Carta de Navidad

Dear friends and family,

Happy holidays! I've been thinking about you all, especially these past few weeks, and hope you're doing well and are enjoying some time off for the holidays. I've now been here at my site for nearly a month, and there's much to report. It's odd to think that it's Christmas with the sun blazing outside and cold and snow a distant memory, but the warmth of the Dominican people and their unique way of celebrating continually remind me of how fortunate am to be here. Enriquillo is festive and cheerful: the evergreen Christmas trees I'm used to have been replaced by creations made out of bunched-together recycled plastic bags, empty juice boxes dangle by the hundreds from tree branches in people's yards, and Christmas lights twinkle and flicker on the small, colorful houses--but only when there's electricity, of course. I'll be spending Noche Buena (Christmas Eve) with my host family, as that's the big family day here, and then I'll head up to another volunteer's house to spend Christmas day with some other Peace Corps volunteers from around the area, baking holiday treats and enjoying some American food (most likely spaghetti or pizza--not traditional holiday fare, but a welcome change from the standard Dominican diet of yuca and boiled plantains). And then I'm meeting up with Kimberly and Nate so we can welcome the New Year in together, on a gorgeous Carribbean beach with some of our new friends. Honestly, not a day goes by when I can't believe this is actually my life!

Enriquillo itself is a decent-sized town with a population of approximately 15,000, and is absolutely beautiful. The coast here is breathtaking, with green lush mountains rising up dramatically from the aquamarine sea, and the town, though poor, is colorful and alive. Though I'll be living mainly in town, my project partners also arranged for a room for me to use on a small coffee farm up in the mountains. The currently-empty house is directly above a coffee 'depositorio,' so I'll have to weave my way through piles of coffee beans to get upstairs to my bed! It's much cooler and more tranquil up in the loma (the mountain), and I know it will be a welcome refuge once the heat of summer sets in. Despite its natural beauty and varied terrain, this area has yet to be 'discovered' by the tourists that crowd most of the country's beaches. On the one hand that's a good thing, as locals retain their traditional way of life, but an influx of tourist dollars could really help the struggling economy here. The principal sources of income here are farming (primarily coffee, beans, and fruit) and fishing, and the small towns along the coast are shrinking as students leave to go to college in Barahona or Santo Domingo and rarely return. The people are resilient and hard working, and I can see that there is much opportunity for growth here as well. It should be an interesting two years.

Although I will likely be working throughout the community, I have been assigned to work with two groups in particular: a newly-formed womens group and an organic coffee cooperative. The womens group currently hase 24 members, middle age and up, and they are wonderful. They're awful about arriving on time, but they're charming and friendly and excited about their new group. 14 of them just received pregnant cows as part of a rotating pregnant cow program: once the calves are born, the women will return the cows to the group so another woman gets a turn. It's sort of ironic that they assigned the only vegetarian in the group to the cow project, but I'm hoping the women will choose the dairy/cheese route rather than raising these lovely cows for the butcher! We had our first meeting a few weeks ago and discussed other ideas for the group, and their enthusiasm was inspiring. We discussed cooperative lending and other services as well as small-scale income generation projects such as selling homemade candies and making our own floor cleaner. They also want to open the group up to other members as soon as possible, and are eager to get started. Oh, and they voted on a name for the group: Cooperativa de Mujeres Amor y Fe, which translates to "Love and Faith Women's Cooperative. As one woman explained, the name encompasses the two most important aspects of life. This project is about as grassroots as development projects get, and I think it will be great.

My other main project is working with COOCAFESUR (Cooperativa de Cafe del Sur), whose 150 members work on small farms in the mountains stretching from Enriquillo north to Paraíso. They're currently in the process of being certified organic, and will be able to sell the next harvest as such--and hopefully gain a better price for their beans. There is another volunteer who has been working with the group for the past year, and she should prove valuable in learning the ins and outs of the cooperative--and understanding all the various organizations associated with it. I spend a lot of time on the back of a government agronomist's motorcycle, climbing the steep, rocky dirt roads that weave throughout the lomas. Considering I was terrified to get on the back of a motorcycle just last year, I'm loving it now! The views, as I mentioned before, are stunning. As volunteers we will work to strengthen the organization, teach basic business skills like accou8nting to the famers, and work with the directiva to better their product, search out domestic markets, and tap into the export market.

Well, I had hoped to write more, but my guagua (minibus) will be leaving shortly and I should go. Again, happy holidays and thanks for all the warm wishes. I love and miss you all!

Amor y paz,
Melissa

Un chin más

´Chin´is one of my favorite Dominicanisms. It means a tiny bit, and they use it all the time for everything--and therefore so do I! This afternoon we have our official swearing-in ceremony, which is sure to be a soggy one since it´s been pouring since Monday. Then tomorrow we have a big Thanksgiving party (alas, no Tofurkey this year), followed by an all-volunteer conference on Friday and a couple days to relax in the capital with Kimberly, Nate, and a few friends. On Monday I´ll be heading out to my site and settling in at my new home, which I´ll admit is a little bit daunting. At this point, two years sounds like an eternity to me... but at the same time I´m incredibly excited about my site and eager to get started on my projects, and I have a feeling that come November 2008, those two years will have flown by. But I digress... Let me tell you more about what I´ll be doing, or at least what I think I´ll be doing:

Site news and photos

Finally, I know my site--and I love it! I'll be in Enriquillo, a small town on the southern coast not too far from the Haitian border, working with an organic coffee cooperative and a newly-formed women's group that just received 14 pregnant cows. I'm incredibly excited about the work I'll be doing (I'll add more details later, as they become known) and fortunately for everyone who was thinking of visiting, the site is absolutely gorgeous.

My new home, Enriquillo.




Just a short walk down the path behind my new host family's house. Rough, eh?



The view looking south towards the ocean from one of the coffee farms.



My new project partner, Maria, in front of her house in Enriquillo.


Coop workshop in the mountains last week.



Picking coffee in Jarabacoa!

A brief update...

I'm still in the mountains, and I'm still loving it. You should see the view from my street in the morning... Clouds resting in the mountains, pines and palm trees covering the hillsides, the sound of the river rushing by down below. Yes, that's right: pine trees in the Carribbean. I had no idea. Plus I slept with 3 blankets last night, which was pretty much heaven! I think we're all going to be a little disappointed when we get to our sites and it's nowhere near as gorgeous or cool. At least I will be. But then again, we might be by a beautiful beach, so who knows.

We're the only group that still doesn't know our sites, and they're telling us that we won't know until the 13th. I keep wavering between wanting to work with coffee farmers and artesania, and i think that either would be great. Sounds like the majority of sites are with one of those two groups, but I might also end up with banana or avacado farmers. We'll see. We've been learning a lot about small business in the DR, how to teach basic business skills, do feasability studies, etc. Today, for example, I'm in La Vega (the provincial capital) searching out gov't groups and NGOs to practice networking. I have a list of 5 names and am supposed to locate them (no map for this exercise), ask to talk to someone, and basically find out who they are, what they do, and how the PC could possibly work together with them. I was a little nervous at first, but you'd be amazed at how far a Peace Corps badge and an American accent can get you... At the last place (a technical training NGO that gives courses to youth and unemployed adults) they got together 5 of their top officers in a big conference room to talk to me, solely because I flashed my PC badge. Nice.

Alright, time to meet up with the group for lunch before heading home. Once again the pictures are proving difficult, but I'll keep trying. I have one of me picking coffee in the mountains, and I look just like Juan Valdez... Well, almost. Not to be missed!
Peace,
Melissa

Photos!

The electricity has gone out 12 times in the last half hour (literally, I´m not joking. Blackouts are a daily thing here, and today´s particularly bad), so I´m going to make this brief. Here are a few select photos from the past 7 weeks, in no particular order--enjoy!



Nate´s birthday in Santo Domingo. Check out the machete they gave us to cut the cake!





My homestay house in Santo Domingo (the green one on the left side)




The beach in Pedernales, where I went on my volunteer visit. Absolutely gorgeous.



The immigration post on the Dominican-Haitian border.



A little bachata dancing post swimming lessons in Pesernales. Considering we live on a relatively small island, a surprising number of Domincans don´t know how to swim, so in Pedernales a PC volunteer incorporated lessons into her work with the local youth group. Very fun.

Leaving Santo Domingo, 5 weeks in...

We've officially finished our first part of training here in the capital, and will be leaving for the mountains near Jarabacoa by bus tomorrow morning. So far in training, there has been a heavy emphasis on improving our language skills, gaining a good understanding of general Peace Corps policies, and cultural education and integration. All four technical groups (water/sanitation, health, youth development, and community economic development) were together for the first 4 weeks here at the training center, but last week we split up and only the business group remained in Santo Domingo. I hear Kimberly and Nate are doing well up north on the beach, and will get to see each other occasionally even though they live in different towns. Here in SD we've done some interesting things this week (met with a DR coffee federation, surveyed tourists and gift shop owners in the Zona Colonial), but I'm pretty excited to get out of the city and to get some fresh air up in the mountains. We won't find out where our sites are until we get back, after 5 weeks doing more technical training. I'm so anxious to finally know where I'll be!!

Some general notes so far:
Living with a host family:
Overall it's been a good experience, but it's definitely been challenging at times too. I'm forced to constantly speak/hear Spanish, and I have a firsthand view of Dominican family life--both important for my integration here. In general, women stay at home to cook, clean, and take care of the kids, and the husbands work to support the family. This is changing of course, but in general I think it holds true. The kids here only go to school about 4 hours each day, whether they're in kindergarden or high school, so there's plenty of free time for playing in the streets and watching TV--if the electricity is on. The electric system here is a mess, and blackouts throughout the day are the norm. My host family has a generator, and my Doña has a nice little side business going selling ice to the neighbors.
After so many years living on my own, I've definitely had to adjust to living in somebody else's house. I never feel like I have my own space, and I can't just go in the kitchen and make a snack when I feel hungry. They're pretty decent cooks, but the food's been a little heavy on plantains, yucca, and fried everything. Good thing I have my multi-vitamins. It'll be SO nice to finally have my own place and cook for myself, though I still have another 4-5 months of host family life before that day comes!

The Critters:
The big excitement this week has revolved around the rats that are attacking my room... Twice now I've woken up to a rat climbing through the window, crawling down the mosquito net that hangs over my bed, and making a dash for the desk. Now, I try to think of myself as being an animal-lover, not the shreiking-scared-of-mice-girly type, but feeling a rat on your foot at 3 in the morning quickly changes that. My Doña woke up one night to find me standing in the doorway, determined to wait until the rat came out into the trap I had laid in front of the desk before I'd go back to bed. She readjusted the trap and insisted I come sleep in the little extra bed in her room--which I did for the next three nights. We never caught any rats, but we did trap two mice in two days, and I got enough courage up to sleep in my own room again last night. As nervewracking as this is, it has proven to be a great way for my Doña and I to bond--I guess good can be found in any situation, no matter how ridiculous.

Transportation:
There are three main types of public transportation here: Moto-conchos, carro publicos, and guaguas. Moto-conchos are simply motorcycle taxis, though you'd be amazed at how many people and objects they can fit on the back. It's not unusual to see a man driving with a child behind him and a woman on the back, holding a baby in one arm and a groceries in the other. Unfortunately, helmets are rare and accidents are fairly common. The DR is the one country where Peace Corps volunteers are allowed to ride motorcycles, and we were each issued our own helmets a few weeks ago. Riding in the city is off-limits, but it may be necessary out in the mountains, so I'll have to get used to carrying a helmet around with me everywhere. The carro publico is an old, beat-up sedan with a yellow or green roof that has a set route and picks up and drops off passengers along the way. They're always stuffed: at least 4 in the back seat and 2 up front with the driver. Guaguas are mini-buses that are just as beat up as the carros, that should comfortably hold about 20 passengers. Why waste space though, when you could fit 40, or 43 with a few hanging out the side door? Plus there's always music (ususally bachata or merengue) blasting, adding to the experience. Lines between lanes mean nothing and the traffic lights only work sporadically (due to the blackouts), but somehow some sort of order still seems to exist. The other night we were in a guagua, music blaring, and we ran out of gas. No worries though--within 5 minutes a semi was pressed up to our bumper, pushing us to the gas station!

Nightlife:
Out in our barrio, where we spend most of our time, nights are mostly spent sitting in plastic chairs out in the street, talking with the neighbors. Sometimes we'll get in on a dominoes game at the colmado (little store) across the street, or share a beer or soda with our families. Generally it's all pretty chill. The Friday before the other groups left we decided to step it up a little, and we all met up at the Car Wash for a night of dancing. The car wash, you say? Yes, the car wash. Here in Santo Domingo there are tons of "Car Washes" (in English, not Spanish), where you can get a beer or two while they wash your car during the day. (Brilliant, right? Encourage people to drink before driving... Just great.) Then, at night, it turns into a Discoteca and people dance the night away. The one we went to had a Cardinals game playing on a big screen outside (Meagan, you'd love it!) and lots of plastic chairs and tables in the courtyard, and a bar and dance floor inside. I've certainly never seen anything like it before!

Okay, I'll save some of my other interesting observations for future entries--no need to bore you too much in one sitting. I'll only have internet access once a week while we're up in the mountains, but I'll try to keep in touch as much as I can. I'll still get mail while I'm up there though, so please send mail if you get a chance!!! I think this is the best address to use:

Melissa Watson
PEACE CORPS
APDO Box 1412
Santo Domingo
The Dominican Repbulic

Sadly I keep running into trouble trying to upload my photos, but I'll post them as soon as I can, I promise. Hasta luego!

Entrenamiento: Phase 1

Hola a todos!!! It's been a while since we arrived Sept. 7th (my apologies for not writing sooner) and they've kept us pretty busy, but now I have a moment to write and let you know how the weeks in Santo Domingo have been. First of all, it's HOT in this country. And you know how redheads fare when exposed to direct sunlight all day and intense heat all day AND night. I think I might actually be adjusting to the climate though, albeit slowly. For the first week I had a terrible time staying awake all day because of the heat, and found myself struggling to not fall asleep after all meals, breakfast included. However, this past week I only took about 4 naps, so I consider that an improvement.
The fact that the people here are so welcoming and friendly makes the adjustment easier, and of course the country is absolutely gorgeous. We haven't gotten out of the capital much yet, but every once in a while I catch a glimpse of the green mountains towering in the distance or the aquamarine sea, and I can't believe how lucky I am to be here.
The poverty here in the capital is very apparent, but at the same time, my accomodations with my host family are much nicer than I had expected. We have running water most of the time, and they have a generator so when there are blackouts (which occur about 3 times per day) the lights still work. Conveniently, I live right around the corner from the Peace Corps training center on the outskirts of the city, and the other 2 volunteers that live accross the street from me are great. My family here consists of a couple, their 4-year-old daughter, and the grandmother. It's actually really nice to have a little kid in the house; I've found that playing with and talking to kids can be the best way to learn a new language or--in my case--improve my Spanish and work on my accent. Plus there's a colmado (small store, like a bodega) across the street, and the neighbors sit outside, day and night, talking and talking and talking. And playing dominos. Our neighbor, "El Flaco" (which literally means 'The Skinny') taught the Americanos in the barrio how to play last week, and now we sit out there and play with him every couple of days. Along with baseball and Merengue, Dominos is one of their national pastimes--so, for the sake of 'cultural immersion,' it's extremely important that I learn to play and practice a lot. And it would be great to beat Flaco at his own game!
Training has been going well so far, but I'm anxious to get out to where I'll be living and get to work. This weekend we're all going out to visit volunteers scattered across the country, which should be really interesting. The girl I'm visiting is working with a coffee org. and a womens group in the border town of Pedernales, and has liked working in this country so much for the past two years that she'll be staying an extra year. She should be a great resource, and even though we can't cross over into Haiti, it should be really interesting to see what life on the "frontera" is like. More to come!
Love,
Melissa

The siblings, pre-departure

Nate, Kimberly and I during our last visit to Spokane, at the much anticipated (and much enjoyed) Schreiner wedding. Yee-haw!

Two days to go!

After a fabulous CSM send-off, an official apartment move, and a wonderful (yet far too brief) road trip to Dallas via South Carolina, I'm back in Boston--for now. I leave bright and early Tuesday morning for Miami, where I'll meet all the other PC trainees and spend two nights before flying out to the Dominican Republic. The excitement about what's to come combined with the sadness about saying goodbye is actually keeping me up at night, but I think I can safely say the excitement is winning out. I've been so fortunate to have such supportive friends and family thus far in the process, but still, I can't believe my time in Boston is coming to a close so suddenly. Don't worry though, I did get rid of the aforementioned bed (as well as the green couch and rickety dresser, right), so I'm pretty sure everything will work out just fine. Thanks for all the help and encouragement!

And it begins...

July 17th, 2006. My roommate calls to let me know the long-awaited Peace Corps invitation has finally arrived at my Somerville Apartment. I rush through my day at the Monitor, knowing that the plan for the next two years of my life is silently awaiting me in a sealed FedEx envelope at home. 5:30 comes and, trudging through the sticky mugginess of a New England heat wave, I walk--slowly, since in such heat it's impossible to hurry--and mentally brace myself for any possible invitation. When I open the front door my roommate Melanie bounds over to me with the envelope, practically as anxious as I am to see what it says, and we go situate ourselves in the living room. I look at Melanie, looking at me, and then I look down at the envelope and slice it open. As the packet unfolds, the pink-highlighted words jump out at me:

Assignment: The Dominican Republic.
Departure date: September 5th.
Title: Community Economic Advisor

I gasp, my mouth huge and smiling, my eyes wide in shock. It's absolutely perfect! A beautiful, Spanish-speaking country; a departure date that, though soon, coincides perfectly with the end of my lease; and the exact assignment I had been hoping for: community economic development! What I really couldn't believe, however, wasn't written on the paper in my hands: the fact that my sister and brother-in-law, Kimberly and Nate Cole (who had learned months beforehand of their own Peace Corps assignments) were going to be going to the exact same country at the exact same time. Now tell me, what are the chances of that? What a coincidence! So now I just need to pull my life in Boston together in time to be ready to go in a mere 6 weeks... Should be easy enough, right? Anybody need a bed?