4 December 2010
The other day sitting on my back porch, one of my regular small child visitors suggested that we have a dance competition. I asked him what kind of dancing he wanted to do, because I really need to get on with learning the national dances ...as dancing has never been my forte, my bachata definitely needs some work. He suggested reggaeton and salsa of course, and then proceeded to pull out a few of his suave 13 year old hip hip shakin’ steps. Rather impressed, I was convinced at once that this was a good idea. I put him in charge of music, and stepping up to the responsibility with remarkable enthusiasm he started running around the neighborhood asking who had a functioning and portable radio, extension cord, and speakers that we could use. Maybe 30 min later he came back to report he found all three of the above mentioned items all from separate homes, but available for use on Friday night.
Next up was a visit from the social butterfly muchacho ( I wish there was a good English translation for this word, as there doesn’t seem to be a better way to describe pre-teen/teenaged boys and girls who may or may not be behaving very maturely; I feel similarly with the word dona, which implies more than just older woman, but has a deep-seated meaning of someone you can trust, always offer you food, and generally just be very generous in her efforts to take your well-being into her own hands). He had stopped by to ask about this so-called fiesta and when it was happening. About 30 minutes after conceiving the initial plan, I realized just how fast word travels in our little campo. I put him in charge of inviting all the families I know, and he said he would help as long as I made sure to invite the muchachas (note the feminine “a,” implying teenaged girls) from the other side of town. He wanted to be sure to have a dance partner to win the competition with. While pleased with the enthusiasm, I couldn’t help but feel a bit like I was planning a middle-school dance…
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| Struggling with weak electrical connections...sad to say the party ended at 8:30 when the lights went out. |
So Friday came, and mid afternoon the boys stopped by to check up on the brownies I was making. They suggested we needed juice, so I said I’d pay for the sugar if they found oranges. A bit later, they returned with the better half of a big garbage bag full of oranges brought down from the hillside. Despite having set the start time for 7pm, kids and music showed up around 5:30 and got the party going. I was impressed; as I’ve ever never started any group meeting or event on time in the DR, let alone an hour and a half early. I was wrong to think that it would resemble a middle-school dance…for one thing, everyone was dancing. And as the muchachas from the town over weren’t able to come, the boys in my neighborhood danced the night away with their younger sisters and their moms – which is pretty much the make-up of the local female population. Writing it sounds cheesy, like a family friendly dance party..hardly something I wanted when I was 17. But the orientation around family that defines this culture extends to night-time festivities…especially in the campo. And getting up to dance with your mom in front of your crush at the age of 14 is something most of these kids don’t think twice about. Dancing. Dominicans do it well…I will always be envious of how most kids here pretty much born dancing, and there will always be that kindergartener who can shake their booty and pop their hips in that certain way that I just can’t seem to master.
Other volunteers always say it's hard to do work in December... being a time of celebration lots of people appear to take off the whole month to have fun and relax with their friends and families. This appears to be true, as one may not be available for a meeting concerning reforestation, everone is down to party. I’ve never seen everyone so eager to contribute what they can to any event or meeting that I’ve had thus far in the community. I hate to want to relate what was such a fun evening to doing work here, watching everyone come together to make sure we had invited everyone and were able to provide music and drink, was quite nice and kind of reassuring. If only I can figure out how to transfer this kind of punctuality, organization, and commitment to my youth group meetings…
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