The Many Pleasures of Third World Living

Hello All!!!

So last week and this coming week the health clinic here (that is right next to the preschool where I have volunteered at as well) is being shut down :/ due to lack of funding. So we have been painting, reorganizing, etc, and getting ready to open up an alternative in place of the clinic: an education center. Its going to be a place for the kids here to come after school, to work on homework and also have classes (english, yoga, etc.. depending on current volunteers skills) for the community.

This week I'm going to continue working with the girls clubs (teaching english, multiplation, kootie catchers) as well as work on an anti-parasite campaign. I'm going to go door to door with the help of the kids from the youth clubs handing out pills and information.

My roommate left a week ago, so I've been living alone but everything has been going fine. I have a few consistent friends in the community so I hang out with them in my freetime! I have also taken up a new (and extremely Dominican) hobby... dominoes! It is really fun. Usually I'm realtively disinterested in organized games but I'm starting to become addicted. I played today after lunch, and I think I am starting to get down the rules a little better. It was nice having some time off and being here on a Sunday because I got to frolick around and spend time with people here. It is impossible not to walk down the street and get invited in. If I say hi to someone (usually only if I've met them before, which I've met a lot) they immediately yell ENTRA! and invite me in. The family I was playing dominoes with today are hard-core dominoes players, so they have a big sunday shindig and play all day.

In addition to walking down the street and being invited in, there is never a time when I leave my house and do not come back hopped up on coffee and really full from what people hand out. I had already eaten lunch before going to dominoes and after we played they put a giant plate of food in front of my face, haha. It was a soup with a potato, plaintain pieces, fruit pieces, avocado and rice. I also had juice, coffee, and came home with a bag of bananas from a few other houses that I stopped by,. Ha ha. People are so amazingly generous with their food and drink, and incredibly hospitable. Offering up a seat immediately when you walk in is also very common.

Unfortunately, the food sharing comes with a downside: illness passes QUICK. Right now everyone in the community has "gripe" (the flu)
This might also be due to the fact that water pipes bursted in the area, and there is no running water. There is not going to be water indefitenitly, there is no use bugging Diego and Rita (directors of a Mothers wish) when it will be on because I already know the answer. Nobody knows, and we will be lucky if the government gets on it anytime soon.

another third world 'pleasure'... lack of electricity. It goes in and out every day and when it comes on everyone blasts the music as loud as they can and screams "HAY LUZ!!" (There is light!) and often there is applause. Ha ha. Its interesting thinking about the little fusses we have in the states (complaints about broken dishwashers or heaters, etc) in contrast with what happens here. When I get back there is no doubt that I am going to appreciate how orderly everything is and how lucky we are to have so many ammenities at our fingertips.

I'm excited about the campaign next week so I will let you all know how it goes :)