La tranquilidad de enero --- A Calming January

There are many spanish words, that translate obviously into English, called cognates. Such words are easy to remember and were of great use to me the first few months in this country. But then there are those that translate nicely, such as tranquilo – meaning calm or quiet, or tranquil – but mean so much more when used in Spanish. Tranquilo is one of these words for me. For example, when asked “how are you” in English, would you ever answer with “Oh, I’m calm” or  “I’m quiet” or “Oh, I’m here feeling tranquil.”? Probably not. But a common response on a lazy Sunday afternoon to the same questions gives the answer of “Aqui, tranquilo” or “Tranqui” if you are speaking with a hip teenager. There is a state of being that seems to be so much more relaxed here, especially in the rural "campo" areas that just doesn't exist back in the States. With all of our connections and access to facebook, email, cell phones, and all the new Apple products, we are rarely just hangin' out and tranquil is the last word I would use to describe the thoughts, worries and to-dos that constantly run through the average American's head. I'm not saying all Dominicans are live care-free lives and Americans are crazy worry-worts...maybe the difference is just in the way free time is often spent outside sitting in the shade gossiping versus reading the news on the internet indoors. I've posted a few photos of a few tranquilo afternoons and evenings I've been fortunate to enjoy the last few weeks.

 While I do miss the seasons, and a taste of winter when I was home for the holidays was nice...it actually kind of changes here too. The pictures above show what my little town looks like now...much drier than a few months ago. Given it hasn't rained in over a month, most of the green is gone and turned to brown. Several of the trees have lots their leaves as they go into the dormant-dry period which is similar to the cold-winter season. It felt a bit like fall on this walk as we tramped through brown leaves that had fallen to the ground in previous days. There's been some windy afternoons bringing rain-threatening clouds; 70 degrees and breezy has been feeling a bit crisp.

Explanations for Donations!

7 January, 2011 

Aside from being a splendidly relaxing break from the trials of Peace Corps life, my visit to the States over the holidays gave me some new perspectives on fundraising for the projects I am trying to complete here in the D.R. Talking with friends and family about donating to a “latrine project,” was tough practice in trying to sum up a few months of work in a short conversation. And I realized quickly that despite how accustomed to the way of life in the rural Dominican Republic, people back home have little to no idea about living conditions and the ensuing needs in the community I live in. It is easy to forget to say that there isn’t a plumbing system when you use a pit toilet for the bathroom several times a day. That being said, as I proposed donating money to a “pit toilet” or “latrine” project in rural Dominican Republic, I was somewhat unprepared for wide variety of responses I received. While some were very supportive and wanted to know more information right away, others were appalled at the thought of giving money to build toilets. I attribute both my unpreparedness and their reactions to a fault of proper and more thorough explanations about the project. So I am dedicating this post to descriptions of everyday life in the campo I live in as well as a more detailed version of the proposed “latrine project.

Community Need

For starters, the rural community I live in consists of about 500 people and does not have a plumbing system; none of the families have running water inside their homes and all bathrooms are pit toilets outside of the home in the back yard (imagine a permanent porta-potty). However, not everyone has access to a sanitary bathroom (yes latrines can be clean, not smelly, and very sanitary). As soon as I began visiting the homes of my neighbors in the community, the lack of access to proper bathroom facilities was evident. One day after spending a couple of hours at one household, I casually asked to use the restroom. The mother glanced at her husband and two adolescent children, all speechless and displaying quiet looks of embarassment... and then she explained my options: I could hike up the hill into the fields, or walk down to the stream, as these are their two available bathrooms. These are the options for 30% of the families in this community.        

An example of an old latrine that doesn't work anymore because it caved in due to improper construction techniques and  improper use and maintenance.

Community Priority                                                

  Improving access to sanitary bathrooms is a priority for this community because without them the health of the entire community is sacrificed. About 25% of the families in Las Auyamas do not receive water from the new aqueduct system; they gather water for drinking, washing, and cooking from the stream that winds through town.  However, frequent repairs to the aqueduct can take weeks at a time, leaving the entire community dependent on water from the stream.  The homes of Las Auyamas are oriented around the stream, and those who don't have a latrine are using the bathroom within the drainage system of the same water the entire community relies upon. Families without latrines are also at increased risk of fecal-mouth contamination as there is no sanitary separation between bathroom and everyday living spaces. Additionally, the lack of running water makes the habit of washing hands after use of the bathroom challenging. Without the knowledge and skills offered during the workshop portion of this project many families will be left without the opportunity to make handwashing a household habit.

Community Direction and Involvement

Several members of community identified the need for sanitary bathrooms during interviews completed at the beginning of my service. The concern has been vocalized and shared with me since the day I arrived in site. My neighbors, Rosa and Jose were the first to propose a latrine project during a discussion we had about sharing my latrine when I moved into the house next to theirs since they don't have one. With their help, we formed the Committee for Sanitary Bathrooms in Las Auyamas to try and organize the people in need of latrines. While the committee is made up primarily of families who don't have bathrooms, their are also several people who have latrines attending meetings simply to show their support for the group's initiative.                                                        

 Members of the community have been influential in planning the logistics and preparing resources for the project. One member of the Committee, Lurino, has been responsible for communicating and working with the mayor to help with transport of the sand. Another member, will be providing an entire room in his home to store materials for the duration of the project. Each beneficiary will be closely involved in the implementation of the project, as they are providing the manual labor for the actual building of the latrines. The Committee has also agreed to assist the families who do not have capable workers available for the manual labor needed to complete construction.                                         

  The masons for the project are two local health promoters, Guitarr Arnaut and Mariano Jimenez. They were the local leaders of an externally-funded latrine project completed five years ago. They have been responsible for planning the material list and organizing the timeline of the project. Having built over 50 latrines in the past, they provide first-hand experience in dealing with the challenges and logistics of latrine construction. As health promoters, they understand the importance of educating the beneficiaries on the proper use of the latrine and hygiene practices. They will be partially responsible for organizing and implementing the workshop portion of the project. 

My latrine out back at my house...similar to the latrine project proposed in this post.

           

Community Contribution

     A combination of manual labor, payment for the masons, and the collection of sand accounts for a community contribution of 39% of the total project cost.   Each family will provide three people for 4.5 days of unskilled manual labor. These laborers will spend 2.5 days digging the pit for the latrine and 2 days assisting the mason with the cement work and construction of the latrine house. At RD$250 a day, this equals RD$67,500. The community is also responsible for collection and transport of sand from a nearby river. A community member, Lurino de la Rosa, has arranged for the mayor to help transport the sand with his truck from the river to each of the families' homes. The equivalent cost of sand if we were to buy it is RD$7,950. The mason assisting the building of each latrine will recieve RD$800, the community will pay RD$500; for 20 latrines a total contribution of RD$10,000. While the partnership will cover transport costs of materials from San Juan to the storage site in Las Auyamas, each family willl be responsible for transporting materials from the storage site to their individual homes. The total community contribution is thus 39% of the total cost, or RD$85,450 of RD$218,620.       

Project Implementation

The first phase of the project is the educational workshop to be given through the meetings of Committee of Sanitary Bathrooms in Las Auyamas. Attendance at one of two meetings will be mandatory for the beneficiaries to receive their latrine. The workshop has three main objectives: 1.) Provide information on proper use and maintenance of their latrine; 2.) Discuss proper hygiene practices and provide instruction on making a simply hand-washing device; 3.) Create a site visitation and building schedule. At this meeting we will also review the responsibilities of the families for the preparation and building of their latrine. Guitarr Arnaut and Mariano Jimenez are responsible for presenting information on the proper uses and maintenance of the latrines. Then they will assist me in a presentation about the importance of proper hygiene and handwashing techniques. We will provide information about the routes of transmission of common illlnesses, and how they can be prevented simply by washing hands after bathroom use. To encourage these behaviors we will guide a session on creating and installing simple handwashing devices made of gallon jugs and string to be used with the new latrines. Lastly, we will create the preliminary site visit and building schedule with the masons and the beneficiaries.                                                                                            

The second phase of the project includes the collection of materials, site verification and preparation for building day. In this phase the families will be responsible for collecting sand to be transported to the building sites. Lurino is in charge of organizing the transportation of the sand from the river to the sites with the help of the mayor's truck. Guitarr and I will be visiting each of the families homes to verify where the latrine will be built. During this visit we will also discuss and review the proper-use information presented at the workshop with the family.  I will be responsible for travelling to the hardware store in San Juan to order materials which will be delivered within 24 hours to the storage site in Las Auyamas. Community member, Ortinio, will be responsible for storing the materials in an extra room in his home until each of the families is able to come and retrieve them. Once their site has been approved, each family will be responsible for transporting their materials to their own homes. Finally, the family can begin digging the first part of the pit for their latrine so it is ready for the masons to line with cement.                                                                                                                 

 The third phase is the construction of the latrines. The families will be responsible for providing three laborers during the construction of the latrines. Mariano and Guitarr,  the masons, will be working together on each of the latrines, moving to two or three different sites each day. The families and the masons will be responsible for following the schedule and communicating needs to ensure that the assistants are present on the days the masons need them.     

The final and fourth phase is follow-up visitations. One month after their completion, Guitarr Arnaut and I will be visiting each of the sites to ensure the proper use and care of the latrine. We will be checking to see that only bathroom waste is being placed in the pit, and that everything is in working order. During these visits we will also discuss with the families the effectiveness of the hand-washing device, verify its use, and review the importance of proper hygiene.

Project Sustainability

Families receiving latrines will have gained knowledge about proper bathroom hygiene and how to maintain a sanitary restroom for their household. They will understand the importance of personal hygiene and be able to construct a hand-washing device that can aid in the convenience of washing hands regularly. With the building of 20 new latrines, the community will be provided with the opportunity to live healthier, more sanitary lives. The community has shown their commitment and willingness to improve health by participating in local health promotion activities and meetings organized by the health promoters from Plan International as well as the meetings of the Committee for Sanitary Bathrooms.  The information presented during this project supports the efforts of Plan International and the community members' desire to live healthier lives.        

The Committee for Sanitary Bathrooms in Las Auyamas is responsible for organizing logistics such as transport of materials and building schedules. Through this experience, the beneficiaries will learn valuable organizational and project management skills that may be utilized in future community projects.                                                                                                          

The sustainability of the physical structures of the latrines can be assured as the masons for the project live in the community and have previous experience with construction and maintenance of latrines. We will be using the same design used in a project from five years ago, where all of the latrines built are still in use. The masons are committed to visiting the homes of the beneficiaries one month after the construction of the latrine to ensure its proper use and functionality. Lastly, the beneficiaries of the project will gain first hand experience in the process of constructing and maintaining a latrine.

Still interested? If you, your friends, or any family members are in a position to donate (there is no minimum, and every bit is appreciated!) please stop by the below website, which is a direct link to a descriription of the project and directions to donate to the community's effort. From there, one can also access other Peace Corps projects all around the world in search of funding.  https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=donate.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=517-407 

December: A time for fiestas

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…

A rambling on Campo Appreciation Day

18 Nov 2010

Returning to the campo… through the fields of green and wide open spaces, sure feels relieving after spending 2 and a half weeks travelling to and from San Juan and the capital for a cholera training, lockdown during hurricane Thomas, and language training. While my accommodations were nice in Santo Domingo…24hr luz, water, and fellow Americans. Sometimes I struggle when faced with the reality that the campesinos I live with are significantly poorer than some of the capital or San Juan folk. Or when I start thinking about how other volunteers live in communities with more money, better education systems and more motivated, organized and involved community members which perhaps make projects and “doing things” easier. Then I remember the generosity of my host-mom, and how I was worried about not being able to buy fruit in San Juan only to come home to a delivery of sweet oranges, bananas and papaya. Some people don’t have very much, but I’ve learned they often can offer just what you need. Driving home past some of the shacks in the campo and re-visiting my neighbors’ homes without floors and bathrooms tugs at my moral consciousness and complicates my understanding of poverty and the way the world decides who gets what. But I suppose it is all relative, as there are poorer and richer people in all parts of the world. And while this sounds like a cheesy quote from a flip-page calendar, material wealth can’t make up for genuine generosity and love. Point being we all live in this funny little world, and sometimes the close proximities and obvious segregation between the have and the have-nots can be uncomfortably obvious and striking. Nonetheless, the illuminated polluted streets and smoggy air is no match for fresh air of the foothills. Plus, Christmas time is rolling around and the natural decorations of huge blooming poinsettia trees lining the gravel road, hands-down beat the kitchy, song-singing strings of lights adorning my host-families house in the capital.

A humbling trip out of the campo

15 November 2010

Last weekend I had the opportunity to take a couple of kids from my campo community to a Brigada Verde Youth Conference outside of La Romana in the eastern part of the country. The day before we left, I was worried they might have forgotten as Peace Corps obligations had kept me out of my site for the last ten days. I was pleasantly surprised when the two boys showed up at my back door on their way home from school all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed asking if tomorrow we were really going to be leaving. Yep, so pack your stuff and be back at 6am tomorrow morning…

It was an exciting morning as it was the first time travelling farther than the city of San Juan for one of the boys, and the other had only been to and from the capital once as a little kid. As a mobile American, it is hard to imagine living on a Caribbean island and never getting the chance to see the ocean. Just one great big example of how skewed the tourism-enhanced perspective of the island can be. But, I thought it was all just turquoise waters and white sand, how could an 18 year old citizen of the country never have visited a beach? Passing through the capital was fun, as I pointed out some national monuments, and he asked the names of all the highway bridges were. These bridges I never would have thought twice about…but I was reminded of the utter lack of infrastructure in the campo where the only bridges are stepping stones, and the entire highway system suddenly became a remarkable work of artistry and architectural construction. Next up were the beautiful views of the ocean driving east out of the capital to the conference site. Watching their faces glued to the window, I couldn’t help but feel both happy and a little strange as I played tour guide to native Dominicans.

The conference part was enjoyable too. Sponsored by a Dominican organization, Alianza, Peace Corps took a back seat and mostly was there for technical and logistical support. There were Brigada Verde groups there who have been functioning sustainably without a Peace Corps volunteer in the community for several months which is nice to see. It was reassuring to be around other jovenes who were excited and fully dedicated to their groups’ efforts.  Overall, a good way to get the kids in my community some exposure to people from the rest of the country and shed a little light on the larger efforts being put forth in different communities.

chillin in the golf cart...

Certified Brigada Verde Conference Attendee!

Maps and Painting

October 21, 2010        

As the inevitable wait for grant money continues, I’ve been trying to establish a regular environmental youth group…with varied levels of success. Recently, I’ve learned paint is a great motivator. I stopped by the school, and coordinated a geography day with the 4^th grade teacher to introduce the idea of geography and maps to the kids, as an intro to painting a map mural. I am continually amazed at how little recognition and awareness of places outside of Las Auyamas the kids and adults in the community have. Many of the kids have never been out of the province of San Juan, most have never visited their nation’s capital, and almost all of them have never seen the ocean. I have found a new appreciation for my mobility on this island; in my 6 months here, I’ve seen more of the country than most of my fellow community members will in their own lifetime. I feel very lucky to be in a position to visit the different parts of such a beautiful country, and I am eager to share these visits and give some perspective to what else is on this island, and in the world outside of this campo. The mural I hope can serve as a way to introduce some of these other places, and give some insight to our location and existence in this world. Building awareness for how we are connected to and part of a world bigger than just here will be a very important theme for Brigada Verde: it’s easy to throw your trash in the river if you have no knowledge of the ocean, towns, or people that exist downstream. So, I had the kids come and help paint in the provinces and label the names on the map…a good first step in building this awareness for other places.

The following week, I continued with the paint theme and painted environmentally inspired drawings on higueros.. lots of butterflies and banana trees. The higuero is a local fruit that has a woody shell which can be dried in the sun and used like you would a plastic container for just about anything. They have been used traditionally for years for storing and serving food and water. One of my peers told me that his grandmother only used higueros for storing water and eating off of until about 10 years ago…when some of her kids brought her back some plastics from the capital. Now, you can still find at least one being used in every kitchen.

Salt Water Lake - Lago Enriquillo

27 Sept. 2010

I visited this salt water lake in the Southwestern part of the country on a recent trip down to visit some other volunteers. The strangest looking ecosystem ever, it is giant salt-lake in the middle of a dry area where many farmers have grazing lands and some crops. In the middle there are a few desert islands with cacti, crocodiles, and flamingoes during the winter. The DR is such a small country, but surprisingly has a huge diversity of landscapes and ecosystems.  This lake used to be part of the ocean, and then some geological faulting and lifting processes happened to disconnect it. Also interesting is that it only has rivers flowing into it, none out. The water levels depend on the amount of rainfall, but also on evaporation rates in the area. The lake as an incredibly eerie look to it right now because water levels have been rising steadily for the last several years.

 Where I was, there was about 75m of drowned trees providing a stark contrast to the lush shoreline. Another volunteer told me it had something to do with some geological uplifting that was a precursor to the Haiti 2010 earthquake as it is part of the same fault line/system The rising water level has been detrimental to the local economy. Farmers’ land for crops and grazing adjacent to the lake has been permanently flooded making it impossible to use. Also, local tourist companies have had difficulty developing accessibility to the lake, such as the building of docks, because the shoreline continues to crawl upward and water swallows up any improvements made.