A beginning of a new era in which lion and hyena live together to form a glorious future!

Yesterday I was walking with some neighbor girls of mine to fetch water from the cistern down the street and they told me to sing in English, and the only song I would think of was the theme from Lion King. They thought it was pretty funny. Okay, I have a lot of catching up to do. First of all, for those who are keeping track of me (the few and the proud), I finally moved to my site. For the next two years, I will be living in a cocoa farming community called El Yayal, 22 kilometers outside of the city of Nagua, which is on the northeastern coast of the Dominican Republic, just above the Samana Peninsula. I have just finished my first week in El Yayal, living with Rosa, a mid-sixties lady who, though mystified by my inexplicable dislike of fully carbo-loaded meals, is an excellent woman who has been taking care of me in a commendable fashion. She has seven children, all of which live within walking distance of her house. Her oldest, Nia (42) suffers from extreme mental disability due to a very high and strong fever she experienced as a child. She is for all intents and purposes blind and non-verbal and sleeps in the room next to me. Her sister Luz (36) who lives next door says that people didnt think that she would live past 18, but there she is, puttering around the yard wailing for her grandmother that died 15 years ago. Because while she is incapable of forming coherent sentences, she has got some pipes on her, that is for sure. Everyone in the house wakes up at 6 AM sharp, whether they want to or not, because that is when Nia starts her crying. Most of the time no one can tell what she wants, and she is just in a general state of discontentment. She is well known as the town kook, and when she wanders away down the street to where her grandmother used to live, someone always brings her back. The men living with us are Papa and Misterio. Papa is Rosas father, and when I asked him how old he was, he said hundreds, hundreds, which I guess means a long time. He lives in a small shack behind the kitchen that I have yet to find, but he always appears every morning to help Misterio dry the cacao and sit around with me. He is a wonderfully sweet, cheerful man and he has the most leathered feet I have ever seen. He wears the same purple sweater every day and constantly complains about the heat as he sits in the shade under the zinc roof in an overstuffed armchair, baking. While he has only the one shirt, Misterio alternates every two days between two collared shirts always untucked with his pants unbuttoned so that his catheter bag that he pees in and is stuck to his stomach isnt uncomfortable. He says that the doctor thought that he had cancer, but once he got the catheter about 10 years ago, he has been just fine. If he isnt drying cacao, he is either sleeping in his hammock or playing dominoes with me. In the short time I have been there, Misterio and I have become the dominating domino team in he neighborhood. I dont know if it is because I am better at counting and adding than they are, but I am really starting to pick up the game. It is gaining me a little bit of street credit on the block too, let me tell you. We kicked both of Luzs kids butts the other night, and Julia was really pissed. Luz is one of my good friends so far, and though it might have a little bit to do with the fact that she has a big mango tree in her front yard, but she is also a lot of fun to talk to. She has a friend/cousin/relative of some sort that lives in Orlando and she is taking care of her kids for her for an undetermined length of time. Julia is about 13, and Chi-Chi is 5ish, and they are both really really cute. Chi-Chi looks almost completely Spanish, with olive skin, big eyes, and dirty blonde hair, and he is just adorable. He reminds me of my sister Allison when she was little, always running around covered with dirt and just being as cute as can be. Plus, due to the fact that he was born without his right ear and he has pelo bueno (meaning that his hair is not kinky, and lies straight without chemicals or assistance from appliances), his hair has already grown down to his shoulders and he looks like just the cutest little girl you ever saw. It took me 2-3 days to figure out that he was in fact a boy. No one seemed to notice my gender mistakes though. Everyone has been very understanding and helpful when it comes to my language abilities, and as long as I can get my point across and occasionally kick someones butt in dominoes, I am still considered muy inteligente. Yesterday, four people sat in my room for 10 minutes and listened to me read a passage from In Cold Blood in English out loud, no one understanding a thing. They thought it was great fun. This first week was kind of like a trial run for the next two years. I met with my project partner, a very touchy, friendly man who has equal tendencies towards sketchiness as he does to being a really great guy. Only time will tell though. Anyway, I got back from training in Jarabacoa on Friday, got my project assignment on Monday, met with Frank and Cencha, my new host mother on Tuesday morning, and left that afternoon for El Yayal. Cencha and her husband Moreno own the colmado across the street from Franks house, and the room they have for me is not finished yet (i.e., no doors, no bed, too many broken kitchen appliances in there), so I spent the week at Rosas house instead, Morenos mother. Frank took me to visit the school, where, as I was warned by Peace Corps, I had to give an impromptu speech about myself to about 50 kids. I also visited the local health clinic, police department (two guys in brown shirts with guns sitting in plastic chairs in an empty building), and attended a Wednesday night catechism. On Thursday Frank took me with his family to go pick cacao on his farm, which, to my surprise, required me to wade across a chest-deep river in my clothes, something that I handled surprisingly well considering I was wearing the new pants Mom had just sent me for Easter. On the other side I sank mid-thigh deep into a mud pit giving birth to a surprising amount of mosquitoes. As we walked around the farm, the mosquitoes started to build up steam, but Franks niece took it upon herself to assume the job of Americana-Eating-Mosquito-Killer, which was nice of her, it was tough to get used to letting her just randomly smack all parts of my body with a banana tree branch. To be fair though, she killed three at once on my calf. I also discovered a my new least favorite weed- it even looks mean, with bumps and spikes all over its leaves. When you touch it it feels like you have rubbed your hand on raw fiberglass, and I think I still have a little bit of it in my index finger. Bugger of a plant. Apart from the battle with flora and fauna though, the trip was quite enjoyable. I really appreciate the simplicity of wandering around in the forest and looking for food to eat. With Franks machete, we cut down about four plantain and one banana tree, all of which his kids swam back across the river and we have been eating for the last three days. Its nice to be able to side step commerce and know that you would still be able to survive if you have to. I am getting pretty sick of plantains though. On the whole, my first experience with El Yayal has been a positive one. Other volunteers have worked in the area, but this is the first time there has been one in El Yayal, so everyone is really excited to meet me and to have me here. I also think that my new family here is my favorite of all three, which is a relief. I feel really comfortable with them and I feel like we could all be really close. Cencha and Moreno, who I am going to live with when I go back next week, cant have any kids, so they are really excited to have me in their house, and they are so proud of me; it is really sweet. I have also been able to stand up for the things that I will and will not eat this time, mostly because I have had two families to practice on. I think that I have had unpasturized milk a couple of times, but other than that I feel pretty good. I have established a good running schedule, and everyone seems pretty used to it. Most of the community meetings are at Rosas house and the church and school are right down the road, so I think that those will be good places to start. The director of the school has already come to visit me twice, and I think that I am going to go when I get back just to observe how everything works and talk with the teachers a little bit more. The math teacher apparently also teaches English, so that could turn into something interesting. They also just built their own aquaduct, and while it broke the second day I was there, I think that there are lots of opportunities to do good work in El Yayal. Rosa asked me a few agriculture questions the other day (She basically took me on a tour of her yard and asked me why a bunch of things that she planted wouldnt grow, but I think that I B.S.ed my way out of it well enough that she never suspected a thing), which was kind of intimidating, and the task of converting the cacao planters here to organic farming makes me kind of nauseous to think about, but luckily all I have to do for the next three months is walk around and get to know everyone, so we can take it little steps at a time. During training, for some reason I never thought that I would be placed in the East. I always pictured myself somewhere along the Northwest border with Haiti (which I visited, by the way, and it is way intense. Ill post some pictures.), and I am pretty far away from all of my friends from training too, but I hope that I can get used to the idea and start doing some good work here. Oh, I got a cell phone too! It doesnt work in Yayal right now, but I might be switching it out for one that does soon, so you all can call me whenever you want! My phone number is: 829-797-9026, and from what I understand there is no country code, so you can just call me straight through if you want! I am still working on phone cards, but when I get it figured out, get ready for some champion birthday calls! I am sitting on a bus back to the capital right now, and I am kind of getting car sick, so I am going to stop typing now.

Not feeling very creative today, sorry.

Last week in Jarabacoa. We have been here learning about organic coffee, cocoa, fruit tree plantations, vegetable gardening, forest fires, and tree planting. But honestly, we are ready to get out of here. I have loved being out of the capital and being able to go running in the mountains and swimming in the waterfalls, but I want to get started on my project now more than ever. It has been very hard for all of us to go through this training without knowing where we are going to be working for the next two years. We leave here on Monday to visit the border of Haiti where there are a lot of cacao and caf plantations, and the Monday after that, April 25, we will finally know where our sites will be. I will also finally have a cell phone so that I will be able to receive calls, in the event that anyone ever feels the inclination to call me. BUT THAT DOESNT SEEM LIKELY. In any case, I am ready to get going with this whole Peace Corps jank. I am really concerned about my ability to relate to the country folk too though, because I am about to punch my house mother in the head if she feeds me any more platanos and sausage. It is just disgusting, and nothing that I say will change her belief that they are the solution to all that ails you. But they keep you from being hungry at night! she says. First of all, I have never felt hungry in the middle of the night before, and just because you are in a carb-coma doesnt mean that you are healthy. And also, just for the record, coffee is not what you want to drink when you come back from running to cool you off, taking a shower after you get sweaty does not cause you to get sick, and rice is not a good source of vitamins. But try and tell her that. This week at the border will be nice because we will finally be able to make our own food though, so I am going to stock up on my veggies. Crazy Dominicans. Okay, I am kind of tired right now, but I want you all to enjoy some friendly banter about life here, so here is a section from my friend Laurens blog that I thought you might enjoy:So some funny things have been happening to us lately and if you are weird about bowel movements or other not so PC things to talk about then please skip this paragraph. I know there are some of you that will appreciate the absurdity of some of these happenings. So the people in the DR do not get up in the middle of the night to use the restroom. They use a chamber pot which is pretty much a normal old plastic bucket or tin dish that they keep right next to their bed. Well my friend Jen was taking a shower the first week we were here and decided that she needed a good cleansing on her back. Well there was a small little bucket at the foot of the shower that seemed to be the perfect thing to use for the spilling of water on her backside. Remember, there are no shower heads here, just a big bucket and a small bucket. Long story short, the splash was a little less refreshing than Jen thought it would be initially. I really dont understand this cultural norm. They have a bathroom but they choose to not exit their bedroom and use it. Instead they simply lean over the edge of their bed outside the mosquito net and hope for the best. With a tin roof this makes for fantastic acoustics. The other topic that directly affects our well being is our health. Every process that runs smoothly in the states, in the DR, takes some getting used to. The only way Liz is able to function correctly in the morning is to run very early and take care of her business on the side of the road. Without the running she has some problems with her plumbing. Now, I know you are all thinking, why in the world is Lauren telling us all this, this is so gross. Well, I think we are all a little tired of hearing how pretty the mountains are and how ridiculous my life has been lately. I thought it would be nice to here some good old honest banter about some of the things that arent so amazing about this country. I cannot wait for the day when my beautiful mother (and Bianca too) walks into my shack and realizes she has to walk out the back door and into a 3x3 hut with a shower curtain as the door, and a cement hole as a toilet, to use the restroom every time they need it. This will be priceless. Might just be the highlight of my week. Theres Jarabacoa from where Lauren is sitting. Maybe our perspectives will change when we get a location change. See you en la Frontera!

ATTN: Good Friends of Liz!

Jet Blue is offering $89 one-way tickets from JFK to Santiago, DR. Delta is offering $193 round-trip from National or Dulles in DC into Santo Domingo on Travelocity. These are the flights volunteers are using to get to and from the states these days, and it doesn't get much better than that. I will be at my site in middle of May, so start making plans! If you make plans in advance, you can be more flexible with your dates, and come and visit me! (Actually, I don't move into my house until August though, so if you are really thinking about coming, it might be more fun if you waited until then. I just want you guys to start getting psyched! Start looking into it! There is so much to do here.Love you all. Write me. Come and visit me.

Phases

Right now we are in the cockroach phase. Last week was the spider phase, and the week before was the chicken phase. I dont know why, but the animals here, large and small alike, are taking turns making my acquaintance. This is the second cockroach I have found in my bed in two days, and I believe that my leaving the first one dying on the floor for over 12 hours may have angered the second one, because he missed the boot and scurried away. My first cockroach was my first murder in this country, something I was very proud to have avoided during the spider week, as I was very tempted to hurtle something at the Lady Arachne the size of my hand that lives behind the toilet. I have decided that although I understand that my bedroom is free domain for all living creatures, inside my mosquito net very close to my pillow is a no-fly zone, and the punishment is death. Plus, cockroaches dont eat mosquitoes, so they have less bargaining power. Just as the fauna is rotating in my life, I have discovered that my time here also goes through phases. There are times when I love the food and eat everything in front of me, and there are times when the thought of yucca and salami for the 5th time this week makes me want to contemplate ascetic Hindu fasting until I start living on my own in 4 months. There are also times when I love to spend time with my host family and others when I cant even think of how to say the simplest things in Spanish. I am not always happy here, but I am not always lonely either. I guess this really is my life now though, and that is the way that life goes. I am not on vacation and I am no longer in school, and this reality is going to take some getting used to. I only have one month before I become a full-fledged volunteer and get to start actually putting some of this technical and Spanish training into practice. I went to an organic coffee farm last week, and we are going to an organic cacao plantation tomorrow, and experiences like these are beginning to show me what my volunteer experience really could be like. It is also an interesting time right now because Chris, the volunteer who has been helping us with our training, completes his term of service and goes back to Colorado on Thursday morning, so in a lot of ways I feel like I am coming full circle. He had a going away party thrown for him by the Forestry School this Saturday, and a lot of volunteers came into town to see him off, so it was really interesting to talk to them and see all the different stages of their service that these volunteers were in. Samantha is on the upswing- so busy right now that she doesnt have time to eat and has been sustaining herself with Club crackers and multivitamins. Grant is on the downswing- riding out the last two months of his service and so ready to get out of here and be American again he cant even stand it. Emily is taking her project to a new level and nationalizing her Environmental youth program by transitioning it into a government subsidized and run project. Carlos is in the process of traveling all over the island relishing the experience of exploring what it has to offer. Sarah is at a low point with her first attack of giardia. From what I gather, I will experience all of these stages at some point, if I am lucky. Also, I am getting the impression that I havent seen ANYTHING yet, and only the craziest is left to come. Ill keep you posted.