Rushed Goodbyes

Wow, what a week.  Most of my weeks here have felt crazy but this one was even busier than usual.  I will try to summarize the days as best I can.  The following days include: conference preparations, time with T & Z, good food, good music, and rushed goodbyes.

Monday November 29, 2010

Day 87

In the morning I worked on some things in the office.  In the afternoon we picked up T & Z and went to the clinic.  My aunt, Zoe had evaluated this clinic in 2006 so it was her first time back there in four years.  She was obviously impressed at how well things were still going.  I love going to the clinic because the employees are great and the little kids are even better. 

After the clinic visit I went to the mall with T & Z and we did a little shopping and had lunch at TGI Friday’s.  It is always so weird to go from the clinic, in a rather poor area to something big and extravagant like an upscale mall.  After the mall we went to Teresa’s house for dinner.  Nanita prepared a delicious dinner and we all enjoyed everything.  The best part was the dessert which is the famous sweet bean dessert.  The name doesn’t do it justice, but let me tell you, it is delicious.

Tuesday November 30, 2010

Day 88

I spent the morning in the office doing work.  I did a few errands with Teresa and a few preparations for the conference.  Later we went out to dinner with T & Z.  They had a craving for Chinese food and so we went to a Chinese restaurant and it was very good.  You wouldn’t think they would have authentic Chinese food in the Dominican Republic but they actually do.  I am not a big Chinese food fan but I had steamed fish and vegetables and I enjoyed every bit of it. 

Wednesday December 1, 2010

Day 89

In the morning we worked on last minute preparations for the conference.  We brought something to a printing place to make big posters for the conference.  This actually turned out to be a huge mess because we had a mistake on the poster so we had to go back and forth in bad traffic twice.  In the end the posters were great and looked very professional.

We went to the first session of the Counseling and Treating People of Colour conference and it was so much different than a traditional conference.  There was music, prayer and of course the regular conference stuff.  One of the speakers said that this conference was more of a family reunion than an international conference and they were definitely right.   A pastor from Ebenezer Baptist Church, Martin Luther King Jr.’s church, did the opening prayer and that was of course wonderful.  Later, the chairperson of the NAACP Board of Directors made another great presentation.  She was one of the best speakers I have ever heard and everything she said really made me think.   I can’t wait to hear and learn more at this conference.

Thursday December 2, 2010

My aunt did her speech today at the conference this morning and did an awesome job.  She is a good speaker and the content of her speech will be very helpful to all of the people at the conference.  After her speech we listened to a few presentations and they were all very helpful as well.  A bunch of people from the clinic and Project HOPE came so we had people translating for them so they could understand everything since the conference was in English.

At night I went to the Colonial Zone with T & Z and we had a nice dinner and listened to jazz outside of a fancy hotel.  We had made some friends earlier from the conference and they met us there a little later too.  They had never been to Santo Domingo so we were giving them some tips and good ideas.  It is fun to show people around because it makes me feel like this is actually my home. 

Friday December 3, 2010

Today was my last day at the office and the clinic.  It all went by so quickly so I didn’t even have time to be nostalgic and do traditional goodbyes.  I spent the morning in the office preparing for a dental presentation.  I made some posters of key points to teach at the clinic and prepared some handouts for the dentists and doctors at the clinic.

Later, I went to the clinic to do the presentation for the dentist from Stony Brook who was unable to come to the conference.  I was also joined by two people from the conference.  One woman who came to the clinic was an anesthesiologist and the other woman was a social worker.  We had “La Bandera”, the traditional Dominican lunch and then I did my presentation.  I think the people at the clinic liked the giveaways (toothpaste and little soft squishy balls for the babies) the best.  My mom’s friend, Dr. Mary, donated so much toothpaste and I know that everyone in the clinic appreciated it.  I even pretended that I didn’t notice when kids were asking for seconds saying they didn’t get any because it was a good thing that they wanted more toothpaste, it was not like it was candy.  Thank you again, Dr. Mary!

After the presentation I gave our two visitors a tour of the clinic.  I love showing people around the clinic because I feel like it is my home now.  They were both very impressed with the clinic, as are all new visitors to the clinic.  People are always amazed with the quality of the service and facilities that they see in the clinic because it is not what anyone would imagine from a clinic in a poor area of Santo Domingo.  My goodbyes were rushed because there was a taxi waiting for us outside.  Unfortunately I was running around trying to give out the little presents I had for everyone and I didn’t get a chance to express my thanks the way I wanted to.  The employees at the clinic were so helpful and really made me feel like I was part of their family for the last three months.

I spent the rest of the afternoon with my uncle at the Dominican Fiesta and it was nice to relax in the afternoon for once.  We sat outside and he played his guitar and we chatted in a nice little hut-type thing.  Later, Z met us and we went out to the Colonial Zone for dinner again.  We actually went to the same restaurant as the night before but we sat in a different area.  We had a different menu and different music too.  This time there was a guitar player and he was amazing.  I think we were his biggest fans that night.  It was really great that I was able to have another nice dinner with live music, outside in beautiful Santo Domingo with my always fun aunt and uncle.

Fun Facts:

1.       I have a church song stuck in my head from the conference.

2.       One of the conference attendees who spoke Spanish said the following thing to me “Wow, your English is great, where did you learn it?”  I replied, “Yes, but I need to work on my Spanish.”  I then told her that I was from NJ and it all made sense.

3.       Friday nights in the Colonial Zone are quite lively.  Most of the people there were locals which is different than the day crowd which is mostly tourists.  I like to think of myself as somewhere in between these two groups.

4.       I made a presentation in Spanish at the clinic and I think some of the people actually understood me. Luckily I had someone from the clinic helping me because I was just responsible for presenting the main points and then she went more in depth after each main point. 

5.       No one knew it was my last day at the clinic, including Yamile who went to get her glasses repaired right before I left.  I didn’t know she wasn’t coming back for a while so I didn’t get to say goodbye to her.  I was so mad!  Friday was just way too crazy.

Peace,

Jaclyn

Modeling the famous sign with Aunt Zoe

At dinner with T & Z in the Colonial Zone after the conference



Hard to see, but this is part of the dental presentation at the clinic.



Art Lessons on the Beach

Friday November 26, 2010

Day 84

Today is Black Friday and I am happy to report that I wasn’t stuck in any mall traffic.  I guess that isn’t a holiday here.  Teresa thought I wasn’t going to the office today because her kids were off from school but I went to work because if I was in the US I would have to go, so why not? I spent most of the day working on a presentation for the conference with Teresa.  For lunch, Teresa and I brought our leftovers from Thanksgiving and when we heated them up it smelled like Thanksgiving in the office.  I felt like I was home and eating leftovers the day after Thanksgiving so that was really neat.

At night we went to a special mass that Matteo, the driver for the clinic/Project HOPE invited Teresa too. The church is right near the clinic and that neighborhood is a whole different world at night.  Everyone was outside and hanging out in the street.  Everyone seemed to be having fun but wow, it was much different. Since we were special guests we got these neat pins and were invited to a little thing after where they gave us some snacks.  The snacks came in a little Styrofoam box and they were questionable.  Most of the things were breaded and fried so I traded them with Cynthia for a tiny piece of a suspicious hot dog. I was really hungry and I also didn’t want to be rude so I had to eat a little. 

After church we went to a birthday party for Teresa’s friend, Grace.  Grace is from Ecuador and so there were a bunch of people there from Ecuador, including the ambassador of course.  He was actually a really nice guy and much more fun than you’d expect an ambassador to be.  It was an interesting party because there were people from a few different countries there, so everyone had different accents and different dancing styles.  They had a band and they were really good but not good enough to get me to dance.

Saturday November 27, 2010

Day 85

Today was a relaxing, uneventful Saturday.  I spent most of my day reading and then worked on some things for the conference next week.  I think this marks my last relaxing, uneventful Saturday for a long time because next week I will be at the conference all day on Saturday and after that I will be home and I always have too much to do there.  My aunt and uncle, Zoe and Thom are coming tomorrow and I am so excited!

Sunday November 28, 2010

Day 86
I woke up early today to do my laundry and get ready for my day with my aunt and uncle.  I did my laundry with a hint of sadness since it will be my last time doing laundry here. OK, it wasn’t that sad. I am looking forward to doing my laundry at home with my regular machine and not having to wait for the three necessary things for laundry (power, water, sun). 

Later on we went to go pick up my aunt and uncle from the airport.  They wanted to go to the beach when they got here so we all (Teresa and her family too of course) went to Juan Dolio.  Juan Dolio is near Boca Chica, where I went with my family, and the beach we went to was definitely a local beach.  It was right on the side of the road but it was still beautiful.  Unfortunately we were next to a bunch of young adults with loud music and inappropriate dancing so we had to ask them to turn it down a few times.  They were actually very nice about it and I think they were just having fun.  In order to sit at a table with an umbrella you had to order food and I am still wondering if that is true.  Teresa politely complied and ordered four whole fish (for those of us who eat fish), tostones and sweet potatoes.  The fish was very tasty and so were the tostones and sweet potatoes.  It is fun to eat fish when you are 15 feet away from the ocean.

The coolest part of the day was when my uncle took out his colored pencils and sketch book.  He was sitting at a table and drawing a scene of the ocean and within a few minutes he had about eight new little friends.  All of these little boys from the neighborhood, ranging from about 7 to 12 years old, sat down and my uncle gave them paper and an art lesson.  The kids loved every minute of it.  You wouldn’t think this age group would have an attention span for this type of activity but I would say they were doing it for about an hour.  They were so proud of their work and kept showing it to my uncle so he could critique it and give them suggestions to add more.  These little boys definitely made my day. It also didn’t hurt that I got to swim in the ocean in late November. Bragging? Yes.

After the beach we brought T & Z to the Dominican Fiesta and then we all went home.  In the evening we went to church and I think it will be my last time there since I am leaving next Sunday.  There was a different priest and I am pretty sure Spanish was his second language because he had some sort of accent and I was able to understand what he was saying.  I usually have an easier time understanding people who are speaking Spanish as their second or third, etc. language because they speak slower and annunciate more.  It will be interesting to go to church on Christmas Eve in Glen Rock and to hear a mass in English now.  I wonder which mass I know better now?

Fun Facts:

1.       Someone left the hot water heater (you normally put it on right before you take a shower and then turn it off right after) on while we were at the beach so when we came back the water was boiling hot and the water pressure was all messed up.  Coincidently, one of the neighbors also came down to tell us that she saw on the roof that a pipe was disconnected.  Juan Carlos just had to turn a little thing on the PVC pipe and it fixed it.  Luckily people hang their laundry up there to dry and someone saw that the pipe wasn’t connected to the tank or we would have wasted more water.   

2.       Nanita used to own a little restaurant.  No wonder she is such a great cook!

3.       This vendor tried to sell my uncle a bag of nuts for twice the normal price, obviously picking on him because he is a foreigner.  Luckily, he didn’t fall for it.

4.       At the birthday party they played really loud music, with the windows open, until after midnight and the neighbors didn’t even complain. 

5.       At the church on Friday little kid did the readings instead of adults and it was cute.  I was able to understand them perfectly because they read slowly and very clearly.  I think I like that tradition.

Peace,

Jaclyn



Nice artwork, right? They all made nice beach scenes because that is what T was doing.



T and his students. I gave them a peace sign and this is what I got. Love it!

Paz y Pavo (Peace and Turkey)

Thursday November 25, 2010

Day 83

Even though I was in another country with another family, speaking a different language, my Thanksgiving was pretty good.  I took the day off from work and spent the day cooking and relaxing.  In the morning I made part of my gluten free green bean casserole and saved the final step, the baking, for later.  I finished it quicker than I expected so I helped Nanita with the food she was preparing.  She was preparing pasteles en hoja which is a traditional food they usually eat on Christmas.  There had to be at least 15 pounds of vegetables that she had to peel.  There were plantains, roots vegetables and the yams she uses her famous soup.  I helped her peel some sort of ugly root vegetable but I was really slow and probably didn’t help much.  After, she grated the vegetables on a cheese grater and it came out as a starchy, almost dough-like paste.  Later she showed me how to put the little things together.  Normally you use a plantain leaf but they didn’t have any at the grocery store so she used some sort of cooking paper and tied them together with string.  Later she cooked them in boiling water and they were very tasty.  She is making more for when my aunt and uncle come on Sunday. 

Teresa came home around 3:00 with Cynthia from school and a lovely surprise, a turkey! She got one of the few fully cooked turkeys they were selling at Bravo and she may or may not have had to fight a crazy American for her spot in line.  I am joking, sort of.   The turkey was pretty and it was much easier than cooking one all day.

Later in the day, closer to dinner time, I finished preparing my food.  I topped my casserole with the secret ingredient (corn flakes and melted butter) and baked it in the oven.  I also prepared my mashed potatoes with the help of Nanita and her knowledge of potato doneness and potato- mashing strength.  I peeled the potatoes and poured in the ingredients! I set the table with the lovely table decorations my mom brought me and it really started to look like a Thanksgiving dinner.

Around 7:00 everyone got home and we were finally ready for dinner.  The kids’ dad came too so it was really a family affair.  I enjoyed all of the food, like always.  The kids are picky eaters so they only ate the turkey, Nanita’s pasteles en hoja and a little bit of the potatoes I think.  The adults liked everything so I wasn’t offended that the kids wouldn’t eat my food.  After dinner I whipped the cream for the fresh whipped cream and added a little decoration to my pumpkin cheesecake.  I served that and the festive kid cake.  The pumpkin cheesecake turned out much denser than my usual cake but I still liked it.  It tasted more like a traditional cheesecake than my usual cake and much better than I thought it would taste.  The kids wouldn’t try it of course but Teresa really enjoyed it and wants more tomorrow.  I ate about ¼ of the cheesecake so I should probably not have more any time soon.  Yum!  How could you not like something pumpkin?

After dinner the family had dance lessons.  The parents were teaching the kids salsa and merengue.  They kept trying to get me to do it but I have a fear of dancing.  I am a horrible dancer and it was just making me too nervous.  I told Cynthia she could give me a private lesson tomorrow.  Cynthia picked it up so quickly, which is not surprising because she has good rhythm, something I lack.  The parents were great dancers and teachers. 

Overall, it was a nice holiday.  I really missed spending it with my family at home but I was glad that I was able to do something special here too.  I also talked to my mom and everyone at my Aunt Julie’s house on my webcam so it almost felt like I was there.  I think they had a few more desserts than we had at my Thanksgiving dinner.  Missing a holiday was a little sad but I am glad that I will be home with everyone for the next one (Christmas). 

Thanksgiving Special:

I am thankful for:

1.       My 2^nd family in the Dominican Republic

2.       24/7 hot water (You won’t miss it until you don’t have it)

3.       A pantry full of food that I will not be able to finish before December 5^th.

4.       Clean water

5.       Healthcare

6.       Books and online newspapers

7.       Wheat free food

8.       Gym membership

9.       80 something degree weather on Thanksgiving

10.   Palm trees outside my window

11.   Project HOPE and Order of Malta Clinic employees

12.   Food safety standards and regulations

13.   My electric hand mixer

14.   This volunteer experience

15.   My friends who are making this time away from home much easier and enjoyable on Skype and Facebook chat.

16.   Most importantly: my family

Fun Facts:

1.       The kids had a Thanksgiving celebration at school and had a modified schedule.  So to answer the joke “Do they celebrate Thanksgiving in the Dominican Republic?” The answer is: yes!

2.       Everyone was really confused by my cranberry sauce from a can.  I think they thought it was beets but they all later realized it went well with the turkey.

3.       The kids are off from school the day after Thanksgiving like kids in the US.  I am sure it is just their school and other international-style schools, but isn’t that cool?

4.       I miss my Oxxo vegetable peeler.  I highly recommend it to anyone who peels vegetables.

5.       Nanita gave me a great suggestion for lunch: cassava with tuna fish.  Cassava or yucca here is kind of like a potato and it went really well with the tuna. 

6.       Nanita is allergic to seafood. I didn’t know that until today.

7.       You can listen to confession on the Christian radio station.  Well it isn’t people’s sins but I think it is the prayers you say for confession.  I could be making this up entirely, but I am pretty sure that is what we were listening to in the kitchen.

8.       They have daytime soap operas and nighttime soap operas.  This really caters to all lifestyles and working schedules.  I have never been a fan of soap operas and these ones are even sillier here.

9.       This is the first time in years that I didn’t help (or watch) my Grandma Marge make antipasto.  How did she possibly arrange all of the olives, meats and cheeses without my guidance?  (I think my mom substituted for me)

10.   I want my mom’s candied yams.

Paz y pavo,

Jaclyn

Nanita in action

Pretty decorations from my mom

Cynthia did this without even knowing about the "Paz y Pavo" theme. Perfect!

Nice face, Juan Carlos. Also, a picture of Jaclyn eating- not a surprise.

Pumpkin Cheesecake (Revised version 2010)

Family dance lessons

More from Wednesday

After I posted my blog on Wednesday night I did a little more baking.  I used a gluten free cake mix to make a festive Thanksgiving cake for the kids.  As I was mixing the batter I realized that the pan I had (glass 9x13 casserole dish) was way too big because the recipe recommended a 9 inch square cake tin.  I had to make an emergency phone call to the baking expert in my family, Aunt Julie.  Luckily she knew what to do and she advised me to lower the temperature of the oven and cook it for a shorter amount of time.  She also suggested that I cut the long, thin cake in half and then make it into a layer cake.  So far, it looks great.  The crumbs I tasted were pretty moist too.  I tried to make little turkeys on the cake but they aren’t my best creation.  More later!  

Ooops, making a mess with the frosting.

Look Mom, I really do wash dishes!

Those orange things are supposed to be turkey feathers and the brown things are supposed to be the heads. They look a little funny.  

No Canned Yams for the Candied Yams

Monday November 22, 2010, Tuesday November 23, 2010          

Day 80 & Day 81

I do not know if I am too young to blame it on old age but I can’t seem to remember exactly what I did on Monday.  I will discuss Monday and Tuesday as one day since I think it was relatively the same.  It is sad that it is only Wednesday and I already forgot what I did on Monday.  Anyway, onward with the blogging. Monday and Tuesday were office days.  I worked on some things for the conference that starts next week.  I can’t believe it is almost December 1^st already. Wow! I remember during my first week when I found out about the conference I thought it was so far away, well now it is here!  The conference is being organized and sponsored by SUNY Stony Brook and it will be entirely in English. How nice of them.

On Tuesday I was working on some accounting things with Teresa and silly me decided to put it in a spreadsheet.  Well it was a smart idea because it makes everything much more organized but this led to a very long day/night at the office.  We were playing with the Excel spreadsheet until 10:00pm at the office.  I was exhausted and didn’t even want to look at all of those lines and numbers at that time.  We stayed so late that we didn’t have time to go to the grocery store to get my things for Thanksgiving.  Wednesday there will be more time for grocery shopping, thank goodness!

Wednesday November 24, 2010

Day 82

I was surprised this morning when we turned in the direction of the clinic instead of the office. I was really excited to get to go back there and see everyone, especially some cute little kids and babies.  Teresa had a meeting there but before she had her meeting she gave another great public health talk about cholera.  She is so good at it and I can tell that people are listening and understanding everything she is saying.

While I was at the clinic I got to make up the time I missed in my rotation schedule and I observed in the community health department.  In the community health department they do a bunch of different things but everything I saw today I really enjoyed.  One thing that they do is counsel pregnant adolescents so they are healthy during their pregnancies and are prepared to give birth and be a mother.  It is really important that this at-risk group receives extra care and attention and they do a good job of that at the clinic.  They also do pre-consultations for HIV testing.  Every person who gets an HIV test must attend a pre-consult to record information and learn about the test and the disease.

After the clinic we went to the grocery store and I bought everything I needed for my Thanksgiving meal.  The one thing that I couldn’t find were canned yams for my mom’s famous candied yams.  I had to cancel this part of my meal and I will definitely miss eating it this year.  When I got home I had lunch (more like dinner) and then started baking.  I made a revised version of my pumpkin cheesecake and I am hoping it turns out OK.  I think the pan I used was too big and it seems a little flat.  We’ll see what happens.  I have plans for festive chocolate cake (decorated for Thanksgiving, mainly for the kids since they are picky eaters), mashed potatoes and green bean casserole. 

Everyone keeps posting Facebook statuses about Thanksgiving and being home and it is making me a little sad. It doesn’t feel like Thanksgiving Eve here.  I am kind of confused about tomorrow’s schedule so hopefully everything goes smoothly.  Until then, Happy Thanksgiving Eve!

Fun Facts:

1.       I met a young woman today who worked at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.  Last summer I worked (volunteered/interned) at the Bronx office of Visiting Nurse Service of NY and I could see Montefiore from the parking lot. Small world.

2.       They will be cooking turkeys at Bravo tomorrow morning and I am so excited.  It would be way to hot in this house if the oven was on all day, cooking a turkey in 80 degree weather without air conditioning.

3.       I saw a pig leg in the grocery store and it really looks like a pig leg. Scary.

4.       I have way too much food left in my pantry here. My mom is going to be mad.

5.       I set up the beautiful Thanksgiving table decorations that my mom brought me.

Paz y Pavo (Peace and Turkey),

Jaclyn

Another Weekend in the Books

Friday November 19, 2010

Day 77

This week flew by. I can not even believe it is already Friday. I think the weeks go by much quicker here than they do at home.  Today was just an average day at the office.  I helped Teresa a little bit more with her presentation for the conference and I think I just have a few more things to add.  One of the things I did was research a program called “Ask Me 3” or in Spanish “Preguntame 3” which is a health literacy campaign that encourages patients to ask the doctor three important questions.  They have the posters in the clinic but I wanted to find more information about it (in English since most of the participants will be from the US) to use in the presentation.  I also worked on my own power point presentation.  My presentation is somewhat of a final report of what I have been doing here for the last three months. 

After work we went to the kid’s school and watched the championship game of a high school basketball tournament.  It was really exciting and the crowd was really into it.  When ever there was a time out, a few of the older kids went in to the middle of the court and played these two traditional Dominican instruments and another kid danced.  The kid dancing was hilarious and definitely made the crowd go crazy.  The team won and all of the students (even the little kids who were watching) ran out on to the court to congratulate them. Fun stuff! 

At night we went to church because Cynthia is participating in a contest tomorrow at the church and Teresa thought it would be a good idea to go tonight.  It was a special mass for people with disabilities and at the end of the mass a mother of a woman with a disability (the result of an accident later in life) gave a wonderful speech.  After the mother’s speech the woman said a little something as well and there were tears and a huge applause.  Unbeknownst to us, there was a little concert after the mass. It was Christian music and the people in the group were extremely energetic.  The concert was a mix of Christian music, Barney, Bar Mitzvah dancing (the dancers who lead the people in dance steps), all with a Dominican flare.  It was actually pretty cool and everyone was really into it, especially the kids and old ladies. 

Saturday November 20, 2010

Day 78

Today was a fun day for Cynthia.  She participated in a contest at the church that was a combination of a talent show and a pageant.  She practiced her part in the morning and right before the contest she went to get her hair done.  Some girls sang, danced and others participated in an art contest.  Cynthia was one of the older girls there (and obviously one of the tallest) but there were some very cute little girls participating as well.  Cynthia sang and played the guitar and then finished up her act with just a singing performance.  She looked great on stage and I think she did a really nice job.

Sunday November 21, 2010

Day 79

I woke up later than usual today and it was just lovely.  Normally I like waking up early but I figured I didn’t need to rush to wake up when I didn’t have any particular plans for the day.  Well sure enough, after I was just hanging out in my room after breakfast, Teresa knocked on my door and told me they were going to church because Cynthia had to go since she participated in the contest the day before.  I didn’t feel badly about not going because I went on Friday night so I stayed home.  I was able to do all of my laundry while they were gone.  As soon as I hung up my last thing to dry, it started pouring outside.  My luck, right?  It stopped after a few minutes so hopefully my clothes don’t smell like mildew tomorrow.

The family was gone for a long time because they ended up doing errands after church, but fortunately for me, they brought home lunch.  I spent most of my day reading and doing laundry and then once the football games started, I followed all of the scores on my computer.  Sundays are a lot more fun at home in the US with the games on TV and friends or family watching them together at home or at Scotty’s (Bex!).  At least when I get home I will have a couple weeks left of NFL season. 

Fun Facts:

1.       When the family was gone on Sunday afternoon, I collected all of the garbage and was just opening the door to bring it out to the dumpster when I heard a loud bang.  I shut the door and ran to a different window and ducked.  As I was moving around I heard more loud bangs.  I soon realized it was fireworks (nothing pretty, just loud) across the street.  Later in the night, I heard it again but this time it was the actual show.  They were professional fireworks and were actually really pretty. I wonder what the occasion was.

2.       The church had a carnival and the rides looked like they were about to fall apart.  I took a few pictures to use as evidence if anything bad happened to anyone on the rides.

3.       Unlike in English, the word for skin on fruit (cáscara) is different from the skin on a human (piel).  Teresa thought it was funny that I didn’t know this.  It is wise to be cautious with these two words so people don’t think you are a cannibal for eating skin.  

4.       Mosquitoes only bite foreigners.

5.       Cynthia and Teresa like to surprise me and bring me food when I am in my room on my computer. 75% of the time I am not hungry but I can never refuse because it is usually something tasty and it is so nice of them! My mom NEVER brings me food in my room. =]

6.       One of the girls in the contest sang a song from the Broadway show, In the Heights and since it was in English Teresa asked me if I knew the song.  At first I had no idea what song she was singing (without background music) but then I recognized a name from the show and realized what she was singing.  In the Heights is about the Dominican and Puerto Rican community in Washington Heights so it was a cute idea that this girl was singing that song.  She did a good job, but I was paying attention to the tune and not to the words and that is why I didn’t recognize it at first.

Mosquito Bite Count (from the weekend): 4

Peace,

Jaclyn

Treadmill Police

Wednesday November 17, 2010

Day 75

Today we planned to go to visit the other clinic in Monte Plata in the morning but we ended up going to the office first.  There was a lot of stuff going on so we didn’t end up leaving the office until around 12:00pm.  We stopped at the mall and had lunch and I had another Quizno’s salad and soup and it wasn’t too bad.  We drove to Monte Plata and got there some time after 2:00pm.  The drive to Monte Plata is always nice because it is so green and there are beautiful mountains in the background.

I love the Monte Plata clinic! The people there are so nice and everything is a lot less hectic there than it is in Herrera.  The whole staff is like a happy little family and the coolest part is that they all help clean up at the end of the day.  While I was at the clinic I had another lesson in the lab.  This time it was a lot more hands on and the girl who was explaining things to me did an awesome job.  It is easier to learn in that lab because they have less work than they do in Herrera.  During my lesson I got to see a parasite in a stool sample under the microscope.  Most people probably wouldn’t think that is interesting, but it really is!

Thursday November 18, 2010

Day 76

Continuing with my theme of thinking I am going to the clinic but really staying in the office…I did that again today.  I am not sure why I didn’t go today but it was fine because I had some work to do at the office.  I am helping Teresa translate her presentation for the conference in to English and that took up most of my time.  I actually like working on projects like that so it is fun for me. 

Since the cholera outbreak in Haiti in October, I have been constantly checking the news for updates.  Lately I have been reading about the increased violence throughout the country.  At first the violence was directed at the UN since many people think the UN peacekeepers from Nepal brought the disease to Haiti and contaminated their water.  The violence has now escalated to the point where aid organizations are unable to deliver supplies and treat patients.  People are setting fires to buildings, throwing rocks, building barricades of fire and other things in the streets, hindering the entire aid process.  They will never be able to get a handle on the cholera situation if they can’t help the people who need it.

On a lighter note, I finally had time to go to the gym.  Teresa and I met the kids at the Dominican Fiesta and Juan Carlos was there playing basketball with his friends.  I did my usual routine which always proves to be stressful.  They have a 30 minute time limit on the treadmills and there are people who literally stand or sit on the bikes behind the treadmills and wait until a person reaches 30 minutes and then they walk over to the treadmill for their turn.  30 minutes is not enough time for a proper cardio work out.  If there are other people in the gym waiting for a treadmill I am forced to do a quick sprint work out to get the most out of my time.  It is a bit inconvenient but sometimes there aren’t people waiting so I can stay on longer.

Fun Facts:

1.       I love when I can make jokes in Spanish.  Teresa is starting to understand my jokes and it is so much fun.

2.       There are people in the streets that come up to your car and start washing your windshield and it is annoying because they don’t even ask first.  It is also annoying because they use dirty water and by the time you say no to them your windshield is dirty.

3.       Before we went to the hotel, Nanita made us a typical Dominican dish that had some sort of salami that was in a sauce with peppers and onions served with a side of mangu (mashed boiled plantains). I am not usually a fan of salami but I had a little bit of it and it was very good.

4.       It is hard to practice good gym etiquette in another language.  I always get nervous to ask people things in Spanish so I usually just end up waiting twice as long to make sure they are done.  Sometimes all I need to ask is “Are you using this?” but I get nervous that they won’t understand me and they’ll think I am dumb. 

Peace,

Jaclyn

Snakes and Such

Monday November 15, 2010

Day 73

I worked at the office today and did the usual office day things.  I worked on translating a letter in to English which is harder than it sounds.  Using Google Translate can be helpful but half of the things come out incorrectly.  What I usually do is read it first in Spanish, then put it into Google Translate and then edit the translated copy, using the original Spanish copy.

When we were coming home after picking up the kids from school, panic erupted in Residencial José Contreras.  The kids had gone through the front door and Teresa and I were walking to the back door when Teresa spotted a snake.  The snake was skinny and probably about 18 inches long.  Teresa was so scared and wanted me to kill it.  I am not afraid of snakes but I also didn’t want to kill it.  I moved it out of the pathway with a stick but Teresa still wouldn’t walk by it.  The neighbors heard Teresa yelling at me to kill it so one guy came out to help her.  I was laughing because it was the most harmless looking thing ever.  I was more worried about keeping my lunch out of the food safety “danger zone” so I left the neighbor to deal with the snake.  In the end the neighbor killed it and Teresa thinks I am some kind of weird person for not being scared.

Tuesday November 16, 2010

Day 74

I was supposed to go to the clinic today but worked in the office instead.  I worked on translating something and then had a statistics lesson with Teresa.  Teresa gave me some things to practice and I really missed my TI-83 calculator. 

Later in the day we went to the Dominican Fiesta Hotel to meet someone that Teresa knows from Americares.  The young woman was just here for the day and will go to Haiti tomorrow.  Teresa worked with her after the earthquake and wanted me to meet her.  She was very nice and seems to have a really interesting and exciting job.  She is from the US and speaks English so that was fun too.

Good news: we finally got to go to the grocery store.  I was getting nervous about my yogurt and cereal situation.  At Bravo I was so excited to see all of the Thanksgiving-themed things they had.  They had turkeys, cranberry sauce, canned pumpkin, stuffing and a bunch of other things.  I guess I didn’t need my brother to bring me my pumpkin and cranberry sauce after all (thanks though)!  I didn’t get any Thanksgiving food because I didn’t plan the menu yet and didn’t have a list of ingredients.  I will probably go back next week.

Fun Facts:

1.       Turkey is popular here on Christmas.

2.       The public taxis are always full of people and today I saw one with 7 adults in it, including the driver.  (The record before today was 6 adults.). FYI these are old, small cars.

3.       People at the grocery store like “sampling” everything.  For example, today I saw one lady opening up a face cream and using it on her face and then putting it back on the shelf.  I also saw a guy “sampling” nuts from a big barrel. I think they need the free sample stations like the have at Costco.

Peace,

Jaclyn