Conditioning - This is on my list, but I actually haven't used it yet. Temperatures are pretty comfortable right now, but just knowing that it is there in case it gets hot is very comforting.
• A kitchen with two sinks - When you're cooking 25 pies and a lot of cookies, two sinks come in handy...even when you have a dishwasher (the machine, not a person) as well.
• Reliable electricity - The power never goes out...or at least it hasn't yet.
• Good food - Our dinner the first night were these amazing bean-filled taquito things with salsa...I ate 6. The second night: homemade chicken pot pie. I'm not sure if I have ever actually eaten one of these in my life, but it was amazing. I had three slices. Tomorrow is spaghetti and meatballs. I can't wait.
• Wifi - Last but certainly not least. Wifi is one of my favorite things in the world.
• Security guards - Ok, I must admit I don't think I've ever had this luxury before, and don't know how necessary it really is, but it's nice knowing that if a burglar comes to rob my house and my security system malfunctions, I have a guy with a big gun there to protect me.
  

Also I would like to inform everyone that I now have less than one year left of my Peace Corps service. November 21st of next year is my tentative last day. I hope that I always think of the above items as luxuries, and not just ordinary, as these things will be making their way back into my regular life. I dare you to just go one day without internet, or hot water, or even a shower. You will appreciate it so much more the next day.

Check out a new post below about the elections. It didn't show up at the top and I don't want you guys to miss it.

Also, I think my fundraising grant that I had up the link for finally filled up. I went to check how much money I still had to raise the other night and it didn't show up online. This usually means that it has been filled. I haven't confirmed it with PC staff yet so I'm still keeping my fingers crossed. Thanks to everyone who made it possible. Your thank you cards will be arriving later, not sooner. I'm going to wait until someone visits me or until I make another visit home since I can't really trust the mail system here. Thanks again and sorry for all the begging!

Hopefully in between my pie baking tomorrow I can get a quick post up about my first week of work.

Sorry for all the grammar mistakes again...I feel like I should proofread this stuff more, but I'm writing it on the fly. It's almost 2 in the morning here and I was shopping for thanksgiving stuff and baking all day.

Peace.

Oh wait...one last thing. I bought myself an early Christmas gift. For our Thanksgiving shopping, we went to this place called Price Mart. Basically like a Sam's Club or Costco. You'll never guess what they had there. Big boxes of goldfish crackers. I bought three. That was the only time I have seen them in this country and I had to take advantage of it. They were US$8.30 a piece, and were worth every peso. Being in the Christmas spirit of giving, I shared one of my boxes with about 10 other volunteers on our way back from the store in the back of the big Jeep. It made me happy knowing that other people were enjoying them just as much as I was. Ok, well probably not as much as I was, but close.

Will Have Full Post Soon

Sorry...I've been really busy since I received my first chunk of money.

I start construction on the aqueduct on Monday the 17th. Wish me luck.

I will have a more detailed post in about a week or so. Also I will be in the capital for a week during Thanksgiving, so I'll have regular internet access then.

Bye.

Change We Need

This post is long overdue. I wrote some of it the night of the elections, saved it, and then promptly forgot about it. I finished some stuff up immediately before posting it.

So I think for the first time in my life I can say that I'm proud to be an American. I just watched Barack's speech, and needless to say, it was so inspirational, for all Americans. He is the change we need. For the past eight years the United States has been, well I don't think I need to go into specifics since all of you have lived through it, but it wasn't that good.

From now, and into the future, I think the world will have a different attitude toward the US. I can pinpoint the exact moment where I was losing confidence in our nation, back in 2002-03 or so, but this is a huge change that was necessary, and will not only change the American people's view of America, but also the world's view of America.

I must admit I was a little sad watching Obama's speech in Chicago, from far away in the DR, even though if I had been there, I probably wouldn't have been in Grant Park. It would have just been a little different feel. Although, I must say that being in a foreign country, the whole feeling is completely different.

It's amazing to already feel a different attitude of Dominicans toward me. On plenty of occasions I will have random people come up to me and tell me congratulations. We'll then have a small discussion on who I voted for. I tell them Obama (I'm not gonna lie...I didn't really vote, but for all intensive purposes, my vote went to Obama. I'm from Chicago. My vote wouldn't have counted. Barack was going to win. Please don't scold me) and in somewhat disbelief, they are surprised that a white guy in the states would vote for this black dude to run their country.

So anyways. Yeah, I like Barack. But I must say, in no way whatsoever is the Peace Corps associated with this opinion. This is my opinion, and my opinion only.

Si, se puede.

November...Fall is arriving...but really it's just hot and rainy

Just wanted to post a little update on how things have been going for the past month that I haven’t posted.

I’ve gotten used to life here again after my little respite in the US. I’ve been comfortably enjoying the undeveloped world with bucket baths and no AC.

On the project front, there is still no physical evidence of work being done, as I’m still in the search/wait for resources. I know I’ve said this before, but I really am on the cusp of getting money. RD$150,000 has been promised from a foundation with which my boss has really close ties. This money should be arriving any day now. With this amount of money I will be able to buy tools, tubes, and other materials to get the project started. Finally, we will be able to start the more physically demanding work that the project entails. In the meantime, I will continue following up on leads for more money. The local government, after going back and forth for a few months, has finally promised money starting in January. Through the grapevine I’ve heard I will be getting a total of RD$300,000 in installments starting then. Also, when my online grant fills up, which I know all you reading this have so graciously donated to, I will receive that US$5,000, or RD$165,000 to buy more project materials.

I know I have been begging for a while now, but please, if you know of anyone that might even be slightly interested, even with $5 or $10, any amount will help. Please send the link out to all of your friends and relatives. If all of you just cooked dinner at home one day instead of going out to eat and donated that difference, this grant would fill up quickly.

Hopefully before the year ends we will be able to get a few weeks of work in. I will be spending almost a week in the capital for Thanksgiving, and another few days in the beginning of December in a conference for 1 year in service training. We will also be taking several weeks off for Christmas and New Year’s as that’s what people who live in the campo here do. But from January onward we will be working hard to complete what I came here to do, which is bring running water to the community.

Beyond my water project, I am also starting a few smaller side projects to help the community out.

I will be starting a youth group to educate those in their early teens to mid-twenties to make healthy decisions. The group is called “Escojo Mi Vida” or “I Choose My Life.” It’s a Peace Corps wide program which aims to educate the youth about HIV/AIDS and other related themes which rarely, if ever, are discussed in school here.

Also, I will be starting to give English classes. This I’m not really looking forward too. All other volunteers have told me that this is one of the least rewarding things that you can do here. I decided against my better judgment after I received more than a few requests for me to do it. Hopefully it will be a little more rewarding for me since a lot of people in my community work in the tourism industry, and even if they know a little English, they will have better opportunities.

Last but not lease I will be working with my local woman’s group in educating them about business and health. I am scheduled to work with them on the 16^th of November, together with my friend, to teach them how to make Mistolin, a floor cleaning product, which they can then sell and make a profit. There will be more activities like that in the future.

That’s it for now. I will have my eyes glued to the television tomorrow tonight watching history be made.

UPDATE:

I called my boss yesterday, the day I wrote the above post, and he said he was on his way to my community to give me the check. This morning I went with my project partner to deposit the RD$150,000 from La Fundacion ADEMI. This Saturday we have a community-wide meeting to inform them about everything that is going on with the project: food, work brigades, what's expected from them, etc. Our tentative start date is November 16th. Wish me luck. After a year of work, I finally get to get down and dirty and really do some work.

This however does not mean that you should stop looking and begging all your friends and relatives for money for me. I just found out recently that a matching gift from the company my brother works for was denied due to some tax reasons. This means that I now have US$1790 left to raise instead of US$490.

www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=resources.donors.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=517-263

Peace.

Back in the Dominican Republic

After two weeks in the States, I made it back to the DR last night. My flight go in at 7:05, I was through customs and everything by 8, and at the Hub by 8:30.

Some observations about the DR after having been gone for a little while:

• The hassle of everything. I didn't have my residency card because I went to get it too soon before I left. Instead I got a letter authorized by the Peace Corps saying to waive the reentry fee of $10. I had to go back and forth between these two lines about 5 times and in the end I had to end up paying it. Peace Corps better reimburse me.
  
• People trying to rip you off if you are perceived to be a tourist. I called a reputable cab company as soon as I got out of customs and they told me the fare was RD$400, and the cab was on the way. In the meantime I figured I'd ask some of the airport taxis how much the fare was. They told me RD$600. After seeing that they weren't getting any fares from anyone he told me he would drive me for RD$500. I said a cab was already on it's way for me and I was paying RD$400. He then told me he would take me for RD$400. Why not just tell me the right price in the first place. Sure there is the lure of making more money, but this guy didn't end up making any money, so it was his loss. My cab arrived after about 15 minutes and I was on my merry way, with 200 extra pesos in my pocket.
  
• The dirtiness. I think I had just gotten used to the uncleanliness before I left and didn't even realize it was here. One of my first observations in the States was just how clean everything was. Here it is just dirty. Not intolerably dirty, but dirtier than the US.
  
• People drive crazily. I actually like this aspect of it here most of the time though. Traffic would be so much better in the States if people just grew a pair and didn't leave 3 car lengths between themselves and the car in front of them.
• They put ketchup on sandwiches. I had my first sandwich today since being back, and there was ketchup on it. It adds for a lovely flavor. I'm pretty sure though that if you went to Subway in the States and asked for ketchup they would just give you a weird look.
• Last, but definitely not least, its so freakin' HOTTT! Luckily my cab had air conditioning. But the Hub does not. I was soaked from head to toe in about 10 minutes. I showered because I was nasty and smelly after a day of carrying bags through airports and whatnot. After about 10 minutes more, I was all full of sweat once again. And this was nighttime. So far today I have been in the AC the whole time. I'm going to try and keep it that way for as long as I can. With that said, I still prefer the heat and humidity to the cold.

All this is just part of life here. A different life from the US, but enjoyable nonetheless. So those are my first few observations after getting back in the country. I'll keep you updated if there is anything else interesting I notice.

The States

The past two weeks I was in the US for a little respite from the DR. I used some of my annual vacation leave in order to go home and see friends and family, and just to enjoy all the loveliness the States have to offer.

I was picked up at O'Hare airport after a little while thanks to my sister Lisa, even after a little bit of waiting due to some miscommunication, and my lack of a cell phone. For my first meal I chose Portillo's. But instead of getting a beef or hot dog, I opted for the chopped salad. I just really had a taste for it.

Some other highlights of the two weeks included seeing my sister, brother-in-law and their two kids after not seeing them for a year; a little reunion of friends and family the first Sunday I was home; hanging out at my friend Denise's new condo (thanks to her I'm able to be writing this post right now!); a Beck concert at the Aragon (the show itself wasn't that great, but hanging out was); visiting all my old coworkers at CBBEL and finally just enjoying all the great food and hot water that is available (also drinking water that comes out of the faucet).

I should have made a little scorecard for how many times I ate a hot dog, pizza or tacos. Those were pretty much my three main food groups for the trip. I just can't get a good hot dog in the DR like I can in the States, so I had to take advantage.

Things I'm going to miss about being home:
- Family and Friends
- Food
- Cleanliness and being clean
- Hot water
- Constant availability (and reliability) of internet (already during typing this post my internet connection has failed multiple times)
- Personal space

With all that said, I was sad to leave home, but I'm also happy to be back in the DR.

Thanks

Thanks to everyone who has donated so far to my project. Even a little bit goes a long way. I'm getting closer and closer to securing more funds so that I will be able to finally start the aqueduct. Once work has started I will be sure to update and have picture on how all the work is going. Without a computer updates might be more infrequent, but I will try my best.