Dad in the DR

I must admit, since inaugurating our court it’s been difficult to get back into any sort of ‘productive’ schedule.  Between hosting the Courts for Kids group, coordinating the construction process, constantly adjusting both sets of budgets, and dealing with the ingeniously inevitable snafus that present themselves at the most inconvenient of moments, I was left with very little ánimo.  Add in the summer heat and the recent Chinkungunya epidemic, and I found plenty of excuses to stay put in my hammock. 

Something that did motivate me to venture off my porch was that I had some international visitors – Dad and Mary!  We drove from the capital to Pescadería, and from my community all the way down the southern coast to the border town of Pedernales.  Known as one of the most beautiful drives in the Caribbean, we stopped along the way at various beaches for photo-ops.  Despite not having a map, we took only a few wrong turns and arrived at quite a few off-the-beaten-path, but worth it nonetheless, destinations; we made up lost time over rich conversation, and were accompanied only by the soft whir of the AC and the surprisingly hefty cattle that scattered the seemingly abandoned highway.  

sharing one of my favorite places in my community with my favorite guy

San Rafael beach

San Rafael

Bahía de las Águilas

our after-lunch transport to the beach!

Bahía de las Águilas

Bahía de las Aguilas

deserted land behind the beach – we were in the middle of no where!!

Bahía de las Águilas

starfish!

our own private beach 🙂

Similarly to when my mom and sister came to spend Christmas in Pescadería, it was both reassuring and gratifying to share my community with my dad and Mary.  They were not only able to see where I’ve been living, but also who has been taking care of me and what we’ve been accomplishing together – the court in particular!  They sampled La Cabrita’s goat cheese and yogurt, dunked a basket at the court, learned how to play dominoes, and most entertainingly, danced at Patronales (once-a-year celebration in town – really just an excuse to drink lots of beer and/or rum and blast loud, bass-heavy music).  My community was just as happy to meet them, proudly introducing them to their culture, warmly inviting them into their homes, and humbly accepting Dad’s gratitude for looking out for me. 

dad and i out on our court!

dominoes lesson

out celebrating Patronales 🙂

Now that Tom and Mary are back on US soil (happy belated Independence day!), I’m focusing on projects that I had put on the back burner to get the court finished – English class, Construye Tus Sueños, and my Chicas – while hoping to start some others.  More importantly, I’m intent on avoiding the current talk of the town (or country more like it – the Chinkungunya), by making sure that I continue to take care of myself physically, mentally, and emotionally, as the past few weeks have been rewarding but tiring nevertheless.  For now, that means resting, reading, and running at dusk when the sun glows rather than scorches. 

I attribute most of my success here in Pescadería to the fact that I’ve discovered how to be myself here – corny jokes, alone time, singing, inventive culinary concoctions, exercising, staying in touch with other volunteers, etc.  Experiencing this process and then being able to share it with my parents is both humbling and heartwarming; I look forward to continue getting to know myself through connecting with others, and to most effectively helping others by staying true to myself. 

 “You cannot get sick enough to help sick people get better. You cannot get poor enough to help poor people thrive. It is only in your thriving that you have anything to offer anyone. If you’re wanting to be of an advantage to others, be as tapped in, turned in, turned on as you can possibly be.” Esther Abraham-Hicks

Pepelo and I – finally my Dominican dad and American dad got to meet!

there’s a first for everything…

Welp, I can officially say that I’ve been to a cockfight.  My friend Wandy brought me along to one on Saturday, as it happens to be one of his favorite pastimes.  If it weren’t for baseball, cockfighting could probably be considered the national sport of the Dominican Republic – it’s an integral part of the culture, and there’s even a National Federation!  A fight consists of two roosters, each of which has plastic spurs glued to their legs, and lasts up to 15 minutes in length, or until one is severely injured/killed by the other.  Having always been a huge animal lover, I think the three fights that we watched satisfied my cockfight-viewing quota.  Overall, it’s a very loud and rambunctious atmosphere.  I am happy I went – it was an important cultural event to experience, but given that I was one of three women present and two roosters left blinded, I’m not sure it’s something I’ll be craving to witness again soon.

the group at San Rafael

I went to the beach on Monday!  I joined up with my project partner, Ronny, and a group of people from his church who were taking a paseo to San Rafael, a beautiful but rocky beach about an hour south of Pescadería.  We arrived around 10am, and stayed until almost 7pm – everyone brought loads of food to share, and it was a great day spending time getting to know people.  The water was warm, strong, and SO blue. We played baseball, swam and surfed in the ocean, and rinsed off in the fresh water pools.  The water from the arroyos comes from an almost crystalline river that collects into manmade pools/waterfalls, and then runs right into the ocean.  Freezing cold, but very refreshing.

snack time

The County Director of Peace Corps, Arthur Flanagan, visited my site today!  It’s a routine visit to make sure that we’re safe, behaving ourselves, and that there’s actually work for us to do.  Ronny and I showed him around the town, then brought him to La Cabrita.  He got to try the cheese and yogurt, and was very impressed.

haha, talk about horny – one of the three breeding rams

I’m very lucky to not only have been placed in such a welcoming community, but also to have the opportunity to work with such a cool project.  Though there are still improvements to be made (organizational, marketing, and accounting skills for example), they have a solid two and a half years under their belts.  Multiple national and international organizations have and will continue to support them, especially now that they’re producing a steadier quantity of their yummy products.  Wish I could share samples via Internet!

 

 

 

P.S. La Cabrita is in fact looking to expand the number of French Alpine goats they have, so if you know anyone with some extras lying around, send them our way 🙂

La Cabrita – the stable and surrounding land