On the upside

Alright, its about time I put aside the sarcasm for a minute and fill in some of the gaps. I realize I´ve been leaving out some of the more positive stories from my time here, so here are a few tidbits from these past 5 months:

This culture in general is very generous and giving, all of the time. You´ll be sitting next to a stranger on public transportation and they will share whatever they are eating or drinking with you, even if it means biting that Halls menthol in half (this happened to my friend Michael!).

The only two new pieces of jewelery I own were given to me by people in my community. During one of my first weeks in my site, I commented to a woman I was talking to that I liked her earrings. "Really?" she replied, "Here..." and she proceeded to take the earrings out of her ears and give them to me. I couldn´t deny the gift, the earrings were mine. The same thing happend with a bracelet my friend Reylandi was wearing. It was a bit gaudy, but it grabbed my attention so I told her I liked it, and the next thing I knew it was mine. Sometimes it just makes me feel really selfish, I´ve just never been that giving! And especially when you know they don´t have a lot to give, it makes it even more special.

Dominicans are always inviting you into their home to sit and chat, or just relax. The pace of life is so much more laid back, I´ve been so uptight for so long that I´m still getting used to it, but when I can settle down enough its great to just sit in a plastic chair in front of the house and watch the people go by. Juice or fresh fruit is offered and you realize how cool and comfortable it can be to sit in the shade and feel the gentle sea breeze.

Everyone is ready to help you at a moment's notice. When I needed help with my diagnostic project, there were youth and adults ready to drop what they were doing and help me, just like that. Reylandi, the girl who gave me the bracelet and one of my closest friends here, is always willing to help, whether I ask for help or not. She helped me with interviews, and even with shopping for more stylish clothes at bargain prices. Last week I had to give two educational presentations at the school for National Youth Day. The first one went horrible as I couldn't control the class or keep their attention. You know its bad when a teacher has to step in and say, "Alright everybody, you're going to listen and have fun and learn something or you can leave". I was desperate and asked Reylandi to help with the second one, and before I could even get to the question mark she had said yes. "Why would I mind helping you with an unruly, uncontrolable class of teenagers?" She's amazing, really.

And really anybody on the street is available to serve. When Jenny, the woman I live with, needs to buy something but it isn't convenient to the house, she just flags down someone going by on a motorcycle and asks them to run the errand for her. They do it gladly, no eyerolling, no annoyed heavy breathing as I would expect, just acceptance and compliance. A "thank you" is not needed, it is implied.

Well, those are just a few stories to keep you up to speed. I've just signed a contract to rent a house! I'll move out at the end of this month. I can't wait to live on my own!

Yours truly,
Joan