PROJECT: GRADUATION

Yesterday was day one of PROJECT: GRADUATION. The pre-K (pre-premarios as they are called here) are graduating from the community center’s program this Friday. There is much to do in preparation for this day. One of the most significant parts of PROJECT: GRADUATION is the second annual mural. This mural has become a new tradition at el centro. At the start of the program, each age group is given a name that stays with them throughout their time at el centro. When the time comes for them to graduate, each class of pre-premarios gets a mural painted in their honor. Last year, los peces (fish) graduated. This year, las abejas (bees) are about to walk across that same stage and Maria and I will be there to see it.

First stop, Accion Callejera’s Juvenile Center in el Calle del Sol. This is where I’ve volunteered for the past two spring breaks. The last time I was there, the days would usually start with a plethora of simultaneous games ranging from dominoes to cards to ping pong. There would be an educational component of the day such as HIV/AIDS awareness, lessons to avoid fighting when handling disagreements, or the importance of hygiene. The boys (ages 8-14) would then organize into teams to play sports outside on the cancha (court). I enjoyed every moment being with those kids, so I was excited to go back to the place where I had so many happy moments. When we arrived, it was one after the other as I greeted staff members, the children, many of them old friends. Although I miss being at the Accion Callejera Juvenile center, I knew that the community center in Yaguita was the best place for me this summer. There is a lot of potential for me to work on my research regarding the preservation of culture one seed at a time. After the brief visit, we headed back to the community center; this time with an even larger smile on my face.  

PROJECT: GRADUATION is still a go! After getting all the supplies (brushes, and a whole rainbow of paint cans), it was time to start on the mural. The design was already stenciled on the wall; so, unfortunately, I did not get to show off my awesome stick figure drawings. I have never painted a mural before, but after yesterday, I guess I can check it off my bucket list. The most powerful aspect about murals--and any artwork for that matter--is its tangibility. You can sense it through touch and sight; it can be the physical embodiment of an emotion, perspective, or idea. Simply, it is a means of communicating to the world. The mural we started working on yesterday was a celebration of success through education. This mural will be one of many celebrations to decorate the walls of Accion Callejera. Today we continued working on the mural. How does it look so far?

* Internet access is not guaranteed, so blogs may not always be posted each day. Thanks for reading!

Drums, Hats, y Bats...Oh My!

Walking through the neighborhood, there is always at least one group of kids playing baseball in the streets. The kids get pretty creative with their sports equipment, sometimes using a plastic carton for a ball. Baseball is the most popular sport in the Dominican Republic. Last Sunday morning was proof of that. It is not all the time that one gets to start the day with a parade! The one that filled the streets of Yaguita yesterday morning was for a local baseball league. Disfruten! (Enjoy!)

El Monumento!

Santiago: A Day Out On The Town

Although the barrio where we call home is in Santiago, today we got the chance to go into the city part of Santiago. Maria, Joan, and I took a concho (taxi) into the city which cost about 20 pesos or 50 cents each. Riding in a concho is like being in one of those racing video games except the objective isn't to cross the finish line, but to weave through traffic, squeeze by cars, and stuff as many people into the car at once. Luckily, it wasn't my first time in a concho; I've used them a lot during my previous two trips to the Dominican Republic. I have gotten used to the fact that you share the cocho with complete strangers and no one ever wears a seat belt. Honestly, it is my preferred travel option. There are less cars on the road which contributes less to pollution; it's cheaper to ride in a concho than to pay for gas/insurance/repairs; and for those who frequent to bars in the city, it prevents drinking and driving.  Plus, you might even make a friend along the way. 

On this particular day, we were trying to exchange money at one of the markets. Joan, Maria, and I walked down Calle del Sol and headed towards the monument at the center of the city (we acted like tourists and stopped for a picture). Joan explained there are three types of shops that we will see almost everywhere: colmados (convenient stores), bancas (gambling) and beauty salons.  After he told us this, we couldn't stop pointing them out. The latter--salons--says a lot about Dominican culture; appearance is very important. You will find women (and men) frequenting the nail and hair salons. To prevent their hair from frizzing, women wear tubees which look almost like knitted hair nets. Joan's wife works at a hair salon, so if Maria and I end up having our hair done, we may even get our own personal tubis to wear. We stopped by la Sirena, the grocery store, to pick up few extra items we needed including ointment for a mosquito bite on my leg the size of a ping pong ball (don’t be alarmed mom). We also bought some birthday decorations for Joan's wife's birthday tomorrow night. It will be a surprise party at a local piscina (pool) with family and friends. After shopping, we decided to eat lunch there; my plate consisted of an assortment of frutas (fruit), pavo (turkey), and moro (brown rice and pigeon peas). Delisioso! Although I have passed by McDonald's  Pizza Huts, and other U.S. food chains, I prefer to eat as Dominican as possible. However, the existence of these chains reflect the strong presence and influence that American culture has in this country. The clothing stores we pass sell a lot of "American style" clothing and even one of the children in the barrio shared with us how they try to incorporate aspects of U.S. culture into their lives. However, during my stay here, I will be sure to pay closer attention to the Dominican cultural values that continue to persist among the dynamic and changing ones. 

Yaguita de Pastor: My Home Away From Home

Yesterday, our day started at 4am with a drive from Ft. Myers to Miami International Airport. Our flight out of Miami was at 8am; we flew from Miami to Panama City and then Panama City to Santiago arriving at about 3pm (EST). I was happy to have Maria--my travel companion--with me to make the flights go by fast. Upon arriving safely in Santiago, we were welcomed at the airport by Eduardo and Amanda: two Accion Callejera workers at the community center in Yaguita de Pastor. The same place where Maria and I will be volunteering for the next month. We have the weekend to settle in before starting work on Monday, so numero uno on our to-do list was to get to know the community.

First stop was el centro comunitario (community center). We got a tour of el centro along with their garden which harvests yuca (casava), maize (corn), guineo (banana species), guandule (pigeon pea) and chinola (passion fruit). The month I am here, I will be helping them in their plans to expand the garden further--maybe incorporating tomatoes or onions. El centro even has gallenas (chickens)! One of the workers, Manuel, showed us what they feed the gallenas and explained how every so often, they will use some of the eggs in la cocina (kitchen) at el centro. We met some of the other employees and teachers that will be our work companions for the next month. They informed us that a graduation for some of the school children will be next Friday. Maria and I are super excited to help out with that. We may even help paint a mural for them! (More to come on that)

With Eduardo as our guide, we walked through the neighborhood next to el centro and greeted all those we passed; after all, we will be neighbors for the next month. We stopped for some delicious Bon ice cream and walked down to la cancha (court): a small dirt field in between some of the houses where the local kids gather to play sports, dominoes, cards, and just hangout. The kids explained how they were going to clean up the trash around la cancha, level the ground, and cover the area with cement to make it more like an actual basketball court. A bunch of the kids were already shoveling while some of the adults took measurements. Maria and I are hopeful that they will finish the project before we leave for the States. I hear stories about neighbors coming together to better their community, but now I have the opportunity to see it first hand.

Rather than saying we were from Fort Myers, we told the kids Miami since they were more familiar with that city (we made lots of friends because of that). Of course, we got asked which basketball player we liked best, "Wade or Lebron James?".  We ended up playing an impromptu game of volleyball with some of the girls and watched the older kids play basketball until it got dark. Afterwards, we went back to Eduardo's casa (house) where his mom made us a typical Dominican dish of mashed platains called mangu along with fried jamon (ham). It was the perfect meal after a long day of travel. With the help of Eduardo and some of the local children, we carried our luggage to the house of another Accion Callejera worker and friend Joan. As we walked to Joan's casa, children from all over started walking with us; some of them were the friends we had made at the cancha. I felt like I was walking in my own little personal mini parade meant to welcome me to the community. In this moment, I realized that this was not only where Maria and I will be staying for the next month; this was going to be our home away from home.   

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