The Fear of Rain

Monday September 27, 2010

Day 23

Today I had an interesting surprise at the office: a person from the US who spoke English.  A guy named Doug came from the Project HOPE office in Virginia to take care of some business down in Santo Domingo.  Not only did he speak English but he was a fellow Big Ten Conference fan/alumni (Penn State).  I love speaking Spanish, but it is so much easier to have a conversation in English.  I always feel like my brain is fried by the end of the day when I am trying really hard to speak/understand Spanish.  I worked from home (oops, sorry Mom, TERESA’S HOME) for the afternoon because the wireless internet that I normally steal wasn’t working.

Tuesday September 28, 2010

Day 24

Today was my first day observing in Pediatrics and I really enjoyed it.  There weren’t too many patients while I was there but I did get to see a lot of cute little babies so that is always nice.  The babies always freak out as soon as the doctor gets close to them and I am starting to get used to the ear piercing wailing that is part of pediatrics. At first all I wanted to do was whisk the babies away and comfort them but that would obviously be the wrong thing to do.

After the cute but loud babies I left to go get Cynthia from school.  I already had lunch at the clinic but when we got back to the house, Nanita had made my special soup so I had to have a second lunch and it was delicious.  It is some sort of squash soup with vegetables and either cassava or potato depending on the day. 

HAPPY 25^th ANNIVERSARY MOM & DAD <3

Wednesday September 29, 2010

Day 25

This morning there was a really bad rain storm.  That should end the story, shouldn’t it? I mean it is rain, this is the Caribbean, it happens. Right? Wrong. When there is heavy rain here people freak out.  Kids don’t go to school and people call in sick from work.  An example of this aversion to rain occurred this morning when I had a “rain delay” in my clinic schedule.  The person who usually drives me from the office to the clinic wanted to wait until the rain let up a little before we made the (2 mile) journey.  I didn’t mind waiting but I just thought it was funny how people really start to “melt” when it rains a lot here. Note: it has rained or drizzled at least once every day for the past 6 days but this was the most rain at once we had since I got here.

Today was supposed to be my second day of observations in pediatrics but instead I observed the nursing area again.  The usual afternoon doctor wasn’t there and Teresa wanted me to learn the procedures from someone else instead.  Ennie, one of the nurses, gave me my daily lessons and she was great. I learned all about the charts, procedures, formularies, tables, etc. that the pediatricians use to assess and diagnose the patients.  Ennie explained everything slowly (in Spanish of course) to me so I was able to understand everything.  I took copious notes and tomorrow I will be able to better understand what is going on during the consultations. 

Fun Facts

1.       Everyone in the kitchen at lunch has food that must be heated in the microwave.  People don’t have sandwiches or salads or something like that.  Needless to say, there is always a line for the microwave and people share microwave space.

2.       When I am making small talk with people they always ask if I have been to the beach here yet and I always surprise them when I say no. 

3.       There are a ton of stray dogs on the streets.

4.       I have been asked multiple times if I am married or if I have children. (No and No)

5.       Avocados here are HUGE and at least twice the size of avocados in the US (from California).

6.       In the last two hours I have been graced with 5 new mosquito bites.  The window and door are both closed in my room so I do not know what is going on. 

Peace,

Jaclyn

Friday September 24, 2010

Day 20

Today was my first holiday in the Dominican Republic, Our Lady of Mercedes Day. This day honors the patron saint of the island of Hispaniola and schools and many businesses are closed for the holiday.  We celebrated by going to a special mass in the morning.  It was similar to other church masses but the priest did a nice job of explaining the importance and history of the day.  After church we had a nice lunch and then went to the Dominican Fiesta Hotel.  Teresa, Cynthia and I played basketball and it was really fun.  Did I mention that Cynthia and I lost to Teresa? I can not believe it.  Albeit I was not defending Teresa with my best abilities (I can’t hurt a mother!) and I also don’t like to be a ball hog but excuses aside, we lost.  After our intense game I went inside (out of the rain) and ran on the treadmill in the gym while Teresa and Cynthia hung out by the pool/Jacuzzi.  This holiday celebration was much different than holidays in my family where stress and holidays go hand in hand.

Saturday September 25, 2010

Day 21

It was raining again today and that is always a little upsetting when you are living in a beautiful island country.  You almost expect to see sun every day but I am learning that those sunny and clear days aren’t so common actually.  I made a list of all the important points of interest I need to see while I am here and decided I would start today.  The kids went to a movie with their dad and Teresa and I set out on a QUICK journey to see the Faro a Colón (Columbus Lighthouse) before it was going to close for the day.  Of course it started pouring as we were driving there but that added to the fun of the adventure.   We were able to see a little bit of it and take some pictures before we were politely kicked out.  We will go back another day when there is more time and better weather. 

After our quick visit to the lighthouse we went to the Zona Colonial for a little preview visit.  This are of Santo Domingo is a step back into time and a lovely cluster of history, culture and architecture.  Since it was raining there were barely any people around which is rare for that area.  We were able to park right in front of the Panteón Nacional (National Mosoleum) and go in for a quick look.  We listened to a guy who was giving a tour to a small group of people and it was quite interesting.  The former dictator, Trujillo, ordered the restoration of the building to honor national heroes.  I was so happy to see Salomé Ureña Henriquez had a place in this building of such high honor.  Before I came to the Dominican Republic I read the book In the Name of Salomé by Julia Alvarez (thanks for the recommendation, Aunt Zoe) and I learned a lot about the famous poet, Salomé as well as the national history of the Dominican Republic.  Needless to say I loved the book and I enjoy seeing or hearing about things I learned in the book.  I know there are places where I can go see some of her work but I need to investigate a little more first.

After our Zona Colonial preview we stopped at a nice little restaurant on the water for a snack. Everyone has been offering me café con leche and I have politely declined every time because I usually prefer decaf coffee and I do not know how to ask for that nor do I think it is very popular here.  I decided to give it a try tonight and it was delicious.  It is so rich (in Spanish you use the word “rico” which means rich to describe tasty food so that is actually quite fitting) and creamy and tasted more like a dessert than a beverage.  I also tried mofongo which is a traditional food in the Dominican Republic and is made from mashed platanos (plantains).  I have mentioned in previous posts that I am not very good and distinguishing different types of meat and today was no exception.  As I was eating I noticed that there was something chewy in it and Teresa told me it was pork so I was a bit surprised but figured I would pretend it was turkey bacon (I am not a fan of pork, not for religious reasons but more for the idea that I just do not like the idea of eating a pig because I find them rather dirty and well, piggy!) and enjoy it.  I later googled it and realized it was pork rind which is something I never thought I would eat. I actually really enjoyed the mofongo and I loved the restaurant.  Everything was served in pretty wood containers and there was a great view.  We had to sit inside because it was raining but the terrace view was beautiful and I was able to take some nice pictures too.  Note: I will never drink coffee after lunch here because I was not able to sleep.  That stuff is strong!

Sunday September 26, 2010

Day 22

Today was another relaxing Sunday.  I did some more travel research and had an uneventful morning/afternoon. Well it was uneventful until commotion broke out in the parking lot of our apartment complex.  Before I continue, let me set the scene.  It is a middle class, residential area and there are several apartment buildings (most around 4-6 stories tall) in various clusters throughout a few blocks.  The buildings are nice and there are palm trees so it always looks so nice and tropical even when it is raining or violence is ensuing.  So about the violence…Teresa and I rushed to the window because we heard some sort of commotion going on outside.  I heard what sounded like a car hitting something but that was not it.  In the parking lot (the center of 3 or 4 buildings) there were a bunch of people with baseball bats (not surprising since this is a baseball country) gathered around.  It was quiet and I didn’t understand what was going on.  Then I saw a guy walking across the parking lot with a machete and that was when I freaked out a little. Those knives are HUGE.  So I was wondering why no one was doing anything and then I realized what was happening.  All of the people in the parking lot (including the man with the machete) had heard the same commotion and came out to protect the neighbors.  They were not involved with the initial incident and were merely there in case something happened.  So yes, I felt quite safe that a man with a machete was now patrolling the neighborhood, fending off the bad guys.  I still do not know what the initial incident was but within a few minutes everyone returned to their apartments and in normal Dominican Republic fashion, the police never even came. 

At night we went to church at the church we went to my first night here.  I like this one better because they do not do that whole mystical thing at the end of the mass.  I found out at the end of the mass today about some of the very special people who come to this church.  Teresa was talking with a young boy and exchanging phone numbers so I figured it was just a boy she knew, maybe from her son.  I later learned that his boy was actually an earthquake survivor from Haiti and he and other survivors from a local program attend that church.  The boy had lost one of his legs and badly fractured his other.  Now he has a prosthetic leg and walks almost perfectly.  The most remarkable part of this story was that the boy was in such a state of shock after the disaster that he didn’t talk for 21 days.  Teresa met him when Project HOPE was donating medicine and supplies to the earthquake survivors who had been transported to the Dominican Republic.  Without leaving you in too much suspense I can tell you that the first person he spoke to was Teresa.  An even more amazing part to this story was that they thought he was an orphan but later found out that his mother was alive and well in Haiti.  It was so nice to hear about a happy ending when we all know that so many other stories ended much more tragically. 

Fun Facts:

1.       Teresa makes delicious ceviche.

2.       They do not sell hairspray at the huge supermarket.  They had various well-known brands of hair products with the full line represented (gel, mousse, shampoo, conditioner, etc.) but not one bottle of hairspray.

3.       I ran out of books to read and I can’t wait for my Kindle (thank you Aunt Julie and family) to arrive with my parents in two weeks.  I actually have some books to read but they are more like reference books rather than novels and that is just not pre-bed reading material.

4.       Almost every entertainment site that has (legal) television shows, movies, music, etc. is blocked here because of international copyright or streaming laws of some sort. 

5.       I am able to keep up with NFL games on ESPN with Gamecast which is a simulated report of the game.  There is a graphic of a football field and all of the plays are noted with text and graphics.  Not quite as good as the real thing but it does the trick.

6.       We are trying to come up with a new name (like my Aunt Zoe/Susi) for me because Jaclyn is such an unnatural name to pronounce here in Spanish.  For example: juice=jugo but you pronounce it like hoo-go.

Peace,

Jaclyn

Faro a Colon

Faro a Colon



View of the city from Faro a Colon




People were doing some sort of drill and they were running up the lighthouse and then waiting for the rest of the group. Interesting.




Panteon Nacional



Wednesday and Thursday

September 22, 2010

Day 18

Today was my first full day at the clinic and I loved it! Today was the 2^nd day of my rotation with the nurses.  All of the patients must go to a certain room first where they are weighed, measured, etc. and that is where I spent my day.  There are times when there are patients coming in one right after another and they are busy the whole time but there are also times where it is very slow and there may be only one patient every few minutes.  I liked when it was busy because I was able to see how the nurses worked together to be both efficient and thorough.  I think today was the day of the nebulizer because several babies needed to have treatments and boy, did they hate it! I understand why they hate it: the machine is loud, the mask is scary, they have to sit still, there is some foreign substance being blown in their face, and oh yeah, they are already sick.  I learned that as long as you can get the mother to be calm, the baby will be calm as well.  There was some calmness but only after long bouts of loud screaming/crying.

After the clinic I went to the gym at the Dominican Fiesta Hotel.  I got there a little after 4:00 and was there until about 7:45pm.  I think that was a little too long but I had to wait for Teresa to be done at the office to drive me home. Yes, I could have taken a taxi but I might as well work out longer and then have an even safer ride home.  At school I ran all the time and also lifted weights so I thought I had a pretty good handle on the gym terminology.  Oh wait, I am in another country where they speak a different language.  Gym lingo here was IMPOSSIBLE.  They never taught us all of the gym jargon in Spanish class so when the trainer tried to talk to me about it I couldn’t make a complete sentence.  I just needed one piece for a machine and through pointing/bad Spanish skills I was able to get my point across.  I now will look really dumb every time I am there.

September 23, 2010

Day 19

Today was my final day in the pre-consult room with the nurses. Before I arrived they had already seen 30+ patients and they had only been open for 1.5 hours.  I guess am bad luck because soon after I arrived, it really slowed down.  I am slightly offended that more little babies didn’t want to come play today.  I had a refresher course on the charts and procedures from Ennie and it was helpful. She is a good teacher and I really enjoy working with her.  I also like her because she helped coordinate my lunch order.  Anyone who helps me obtain food is a friend of mine.  Today I actually got home (or should I say, to Teresa’s home) very early and I enjoyed having a nice, relaxing afternoon/evening. 

Today felt like a Friday because tomorrow is a holiday, Our Lady of Mercedes Day, so school is closed and we don’t have to work.  I do not know what we are doing over the long weekend because I never know what is going on here.  I like plans so that is really hard for me.  I hate having to ask what is going on more than once so I will just wait to see what happens.

Fun Facts

1.       Johnson’s Baby Wash is everywhere. I love it because it reminds me of home and my childhood. That stuff is just so useful and nice.

2.       One of the guys who work at the clinic started speaking to me in English and I was so surprised.  I only ever heard him speak in Spanish and then all of a sudden he was talking to me in English with only a slight accent. How fun!

3.       Our Lady of Mercedes is the Patron Saint of the Dominican Republic and the island of Hispaniola as well. (Yes, I did some research)

4.       There has been some violence in the neighborhood near the clinic but that isn’t a fun fact so I will write about that in another post.

5.       Most of the people who use the gym at the hotel are members of the gym and not guests at the hotel.

6.       I tried another new fruit, limoncillo and it was pretty good but too much work. You have to remove the skin and then there is a little fruit surrounding a big pit/seed that you need to discard of course.

Peace,
Jaclyn

Lunes-Martes/Monday-Tuesday

September 20, 2010

Day 16

Today we had a meeting at the Project HOPE office.  There were a lot of things on the agenda and it was supposed to be over at 11am but it went until after 2:00pm!  This meeting was mainly about administrative things and some of it was a little difficult to follow.  Finance is always a little tough, so putting that in Spanish is twice as hard.  Even though there were only 12 people in the room (one of them being mute…hint hint Jaclyn) it was such a loud and passionate meeting.  People weren’t fighting but everyone just speaks loudly and feels very strongly about things.  Today we also finalized my rotation schedule for the rest of my time here.  I am going to visit and spend time in various areas of the clinic so I can learn about everything.  On Mondays and Fridays I will usually be in the Project HOPE office but Tues, Wed, and Thurs I will be at the clinic. I am so excited!

September 21, 2010

Day 17

I think I was supposed to go to the clinic at 8:00am today but Teresa and I ended up staying in the office for a while because she had some other things to do.  During that time I prepared my questions and notes for my first clinic visit.  When I finished that I thought it would be a good idea to make a list of survival words and phrases since I will be on my own Tues-Thurs and without Teresa as my security guard, nurse, mother and translator.  “Can you please help me?” and “How much does that cost” are on the list of important phrases.  For the worriers (Mom, Grandmas) I am not actually going to be walking in the streets alone or anything but I am going to be doing things a little more independently on Tuesdays-Thursdays.

I went to the clinic for a couple of hours today and one of the nurses, Ennie, gave me another tour.  This time I was able to understand almost everything on the tour because she spoke clearly and slowly for me.  After my tour I got to observe in the area where the patients come to get their weight, height, BP, etc. checked before they see the doctors.  In between patients Ennie taught me about what she has to write on the charts and why they do it.  Another nurse taught me (I do not think I ever knew her name, how rude of me!) how to do the various measurements.  It is so hard to concentrate when there are so many cute babies so close!  Actually, babies are a great distraction.

Tonight I went to a little get-together with a group of Ecuadorian ladies with Teresa (also from Ecuador). The apartment building was in an area of the city I had never been before and wow, it was so nice.  There were lots of fancy restaurants and expensive stores (Bex- Cartier!) and the total opposite of where I spent my afternoon (the clinic is in a poor area of Santo Domingo called Herrera).  The ladies were so nice and sure enough, I could understand 90% of what they were saying.  That is 20-30% more than what I can normally understand. I realized that I can understand people from Ecuador the best.  All of the ladies agreed that Dominican people are hard to understand and one lady said she couldn’t understand anything for the first few months she lived here.  After that fun little rendezvous we went to my favorite grocery store and I stocked up on cereal and yogurt.  I think I am scaring the family with the immense amount of cereal and yogurt I consume.  Perhaps I should cut back a little.  Tomorrow I will be at the clinic for most of the day and I am so excited but until then…buenas noches!

Fun Facts:

1.       Since my international calling plan on my phone doesn’t work I have only been using it as an alarm clock every night.  I am happy to report that I am charging my phone for the first time since September 4^th. It didn’t run out of battery yet but I just thought I would charge it to be on the safe side.  Either I am not sleeping enough or the iPhone is just great.

2.       We didn’t have water for most of the day today at the house. I missed most of it because I was at work of course.

3.       The word “cornflakes” here refers to any type of cereal.  Juan Carlos wanted Cookie Crip at the grocery store but said he wanted more cornflakes. Also, the aisle in the store has the name cornflakes as well.

4.       The Problem Child 3 in Spanish is hilarious.  They have men doing the voiceovers for 10 year olds so everything just sounds funny.

Paz,
Jaclyn

Exercise

September 17, 2010

Day 13

Friday was just another day at the office.  Let me rephrase, another LONG day at the office.  Again, we didn’t leave until 8:30pm.  I did some more document translation and research.  In the afternoon we went to pick up the kids from school and had lunch at home like usual.  I think lunchtime is my favorite part of the day.  First of all, the route we take to pick up the kids has a beautiful view of the water.  I am so much happier when I can see water.  I also always look forward to the DELICIOUS meals that Nanita prepares.  On Friday she made lasagna for everyone but made me chicken instead.  She is too sweet! Even my parents still forget that I don’t eat wheat, and she already gets it.

September 18, 2010

Day 14

Saturday was a lovely day.  We all catch up on our sleep that we miss during the week on the weekends but I do not like to sleep too late because I hate wasting the day.  After a relaxing morning, Cynthia and I decided to bake a cake with my gluten free chocolate cake mix.  Usually a cake mix is pretty easy but as you can guess, it was much more difficult here.  First of all, we didn’t have water so the cleanup process took a lot longer.  I also do not think they bake very much here so we had to make some substitutions.  I also was able to conclude that they didn’t bake a lot when Cynthia asked me if we could just bake the cake in the microwave instead.  While the cake was cooking I realized why they do not bake a lot here: it is too hot! The oven adds about 10 extra degrees to the already hot kitchen and that is just unnecessary. Needless to say, we were able to make the cake and it turned out a little dry but not too bad. I think the problem was that the pan we used was too big and the cake was overcooked.  We will experiment another time. 

Something great happened in the afternoon: I finally got to run! Woohoo. Yes, I was so excited to go to the park with the family to get some exercise.  I mean, how can I be a healthy traveler if I am not exercising? The park by their house is very nice and a great place to run, ride a bicycle, walk or rollerblade.  There were so many people there and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.  There is a street that goes through the park that is closed to cars for a certain time during the day.  It is nice to have all of that open space to run or do whatever.  For security purposes, I ran in a small section of the park so I wasn’t by myself.  Cynthia warned me before I went about sketchy people who may ask you for favors or for the time, etc. I reassured her that I wouldn’t be helping them because I probably wouldn’t understand what they were saying anyway.  I had a great time at the park with my new family and of course the family dog, TiTi. I almost forgot, we had frozen yogurt after too! Yumm!

September 19, 2010

Day 15

Sunday was another relaxing weekend day.  I had a slow, relaxing morning and read a lot of Eat, Pray, Love. I just finished the Eat section of the book and now I really want to go to Italy (and eat too).   Teresa prepared a beautiful and delicious lunch.  My plate was a beautiful display of shrimp and vegetables.  Not only is she a good cook, but the food looks pretty too.  Around 4:00 we went to the Dominican Fiesta Hotel to go to the pool. I got a membership card so I can use their facilities.  They have a nice gym and a beautiful pool.  The kids did homework but Teresa and I went swimming.  Yes, two days in a row of exercise and I am already feeling more like myself.  I am planning to go back to Dominican Fiesta to work out some time during this week. (Mom, do not worry, it is very safe!)  At night we went to that church again that I didn’t like last week.  The first part is OK, I just really dislike the part where they turn off the lights and the lady speaks in tongues and everyone gets all riled up.  The priest (during the regular part) was actually pretty likeable and actually quite funny.  Surprisingly, I could understand a lot of what he was saying and enough to even laugh at a joke.  I still would prefer that we went to the first church but I guess I will just have to deal with it. 

I am looking forward to another busy and exciting week here in Santo Domingo.  Teresa made me a schedule for the rest of my time here so I am excited to see that too.  I am really into schedules and plans and love to know what is going on.  Hope everyone had a good weekend!

Fun Facts

1.       TiTi and I are in a fight because she likes my room too much if you know what I mean. I try to be nice to her but I just can’t be when I am so mad at her.  I clearly do not have that unconditional love people have for their children and pets.

2.       We didn’t have water for most of the day Saturday.

3.       There was an old lady in church wearing a shirt that said (in English) “Latin Lover”. You can’t make up that kind of stuff. I wish taking pictures in church was appropriate.

4.       If you do not have buttermilk or plain yogurt for a chocolate cake recipe, strawberry yogurt works pretty well too and gives it a nice extra flavor.

5.       Little speedo bathing suits are really popular for guys here.  Lovely.

6.       Everyone has big jugs of water in their homes here (the size you can put on a water cooler but we do not have the cooler part, just the jug) and when they run out a man on a moped or bicycle brings a replacement one up to your apartment. How convenient!  

Mosquito bite count: 3 new ones since the last time I posted.  Who gets a bite on their toe?

Peace,
Jaclyn

Guava and Hugs for All

September 15, 2010

Day 11

Today was a long day and we didn’t leave the office until some time after 8:30.  I enjoy working but after a certain time my brain just stops functioning properly.  I was working on summarizing some articles (originally in Spanish but the summary was in English) that people have been collecting about maternal mortality in the local newspapers.  In the last 30 days or so there has been at least 10 articles.  I also continued my research project and that is always interesting too.  During out lunch break we always pick up the kids from school (around 3:15pm) and today we came across more kids asking for money.  This time there were two young girls who looked close to Cynthia’s (Teresa’s daughter) age.  12 year old girls should be in school or at home, not in the middle of streets asking people in cars for money.  Teresa hates when people give the kids money because that only encourages them to keep doing it.  After work we went back to paradise aka the supermarket called Bravo.  I should really consider investing in the grocery store industry.

September 16 

Day 12

Today Teresa and I went to the clinic in Monte Plata.  It is a very poor town about an hour from Santo Domingo.  The drive there was beautiful.  The land is so green and there are beautiful mountains in the distance.  There are a lot of trees and cutting them down is still frowned upon here (thank goodness for that).  On the way we passed two MLB training facilities; one for the Mariners and another for the Brewers.  That reminded me that I already miss watching the Yankees.  Luckily, I get to see people wearing Yankee hats all the time here.  After our scenic drive we arrived at the clinic and I was welcomed so warmly.  Everyone at the clinic is so sweet.  I must have hugged about 10 people there today.  They talk to you like you are a family member.  It also helped that they all knew Z (or Susi!) and with that connection they liked me even more.  One of the nurses gave me a tour of the clinic and spoke slowly so I could understand almost everything.  “Muy lento, por favor” ßThat is how I tell people to speak slowly to me.  Yes, funny that I am asking someone to speak slowly to me when everyone knows I am the one with the rapid speech problem. (My only competition is my cousin, Grace. I think it is genetic because my mom speaks quickly too) I also got to meet the people who donated the land for the clinic.  They were an older couple and they were just the sweetest and cutest pair. 

Teresa, Angela and I went to the SeNaSa office (National Health Insurance in the Dominican Republic) in Monte Plata but the person we were initially looking for wasn’t there.  Instead we stayed and chatted for 45 minutes with a different woman from SeNaSa who thought the clinic was just fabulous.   We had lunch at Angela’s house next to the clinic and of course that was delicious.  Angela runs the Monte Plata clinic and she is so incredibly nice.  I met her little daughter and she was so energetic and adorable.  When my aunt was here, Angela was pregnant with her and now she is here and ready to chat!  Right before we left Angela and I picked some guava from the tree outside her house.  I had a fresh fruit juice with my lunch and I was wondering what it was the whole time.  As soon as we were close to the trees I could smell them and I knew that was what it was.  They are so sweet and delicious and she gave me a bag to take back with me.   I learned a lot about the daily operations at the clinic and I hope to go back to learn even more.  I mean, who wouldn’t want to go back when the employees literally SING songs together.  I felt like I was in a musical and it was great.

Fun Facts:

1.       On the way to Monte Plata there was a little boy selling little bags of nuts and I thought that was quite thrifty of him: Buy in bulk, repack in small bags and sell for more than they are worth. 

2.       Hannah Montana was on the TV at the clinic and that made me smile. (Yes, I really am 22 years old)

3.       Everyone here has coffee in these tiny little cups.  I need to take a picture to show you the difference between a United States cup of coffee and a Dominican Republic cup of coffee. 

4.       There are so many dogs that just walk around the streets. 

5.       The stray cats are helpful because they eat rats.  Gross but quite useful.

6.       I realized that the drivers here are actually very talented.  I haven’t witnessed any accidents yet (knock on wood) but they are always swerving and maneuvering into these crazy formations.

7.       The Green Apple Man that I mentioned in a previous blog was in Monte Plata too! OK, it may have been his cousin, but still. I love those guys. (picture coming soon)

Mosquito Bite Count: 3 new bites since yesterday

Peace,

Jaclyn

NY Meets NJ in DR

September 13, 2010

Day 9

Monday was pretty uneventful and routine.  I spent a lot of time doing research at the Project HOPE office.  There is so much material that I want to read about various aspects of community health and general health topics.  I am gathering information so I can work on a few different projects while I am here.  I am really interested in children’s health so that is where I am focusing my research right now.  I also worked on a project that someone else in the office had started about maternal mortality.  I posted a picture from one of the interviews the other day.  Carter, the guy who I was working with, left for Haiti today so I will continue working on it tomorrow.

September 14, 2010

Day 10

Today was a lot more exciting than yesterday.  In the morning I worked on my maternal mortality interview summary.  The responses were so informative and definitely eye-opening.  One new mother spoke of cockroaches and mosquitoes in the maternal ward.  The same woman told us that she had to share a bed with two other women following her delivery.  We spoke with the mother of a girl who died 10 days after giving birth to her first baby at age 15.  The young girl didn’t receive enough blood during the c-section and when the mother asked the doctors, they told her that the family would have to find blood for their daughter.  We also interviewed two doctors and a nurse from the clinic.  Those interviews were important because we need to understand how the doctors are being prepared for their respective fields.  We learned that there is a lot missing from the medical school curriculum in the Dominican Republic.  The general consensus was that there needs to be more practical training and better learning facilities.   

This afternoon we went to a lunch meeting at a hotel called Melia Santo Domingo to discuss plans for a conference the first week in December.  The conference is called “Counseling & Treating People of Colour: A International Perspective” and it seems like it is going to be a really great conference.  Project HOPE is the host sponsor so we are helping to coordinate some logistics with the other sponsor, Stony Brook University.  The two women who came to the meeting were from the university and it was great to have a meeting where I could understand EVERYTHING that was going on.  It was also nice to chat with people from Long Island in the middle of Santo Domingo.  Just one of those “small world” moments I guess.   Ruben, a friend of my aunt and uncle aka T&Z, was working with the women from Stony Brook so he was there as well.  Ruben lives in Santiago and my cousin Grace went there with T& Z this spring to build a chicken coop as part of her Bat Mitzvah project.  Grace makes beautiful jewelry and she was able to sell some of this jewelry to pay for her project.  An interesting note: At home in NJ I am “Ken’s sister” or “Frank’s daughter” or “Claire’s daughter” and here I am “Grace’s cousin” or “Zoe’s/Susi’s niece”.  No worries T, they love you too here.  After the meeting we walked around the block to show them the neighborhood and a great place where the conference attendees could eat.  This restaurant was actually the first place I went in Santo Domingo on the way back from the airport but I hadn’t noticed that it was actually about 5 different sections of a huge establishment all in one building.  I only remembered the little place we ate.  See how much can change in one week? 

Later in the afternoon I worked a on my interview project and finally completed my part. Woohoo for my first assignment completion! ::bows::  Another successful part of my day was the conversation I had with Teresa at the office.  Around 6:00pm we started chatting (in Spanish) about the clinic and Project HOPE and a bunch of things and we didn’t stop until approximately 8:00pm.  She taught me so much many things in those two hours and I was really glad I was able to understand so much.  Teresa is a wealth of information and I want to learn as much as possible from her while I can.  Needless to say, today was a long day because we didn’t get home until 9:00pm.  I think I am going to the Herrera clinic tomorrow but I am not 100% sure yet. I will update again tomorrow.

Fun Facts:

1.       Yogun Fruz aka frozen yogurt is so delicious here.  You pick the fruit you want and then they mix it with plain frozen yogurt in a machine and it is just great.  Helados Bon is the ice cream chain around here and that is where they have Yogun Fruz.  I actually had little Yogun Fruz candies from Whole Foods once but I just noticed the connection today when I saw the familiar little metal candy container.  FYI At home I eat ice cream (frozen yogurt usually) with my mom most nights of the week. It is my weakness.  My mom can officially visit me here now that I have scoped out the ice cream situation.  OK enough about the ice cream.

2.       The Project HOPE office hosted people in transit to Haiti after the earthquake.  Teresa showed me the mattresses in the back of the office and then remembered my uncle T was one of the people who stayed there.

3.       One of the street vendors in the middle of the street (yes the middle, not on the side where he could be safe from the crazy traffic) was selling laminated maps and learning posters for children.  Well isn’t that nice, during your commute to work you can buy a phone card from the Orange Guy (Orange is the big phone company here. Claro is also a communications company but they don’t have people dressed in cool outfits on the street), a banana from the Banana Guy, a toothbrush from the Toothbrush Vendor and learning accessories for your children from the Laminated Poster Guy. 

Peace,
Jaclyn

Great view from the hotel but it is hard to take pictures without cars in Santo Domingo. I probably could have taken a better one from across the street but that would have been risky.  Did I mention the crazy driving?

And on the 7th(8th) day she did laundry...

September 11, 2010

Day 7

My first weekend in Santo Domingo and I have one word to describe it: relaxing. On Saturday the kids had piano and guitar lessons in the morning. Teresa gave me a Spanish lesson while the kids had their music lessons. She taught me all about the accents for speaking and writing in Spanish. There were all of these categories and rules that I never learned in any Spanish class. It was a bit hard at first but I am starting to understand it now. After the kids were done with their lessons we had a belated birthday Skype surprise for my grandma. The teacher played the piano and everyone sang happy birthday and a couple of other songs (in English and in Spanish) for my Grandma.  I was so proud that my mom figured out how to use Skype all by herself! The teacher is a very talented musician and Teresa found him because he plays at one of the churches she goes to. I heard he even plays on the Christian music stations here.

After the music festivities we had a wonderful lunch that Teresa prepared. She wanted to try out a new, extremely simple recipe for salmon that someone told her was always a crowd pleaser. (Literally, there is a story about a potluck dinner where there were four different salmon dishes and this one was the most popular.) Well sure enough, it was so delicious. Unfortunately the kids do not like salmon. Or is it fortunately? As a wise man used to always say “More for me!” The rest of the day was relaxing and uneventful.


September 12, 2010
Day 8

I can’t believe I have been here for a full week already! I actually feel like I have been ever even longer, so yeah, I guess I can believe it. Today was another relaxing weekend day. We were planning to go to a nearby hotel to go swimming (well I wanted to see if they had a gym to use) but we didn’t end up doing that. I was kind of looking forward to it because I really need to run. Running is good for my body but even better for my brain. I make all of my big decisions and life plans when I am running. My mom suggested that I run in place. No thanks. Later in the afternoon we were going to go to the park and I was going to run and Cynthia was going to ride her bike but after I got dressed it started raining again. Bummer.

So about the laundry…The machine is really rough so I was only able to wash some clothes that weren’t too delicate. I had to wash the other stuff by hand which isn’t too big of a problem. The problem was getting enough water out of them so they could actually dry because they do not have a dryer. Yes mom, I washed clothes in a bucket. There were thunderstorms all day and that also caused another problem with the laundry. Teresa told me that it will be hard for my stuff to dry now and they might start to smell. Awesome.

At night we went to a different church. It was similar to the other church we went to last week but at the end everything changed. They turned off the lights and this lady came up and took the microphone and started doing some sort of spiritual guidance and everyone was saying prayers and other things out loud, but not in unison. The woman began to speak in tongues. Yes, this is actually true and it wasn’t just that I couldn’t understand her rapid Spanish. Teresa confirmed that fact for me after the mass. It was something entirely different than I had ever seen in my life. It was mystical and a little scary for me too. Everyone seemed really moved by the whole thing so I guess I was just the odd man (woman) out tonight.

I am looking forward to another week of work with Project Hope. I have so many things I would like to research tomorrow and I can’t wait to get started. The research is neccesary so that I can begin to understand all of the components of Project Hope, Santo Domingo, healthcare, etc. that will help me be more prepared for the tasks I want to complete. Now for some fun (and not so fun) facts.

1. Cockroaches and rain go together. Insecticide does a good job killing them but they are still scary!

2. Cynthia and now Teresa are both experts in string bracelet making. I taught Cynthia and she taught her mom.

3. In order to do laundry here you must have electricity and water and it is hard to have both of those at the same time.

4. Book recommendation: I just finished reading the book Sotah by Naomi Ragen and I loved it.

5. I am already missing NFL season. Football on Sundays was one of my favorite parts on Sundays.

6. I am also missing college football season too. I guess I should keep up with these things on the internet but that takes more effort than just changing the television channel.

7. I feel like I am being more eco-friendly while I am here. I use so much less water, electricity and paper products. Although, I do believe an efficient washing machine and dishwasher would save more water than doing it by hand.

The music teacher peforming for my Grandma via skype (and his cute son!)

The music teacher helping Juan Carlos learn a new song.  They are learning their instruments without sheet music which seems so difficult to me.  What do you think, Aunt Julie?

Live shot of me taking out one of Cynthia's knots in her strong.  This has been common lately but I actually enjoy doing it.

Day 6

September 10, 2010

Today was a great way to end my first week of work in Santo Domingo. Teresa had a meeting with SeNaSa, the national health insurance system here and I was able to tag along with her. At the meeting they spoke about maternal mortality which is something Project HOPE has been focusing a lot of time and resources on lately. The meeting went very well and Teresa walked out of the building extremely happy. Again, I am still in the process of researching and learning about all of the different agencies here so I will post more details about the relationships in the future. The meeting took place in a fancy new building and I think it has only been open for a couple of weeks. So remember the note about the electricity problems here? Taking an elevator is never smart here. I took the elevator downstairs to get something from Teresa’s car and the power went out for about 30 seconds or so and it was dark and scary and I ended up in the basement. Most big buildings like that have generators so I wasn’t too scared but I took the stairs the next time.

The best part of the day: grocery shopping. We went to this huge supermarket here and it was awesome. It is a big, modern store and had everything. My aunt told me that I could find the foreigners grocery store here but this was way more than I bargained for. I actually learned that it wasn’t open yet when she was here in 2006. I was happy when I found Bumble Bee Solid White Albacore Tuna in Water but then I hit the jackpot: a whole section of Gluten Free food! They had so many brands that I love. I found my cereal, pasta, bread, cereal bars, cake mix (not necessary but a nice treat to bake for the family) and some other delicious things. I also found my Greek yogurt that I love and a few other comforts from home. The store had many American brands and a variety of organic food too. It felt like I was in NJ in a supermarket which is strange compared to where I was the day before in Herrera at the clinic. Shopping in that supermarket further displays the huge gap between the rich and the poor here. I purchased ¼ of a shopping cart of food for $100 (USD). Note: gluten free food is very expensive. In Herrera, where the clinic is, people are very poor and would probably never imagine shopping in a store like that.

I am excited for the weekend and the ability to sleep later than 6:30am. (I am writing this at 1:30am so maybe I will sleep until 8:30am) Teresa and I are going to have one hour of Spanish lessons and one hour of English lessons tomorrow while the kids have their piano and guitar lessons. I can’t wait!

Fun Facts:
1. There were so many different types of meat available at the grocery store. I do not know anything about purchasing meat (Englander family) so it was quite interesting to see such a variety. There were many animals that I recognized in the meat case so that was a bit frightening. I do not like when my chicken looks like a bald chicken. I like my chicken in breast form, cleaned and ready to eat (free of hormones or antibiotics of course).

2. They sell long bars of detergent for washing clothes. Picture a 15in rectangular waxy looking item. I will have to take a picture because I had no idea what it was when Teresa picked it up.

3. I ate pork two times so far thinking that it was chicken. Again with the problems with meat.

4. The kids have bowling birthday parties here too. Cynthia went to one today and I was kind of jealous.

5. Many of the traffic lights do not work here so everyone just drives to drive in a busy intersection at the same time.

6. Happy Birthday, Grandma! =] (September 10)

Peace,
Jaclyn

SeNaSa

Narrow Streets and Goats

Day 4

September 9, 2010

Today was much more exciting than yesterday. I went back to the clinic with Carter to do interviews about maternal mortality. We interviewed the family of a 15 year old girl who died 12 days after giving birth. Although that is a sad situation, the mother of the girl (age 30) was able to give us important information that could ultimately contribute to a change. We also interviewed a doctor and a nurse and they gave us valuable information that will also be utilized in Carter’s project. When I say “we interviewed” I mean he asked the questions and I sat there and tried to understand 50% of what was going on. I noticed that it is easier for me to understand medical terms and health related things because so many of the words are similar. One of my favorite parts about being at the clinic is seeing all of the babies and little kids. They are so cute and I just want to take them all home with me. Since kidnapping is highly frowned upon, I will just have to enjoy looking at them when I am at the clinic.

After the interviews I went to the conference room next door to sit in on the end of Teresa’s presentation at a meeting with people from The Order of Malta. The Order of Malta is a Catholic order that works with Project HOPE to fund and manage the clinic. I will provide more accurate details about the relationship in a future blog so do not quote me on details about that. Teresa made me introduce myself to the people at the meeting and it was scary because I had to do it in Spanish and English. Normally I do not have a fear of public speaking but these are very important people and I get kind of embarrassed when I have to speak in Spanish to strangers. They were all very nice and encouraging so it wasn’t too bad.

Good news: I have internet in the house! Woohoo. It is great. Tomorrow I will be attending a meeting in the morning with Teresa and I will report back after that. I will probably not understand everything but I will hope to understand 50%.

Fun Facts:

1. The people from the Order of Malta had very nice cars parked outside the clinic. It is in a poor neighborhood so it was odd to see Mercedes and Lexus SUVs (with drivers chatting outside the parked cars) as part of the landscape. They also all dressed in fancy suits which also stand out in that neighborhood. See, I told you they were important (and quite wealthy I understand).

2. We were in a traffic jam today on a narrow street and we had to drive on the side walk because we literally couldn’t fit between the other cars. I wanted to take a picture but I was too nervous.

3. I have noticed that there is not very much cellphone etiquette here. The first day when we went to church I saw two women pick up their cellphones during the mass. Today during the meeting someone else answered the phone and I was the only one who was staring at him. Yesterday at the internet/phone store the customer service person answered a phone call and was texting or doing something on her phone while she was helping a customer. I didn’t get a phone that works yet so my cellphone etiquette has been fine.

4. The water worked all day today and I think all day yesterday too. Yay!

5. I saw a man chopping meat outside of a little store with a machete-like knife and then I noticed the head of an animal on his chopping block. It was quite disturbing but it was even worse when I looked on the other side of the street and saw four goats (alive) tied up. I like goat cheese (milk) not goat meat.



Peace,

Jaclyn

*Some Pictures*

Teresa and Carter interviewing a doctor who used to work at the clinic

Good marketing strategy. (FYI that is the outside wall of a store in case it is hard to see)