aki estoy de nuevo, en mi primer rincón del mundo

current balance: $2

I'm going back as soon as I can.

...que vamooooooo!

Flyer by "La Multitud,"a Dominican youth-driven political activism/consciousness-raising organization. "¡E pa'lante que vamo'!" ("¡Es para adelante que vamos!", or literally "It's forward that we're going!") is the campaign slogan of the DR's current president, Leonel Fernandez. The new metro, an ideal symbol of how prosperous and developed the DR would like to be seen... going "forward" and crashing to its death. Like a lot of people in this country do while the government turns a blind eye. (Get it?... okay it's so much better if you don't need it to be explained, but it only makes sense if you know these things, and I just think it's genius.)

piropo

The best compliments I have received since I've been here:

"Your eyes are like a discoteca!"

"What beautiful eyes! It's like they were made by hand!"

I hate endings.

KIDS GONE WILD

I just got back from SPRING BREAK '09 and I really didn't take any pictures. Other people did, so I can show you some things later, but for now here is a picture of a tree called Trinitaria that has flowers in at least three colors at once, which I took right before I left on monday. 

Now, here are some -lights, both high and low (and just weird).

HIGHLIGHTS

1. I stayed four nights in hotels for $28 total. Nice.

2. Both hotel owners we dealt with were incredibly friendly and kind. If you're in Puerto Plata, I would very much recommend the Atlantic Guest House. Hotel Hogar Ligia Piña in Jarabacoa is kind of like a barn and I wouldn't exactly suggest staying there, but the man who owns it sure is nice. 

3. An adventure called 27 CHARCOS for which we donned swimsuits and helmets and lifejackets and swam/ hiked/ climbed up through 21 or 22 waterfalls and freshwater pools and cavey/canyony bits carved into meters and meters of limestone rock (dig my inconsistent use of the metric system), and then, when we got to the top, proceeded to go back the way we came via natural rock waterslides and good old fashioned jUMPING! I think the tallest jump was around 30 feet, but I'm not positive. It was the coolest. (All this with the help of a couple of super-human guides of infinite strength who I'm pretty sure know how to fly.) I want to do it again... 

http://www.27charcos.com

4. American-style breakfast at Sam's in Puerto Plata: mexican scramble, home fries, toast and coffee. Oh my gosh.

5. Hot Dog/Hamburger stand in Puerto Plata. 30 peso dinner (less than a dollar).

6. Free mamajuana shots after bomb spinach and garlic pizza.

7. 85 peso Presidente Jumbos (33.5 oz for $2.50!)

8. Playing with some city kids on spring break in a park gazebo in Jarabacoa... Courtney daring one of them to run screaming into church with a beer and chica's ensuing imitation of a drunk... priceless. Don't worry, there were no real church interruptions or underage drinking.

9. Putting on swimsuits, helmets and lifejackets AGAIN for river rafting on the Río Yaque del Norte. A fellow called Eduardo picked us up at our hotel at 9 am. Jammed to U2 in his giant SUV. They didn't even charge us for Hali, whose purse was stolen (see lowlights). They fed us scrambled eggs, toast and coffee, and then an hour and a half or so of rollercoaster waterslide fun! Jeremy fell off four times. Our guide purposefully rammed us into rocks and laughed like a maniac. Continuous splashing war with the other 5 or 6 rafts. 8 meter cliff jump (I went twice)! Lunch and beer (included in price) back at the ranch (by the way, the only place I've seen hammocks in this entire country). I want to marry all the river guides and live forever at Rancho Jarabacoa. They apparently don't have a website, but I have the info, and I want you to go there. Please take me with you.

LOWLIGHTS

1. Starting out the trip with 12 people. I don't know how it ever got to be so many. Luckily we were down to 5 by the end.

2. Paying for meals at restaurants with a group of 5-12 is no fun.

3. Discovering that Aly was right about peanut butter in yogen früz: it's just not good.

4. Having incredibly high standards for beaches due to 3 months in the Dominican Republic and Jeremy, Hali, Courtney and Erasmo's tales of their sleepover at Playa Rincón (I so should have gone with them), Playa Costambar in Puerto Plata was just dissapointing.

5. Hali and Caitlin were sitting in the Parque Central of Jarabacoa (the city). Jeremy and Courtney were off playing dominoes and I was in the bathroom. This little teenage thug in a green bandana who'd tried to "borrow" our cameras before came up, asked them some stupid question, snatched Hali's purse and booked it. Hali's flip flops couldn't bring her up to speed. Having just exchanged traveler's checks, her purse contained over $150 and her passport, as well as her camera, phone, keys, wallet and traveling dominoes game. It was the second time she's been robbed big-time and put a huge damper on the whole trip for all of us. It was horrible.

6. Having to take a 2 hour taxi ride back to the city because Caribe Tours was on a holiday schedule for Good Friday and we missed the last bus (it was cheaper than staying another night, but it sure didn't feel worth it with four in the back at $25 per person).

7. Not having time to get temporary tattoos to commemorate our rafting experience.

8. Coming home yesterday with a 100 degree fever (don't worry, that's not in celsius).

AND THESE THINGS WERE JUST WEIRD

1. Just as we were about to get dinner on wednesday, we were overtaken by an ENOURMOUS, deafeningly loud parade of people led by a big truck blasting hymns (spend some time in the Dominican Republic and you'll notice their penchant for giant, GIANT speakers: these people want to be heard.) It was what appeared to be the entire population of Puerto Plata walking the stations of the cross, singing, praying and listening to bible passages read over megaphone. I've never seen anything like it.

2. Post-robbery, the five of us took our infuriation to the police station. After a silly debriefing with the tourist police boss, we asked if he could take one or some of us around on some kind of vehicle to look for a) Hali's purse, should it be found emptied and discarded by the side of the road, and b) the offending green-bandana boy. This resulted in Jeremy (the only male) and I (one of the three who had gotten a good look at the thief), along with four or five armed officers on motorcycles, zooming around on a nighttime tour of Jarabacoa. I rode with the head officer on his ATV. Everyone we passed stared in disbelief at the weird gang we made, especially around the park where the sidewalks were packed. We didn't find a thing. It was really surreal.

3 Quarters

I am so happy that Dad and Lizzie and Johnny came to visit! They didn't stay long enough. I love them.

Here is a photo of everyone who's anyone in Jarabacoa (a.k.a the mountains). I'm the fourth from the left between Aly and Erasmo.

This is what I wrote to put in CIEE Santo Domingo 2009 Newsletter # 2:

The word "internship" is intimidating. I remember when applying for the CIEE Santo Domingo program how hard it was to imagine being able to do meaningful work in a completely  different cultural world from what I was used to, in a language I have yet to master. Well, it

 turns out my doubts were grounded-- one of the things I learned very quickly from the internship process, in class and at the school where I'm working, is that there is very little that I am actually able to contribute. However, I really believe that the acceptance of that fact has actually been one of the most valuable parts of my months in the DR. In a way, I am being forced to confront reality. "Helping people" can no longer be the vague, abstract concept I've always idealized and thought myself quite capable of. It's really, really hard to look at the little pixels that make up the big, unfair, corrupt picture and feel helpless. It's really hard to look at a courtyard full of shouting, laughing, fighting, singing, bright, resilient girls and acknowledge everything in their lives, past and present, that stands in the way of them ever reaching their potential. Sadly, a true summary of my "pasantía experience" can't reach any comfortable, happy, Hollywood resolutions: Yes, I have realized that I am more capable than I had thought when thrown into a role where language, culture and experience are all obstacles to overcome; yes, I have learned about the process of education; yes, I love Angelina and Jessica and Staci and Yafreisi and Alanda and Joelis and all the little girls who run to hug me every time I arrive and wish I could be each one's mother and father and sister; and yes, I've grown in other, subtler ways that are harder to put into words... but these are all selfish achievements, and although I am thankful for them, I can't be particularly proud. Oh well. I wouldn't trade in the experience at all. It's frustrating, but if you approach it right, it's enlightening, and I try to approach it as rightly as I can. 

-Anna, Lewis & Clark College 

Here is a little taste of my mondays and thursdays (from left, Rosi Morelia Elaine María Me Angelina Staci Frangelie):

I'm not always nearly so pessimistic. Happy Palm Sunday! 

Go Here

Jarabacoa

Museo Folklórico Tomás Morel

Santiago