16 February 2006

Raindrops keep falling on my head...

...and mud keeps filling up my shoes! Ok, so the other nite I wrote a long rambling blog (not that this one's short!) on the rain and all its inconveniences. Let's just say it's a good thing I write these things out beforehand! Naturally the rain is good for coffee and other crops, and naturally it has its inconveniences. But as those inconveniences differ from life in the states, let me tell you about our life with rain here. First of all, 90% of the drivers here drive motos. Which means if you're going to get anywhere, you will most likely get wet. It's not uncommon to see people riding around clothed in garbage bags as ponchos, or the passenger (usually a woman) holding an umbrella over her and the driver. But a moto is still better than the back of a wet mule! Secondly, the roads in the campo are dirt, which turn to rivers and muddy lakes when it rains. This makes travel on a moto or even a truck rather dangerous. While a truck is just likely to slip or get stuck, a moto can slide out from under you (or land on top!). Luckily I haven't experienced this! Another interesting result of rain and travel is that the trucks running up the mountain only take people in the cab. Naturally since they're losing money on passengers in the back, they fill the cab full. Imagine... 8 people in a truck cab! (That's still alot for a king cab!)
And the list goes on. Since this is an agricultural zone, the rain is important. But it also damages crops. Nobody picks coffee when it's raining, but the rain makes it ripen faster, often leaving the farmer with over ripe coffee, or a loss since most of the ripe coffee falls from the trees. Cloudy and rainy weather also means not being able to dry coffee (since it's dried in the sun).
So imagine, you go to school walking, or maybe you get a bola (free ride) on a friend's moto, and you get there wet & muddy. None of the buildings are closed or warmed, so you sit thru your 4 hours of school wet. When you get home, there's no way to dry your school clothes (no sun to hang them up, and definitely no driers!) and no way to warm up (no hot showers or heaters here!). So you head back outside to play or work in the rain. Any wonder people get sick here?!
Anyway, rain affects the lives of the people here greatly, but life goes on. For me, it's alot of little changes. Such as how there's no water in the pipes when it rains. (Ironic, huh?) And how there's very little to do other than sit around and talk or play pool. Or how everything gets damp! Clothes left hanging in my room and my bedding all get a wonderful damp feeling when it rains. Hurrah for humidity! So, today I sit here, watching the rain come down, hoping to stay dry, but knowing at some point I'll be getting wet... but hopefully not too muddy! Hope you all are surviving the rainy season at home and staying dry as well!
P.S. I'm hoping to have my own house by the end of this month. Pray all goes smoothly!
Some random recent pics:
Some women picking coffee

Me & some of my volunteer friends during a recent trip to the capital

15 February 2006

The New Duct Tape

"Floss It" (excerpted from the Lonely Planet - Dominican Republic and Haiti, 2002 2nd ed.)

For the cost of a crummy cigar, you can buy a vacation-saving item called dental floss. It's cheap, it's light, it's strong, and it's outrageously useful. Got a fishhook but no line? Try green waxed dental floss. Need to secure a mosquito net? Reach for the floss. Forgot to pack a clothesline? String up a line of floss instead. Got a tear in your jeans or a rip in your pack? A little dental floss and a sewing needle and life goes on.
Dental floss comes in 50m and 100m lengths and is sold in nifty little cases complete with built-in cutters. Some say it can even remove decay-causing material from between teeth and under gums! Now in cinnamon, mint and grape flavors.

04 February 2006

Wishlist

If any of you have the desire to send a care package, here are some ideas!
NOTE: Mailings in a padded envelope are best, but packages get thru also. Please assume one month for delivery!
Mail to:
Jessica Stearns, PCV
Cuerpo de Paz
Apartado 1412
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
  • Snack foods (eg. peanuts, Balance bars, granola bars, candy - that won't melt easily!)
  • Packaged foods, spices, mixes, etc for cooking (yes, I will be cooking)
  • Recipes
  • Cheap/used books (books in Spanish are welcome too!)
  • Music cds with current American music (burned cds)
  • Pictures!!!
  • Phone calls (1-809-723-7817 - yes, it's international)
  • Letters
  • News!
  • Any other home comforts you can think of!