3rd birthday

Yesterday was my 26^th birthday. It was a great day celebrated with Dominicans I love. There was an activity in my center promoting girls using technology, so I helped give two charlas in the morning and another one in the afternoon. In between, I went to Silivia’s for lunch and had my favorite meal -la bandera: white rice, beans and chicken (there are many variations of la bandera, but that one is my favorite). After lunch, Angel and I picked mangoes off the trees in their yard. After watching him (and yelling at him) climb a tree and then their eight feet high water tank in search of mangos maduro – or ripe, I couldn’t help but feel how much I am going to miss it here. 

In the evening, I came home to find Francia making about 35 sandwiches, American style, which apparently means ham, cheese, mayonnaise, lettuce and tomato. She had invited our neighbors over and some of my friends who work in the center. Francia is seriously one of the most memorable people I have ever met in my life. About half of the guests last night were all the neighbor kids (all under the age of 10), and as she gave them each a sandwich she proceeded to lecture them about how these were American style sandwiches, and they better like them because it’s what people like Stacie eat, and since it was my birthday we all had to eat American food, and also if they ever go to Nueva York, they will have to eat sandwiches just like them. 

It was just hilarious. The kids just sat silently in their chairs and stuffed their faces as fast they could. I’m not sure if it was because they truly enjoyed the American style sandwiches, or if they just wanted to get it over with so they could continue playing. In any case, it was really entertaining, and again I felt so grateful for all Francia did. I really love her with all of my heart and will very much miss her and all the daily surprises that come with living in her house. 

All day I received phone calls and emails from Dominicans and Americans wishing me a happy birthday. I felt very loved and I am grateful to everyone for your kind words.

This is actually my third birthday celebrated in the DR, which makes me feel like I’ve been here for a long time. I leave La Caya a week from tomorrow and I leave the DR two weeks from today. It almost seems surreal. There were so many moments when I felt like two years would never pass, that I was doomed to stay on this island for the rest of my life. But now, with literally only days left, I can’t believe two years did pass by so quickly. I have learned so much during my time here, and am forever grateful to La Caya and all the people who live here. 

I know I will be excited to return home, to be with my family, friends and Remi, and to once again start my American life. However, with so little time left I am already feeling nostalgic for future birthdays that won’t be spent sweating, speaking Spanish, eating a plateful of rice and beans and mangoes for dessert and dancing merengue and bachata. Yes, it’s a hot little island, but it sure has been good to me.

Two day paint job

As a final project before my swearing-in group leaves this island (three weeks from tomorrow), a group of eleven of us got together to paint two rooms in an all-boys orphanage about 10 minutes away from La Caya. In two days we painted the two rooms were the boys sleep, including a mural in each room. 

This project, although seemingly intensive, was actually put together in the last couple weeks by my fellow PCV friend, Brittany. She, unfortunately, had to take a 10-year-old boy from her community to this orphanage and learned from the director that they had been trying to hire someone to paint the rooms, but it was too expensive. Brittany thus organized 10 of her Peace Corps friends to make it happen. Amanda and Alanna used leftover grant money to buy all the paint and materials. Katie and Sarah used their creative talents to design and paint awesome murals. And fortunately for everyone, I still live with Francia, who generously let all of us take over her house and treat it like it was our own.

I honestly am still surprised at how much we accomplished in two days, but it does go to show; with the right kind of manpower, there really is nothing a group of people can’t do. Here are some pictures of our work. 

The older boys' room before we started.

Arya painting the primer, me scrapping the walls down before he gets there.

Repainting the walls blue and orange.

After lunch, in the kitchen, being candid.

The boys playing a game (that Arya, not pictured, was leading).

Sarah helping with the "Mango Tree Values" mural.

Alanna and a boy painting his hands for the wall.

Jean and Amanda painting the bee mural on the other side of the mango tree.

Have you ever been this happy to be painting funny looking lady bugs?

The environment mural, complete. It says, "We protect the earth. We care for the environment."

Brittany, Amanda and Sarah painting mangos. Katie on the other side finishing up the bees.

Above the bees, Katie writing, "We care for our community." Because bees are a community too. Get it? This was my favorite of all.

Katie painting the values inside the mangos, including honesty and solidarity.

good friends

Yesterday I went to my last girls’ group meeting, which I actually didn’t run. I have been trying for over a month to encourage my girls to take over the group themselves so they can continue the meetings without me. Yesterday, even though I attended the meeting, was their first meeting held without my guidance. 

The theme was “are you a good friend?” and two of my girls, Yocairy and Ambar, lead the discussion. They gave real life situations about what a good friend would do if, for example, they knew their friends’ boyfriend was cheating on them. Or if they knew someone was saying bad things behind a friends’ back etc. 

At the end of the meeting, Yocairy handed us all hearts cut out of construction paper and told us to go around one by one and talk about our best friend. Later, we would give the hearts to our friends with a brief message about why we love them. One by one, we opened up about the friend closest to us until we got Yenni, who started crying because she said she didn’t have a “best friend.” Sure, she has friends, but not that one person who is above all others.

Dominicans are not the best at dealing with emotional things (unless someone has died), and when Yenni started crying the room did get a little awkward. However, within minutes, all of my girls, especially the two leaders, started agreeing with her and told her how they understood where she was coming from.

Validation. I was so proud of my girls in that moment, because although they didn’t rush over to hug and comfort her, they did validate her and her feelings just by saying, “yes we get it. We have felt that way too.”

My girls group has been one of my favorite projects in Peace Corps. When the girls come together and discuss real life situations that matter to them (like boys, their body, sex, women’s rights), I can’t help but swell up with pride. Especially, when one of us starts to cry and the rest of us do exactly the right thing by making her feel okay for feeling that way. 

At the end of the meeting, I made all the girls get in a circle so we could have a group hug. I told them how proud I was of them and how they have changed my life and made my service what I was always hoping it would be. I told them how even though I am leaving, I will always believe in them and want to know all about their lives 5, 10, 15, 20 years from now. I knew at that moment that hug was mostly for me, because saying goodbye to good friends is never an easy thing to do. 

La Caya's Chicas Brillantes.

some pictures of my last few months (in no specific order)....

Stephanie giving a workshop at the educator's conference. The three-day conference was a great success, with 13 teacher and principles from all over the country learning how to improve their schools and train teachers with enhanced and affective teaching methods.

Here I am with the cake to celebrate the end of the conference. Remember how important cake is here, and this one was delicious- with a plum filling! 

Milady, Me and Albania (the two teachers I took to the conference from La Caya) with their certificates of completion and participation in the conference.

On top of the world. This is from my trip up the hill with Francia to the small community on top of the mountain ridge. Looking out from the hill at the Atlantic Ocean.

A donkey with a homemade saddle.

Francia's truck in front of a house in the community on the hill. Notice the solar panel on the roof of the house (how people get power, as there are no electric lines there). On the way down from the mountain, we would get a flat and have to find a pump like you would use for a bicycle to blow the tire back up. Luckily (and I'm still not sure how) we made it home in tact. Just one of the many times in the DR, I have been amazed something has worked out.

Mom and I in Samana during her visit!

Our backyard in the house we stayed at in Samana. Pretty nice living eh?

Mom and Jim at La Playita (the little beach), about four minutes walking from the house we stayed at.

Punta Rucia this last week. I went with about 15 other Peace Corps volunteers to squeeze in one last beach trip before most of us take off next month. Punta Rucia is a small community on the north coast of the island with some of the most beautiful beaches and scenic ocean views I have ever seen in my life.

And finally, this is Mercedes. She's the grandma (and also great-grandma) at the house I eat lunch at everyday. She's just one of my favorite people of all time, so I thought I'd share a picture.