Wednesday, June 29, 2011

The heat of summer en el Caribe....

While summer officially began only a week ago, it has been in full swing here in the DR for over a month.  May and June have been full of torrential downpours alternating with agonizing heat.  While electricity was fairly constant a little over a month ago, lately there have been constant apagones that wake me up in a sweat in the middle of the night when my abanico stops sending cool air in my direction.  Rumor has it, my neighborhood, Andres, is being considered for the “24/7” program, which would guarantee consistent electricity.  The accuracy of this information is unclear…whether it be a coping mechanism of the Doñas( who have been enduring full 8 to 5 days Monday to Friday without an ounce of electricity to wash clothes, turn on the bomba that brings water out of the pipes at more than than a trickle) or a legitimate possibility, given that the majority of people in my barrio actually pay for their luz.
Though summer normally brings a slowed pace of work in the States, here we are in overdrive.  Caminante hosted a group of about 20 American students and professors from Hiram College for nearly three weeks at the end of May.  They came armed with 4 months of preparation and materials to work in science education, health checkups and microfinance, and a bundle of goodwill and easygoingness that made my hectic job of coordination and translation a very rewarding and at times even a fun experience!  Their journey of eye opening experiences and changing perspectives on life made me reminisce on my first experience in Latin America, 11 years ago in the mountains of Mexico.  It reminded me the importance of the Peace Corps´ 3rd Goal, helping Americans understand the people and cultures of other countries”.  They created a wonderful blog called “Walking with Caminante” that is full of pictures and chronicles of their experience.  http://walkingwithcaminante.wordpress.com/
In early June I took a break from the heat (or so I thought) for my first visit back to the States.  My trip consisted of visiting my sister in New York and a wedding in Rhode Island of a close friend from my teaching days.  Stepping off the subway into my old hood was shocking, seeing it all from a new perspective… “Were the buildings really this tall?  The streets this clean?  Central Park this pristine?”   But I quickly fell into the rhythm of my old New York life, if only for a week, and caught up with many old friends.   
Upon returning to work, I have hardly come up for air (I have a theory, which I cannot claim as my own, that one pays for vacation upon returning), minus a short visit from friends Jenna and Kiril from New Orleans and a quick adventure to the 27 Waterfalls of the North Coast (which we  jumped off, one by one…thrilling!!!).  In May, I collaborated with my Executive Director to write a grant to the International Office of Migration to fund an action research study of Commercial Sexual Exploitation in Boca Chica, something she has wanted Caminante to produce for some time.  Such a study would help legitimize their interventions as evidence based and solidify their position as the go to organization on the topic.  We were extremely happy to find out (right before I left for the States) that the grant was being funded, and for more than the original amount we had budgeted! (how often does that happen?).  The only catch---we had four months to implement the study and begin providing services for this new population, and yours truly would be coordinating the project.  While I was a bit daunted at first, I knew this was one of the main projects that my director had solicited a Peace Corps volunteer for, and the fact that we were able to get funds and get the project up and rolling with only 7 months in my position was a major feat.  So here I am amidst investigative instruments, community and research team meetings, and a lot of paperwork, chugging along.   Next on the list for summer…. Caminante SUMMER CAMP!!!
A final note:  I finished Caminante's webpage at the beginning of June.  Check it out at http://www.caminanteproyectoeducativo.org/ and let me know what you think!

Terms:
Apagon: blackout
Abanico: fan
Doña: Dominican equivalent to Señora but invoking even more respect.  The Doña is the all-powerful female head of household who  is in charge of all things that that comprise life in the home and who generally kick butt and makes things happen. 

bomba: electric pump
Luz: literally translates to ¨light¨, but used to refer to electricity