More thoughts on life in the DR

It has been awhile since I wrote my last blog, so I am sure those who I haven't talked to are dying to know the progress of things in my community. Things are so slow-paced here in the "campo" life in the DR that I wish I had great accomplishments to share with you all already. Elections are on May 16th, which means that things are getting pretty heated with politicians all over the Dominican Republic. Aspiring mayors, governors and senators are dumping resources left and right throughout the underdeveloped Dajabon province, which means I have to dip my hands into some of the hand-outs for my latrine project. So far, I have gotten 18 meters of sand delivered to one of the mother centers in my community. Tomorrow another truckload or two is on the way. All of our sand for the project deserves a huge gracias to Magasin, who is running for mayor in Dajabon. The cement is hopefully coming from City Hall, but we are going to have to go to some follow-up next week to be sure. My latrine committee and I also have to finish up interviews with everyone in the community to decide who we be part of the project and then I will be trained on different presentations on the latrine maintenance to train the committee so that they can educate the families individually on the organic fertilizer latrines. Besides that, I am still waiting for my grant to get filled that is up on https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=resources.donors.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=517-363 for all of you that would like to donate. Donations are tax-deductible and you will be able to see the project progress online.

I have started a business plan course for youth in my community, which I had around 30 people sign up for and 6 people actually showed up. I told the 6 that were there to each try to get 1-2 more youth to come with them to the next class. I will give a series of 14 classes to educate the youth on how to write a business plan, which they will then turn in to judges in the capital to review. If their business plan is well prepared, they have the opportunity to attend a competition in the capital and win money to start their own business.

The attendance to my English class that I started during my first 3 months here has dwindled down to about 5 students. I think that we might have to take a break for awhile and then start back up and do a class that meets more often. Having class once a week just is not enough for the students to really grasp the basics of a foreign language.

This weekend I am going to the Brigada Verde (Green Bridge) conference in the capital. Brigada Verde is a group that volunteers start to give environmental presentations to youth to grow awareness in communities about the growing importance in our world of our environment. I am able to bring two youth from my community to the conference where we will be educated on different environmental concepts and also take trips to the national park and aquarium. I will then use the two youth to start a Brigada Verde group and start doing activities like trash clean-ups and recycling in the community. I also gave a presentation last week in the middle school on the difference between Organic and Non-organic trash to start building interest to have a group like Brigada Verde and hopefully get a larger group formed than in my English and Business classes.

Work is slow, and I am realizing the importance of being here for a full two years. I am beginning to realize how impossible it is to do work alone. Now I think I understand why there were so many group projects in college, because in the world we really can't accomplish much as individuals. I have come to terms with the fact that as one person, I can't save the world but that at least I can make a little bit of an impact on a community. Sometimes I wonder if I am actually doing any good, or if the people here are just fine as they are. People complain about how poor they are, but at the same time I kind of enjoy the slow paced culture here. I feel like I have time to enjoy the company of others more and get to know my neighbors rather than go to work at an 8-5 job. Really, if this country were developed like the U.S., they would be having to live that kind of life. Would they really want that instead of spending time with their neighbors and family all day? I question this everyday..