Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving all!

Here are some pictures of my garden. It is basically my most favorite thing. I've been showing kids the plants and people walking by ask about the raised beds and I talk to them about the organic pesticides we can use to deal with local pests. Therefore it is a little project in itself. Dominicans though have told me that they (ie their neighbors) are too lazy to do their own hortilizas like mine. I'm hoping at least the organic pesticides could catch on a little. People don't spray so much in my community because it is Organic Cacao but I've still seen some of these backpack pesticide cases and the masks. It's a dirty business. I overheard some other volunteers near Pico Duarte talking about how they lost a community member to spraying chemicals without using shoes or a mask and having direct contact.

I've also built some Bird houses recently and I'm hoping to get a bird appreciation aspect going in my site. They kill the birds with sling shots and I think it is actually due to a lack of other things to hunt (no real game besides gallos). There was a meeting given around Nagua regarding Carbon credits, paying Dominicans, and protecting natural habitat for migratory birds. I hope a project can develop from that. I'm in the office right now and am looking for a bird call CD.

I went with the other volunteers to the Thanksgiving celebration which was hosted in a country club in Santo Domingo. It was actually really nice. I got to swim and play soccer and see lots of people. It was sort of bittersweet though because being around Americans always sort of makes me miss my friends and my family. Other volunteers say it makes them less homesick but I've got pretty cool friends and family so it's hard to compete :)

Check out this centipede. Bija is my little hunter. Speaking of which I miss him like a ridiculous cat person. I am thinking of spending the night again in the Capital so I can play music with Mica and Claire (i got to play piano for the first time in country yesterday and it was so nice).

Cabbage Loopers suck

This is a cabbage looper. He sucks. I think he is the one eating all my sunflowers and basil leaves.


I made an organic pesticide using a recipe PC gave us. Garlic, Vinegar, and Jabon de cuava diluted in a bunch of water. It seems to be working but I am still finding a few and hand picking them.

Any suggestions?


Pics of my hortiliza next time! I am sore from digging raised beds but it's a good sore. The garden is in the shape of a rectangle which I've staked off with the help of some of my kids. The town drunk actually took it upon himself to pick up the earth which is fully of huge rocks, clay and historical relics from the previous Dominican tenants otherwise known as basura. I don't know why, but I like pulling the rocks out. It's hard and a great sense of accomplishment when you get a big one out. Maybe Dentists understand? Haha, I hope not. Half of the rectangle has tomato, basil, carrots, lavender with random pockets of marigolds just in case nematodes make their way in. The other half will be dedicated to zucs, squash, onions, garlic, and I'm thinking pepinos (cukes). Pepino is a cute name for a cat. Everyone gives me crap because I named Bija - Bija - and he's a boy. People are actually asking me daily how Bija is doing. I always tell them fine - and when I'm feeling up to it I say, he's still pissed at me from the whole castration ordeal and the nibbling has improved but it's still an issue.

I really love looking outside my window to the garden - it's a beautiful start to the mornings.

Also - a treat for my parents. In my last cooking class, Nana (Arianny) taught us how to make Orange Wine. I has hesitant being that it is in my nature but once I tried the final product I decided to make some! Home brewin!? Moonshine anyone? Dominicans love it - they buy the stuff like crazy for Christmas.
Here's the recipe (pa' que sepa):

VINO de NARANJA - Orange wine
10-12 Naranjas de Jugo (They have 3 names for oranges and I can't tell the difference from outter appearance for the life of me. These ones those are specifically good for Juice and sweet. Just not tart tart apparently.)
Equal amount of water to juice
2 Tablespoons of levadura (Yeast)
5 cucharons de azucar (equivalent to about 1/2 pound of sugar. Dominicans have no fear of Diabetes. Ie do less sugar....I'd say around 5-8 tbs but just until it's like sweet to you.)

Mix all together. Pour into container and top with cheese cloth and rubber band. Let sit for 15 days and then strain if desired. Then let sit for a month and it's ready to serve.

I put it in 2 wine bottles. Lets see what Mom thinks of it. I think she'll like it emborrachar de una vez. Joking.

Hope all is well
Love,
Sarah

A HUGE THANK YOU FOR THE WONDERFUL BOOKS AND CARE PACKAGES. I immediately started the Story of Sushi Nana and it's great. THANK U MOMMY. Rechargable batteries are incredible. Like incredible. I should start some sort of project with the PC volunteers to get them rechargable batteries and Diva cups - both incredibly environmentally friendly products. The pants are wonderful Jenna! The underwear fit Lea! THANK U!

Pavo

Happy November!
(This turkey is from last Thanksgivers at Jen and Dave's. Turkeys can just work the converse.)

I made it into the capital this week for a Spanish language training course and also to get Bija his 2nd series of vacs/flea champu! I am back at Dona Roma’s house for a week which is really nice because she is definitely my favorite homestay Dona and they are also letting me keep Bija here while I go to class every day. At the same time it is a very weird feeling being back here and also realizing I have been in country nearly 8 month. A group of us were actually giving advice to the newest group of sworn in volunteers and that was really odd. I am still grateful for the internet time and being able to Skype with the parents.

It’s good seeing the other volunteers as always. I feel like I have met some really good people here and made some great friends. You can get a wonderful sense of validation (that even u didn’t know that you were secretly seeking) along with a bunch of colorful ideas and stories. I love seeing the other projects that people are working on. It is almost always in a non-competitive manner with my group – much more of a check out the basic design and see if you can replicate in your site idea swap.

We are doing language training right now – I am ranked higher on the spectrum and had to request to be in the class and yet I definitely have a cloudy understanding of a lot of things. I don’t see this week clarifying much honestly but I think it will motivate me into self study. I do feel like I can understand my Dona much better than when I arrived though – she was telling me great stories about her childhood and how she was a ‘Maria Macho’ (tom-boy) who liked to run and play baseball right in there with the big boys and also was an accomplished ranch hand who knew her way around a lasso. Seriously, don’t mess with Donas. You never know where they’ve been.

I had a fun Halloween this year. I dressed up as a Pulpo (Octopus). I made 4 tentacles out of some extra foam I had bought with my sofa foam, a cut up black shirt, Petal sewing machines in Eva’s site, bottle caps to look like suction cups so people wouldn’t think I was a spider and a belt I found. I totally copied this idea from my little cousin Maddie I think. Just had the belt with four tentacles – then put on a black long sleeve shirt and pants and therefore had 4 more tentacles –and math doesn’t lie, that’s 8. Kiri braided my hair in a billion little braids too. The volunteers just hung out at a hotel and I skipped ‘de club’ because I’ve realized I really am fourty. Nana says I always have been. I tend to agree.

Just got to my mailbox and THANK YOU AGAIN for the package/letter love. It is so nice. Thank you especially to Lea and Mateo, Nana and Grandpa, and Mom. Lea bought me underwear. She misses me. I miss her too but don’t tell her.

My Dona just told me that you can put Amonium Hydroxide on your Magi bites and it will remove it in a second. I don’t know how I feel about that yet. I have to look up how much damage that is doing to my body. She knows her stuff though generally.

Right now I am working on a few grants to help my community get cement bags and painting materials to fix the condition of the cancha court as well as to do a mural project with my kids. I wanted the mural to correspond to the installation of painted trashcans in my community but I’m working on it….the neighboring town Mayor would be the one to donate them generally so I want to see if that option is open to me before I spend any grant money on trashcans which might not be used (as is the case of many other volunteers).

I have been currently thinking – the things I thought would be the most difficult in the country aren’t really turning out to be any problem at all. You just adjust. Your body can do it after enough time just as long as you aren’t a total burro and refuse to take a bucketbath. What is difficult then? Cultural differences. A lack in validation for your work and an excess of personal opinion on your physical appearance. A lack of personal boundaries and an excess of self doubt. A lack of light and an excess of guineo? Hah. I did have an amazing moment after advertising the cancha to some of my new neighbors and the woman told me ‘Wow, Thank you’ which at this point made the whole struggle worth it because it made me that happy that someone said that. Fellow volunteers help a lot too when it comes to making you feel good. So do friends and family.

I AM SO EXCITED to have my family come out and check out life here. That is going to rock. I’m trying to build a better place for everyone to shower until then. I hope the garden is looking cool too. Speaking of which let me put this for Nana and anyone else interested. It’s a little drawing of my house layout so the pictures make a little more sense. Or you could just come visit me and see…it’s better. (Click on the picture to see it better)

Mark, Ben and Tamara came up to visit (which was ridiculously great) and they were my first visitors. Bija loved having uncles around and it was just so nice to have company. It was also really awesome that Mark described my house to Leeann as ‘Tricked out’. I don’t understand his language sometimes, being the guttural northern California it is – but she explained to me that it means pretty freaking cool. Score! I think it is too – I had a great time making it. Almost done with the bamboo doors for the cabinets and I’m spending any extra energy I have on my garden and reading up about gardening. I’m making humming bird feeders, bird houses, and was considering Toad homes to help serve as Organic Pesticides. I also was reading about how Basil can serve as a natural Mosquito repellent. It has got to be the best plant ever I swear. Repellent and pesto in one night...I mean COME ON! Nobel Plant prize right there.

We’re heading into the capital today for a little fun – to the modern art museum and then to a movie. I am very excited. I’m also excited to go to the Peace Corp office again and mail off a bunch of letters I have written and was storing at my site. Thanks again for reading! Hope all is going splendifically!
Love,
Sarah

Bija the kitty

Greetings!

It's been a long time and I've got a chunk to update but don't have much time at the moment so hopefully pictures will tell some stories. I am in El Factor visiting Mark, Ben, Leeann and Bekah at the moment and we're heading into Nagua today to have some American time and visit the beach for approximately the 3rd time since I've been to this country haha. I'm having Mark, Tamara, Ben, and Eva come up to see my finished house afterwards too which I'm horribly excited about! I finally finished everything and am very proud of how the house looks now. Just need to get the bathroom situation in order and then it'll be ready for American guests haha - volunteers don't count because they are used to using latrines.

Here is a picture of Bija. He is a little toasted marshmellow that likes to run around my house and has a slight biting problem...but is full of love and very fun. Que chamakito!

Also a pic of the cancha! The volleyball net is now up and running and we fundraised money for a volleyball using my cooking course and selling the cookies after church. So far the donas have learned Sugar cookies with passionfruit jam, Banana cookies, and coconut bars. Here is also a pic of my Donas with some treats. Next week they are going to teach me arroz con dulce.

I also have a reading club with some struggling students in my community. It's going really well and the kids are loving it - we are also utilizing the library that the previous volunteer had worked hard to get donations for but nobody was really taking advantage of.

Ok that's about all for now. Just so everyone knows - MY ADDRESS IS THE SAME! No fears. It is still lovely to get letters, won't ever not be. Also Nag champa incense which helps repel the mosquitos. I did have Dengue and am totally fine because it wasn't a bad case...just don't want to repeat it. I am totally fine - no worries. It was actually an awesome trip into the capital - no hospital, just a sweet hotel room!

Love you all and hope to hear from you soon.
Love,
Sarah

Ingrid Michaelson

http://www.ingridmichaelson.com/

Ingrid Michaelson
New Album 'Everybody' is very good! Open up music player and check it out.
Thanks to Bay for the recommendation!

House pics

Bookshelf! Painted and made out of free wood Manolito was throwing away!


















Armario! Dresser made out of cheap ferreteria wood (wood they were throwing away!)

My counter and cabinets - Made out of a combination of thrown away wood for the legs, cheap hardware wood and then also I paid for the surface wood. Then I varnished it with two coats and painted the legs and I think it looks nice now. I need to make barstools for the bar (which you can partially see on the right) for when my Donas come in....but I might not want to risk it and just buy stools, I don't want any injuries. Also you can see my little mini fridge and a corner of my horno that I painted black and looks much better now. I also plan on putting bamboo doors on the cabinets. I put a little drawer under the counter that rolls on soda bottle caps to put flatware and oddball utensils in that is working out pretty well right now.
Love you all!
Sarah


All for now!

Working on the house

Ok so I spent the last week moving into my new house and making it mine! The house was completely empty inside and therefore I spent most of my time being ‘chica curiosa’ making a big kitchen counter, book case, cabinets, and basically shelves of a dresser. I had a lot of fun making everything and it was actually wonderful to have the alone time and just be able to do things without running commentary. I still need to buy and cover the other half of the sofa, make a dining table, and I’m thinking I need another sort of craft shelf for the yoga/work room. Yet I wake up in the morning and am very happy when I look outside my room to my pretty kitchen.

I also have unfortunately woken up to the landlord in the backyard tending to all the cacao…realizing now that I’m living on his conuco (his farm plot) and that basically the rules of privacy just don’t apply here. I told him that I need privacy and that I’m going to reinforce the fence around the house but I don’t think he realized that I was referring directly to him. Dominicans have no sense of personal boundaries – like I’ll have my gate closed and door closed – normally a fairly uninviting sight and yet I am constantly being met at my back window with people going under the gate to look into my house. I am hoping it is because I just moved in and people and not something that will go on for the next 2 years. There is also a neighbor, a married 16 year old that seems to have a little something weird with her, who likes to watch me work for like 2 hr chunks and I’ve finally told her that I need personal space. They also take all my fruit! Needless to say I am a little burned about this and I don’t really have a problem with reinforcing the gate. Yes I realized a huge part of Dominican culture is sharing but….I was raised American and between the hours of 6 pm and 9 am I would like privacy and nobody should ever be in my backyard.

I made guava syrup which I plan to put on pancakes when I get back to my site! I need to go to the supermarket and get the stuff. I made sugar cookies to thank Mata and they turned out ok! I love my horno, it is amazing.

I was fairly frustrated this week and am now glad to be in the Capital. My Junto de Vecinos leader, Jose, was being how do I say…a jerk. He actually said in front of all the meeting after I had given them a little update on what I had been up to, plans, and what I need help with – well he told them that I need to be a little bit more aggressive with what I’m doing in the community because apparently he’s not seeing the results. I was obviously caught off guard by this and responded by saying – well what is it exactly that you are looking for from a single person? He apparently thinks I am supposed to change the attitude of the kids in the community to be respectful and hardworking and driven (which might be a problem because I dunno the adults in community aren’t really leading by example). I then went over to Jose’s house to try to get him to answer a few questions for a grant I am working on for our aqueduct project and after getting to the bottom line I calculated that in actuality they need over a million pesos (closer to 50 grand US) and are in a serious amount of debt with the hardware stores. He also explained to me during my recap of costs that they had been paying Haitian workers much less and I asked him if he thought that was fair and basically he told me that’s just the way things work with a little smile. That is just crap by the way. Dominicans really don’t like Haitians and that’s all I’m going to say about that for right now.

I’m frustrated because the aqueduct project is much less feasible to finish now. My project plans are slipping slowly thru the cracks. It will get better I hope. I am planning to do a few cooking workshops in my house – trying to emphasize the importance of not using plastic bags to help cook your rice and boiling water – while simultaneously playing with jams and cookies to see if we can fundraise for a volleyball for the cancha (they told me they’d really put up the poles for it today so let’s see when I get back...). I’m also going to print out some map mural grids to see if the kids are interested in that project for the library.

And for a little cheese with this whine.

I just got a stellar care package from Reedly and I am eating peanut butter pretzels. Life is good. I am also wearing my new threadless t-shirt from Nana and I love it! Thank you so much!

I am in the Capital this weekend for committee weekend but I haven’t found anything I want to join quite yet. I am just enjoying seeing people here and the running water. I might go to the marine interest group to see about getting scuba certified with a real trainer for cheap but I sort of have a fear of scuba diving! I don't like idea of having to acclimate to the pressure!

Will post pics soon!
Love,
Sarah