Classes are ending, now the fun can begin!

2:11 PM | Posted by Bri

8-19-10

Yay, my manejo basic classes are coming to an end. Not that I don't want to teach anymore I just feel like I need a break. I learned a lot from this first group and although I may have went overboard with giving 7 classes, I feel like I have learned a tremendous amount of what not to dos and some what to dos as well. For instance, do not offer 7 classes at once, do not start a class without a student aid to teach at the same time, do not offer 2 classes back to back, do not be boring, do not cancel classes so much and do not offer classes for too long. I found my students began to skip classes towards the end and I think its because 1. I cancelled class a lot because of all the PC meetings and junk and 2. Because it started getting boring and 3. The class was going on its 6th week. I thought I went a little fast but I think my students needed a little more motivation. You live and you learn.

Now that classes are over I want to enjoy my patronales, kick start a work out regimen and diet and focus on my encargados group. I want to travel and visit other volunteers sites during the next 2 weeks since nobody will be doing much work because of patronales. I also want to equip myself with all the hot spots to take my visitors. Cabarete, Samana, Punta Cana? Anyone down?

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The Patronales Reina Night...

2:10 PM | Posted by Bri

8-15-10

So every town in the DR has a "Patronales" which is supposed to be a holy week where everyone goes to church everyday then stays out late celebrating until the early hours. The patronales of Las Lagunas begins August 22 and is in honor of the saint San Ramon. Also included in these celebrations are the selections of the Patronales Reina, vice-reina and princess. So tonight I went to the reigning of this years candidates. 

First off, this shindig didn't start until after 9pm. The streets were packed with people trying to get into the liceo to see the winners. I mainly wanted to see what its all about. It's basically a beauty pageant complete with a bikini section and question. So I watched 6 beautiful dominican girls waltz on stage wearing small bikinis then beautiful gowns. The whole time I was thinking to myself how could they parade like this in front of all these dominican men. It's already bad that every dominican woman I come across tells me about every imperfection I have so to parade in front of everyone on a stage  would be ridiculously difficult. And I think to one girl it was exactly that cause one of the candidates fainted twice on the question part. Yikes. And there were about 3 different fights that broke out throughout the night. Annoying. I just got home and its 2:40am. I plan on going to church tomorrow at 9am. Man. I think I am going to be exhausted during the real patronales week. Every night is a different day to party and be merry. I am so pumped for this!

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My first enamordo...

2:09 PM | Posted by Bri

8-8-10

Ay dios.

In the DR, men here have a very funny way of telling you they like you. As you walk down the street you can hear millions of "piropos" or cat calls saying Pssst… to get your attention at volumes so high you think theyre letting air out of their moto tires. Most of the time I never look because I think thats ridiculously rude and annoying but when you hear the millionth Pssst, you finally turn your head their way to end their struggle and they just smile, wave or say something like "Tu eres buena" which translates as "You are good." Thanks, you needed to get my attention to tell me I am good and you think by hissing at me I will be attracted to you? Ridiculous. Just thinking that dominican women find this sort of thing attractive is beyond me.

So in my new neighborhood there is a guy who just confessed to me today that he is "enamordo" with me. I have lived at my place a week now. He said it was love at first sight and that every time he sees me his heart flutters and he gets really happy. Barf. I did the mistake of giving him my phone number so now this dude calls me about 12 times a day to see if I've eaten or where I am going to be during the day. Yikes. For the DR being such a machismo country, I see that dominican men can be head over heels for a "good" woman. It's ridiculous to fall in love with someone in a week and I am sure he tells this to every girl he thinks he can get. It's just funny to experience the adoration from a dominican man. 

To be honest I don't see myself dating a dominican but I say this because I have yet to find a dominican with honest intentions. Usually they want you to "llevar" them pa'lla. Which means bring them to the US. Don't get me wrong I like latin men but not if he is going to be a tiguere trying to get a ticket to the US or the honor of bagging the americana. I just don't seem to be interested in men in this culture. Maybe after a while things will change. There are lots of PC volunteers here that end up staying in the DR or getting married to a dominican because they fall in love, so maybe I will join the statistic? 

Doubt it.

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My first nights in my new casita…

12:10 PM | Posted by Bri

8-4-10

So I am now on my 3rd night in my new casita and I definitely have to say that living on my own has made me so much more happier and I definitely feel a lot more loved. I have moved into my new place about a km and a half maybe from my work site which is a little far but thats the purpose of the bike. Since Sunday night I've been getting to know the neighbors and getting used to the distance and not having my doña around all the time. So far its been great! I still visit my old doña's place and eat my habichuelas and carne while I enjoy the luxury of coming home and cooking something that I want or something thats not yucca. Ha. I told my neighbors that I liked yucca better than platanos (doesn't mean I like it a lot) so I already have 2 huge fundas of yucca that they're waiting for me to boil. Thanks neighbors. It's really the sweetest thing, wish it was piñas but I'll work on that, ha ha.

I also already have a neighbor stalker, ha, ok no he's not that bad but he definitely has a crush on me cause he calls me like 5 times a day to see if I've eaten, if I ant him to buy me food, if I want a bola somewhere, everything. Yikes. It actually works out cause he has helped me do a lot of stuff already including free bola rides and filling up my gas tank for cooking. Just have to deal with the annoying calls daily. I'm sure soon he will get the hint.

So as far as living on my own, this is the first time I have done that. I've always lived with my parents and have been guarded with all these experiences so everything is really new to me and I like it a lot. I know I will have to get used to washing my own clothes (even by hand) and cooking for myself all the time but I really enjoy having all this freedom. I have done a few mistakes along the way of course but thats why the neighbors are here. For example, the first night the electricity was tripping out going high and low so the neighbors told me to disconnect the fridge to not burn the motor (thanks neighbors!) Next morning, I forgot to close the door to my house and left it unlocked all day! Yikes, what an idiot. But guess what nothing happened and everything was fine. I'm not going to leave the door open from now on but at least I know if I accidentally did it again things can be okay. I can't believe I did that. I told you i am new to these things. Hopefully I wont encounter anymore dumb ass mistakes on my part but if I do things work out. My neighbors are seriously totally campo folks, they help with everything, bring me food, I love it here. It's like having a whole street of doñas that love you instead of just one! :)

Today I purchased a table with chairs, yay, I can sit down in my own house now. All I need now is an extra bed and a small nightstand and I am finished! I love shopping for my house. Yay! The luz just came on. I can hear my whole community cheering. What a crazy life I am living.

P.S. My neighbors just brought me 2 fundas of avocados! Life is good.

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Patience is a virtue....

12:07 PM | Posted by Bri



7-30-10

So it's been a while now that I have been teaching the manejo basic classes and I am still alive. I say this because I have learned just how short my patience is and how frustrating it can be when you lack this important necessity. Patience. It means not getting frustrated when your students are chatting while you are talking, it means keeping your cool when as you're explaining how to do something there is a kid saying "proffe, proffe how do you do it?!"  On top of all these frustrating things there are frequent disturbances of people coming into the lab in the middle of your lecture just poking their heads in asking if they can sign up. Classes have been going on for a month now, what makes you think you can sign up now? And why are you interrupting my lecture? Ay ay yay. Definitely don't have patience for that! It is obvious that when you are teaching something you have to be patient. Its just frustrating when you think you taught someone and they come back the next week saying what I don't remember anything you said. Most of the time I have to re-teach everything I taught them and even then they need me to tell them how to do it again. Its exhausting.

I hope by the end of these classes I will be writing a blog post about all the wonderful feelings I have not just to end the damn manejo basico classes but feelings of accomplishment that I did show someone the use of the computer, that I did hopefully make someones life easier or change it in some way. For now I think I need to not get too distracted in the work I am doing but actually build relationships with these people. I was told earlier this week that I am way too closed of a person. They told me that I have not yet  grasped dominican culture. I disagree with this but what are you gonna do. Guess I have to eat more yucca and be late to more meetings. Hows that for dominican culture, so humph.

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