I still don't understand why the U.S. has to change the time twice a year. Sure there's the whole thing about energy savings and stuff which I feel is all a load of bull*!@#. Why does Indiana have to be the state that does things correctly for a change? Anyways, I thought that I wouldn't be affected by it hear in the DR, but alas, it has affected me. No, it didn't change my sleeping schedule or anything like that, it affected my TV schedule.
Every weekday night at 8 PM in the DR, my Doña and I watch a program on Telemundo called 12 Corazones, probably the best dating game show ever invented. Better than Love Connection, Blind Date, or any combination thereof. So the show lasts for an hour, and at 9 PM a Telenovela (read: cheesy soap opera....probably worse than a soap opera actually) at which I will usually retire to my room to read or watch a movie on my computer. So here's where the time change affects me. Since Telemundo is based in the States, and the States just moved an hour ahead, but the show airs at the same time in the States, the show now comes on an hour earlier here. Now this just completely messes up my whole nighttime schedule. Now I have to watch 12 Corazones with my Doña during dinner and don't just get to relax and drink café and comment on the show the whole time. This also means that I have to watch this stupid Telenovela.
If you want to know what I'm going to have to suffer through check out La Traición. It comes on at 7 PM on Telemundo in Chicago, CST. As much as I want to get into liking the Telenovelas I just can't get myself to. I've tried to imagine that they're a reality show on MTV and things like that, but I just can't get into them. I've come to the point where I can pretty much understand everything that is going on in them now....but still...nothing. This one especially bad because it is set in the like 1800s or early 1900s and they are covered up to their necks and never show any skin. If they showed skin every once in a while I might be able to put up with it, but they can't just give me a break now could they. Oh well...it's now the 11th of March and I plan on moving out at the beginning of April, at which time I will sadly no longer have access to cable television, although I will not have to watch the maldita telenovela either. I don't know which is worse.
OK...that's it for my venting for now. I should be appreciating the fact that I actually have a TV and cable here, but no, I'd rather complain about it. Adios!
Saturday, March 15, 2008
The Aqueduct
Sorry I haven't been posting lately, but I just haven't felt very motivated, and in all reality, nothing really exciting has been going on. Just the same old trips to Santiago, hanging around my site and what not. In the meantime, though, I have had my first overnight visitors. The first one being Maryam, one of my best friends who lives not too far away, and the other two which were described in the previous post.
Also, I have been working hard, not physically enduring work, as construction on the aqueduct has not begun yet, but technical work. I have completely designed the aqueduct. I also have completed the budget. The grand total comes to RD$1,363,169.06 or US$41,308.15. Fortunately for me, only RD$667,169.06 needs to be raised. The remainder of the project cost is what is contributed through the community working rather than it being a public works project, and from having an engineer from the Peace Corps. What the community is contributing is $396,000.00. This is based on 150 workdays, which includes 10 workers per day and food, which is what the community contributes. That falls under Manos de Obra, or workforce. My dollar (or peso) value in this project is RD$300,000, which unfortunately I do not actually get paid. I get a measly RD$9,000 and some a month, or about US$270, which surprisingly goes a very long way. Wait, I actually just added up what I make for the 27 months that I'm here, and in total, it comes to a little less than $300,000, so that's not too far off. The budget does include a little bit of padding, as I would rather overbudget than underbudget, considering that prices of materials tend to increase, and sometimes significantly.
Now here comes the time that you thought I would start begging for money from you all, but fortunately for you guys I will be soliciting funds from the government here. Elections are in May, and around this time the local governments tend to be a little more generous. Also, in my region there have been many aqueducts built by Peace Corps in the past, so the local government knows we are serious and are usually more willing to donate funds. If we don't get funds from the local government, then we are going higher up in the ranks, and if necessary, we may have to write grants in order to obtain all the funds. So hold on to your wallets for now, as it will not be necessary. If you are itching to get rid of some money, wait for the future as I plan on doing a couple of other projects throughout my service that may or may not require help from you guys. Right now I'm planning on building some latrines and also there is a small youth group here that I would like to get money to buy musical instruments and maybe some sports equipment so that the kids have some more exciting things to do.
Right now I'm just pretty much sitting around waiting to hear from my boss who is setting up a meeting with the local government so the two other volunteers in the area and I can go and do presentations to solicit the money. He said it will be sometime in March, so it could be any day now. It may even be when my parents and sister are here (only 18 more days!!! I can't wait!) so that would be pretty cool if they got to see me do a presentation in Spanish and actually see me work. After that I just have to wait for them to cut the check, and then off we are to constructing. I don't want to get ahead of myself, but I hope that sometime in April or May we actually begin digging the trenches and laying the pipeline.
I'm going to try and see if I could somehow upload files for everyone to see, because I feel some people might be interested in seeing the budget as well as my community diagnostic report and presentation.
Ok...that's it for now. I'll try to update more often. Upcoming events include a Pot Luck festivity at a volunteer's site near me, a friend's birthday in Santiago, my family visiting and a bola race (basically a hitch-hiking race across the country.)
Also, I have been working hard, not physically enduring work, as construction on the aqueduct has not begun yet, but technical work. I have completely designed the aqueduct. I also have completed the budget. The grand total comes to RD$1,363,169.06 or US$41,308.15. Fortunately for me, only RD$667,169.06 needs to be raised. The remainder of the project cost is what is contributed through the community working rather than it being a public works project, and from having an engineer from the Peace Corps. What the community is contributing is $396,000.00. This is based on 150 workdays, which includes 10 workers per day and food, which is what the community contributes. That falls under Manos de Obra, or workforce. My dollar (or peso) value in this project is RD$300,000, which unfortunately I do not actually get paid. I get a measly RD$9,000 and some a month, or about US$270, which surprisingly goes a very long way. Wait, I actually just added up what I make for the 27 months that I'm here, and in total, it comes to a little less than $300,000, so that's not too far off. The budget does include a little bit of padding, as I would rather overbudget than underbudget, considering that prices of materials tend to increase, and sometimes significantly.
Now here comes the time that you thought I would start begging for money from you all, but fortunately for you guys I will be soliciting funds from the government here. Elections are in May, and around this time the local governments tend to be a little more generous. Also, in my region there have been many aqueducts built by Peace Corps in the past, so the local government knows we are serious and are usually more willing to donate funds. If we don't get funds from the local government, then we are going higher up in the ranks, and if necessary, we may have to write grants in order to obtain all the funds. So hold on to your wallets for now, as it will not be necessary. If you are itching to get rid of some money, wait for the future as I plan on doing a couple of other projects throughout my service that may or may not require help from you guys. Right now I'm planning on building some latrines and also there is a small youth group here that I would like to get money to buy musical instruments and maybe some sports equipment so that the kids have some more exciting things to do.
Right now I'm just pretty much sitting around waiting to hear from my boss who is setting up a meeting with the local government so the two other volunteers in the area and I can go and do presentations to solicit the money. He said it will be sometime in March, so it could be any day now. It may even be when my parents and sister are here (only 18 more days!!! I can't wait!) so that would be pretty cool if they got to see me do a presentation in Spanish and actually see me work. After that I just have to wait for them to cut the check, and then off we are to constructing. I don't want to get ahead of myself, but I hope that sometime in April or May we actually begin digging the trenches and laying the pipeline.
I'm going to try and see if I could somehow upload files for everyone to see, because I feel some people might be interested in seeing the budget as well as my community diagnostic report and presentation.
Ok...that's it for now. I'll try to update more often. Upcoming events include a Pot Luck festivity at a volunteer's site near me, a friend's birthday in Santiago, my family visiting and a bola race (basically a hitch-hiking race across the country.)
The Haitian Border
Last week I went on a road trip to the Haitian border with some friends. It all started out as just a trip to Santiago. I was going to meet up with my friend Erica, and one of her friends who was visiting from the states. I also had some business to get done in Santiago, mainly email my 3-month community diagnostic report and a summary of the budget for the aqueduct to my boss. Anyways, after some major begging (actually, I think they just asked once) we were off on our way to Dajabón, one of the major border crossing in the DR. Another person along for the ride was John, someone else who wasn't planning on going, but got dragged in anyways. The main reason I decided to go on this trip was not only to be in the company of friends, but also, Erica's friend had rented a car, and this would probably be one of the only opportunities in my two years here to travel in luxury to the Haitian border, and not have to be cramped in a guagua with a million other people.
So after not even having been in Santiago for 24 hours, off we went after lunch to our destination. All throughout the DR, the type of landscapes and environment change dramatically, and this journey was no exception. We started out in the bustling city of Santiago, looking at lush beautiful mountains, but after the few hours journey, it was a flat, dry, almost desert-like landscape, with cacti and everything. After a couple hours, we ended up at Pam's site, a business volunteer working with bees and honey. She just moved into her own pad, and we were actually her first visitors since she had been at her site. After we dropped off our things, we went on a little walk, where she showed us around Dajabón. For being so remote, the city actually has pretty much everything you would ever need. We stopped and got some ice cream for a snack, and later for dinner some burgers. We also walked up to the border of Haiti, only a couple blocks from her house, and it is literally a stone's throw away. Look at my pics, I have one of John throwing a stone into Haiti. After that we just hung out at her house for the rest of the night.
The next morning we woke up bright and early so that we could make it to the Haitian market. Before hitting the market we went up to the border once again, this time at the official border crossing with customs and everything. Unfortunately, as PCVs we are not permitted to travel into Haiti, so we just stood on the bridge crossing, without actually crossing over to the other side. Once I'm done being a PCV, I am definitely making a trip to Haiti. At the crossing there is an influx of all the Haitians, carrying their wares on their heads to sell at the market. The market is truly indescribable through both words or even pictures. Neither can do it justice, nor describe the smells and odors that fill the air. I didn't buy anything, although there were a few really cool t-shirts that I almost bought. Some of the purchases of my friends included pillows, and pots and pans for the stove. I loved it just for the experience.
That afternoon we left Dajabón with our sights headed back to my site. On the way back there were a few pit stops. The first one being the restaurant La Madonna. Before I had left for the DR, one of my best friends had mailed me (through snail mail) an article clipped out of Gourmet Magazine which had a one-page blurb on this restaurant here in the DR. I wouldn't really even so much call it a restaurant, just a little stop on the highway. I never actually thought that I would make it there, so I'm pretty sure I just threw out the article right after I read it. Fortunately for me, I remembered the name of the place, and that it was on the road between Navarrete and Monte Cristi. So we spotted it and decided that we would eat lunch. The specialty there is goat, since according to the article, oregano bushes grow natively there, and the goats eat the oregano, meaning that they're kind of pre-seasoned. You could choose between two types of goat, horneado (oven-baked) or guisado (stewed). Two of us ordered the horneado and the other two ordered guisado. Both were excellent (not sure if they were Gourmet Magazine worthy), but were good nonetheless, and if I were to go again I would probably choose the guisado. I think we may have been charged gringo prices, as it seemed a little bit more expensive than what I was expecting, but it was still only a little more than US$6 per person for quite a feast, so I shouldn't complain.
The second pit stop was to John's site to drop him off, and so that the two Ericas could see his site. After a little tour around John's community, off we went back to my site. My host mom is always extremely happy to accept visitors, and was elated when I showed up with two unexpected guests. Erica bought some macaroni and cheese at the grocery store and I gave it to my Doña to cook for dinner, as she makes the best mac and cheese ever. I then introduced the Ericas to the dating game show called 12 Corazones. It's my favorite show here and my Doña and I watch it every night. It's on Telemundo back in the states as well, and I recommend that you catch an episode or two.
The next morning we went to 27 Charcos. I have described them in the past so I will not go into much detail. This was my third time and I don't think they will ever get old. It was the both of the Ericas first times, and they loved them just as much as I did. I especially liked them this time because we got in for free, since the PCV who is stationed there made a deal with one of the guides that we would go with a guide up to number 7, and then explore the remaining 20 on our own. I was very proud of Erica that she jumped off the tallest one, and I did it again, even though the last time I did, I swore that I wouldn't do it again.
For lunch we went to a BBQ chicken place in a bigger town near me. I had heard other volunteer sing praises of it, and another volunteer who was with us literally eats lunch there every day since he is really close to it. We each got 1/4 chicken, some sort of rice with beans, salad and a drink. All that for US$2.50 per person. The chicken is incredible and I will definitely be going back there in the future. After that we went back to my site to freshen up. I took the Ericas on a tour of my community and showed them the house that I should be moving to in about a month or so. It was also a chance to parade around the "novia." For dinner, instead of my Doña cooking us food, which she was more than willing to do, we decided we would go out for dinner as well. We went and picked up Todd, the volunteer who is stationed at the Charcos, made a pit stop at his old host family's house and then went for pizza, which I was a little wary of, but it ended up being excellent. This was pretty cheap as well. We got the largest pizza on the menu (with Hawaiian toppings...my favorite) along with two big beers all for less than US$3 per person. During dinner we discussed the idea of going out, so Todd called up one of his Dominican friends for suggestions. He suggested a club that just opened in Puerto Plata in the all-inclusive complex of Playa Dorada. Since we had a car, we figured why not. So we went and picked up his two Dominican friends, one of which would be our designated driver. The rest of the night need not be described, except that we danced the night away, listening to American booty music all night, which was very refreshing as opposed to the Merengue and Bachata of which I have become accustomed.
The next morning, the two Ericas were not looking forward to their long drive back to her site in Samaná, but off they went. I was sad to see them leave as it was awesome hanging out with them for four days. Erica's friend is currently in the process of applying to the Peace Corps and has her interview when she gets back. I hope she got to see everything the Peace Corps has to offer during her two week trip here. We're keeping our fingers crossed that she gets chosen to come here. It's a longshot, but it is a possibility.
So after not even having been in Santiago for 24 hours, off we went after lunch to our destination. All throughout the DR, the type of landscapes and environment change dramatically, and this journey was no exception. We started out in the bustling city of Santiago, looking at lush beautiful mountains, but after the few hours journey, it was a flat, dry, almost desert-like landscape, with cacti and everything. After a couple hours, we ended up at Pam's site, a business volunteer working with bees and honey. She just moved into her own pad, and we were actually her first visitors since she had been at her site. After we dropped off our things, we went on a little walk, where she showed us around Dajabón. For being so remote, the city actually has pretty much everything you would ever need. We stopped and got some ice cream for a snack, and later for dinner some burgers. We also walked up to the border of Haiti, only a couple blocks from her house, and it is literally a stone's throw away. Look at my pics, I have one of John throwing a stone into Haiti. After that we just hung out at her house for the rest of the night.
The next morning we woke up bright and early so that we could make it to the Haitian market. Before hitting the market we went up to the border once again, this time at the official border crossing with customs and everything. Unfortunately, as PCVs we are not permitted to travel into Haiti, so we just stood on the bridge crossing, without actually crossing over to the other side. Once I'm done being a PCV, I am definitely making a trip to Haiti. At the crossing there is an influx of all the Haitians, carrying their wares on their heads to sell at the market. The market is truly indescribable through both words or even pictures. Neither can do it justice, nor describe the smells and odors that fill the air. I didn't buy anything, although there were a few really cool t-shirts that I almost bought. Some of the purchases of my friends included pillows, and pots and pans for the stove. I loved it just for the experience.
That afternoon we left Dajabón with our sights headed back to my site. On the way back there were a few pit stops. The first one being the restaurant La Madonna. Before I had left for the DR, one of my best friends had mailed me (through snail mail) an article clipped out of Gourmet Magazine which had a one-page blurb on this restaurant here in the DR. I wouldn't really even so much call it a restaurant, just a little stop on the highway. I never actually thought that I would make it there, so I'm pretty sure I just threw out the article right after I read it. Fortunately for me, I remembered the name of the place, and that it was on the road between Navarrete and Monte Cristi. So we spotted it and decided that we would eat lunch. The specialty there is goat, since according to the article, oregano bushes grow natively there, and the goats eat the oregano, meaning that they're kind of pre-seasoned. You could choose between two types of goat, horneado (oven-baked) or guisado (stewed). Two of us ordered the horneado and the other two ordered guisado. Both were excellent (not sure if they were Gourmet Magazine worthy), but were good nonetheless, and if I were to go again I would probably choose the guisado. I think we may have been charged gringo prices, as it seemed a little bit more expensive than what I was expecting, but it was still only a little more than US$6 per person for quite a feast, so I shouldn't complain.
The second pit stop was to John's site to drop him off, and so that the two Ericas could see his site. After a little tour around John's community, off we went back to my site. My host mom is always extremely happy to accept visitors, and was elated when I showed up with two unexpected guests. Erica bought some macaroni and cheese at the grocery store and I gave it to my Doña to cook for dinner, as she makes the best mac and cheese ever. I then introduced the Ericas to the dating game show called 12 Corazones. It's my favorite show here and my Doña and I watch it every night. It's on Telemundo back in the states as well, and I recommend that you catch an episode or two.
The next morning we went to 27 Charcos. I have described them in the past so I will not go into much detail. This was my third time and I don't think they will ever get old. It was the both of the Ericas first times, and they loved them just as much as I did. I especially liked them this time because we got in for free, since the PCV who is stationed there made a deal with one of the guides that we would go with a guide up to number 7, and then explore the remaining 20 on our own. I was very proud of Erica that she jumped off the tallest one, and I did it again, even though the last time I did, I swore that I wouldn't do it again.
For lunch we went to a BBQ chicken place in a bigger town near me. I had heard other volunteer sing praises of it, and another volunteer who was with us literally eats lunch there every day since he is really close to it. We each got 1/4 chicken, some sort of rice with beans, salad and a drink. All that for US$2.50 per person. The chicken is incredible and I will definitely be going back there in the future. After that we went back to my site to freshen up. I took the Ericas on a tour of my community and showed them the house that I should be moving to in about a month or so. It was also a chance to parade around the "novia." For dinner, instead of my Doña cooking us food, which she was more than willing to do, we decided we would go out for dinner as well. We went and picked up Todd, the volunteer who is stationed at the Charcos, made a pit stop at his old host family's house and then went for pizza, which I was a little wary of, but it ended up being excellent. This was pretty cheap as well. We got the largest pizza on the menu (with Hawaiian toppings...my favorite) along with two big beers all for less than US$3 per person. During dinner we discussed the idea of going out, so Todd called up one of his Dominican friends for suggestions. He suggested a club that just opened in Puerto Plata in the all-inclusive complex of Playa Dorada. Since we had a car, we figured why not. So we went and picked up his two Dominican friends, one of which would be our designated driver. The rest of the night need not be described, except that we danced the night away, listening to American booty music all night, which was very refreshing as opposed to the Merengue and Bachata of which I have become accustomed.
The next morning, the two Ericas were not looking forward to their long drive back to her site in Samaná, but off they went. I was sad to see them leave as it was awesome hanging out with them for four days. Erica's friend is currently in the process of applying to the Peace Corps and has her interview when she gets back. I hope she got to see everything the Peace Corps has to offer during her two week trip here. We're keeping our fingers crossed that she gets chosen to come here. It's a longshot, but it is a possibility.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Carnaval Vegano
So I'm writing this on the fly, and haven't had time to think about what I'm going to write, so please excuse my horrible grammar and bad story telling for the moment.
So a group of six of us went to Carnaval the other day. We would be meeting up with a lot of other volunteers who were going as well, but who were coming from different areas of the DR. It all started out at about noon...we needed to find a bus that would take us to La Vega, a city about 1 hour away from Santiago, where the biggest and best Carnaval celebrations take place. So we walked to find a carro publico that would take us to to the area where the buses leave from. Before that we actually went to get beer for the ride there. While we were waiting for a car, a taxi came, and for the six of us, it ended up being just a little bit more than the carro, so we ended up just piling in the taxi. At that point, the driver was trying to convice us to let him take us all the way, but it was also going to be a rip off compared to what we would pay to take a bus there. It was good that we kind of knew where we were going in the city, because he kept trying to turn away from the park we needed to get to, but we kept yelling at him telling him that we didn't want him to take us all the way and that we wanted the bus stop. After that was all settled we arrive and paid $50 RD for the bus ride to La Vega. We successfully finished our beers on the way there and were ready to go when we arrived.
We ended up drinking a little more while we were waiting to meet up with people, and then we entered into the area where the big parades occur. Let me just tell you that it is crazy. The costumes that the people where are so amazing. Moreover, they carry around these big rubber things attached to a string and they basically whip you on your behind if you're not paying attention. I have more than a few friends who have huge bruises all over their behinds. It's really funny. The atmosphere there is awesome and overall it was a great time. Out of the six of us that went, only three of us made it back to Santiago that night, because the other 3 ended up staying with some other people near La Vega. I ended up getting back around 7 or 7:30 that night.
For anyone that wants to visit me next year at this time, it is a lot of fun. Although, if you're going to spend money on a trip you might as well just go all out and make your way to Brazil, as I'm sure that carnaval here has nothing on Brazil's carnaval celebrations. Just an idea I thought I'd throw out there.
Make sure to check out the pics....some of them are up and I'm in the process of uploading them right now, but I'm not sure if I'll have time to post all of them.
Ok...that's all I feel like writing for now. Stay tuned for some updates on results from my community diagnostic which has been completed, and more information about the design and budget for the aqueduct which I'll be working on in the next couple weeks.
So a group of six of us went to Carnaval the other day. We would be meeting up with a lot of other volunteers who were going as well, but who were coming from different areas of the DR. It all started out at about noon...we needed to find a bus that would take us to La Vega, a city about 1 hour away from Santiago, where the biggest and best Carnaval celebrations take place. So we walked to find a carro publico that would take us to to the area where the buses leave from. Before that we actually went to get beer for the ride there. While we were waiting for a car, a taxi came, and for the six of us, it ended up being just a little bit more than the carro, so we ended up just piling in the taxi. At that point, the driver was trying to convice us to let him take us all the way, but it was also going to be a rip off compared to what we would pay to take a bus there. It was good that we kind of knew where we were going in the city, because he kept trying to turn away from the park we needed to get to, but we kept yelling at him telling him that we didn't want him to take us all the way and that we wanted the bus stop. After that was all settled we arrive and paid $50 RD for the bus ride to La Vega. We successfully finished our beers on the way there and were ready to go when we arrived.
We ended up drinking a little more while we were waiting to meet up with people, and then we entered into the area where the big parades occur. Let me just tell you that it is crazy. The costumes that the people where are so amazing. Moreover, they carry around these big rubber things attached to a string and they basically whip you on your behind if you're not paying attention. I have more than a few friends who have huge bruises all over their behinds. It's really funny. The atmosphere there is awesome and overall it was a great time. Out of the six of us that went, only three of us made it back to Santiago that night, because the other 3 ended up staying with some other people near La Vega. I ended up getting back around 7 or 7:30 that night.
For anyone that wants to visit me next year at this time, it is a lot of fun. Although, if you're going to spend money on a trip you might as well just go all out and make your way to Brazil, as I'm sure that carnaval here has nothing on Brazil's carnaval celebrations. Just an idea I thought I'd throw out there.
Make sure to check out the pics....some of them are up and I'm in the process of uploading them right now, but I'm not sure if I'll have time to post all of them.
Ok...that's all I feel like writing for now. Stay tuned for some updates on results from my community diagnostic which has been completed, and more information about the design and budget for the aqueduct which I'll be working on in the next couple weeks.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Update
Sorry it has been so long. I uploaded some photos and comments from our 3-month in-service training. I'll blog about it in a day or so. It wasn't really that exciting but I can probably come up with a story for you guys.
Also earlier today I went to a Carnavál celebration in La Vega....it's basically like the big parades they have in Brazil...just on a lot smaller scale. Look forward to photos and a blog about that as well.
Also earlier today I went to a Carnavál celebration in La Vega....it's basically like the big parades they have in Brazil...just on a lot smaller scale. Look forward to photos and a blog about that as well.
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Oh So Cold!
So last night, the night of the 29th here, it was so cold here. After about 5 pm, a cold front must have passed through or something, because I was freezing cold. I put on my hoodie, along with shoes instead of my usual flip flops so that I did not get frostbite. Before I settled down to sleep, I decided I would investigate just how cold it was with the thermometer which is built into my travel alarm clock. I took it out of my room, which is notoriously warmer than outside since I'm surrounded by concrete, and left it out for a little bit while I was getting ready for bed. By the time I was finished, the mercury (or really, the little digital sensor) had dropped to 60.5 ˚F !! Now I know all you folks back in Chicago are probably going, "Geez, I wish it were that warm here!" But let me tell you, when it is in the mid to upper 80's here during the day, and at night it is more than 20 degrees cooler, that is a big temperature difference. Anyways, that has been the talk of the town today. People were saying that they felt like they were in Nueva Yol (that's how they say New York in Spanish, and basically anywhere in the states is considered New York.) Haha...if they only knew the temperature in New York right now. But anyways I play it up a lot and I will go on and on about how cold it was and how I thought it was going to snow and everything. They get a big kick out of it.
Well, for now, I'm glad that my room is about 12 degrees warmer than outside...the temperature was 72˚F last night in my room. Hopefully it does not continue to be that much warmer in my room during the summer, otherwise I'll be in for a real treat. They'll probably be having roasted Kevin for some holiday dinner.
It's now Sunday and I'm posting this finally....and yes it still gets down to 60 at night. And it still feels cold everytime. And have fun shoveling all the snow in Chicago!
Well, for now, I'm glad that my room is about 12 degrees warmer than outside...the temperature was 72˚F last night in my room. Hopefully it does not continue to be that much warmer in my room during the summer, otherwise I'll be in for a real treat. They'll probably be having roasted Kevin for some holiday dinner.
It's now Sunday and I'm posting this finally....and yes it still gets down to 60 at night. And it still feels cold everytime. And have fun shoveling all the snow in Chicago!
My Trip to Samaná
After riding 507 km (315 miles), I'm back at my site. I went to go visit my friend Erica's site this past weekend, from Friday until Sunday. Included on the agenda was some whale watching and meeting up with some friends who I haven't seen in awhile as their regional meeting was going on at the same time. Here is a map of the route I took:
First I will describe my trip to her site near Samaná. I decided to take the coastal route because I was a little more familiar going that way since I had been to Cabarete for New Year's, which is a stop along the same way. I woke up nice and early at 5:45 am, got ready, and walked to the highway where I arrived at 6:15. I waiting until 6:40 and finally a public car came by. Normally I would wait for the bus since they are a little more safe, but one of my neighbors was with me as she was on her way to work at a hotel in Puerto Plata. We arrived in Puerto Plata at 7:20, where I transferred to another guagua, this one taking me all the way to Rio San Juan. About 20 minutes before we would arrive in Rio San Juan I was the last and only one in the bus besides the driver and fare collector. They decided it would not be worth it to only drive me all the way to Rio San Juan, so they reimbursed part of my fare which would be enough to take a public car all the way. They let me off where I could pick up a car. So I got in the front seat of the car since that's safer because you're only sharing the seat with one other person. Twenty minutes later we arrive in Rio San Juan where I would transfer to another bus that would take me to Nagua. This ride was pretty uneventful. In Nagua I would transfer to a guagua which would take me to Sanchez, and in Sanchez I would transfer to one that would take me to Erica's site, Las Pascualas, which is about a 10 minute ride from Samaná.
Finally, 6 different vehicles, and 6 1/2 hours later, I arrived and Erica was waiting for me on the highway. I was exhausted as I had come down with a cold a few days earlier, so she gave me some medicine, and then we ate lunch that her host mother prepared for us. Erica's host family was very excited to see me, as we are boyfriend/girlfriend to each other here in order to ward off advances from people in our towns. All we have to do is say we have a novio/a and people relax a little bit. I proceeded to tell her host family that my love for her is as deep as the ocean. Also, when we were leaving the house I told them that we were going to chulear en la playa, which means make out on the beach. They found this all very funny. So then Erica and I walked around town holding hands in order to make it appear that we were a couple. I also went on a search with her to help her find a place to live for the next two years. We didn't find anything official, but we got a couple good leads. After that I got a haircut, and then we were off to Samaná to meet up at the hotel with all the other volunteers.
We got to the hotel, I took a nice hot shower, which if I didn't turn on some of the cold water it was actually scalding, which is a rarity here. Now this definitely was not a luxury hotel. It was very bare bones, but the hot water was definitely a bonus. It was only $600-700 RD for a room each night, and with 3 people in each room, for two nights it was only about $7 US/night for each of us. That night ended up being the last game in the finals for baseball here. It is a 9 game series, and it was 4 games to 3 games between the Aguilas and Licey. Las Aguilas are undoubtedly the most popular team here, but for some reason all the people in my town root for Licey, which I guess I have become a fan of by default. I was a little upset that the Aguilas won the game that night, and in turn winning the series, but I was not going to let it get in the way of the festivities. It seemed like everyone in Samaná was out on the streets partying, and the street along the bay was packed with cars and trucks, people hanging out windows and 2o people in backs of trucks , screaming and yelling. It was insane. I would say it seemed similar to when the White Sox won the world series a few years back, but multiplied ten-fold. After we were done, we went back to the hotel and retired to our beds.
Next morning we had to wake up really early because we had to meet our bus driver who was taking us to where we would get our boat to where we would go whale watching. We had to meet the guy at 8:30 a couple minutes away from our hotel. We got our group together pretty well and were only about 10-15 minutes late, which is pretty good for a group of about 18 people. The boat took us to a little island out in the bay which would be our waiting point while other groups were out watching before it was our turn. The island was beautiful, with a magnificent beach and it was nice and relaxing while we were waiting. There was a little confusion with the guy we set up the tour with, but it eventually worked out in the end, and we went out on the boat at 1 pm. It is a bit early in the whale watching season so we only saw a few whales, but it was very cool seeing them in their natural habitat. The speed boat ride was extremely exciting as well. Had it been about mid-February we would have seen tons of whales as that is the high-season. I guess the flip and splash around as this is where the whales end their migration route in order to mate and give birth.
After that we went back to the island for a few more hours, and then we ended up going back to our hotel. Those of us who were staying at the hotel a second night decided to try out this Italian restaurant close to us. Samaná is a very touristy area which receives many European visitors, so they have pretty good restaurants. I wasn't really sure of what to think about going to an Italian restaurant here, but the owner and chef was a real Italian, and the food was by far the best that I have eaten in this country to date. They had excellent pastas, which were cooked perfectly, pizzas which also where very authentic with perfectly crisped crusts, and a tiramisu to die for. It was a little expensive on a Peace Corps budget, but it was definitely worth the splurge. After dinner we went back to the hotel and sat on the balcony overlooking the bay until we went to bed. It was a really good night.
In the morning I had to figure out how I was going to get back to my site. I ended up finding a guagua which goes directly to Santiago from Samaná. I decided I would go this way as it is faster and I wouldn't have to switch cars a bunch of times. It was a very crowded bus, but it only took us four hours to get to Santiago. Even though the interior route it is a little faster and cheaper, I almost prefer the coastal route as there is a little change of scenery every time you need to change vehicles. When we got to Santiago I saw another bus which looked a lot nicer which also goes directly to Samaná, so I am going to have to find out about this one for the next time I go visit Erica. In Santiago I met up with Rob for a little bit and used to internet to check my email. Finally I got on the bus that would take me back to my site. My Doña saved me lunch and this was good because all I had eaten all day was a couple packets of crackers and some gatorade. The food was excellent as always. Even though the food is very similar all the time, I always miss it when I'm away from here for a couple of days since I have to scrounge up some food to make for myself.
In conclusion, I had an excellent time at Erica's regional meeting, which was much better than my regional meeting where we went bowling. Make sure to take a look at the pictures. There are a few good ones of the whales. Enjoy
First I will describe my trip to her site near Samaná. I decided to take the coastal route because I was a little more familiar going that way since I had been to Cabarete for New Year's, which is a stop along the same way. I woke up nice and early at 5:45 am, got ready, and walked to the highway where I arrived at 6:15. I waiting until 6:40 and finally a public car came by. Normally I would wait for the bus since they are a little more safe, but one of my neighbors was with me as she was on her way to work at a hotel in Puerto Plata. We arrived in Puerto Plata at 7:20, where I transferred to another guagua, this one taking me all the way to Rio San Juan. About 20 minutes before we would arrive in Rio San Juan I was the last and only one in the bus besides the driver and fare collector. They decided it would not be worth it to only drive me all the way to Rio San Juan, so they reimbursed part of my fare which would be enough to take a public car all the way. They let me off where I could pick up a car. So I got in the front seat of the car since that's safer because you're only sharing the seat with one other person. Twenty minutes later we arrive in Rio San Juan where I would transfer to another bus that would take me to Nagua. This ride was pretty uneventful. In Nagua I would transfer to a guagua which would take me to Sanchez, and in Sanchez I would transfer to one that would take me to Erica's site, Las Pascualas, which is about a 10 minute ride from Samaná.Finally, 6 different vehicles, and 6 1/2 hours later, I arrived and Erica was waiting for me on the highway. I was exhausted as I had come down with a cold a few days earlier, so she gave me some medicine, and then we ate lunch that her host mother prepared for us. Erica's host family was very excited to see me, as we are boyfriend/girlfriend to each other here in order to ward off advances from people in our towns. All we have to do is say we have a novio/a and people relax a little bit. I proceeded to tell her host family that my love for her is as deep as the ocean. Also, when we were leaving the house I told them that we were going to chulear en la playa, which means make out on the beach. They found this all very funny. So then Erica and I walked around town holding hands in order to make it appear that we were a couple. I also went on a search with her to help her find a place to live for the next two years. We didn't find anything official, but we got a couple good leads. After that I got a haircut, and then we were off to Samaná to meet up at the hotel with all the other volunteers.
We got to the hotel, I took a nice hot shower, which if I didn't turn on some of the cold water it was actually scalding, which is a rarity here. Now this definitely was not a luxury hotel. It was very bare bones, but the hot water was definitely a bonus. It was only $600-700 RD for a room each night, and with 3 people in each room, for two nights it was only about $7 US/night for each of us. That night ended up being the last game in the finals for baseball here. It is a 9 game series, and it was 4 games to 3 games between the Aguilas and Licey. Las Aguilas are undoubtedly the most popular team here, but for some reason all the people in my town root for Licey, which I guess I have become a fan of by default. I was a little upset that the Aguilas won the game that night, and in turn winning the series, but I was not going to let it get in the way of the festivities. It seemed like everyone in Samaná was out on the streets partying, and the street along the bay was packed with cars and trucks, people hanging out windows and 2o people in backs of trucks , screaming and yelling. It was insane. I would say it seemed similar to when the White Sox won the world series a few years back, but multiplied ten-fold. After we were done, we went back to the hotel and retired to our beds.
Next morning we had to wake up really early because we had to meet our bus driver who was taking us to where we would get our boat to where we would go whale watching. We had to meet the guy at 8:30 a couple minutes away from our hotel. We got our group together pretty well and were only about 10-15 minutes late, which is pretty good for a group of about 18 people. The boat took us to a little island out in the bay which would be our waiting point while other groups were out watching before it was our turn. The island was beautiful, with a magnificent beach and it was nice and relaxing while we were waiting. There was a little confusion with the guy we set up the tour with, but it eventually worked out in the end, and we went out on the boat at 1 pm. It is a bit early in the whale watching season so we only saw a few whales, but it was very cool seeing them in their natural habitat. The speed boat ride was extremely exciting as well. Had it been about mid-February we would have seen tons of whales as that is the high-season. I guess the flip and splash around as this is where the whales end their migration route in order to mate and give birth.
After that we went back to the island for a few more hours, and then we ended up going back to our hotel. Those of us who were staying at the hotel a second night decided to try out this Italian restaurant close to us. Samaná is a very touristy area which receives many European visitors, so they have pretty good restaurants. I wasn't really sure of what to think about going to an Italian restaurant here, but the owner and chef was a real Italian, and the food was by far the best that I have eaten in this country to date. They had excellent pastas, which were cooked perfectly, pizzas which also where very authentic with perfectly crisped crusts, and a tiramisu to die for. It was a little expensive on a Peace Corps budget, but it was definitely worth the splurge. After dinner we went back to the hotel and sat on the balcony overlooking the bay until we went to bed. It was a really good night.
In the morning I had to figure out how I was going to get back to my site. I ended up finding a guagua which goes directly to Santiago from Samaná. I decided I would go this way as it is faster and I wouldn't have to switch cars a bunch of times. It was a very crowded bus, but it only took us four hours to get to Santiago. Even though the interior route it is a little faster and cheaper, I almost prefer the coastal route as there is a little change of scenery every time you need to change vehicles. When we got to Santiago I saw another bus which looked a lot nicer which also goes directly to Samaná, so I am going to have to find out about this one for the next time I go visit Erica. In Santiago I met up with Rob for a little bit and used to internet to check my email. Finally I got on the bus that would take me back to my site. My Doña saved me lunch and this was good because all I had eaten all day was a couple packets of crackers and some gatorade. The food was excellent as always. Even though the food is very similar all the time, I always miss it when I'm away from here for a couple of days since I have to scrounge up some food to make for myself.
In conclusion, I had an excellent time at Erica's regional meeting, which was much better than my regional meeting where we went bowling. Make sure to take a look at the pictures. There are a few good ones of the whales. Enjoy
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