4/23/07: The Hectic Month
Update: I got a cool mask
Sooooo, what's going on out there in the great wide world? I've been around the world (or at least the country) and back in the last month and haven't had much time to think about the old website here. So here's my attempt at an update:
As you guys know, I left Veragua in the last week of March to help out at an eye surgery medical mission. Well, it was a great experience, and I learned as much as I helped. This is what I did: We arrived on Saturday, I a little earlier than the others (including even the doctors), though we didn't do anything except eat dinner. The quick orientation scheduled for Saturday night never happened, so the other two volunteers and I showed up bright and early Sunday morning unsure as to what we were supposed to do. That's alright though; we figured it out anyway.
As translators, we were basically floaters, moving in and around the clinic as we were needed. Doctors and nurses and other eye team volunteers would call us over when they couldn't understand the patient (often) or when something needed to be explained to the patient. At busy times (again, often), we the translators felt a little frazzled. I've never talked so much in my life. My voice was literally hoarse at the end of the days. But I give props to the eye team for their Spanish skills. They defended themselves quite well at times, especially by the end of the week.
I had a lot of fun chit-chatting with the patients who came from villages all around the Santiago area, sometimes as far as 3-4 hours, for evaluations. I feel like we got to know some of them quite well. Even more fun, though, was seeing some patients enter surgery not even being able to count fingers right in front of them due to dense cataracts, and leaving surgery seeing, in some cases, with the eyes of an 18 year old. The results for the cross-eyed patients were equally astounding. A 5 year old girl, severely cross-eyed, would leave the recovery room looking like nothing had ever even been wrong. For these experiences, I thank the doctors for taking the time from their busy lives to change someone elses. I know the patients feel the same way.
The unfortunate truth is that we couldn't help everyone. The doctors were performing surgeries mainly for cataracts, strabismus (cross-eyes), some plastic surgeries, and whatever else they thought they could tackle. While almost 200 surgeries were performed in 5 days, the doctors still had to choose the most serious cases, and good candidates were sadly turned away, asked to return next year for reconsideration.
It was a quick and exhausting week. But in all honesty, it was as much a vacation for me as it was work. Sometimes you have to change things up a bit lest they become the mudane every-day. At least I was saying that as I left Santiago that Saturday. The following three weeks would prove to be equally far from the routine.
I didn't make it back home that weekend as I had planned. With my bag full of well-worn (read: smelly) clothes, I headed to the capital. I camped out for a couple of nights before I left for El Seibo to do some training presentations for the new group of volunteer trainees. I put the washer and dryer at the Peace Corps office to good use, and with a pack of fresh clothes, made my way out to El Seibo in the East.
In El Seibo, two other volunteers and I presented on topics ranging from battery maintenance to computer repair to the use of web pages. I suppose in a way the training sessions were also the first examples of my volunteer service coming full circle. I recalled receiving the same sessions from other volunteers who have now already left the country, but now it was I who was the veteran. It may sound trite, but I really can't believe it.
After a few days in El Seibo, I headed back to the capital for the night only to end up staying the next day as well to get my mid-service medical exam out of the way. I'm healthy as a horse, thanks for asking. I finally made it back home on Thursday, almost a full two weaks after leaving originally. Neal, another volunteer, actually beat me to my house. He stopped by Veragua to hang out for a few days.
The next week was a short one. I left Veragua once again for the capital, this time to get my mid-service DENTAL exam out of the way. No cavities, thanks for asking. The exam didn't take long and I took off for San Juan in the West the very same day.
After a short visit with Ed in San Juan, I headed a bit further west to Las Matas de Farfan for "Geek Weekend", a bi-annual meeting of the, you guessed it, IT Education Volunteers. A short weekend in Las Matas, one final night in the capital, and I was thoroughly pooped out with travel. Living out of a bag just isn't any fun. Sometimes you just need your own bed and your own routine.
Needless to say, I'm home now, getting into the routine once again. While I was gone the cat, Pokey, had her babies, though I've yet to see them. I've been told to expect to see them walking around any day now. Tonight is the first class of a new course I'm giving on computer installation, maintenance, and repair. I'm not free of travel quite yet though: this coming weekend is committee weekend, and the IT Volunteers have enough to do to make the trip necessary for me. And not too far into the future (just 4 weeks!), Corey is coming to visit, and then my parents and sister. By that time it will already be summer break, my last one in this country. I've got to make it a good one!
Things are going ok all in all. I'm glad to be taking it easy in Veragua and looking forward to some fun visits coming up. I've been in Veragua a year. Baffling, isn't it?
Peace
3/20/07: Medical Mission
Important: send me a good book to read!
This coming Saturday I'm heading out to Santiago to participate in what Peace Corps likes to call a medical mission. A group of doctors and nurses is coming to administer free eye examinations and operations to Dominicans in need. No, I will not be doing eye surgery. A team of volunteers which includes yours truly will serve as translators between the doctors and the patients. We'll probably leave the sticking of the needle in the eye to the professionals, but I'll muster up my best Spanish to say "le pica un poco cuando ponga la aguja en su ojo." Good times.
The mission lasts a week and I won't be around during that time. Don't worry, the newspaper delivery will be on hold and a muchacho is coming every day to trample the plants and neglect the cat. Life as usual will continue! Peace.
3/17/07: Once Again...
Update: thecrew.quixfox.com
Once again I've taken to neglecting the page here but in all honesty there's not been much to report on in the last month. Things in Veragua have been going noticeably slower since my vacation and getting the technology committee here to even meet has been an uphill battle. I have a bad feeling the graduation party just isn't going to happen, especially when those responsible for planning and executing it can't even take 30 minutes to get together and set a date for the dang thing.
On the other hand, things in Gaspar Hernandez with my youth group/class have been going much better. Two of the kids have been giving web design classes of their own to their friends and other local acquaintances. With the little bit of money they charge, the school can buy gas for the generator which runs the lab. We're still not sure whether or not the income covers the cost of running the lab, but it's certainly a tremendous help. At the same time, I've begun an introduction to programming with the group. After a week, I'm not sure how it will go, but some of them have been picking it up. We'll see!
The adventure is halfway over. What does the coming year have in store?
More probably coming soon. Peace.
2/16/07: A Birth Day
Update: New photos, Some minor cosmetic changes
if (todays_date==date_of_birth){age++}
Well, yesterday was my birthday and that means a couple of things. First, I'm now 24 years old... still "jovencito" but now in my mid-20's. Is that not slightly terrifying? But it's not only my age that has incremented by one. Today, the 16th of February, marks exactly one year from when I, along with a group of 31 other volunteers, boarded an airplane in Miami headed to Santo Domingo. We've all now been in country for a year. That's far more terrifying. A new group of IT volunteers entered the country today all wide-eyed and ready to take over the spots of the now departing. I'm a veteran! How can that be possible...
I suppose at this junction, it's common for many volunteers to experience a falling feeling. While we're all still pedaling uphill in our respective projects, it's hard not to experience a feeling of downhill momentum. I know I have over a year left to go, but a kind of earnestness is tugging at me. Now that I have a feeling for how much (or perhaps little) can be accomplished in a year, I feel far more motivated to get moving on starting up more and more. One year just isn't much time! What about the weekly gaming sessions? Advanced computer classes? Veragua's website project? The lab in Sabaneta? I feel like there's still much to be done, and while that's great motivation, it also leads to a certain dissapointment in that, while some things may move forward, others probably won't. I now have to decide where to put my energy and that means abandoning some of my goals. That also means wondering whether more energy earlier would have prevented such a necessity. We'll never know.
In any case, I do feel a little bit older. Not 24 yet, but certainly not 21... thank Lemmy not 21! I've got a ways to go yet, but who's rushing? We can always sit out front tonight and enjoy a beer bien fria. I think I'll do that.
Peace
P.S. I've made some minor cosmetic changes to the page. It should be slightly larger and more comfortable to manage now. Let me know if you have problems, suggestions, or other comments.
2/07/07: A Typical Day
8:30am: Wake up, rinse out percolator and make coffee
8:45am: Finish coffee, walk across street to get fresh milk from neighbor
9:00am: Eat cereal with said milk, read for a little while
9:30am: Sweep, mop, do dishes
10:00am: Walk to school, chit-chat with teachers, work in the lab for a couple hours
12:00pm: Walk home and make lunch (or alternatively, walk to Leonore's house and eat there)
1:00pm: Siesta! Doze off for an hour
2:15pm: Walk to colmado (corner store) and buy something sugary
2:30pm: Work on lesson plans
3:30pm: Catch car to Gaspar Hernandez, give class 'til 5
5:30pm: Exercise, bathe
6:30pm: Go to lab and hang out 'til 8 or 9pm
8:00 or 9:00pm: Make dinner, read or play guitar by candlelight
10:30pm: Go to bed