Almost 2 months at my site!

Well, I havent written in a long time, and I apologize for that. I think that you all were getting spoiled while I was in training though, because, while the amount of free time may have increased, access to the internet has plummeted. On the brighter side, it only costs about $.70 an hour where I live, which is much nicer on my dwindling budget. Now for the update: El Yayal. My opinion of this place changes every day. Today was a good day. My project partner and I certified four of my neighbors farms for organic, and I got to visit all the farms in the area. I felt like I was actually doing something for once, which was a nice change. I spend a lot of days doing very little, so in comparison today was monumental. Tomorrow I have a meeting to plan the budget for a fermentation plot the cooperative is planning to build in my community, so hopefully tomorrow will be a winner too. I havent been working very hard on my diagnostic though, mostly because the idea of walking house-to-house and asking people where their latrine is just doesnt sound appealing. I was supposed to start an English class today, but with the certification going on, I didnt have time to make the copies of the book that everyone is going to use, so we are starting on Thursday. I hope that it works out, because honestly, teaching English is really the only thing that I am qualified to do in this country. I felt a bit like a fish out of water today when people were asking me questions about organic certification criteria, I have to say. So at least I can build a little credibility by doing something I actually know how to do. But enough about work. I am also trying to move houses. I just cant handle living where I am anymore. I have actually gotten used to my house-mother watching bathe and change, but I think that my community partner is a child molester, and he really grosses me out. Unfortunately, I dont think that 45-year-old men groping 15-year-old girls is considered a felony in this country, but that doesnt change the disgust I feel when I am around him. He is an egotistical macho idiot who has no respect for my professional position (nor for any woman, so far as I can tell), and I cant wait to get away from him. I found a house that I can move to that is nowhere near him, and I am hoping to move by the middle of July. I will miss his wife, who is 27 and a good friend of mine, but I think that we will have a better relationship when I am not forced to be in her husbands presence all of the time anyway. Plus, it is becoming almost impossible not to get fat in this country, and I really need to start cooking for myself if I want to limit my oil and carb intake. I feel like a balloon most of the time. I hardly eat anything if I can help it, but it doesnt seem to matter. And for icing on the cake, it is considered a good thing if you are fat here, so people are so proud of the fact that I am gaining weight here that at least 2-3 times a day women come up to me, smack me on the hips, and tell me how fat I am. Mom, I think only you will understand how much this bothers me. I am going to buy a scale and tell these women where they can put their beans and rice. As you can tell, there are a lot of different emotions running through my experience here right now, and I have been trying to temper my mood swings by taking breaks and going to the beach every couple of weeks. There is only so long that one can last talking about the weather and feeling completely uncomfortable all of the time. There is a kite surfing competition in Cabarete this weekend, and there is a volunteer trip to the beach for the 4th of July that I have been looking forward to as well, and it is these beacons in the distance that keep me going. Oh, and Geronimo has developed a fun habit of eating my shoes, so that has been fun too. He is teething of course, so I have sacrificed a number of flip flops, but he is growing pretty fast too, so he is still nice to have around. I think I might bring him kite-surfing this weekend. He is getting neutered soon too, so hopefully that will help. Wish me luck.
PS- If anyone wants to send me a package, here is the list I have been keeping of things that I would like to have. Just if anyone is curious:
1. Sewing kit
2. Spice kit
3. Real Tabasco sauce/good hot sauce
4. Vitamin supplements
5. Emergen-C packets (Vitamin-C powder)
6. Portable alarm clock
7. Witch hazel
8. Blender
9. Repel Lemon and Eucalyptus Insect Repellent (works better than anything I have found)
10. Made brand tank-tops and t-shirts
11. Fat-free mayonnaise
12. Nutella
13. Sugar-free iced tea mix
14. No-Ad SPF 8 Sunscreen
15. Map of the world/map of USA
16. Good new music
17. Granola Bars
18. Luna Bars
19. Good books
20. Doggie chew toys
21. Radio/CD player/Speakers

Happy Independence Day!

So, only two weeks before I can move into my house! I am very excited, and I think that Geronimo and I are going to get some cats to live with to scare the mice away from his dog food. There are just so many bugs where I live, it is oppressive. Cockroaches, flies, mosquitos, ants, mice, lizards- you name it, it tries to eat everything I own. And the whole in my favorite skirt cant have tasted that great. To be fair, Geronimo is trying to keep up his end of the bargain by chewing up all of my shoes, but at least he doesnt have as many diseases as the rats.

In the next two weeks I will be working very hard on my diagnostic presentation that I have to give on July 25-27, so I will be at my site drinking a lot of coffee for the most part. I am just finishing up with a nice 4th of July vacation with a bunch of other volunteers though, so hopefully that will hold me through. We went to a beach on the Haitian border called Bahia de las Aguilas, which is one of the only preserved natural beaches left on the island. There was nothing there, either. We took a boat to the beach, camped in the sand, and roasted chickens over a bonfire. It was really far away, but it was definitely worth it. There were about 50 other volunteers there too, so it was really good to meet some of the older ones. I always love going to Haiti too. There was a market on the border that sold everything under the sun, and of course, I went a little crazy. Allison is coming to visit right after the meeting too, which is going to be really exciting. I dont know what we are going to do yet, but I am hoping that purchasing a gas stove for my house will be on the top of the list. She will be my first visitor, which I am so happy about. I have been gone for 5 months now, can you believe it? So officially, this is the longest I have been away from my family in my whole life. And we still have 22 months left to go! Anyway, sorry that this entry is going to be so short, but I have to get back to my site! I will give you more information later.

Oh, also, I posted more photos, so if you want to see them, click here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/50079515@N00/