Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Reflections...

I was thinking the other day on my journey to this place in my life and reflecting on the importance of having been a teacher in my ability to deal (if not in perfect grace, at least with some semblance of composure) with just about any situation thrown in my direction.  I knew that teaching (and every other charge I performed which doesn’t quite fit into that clean and clear category) was an important skill set, but I had no idea how amply it would prepare me for a much broader future career.  Education, as I experienced it, is a lesson in human behavior.  The notion of power,how to use it effectively, how it can be abused; the idea of true collaboration, creating a shared space for which there is equally shared investment and care; and the wonders of positive reinforcement in affecting an outcome for which you are not directly responsible but very much accountable--all of these lessons I learned within the four walls of my classroom (messily but authentically).  Now as I face different kinds of challenges, organizational challenges, often with adults rather than children, I am all the more thankful for my prior experiences, as they have helped immensely in shaping my capacity in my current work. 
And speaking of reflections, I am consistently surprised when reminded of the fact that I am less than one month from completing my first year in country.  While the first months were somewhat grueling, the last four or five have taken on a sort of rhythm where my presence here no longer feels like an “experience” but simply, my life.  I suppose that is a positive sign of my integration here….which leaves me worrying a bit about what my reintegration might be like into my former reality….BUT, there’s still quite some time before I need to be thinking about that!    
On another note, some people have been asking me what I do with my free time.  Honestly, there is not as much of it as I predicted for Peace Corps, given the nature of my job, but I do try and keep most evenings and at least one day of the weekend for myself.  Despite the terrible electricity, I’ve started watching more television…a bad habit I picked up here.  There’s a news show that keeps me up to date with what’s going on in the States, and then my guilty pleasure, a new telenovela--“El Capo”—a Colombian soap opera/drama about the government’s struggle to capture one of its most infamous drug lords.  I’ve also taken up cooking, thanks to my boyfriend (who is a magnificent cook) and rather than cooking for sustenance, as I did in times past, I actually enjoy trying new dishes.  He has all of the Dominican cuisine covered, so I’ve been making some Italian and American dishes like seafood alfredo pasta, eggplant parmesean, tuna salad, and chicken quiche.  Finally, most weekends I try and make it into the capital to hang out with my family here.  Those are my favorite moments—hanging out at the colmado or under the giant tree on the corner, barbequing, chatting, playing with the kids—the simple life, far away from the stress of work life and living in a barrio caliente.  Now that it’s summer and hot as can be imagined, the beach is a priority destination (I’ve been averaging about twice a month) given that my recreational beach is only about 15 minutes from my house by bus (I don’t go to the beach in Boca Chica for fun, since the kids that Caminante work those beaches on the weekends).  I got stung by my first jellyfish the other day!  Guess it can't be all fun and games;)  But summer's been good....just a month to go before this heat begins to peel off!
Translation:
barrio caliente- dangerous neighborhood