101 Ways to Eat Tuna, Cereal, and Peanut Butter.

I have definitely been neglecting the blog. And for that I apologize, mom. Ok so I guess I have been up to a lot lately! I am learning how to live on my own, furnish a house/live with a Peace Corps budget (which has led to neighbors building me a table, countertop, and a bookshelf…not too shabby!), teach English classes, live without electricity for half the time, live without water at times, clean- Dominican style, how to not allow neighborhood teenagers to turn my house into a dance club every night, what you should and should not keep in one’s mini fridge with this electricity, how to say “No” (lifelong goal…starting to work on it at the age of 23. Go me.), and many more things. I am also remembering what it’s like to not depend on my host family for every single meal. I’m not cooking for myself or anything (don’t anyone get their hopes up now) because I don’t have a stove yet. Slash still might never get one…who knows. So basically I could write a cookbook called “101 Ways to Eat Tuna, Peanut Butter, Cereal, Bread, and Salsa.” You might be surprised just how many different combinations one can make with these 5 ingredients. It’s been nice! However, I still enjoy when I get invited over to a Dominican’s house for dinner. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, right? ***Insert important info: Brought a ton of tuna into this country, and it has saved my life. Down to 4 packets…if anyone feels like providing me with a source of my favorite protein, I am not opposed :o)***

So there’s just a few of the things that I have been doing around my town and in my personal life. I feel like I never talk about what I am actually up to…ok so here’s an overview:

2 English classes with about 16 people in each class. One on Sunday afternoons for 3 hours and one on Mondays and Wednesdays from 2-4. I love this! Something here that I can do better than anyone: speak English.

Meetings on Monday and Wednesday nights. One is with an organization that is working to build a technical school in town that will have meeting spaces, a basketball court, and a library. Hopefully I will be able to help with the funding for this! The other is an organization that helps the poor in the community.

Go to any random meetings in town that I can. Whether I understand what is going on is not necessarily the point.

Spend time in my work site- the CTC. Helping however I can there. And sometimes feeling like I’m in the way…

Hang out with my neighbors. Sometimes because I genuinely want to. Sometimes because I know how important it is to integrate.

Spend time in my house. Rarely alone. This is getting better, but I still feel a bit smothered by my neighborhood at times.

Feel like I am doing nothing.

Feel like I am swamped.

Yup…both.

Plan for the next few months…starting another English class next week. I’m actually really excited about it…survival English for a group that’s moving to the states to receive training on HIV education. They will train in the states and then use the knowledge to form groups in the Dominican Republic. They will have a translator for their classes, but they just want to know how to live in the US. Cultural tips, basic English training, enough to get by, etc. Sound familiar?? I can relate to this group’s situation, so I am pumped.

Will start a girls’ group and an English club this month hopefully! Want to do a radio program for the town. We’ll see how that goes with my Spanish.

Which is getting a bit better! Sometimes I even go a whole week without someone responding to my Spanish by saying, “I don’t know English.” :o)

Hmm…what else?

Basically life is pretty good, and I’m happy that things are starting to pick up.

Going to Santiago tomorrow for a meeting with the Peace Corps volunteers that live in my region. Should be fun.

I will try to be better at updating! Hasta luego.