My apologies for the delay with this one! I will of course blame it on my internet connection (which has actually been perfect this past week...teehee) I just HAD to report back on my insanely fun weekend with the Siegle clan here - this would be the weekend before last..oh man I'm way behind with my blogging! In any case, this involved my dad, Aunt Jerri - who is living in nearby Sosua -, Aunt Janet and Uncle Paul...that's all the Siegle siblings, plus everyone's favorite daughter/niece reunited for some glorious antics in the DR.
After hearing much hype, we decided to travel to the 27 Waterfalls on Saturday, near the town of Imbert, which is somewhere near Puerta Plata, though we seemed to get off course a few times...though did see some of downtown Puerta Plata, which is definitely a legit city. Complete with a two-lane highway, which I certainly hadn't laid eyes on since leaving the states. Not that a two-lane highway prompts drivers here to be any less reckless or observant of basic traffic laws, but....annnnnnnnnyway...
After a delish Dominican lunch at a little comedor in downtown Imbert (small, typical Dominican town) we finally made it to the 27 Waterfalls...this means we followed a dirt road off the side of the highway down to a visitor center where we were told virtually nothing about what we were about to do, beyond seeing some waterfalls, perhaps doing some hiking, and perhaps swimming in some natural spring pools - nothing in regards to what the physical requirements might be, what to expect, etc...The brochure was shockingly vague, and pretty much all the information we got was that there were three options - to see waterfalls 1-7, 1-12, or 1-27...except since it was early afternoon we didn't have time to do all 27 so it was either option a or b...My dad and I, being the loco ones, enthusiastically opted for 12, the others set to do 1-7.
We were fitted with helmets and life jackets, and set off on a flat path through some farmland, and across a few shallow streams; at this point the helmets and life jackets of course seeming far too conservative.
About 10 minutes into our walk, we arrived at the first waterfall, which ended in a beautiful pool - our guide told us to go ahead and jump in, and then we were to swim through the pool and beyond that through a cavern-like channel into which the waterfall fed...at this point we realized that we would not be hiking alongside the waterfalls, but would be essentially rock climbing UP the waterfalls (with what was probably hundreds of gallons of water shooting at our bodies) with the help of our guides who would help to hoist us up the rock faces (no ropes, no security aside from the arm strength of our guides). This was pretty much completely unsafe for anyone with shoulder issues, or really any medical issues at all, and thus a few members of our group opted to stay safe near the first waterfalls and meet my dad and I on our way back from being crazy people.
On to waterfall 12 we went...this included hoisting ourselves up a fairly large rock face with the help of a rope and our own arm strength alone...again, no security measure if we were to fall! We kept swimming through natural pools and caverns, walking on paths, through streams, and climbing up the falls until we reached number 12 - then the real fun began. On the way down we would be sliding down the natural waterslides formed by the waterfalls, and occasionally jumping off fairly high ledges (i.e. certainly the highest thing I have ever jumped off...probably 25-30 feet? It felt like about 100, but I'm just trying to be realistic).
In any case, our guide basically just led us to the edge of a ledge as if it was nothing and instructed us to just jump off of it by pretty much walking off the side of it into the natural pool of water 30 feet below. Having no time to be scared, there I went....actually super fun, aside from the insane amount of water up my nose (this was following the previous day's kayaking trip with DREAM volunteers, during which I decided to attempt a back flip off of a trapeze rope swing into a river...needless to say, I landed on my face and got ALOT of water in my sinuses).
In any case, we made it out alive and it was probably the most fun/crazy experience of my life thus far. Also falls under the category (along with the drain-clearing chemical I purchased last week at the local supermarket, which actually produces smoke upon contact with water) of things that are totally ok in the DR and would never be legal in the U.S. Gotta love 'em!
The weekend's next big event was the following day, Sunday, when we all went to Playa Grande, which is about an hour from Cabarete. I think this was the most beautiful beach I have ever seen! I hate to say it, but this is saying a lot after living in Hawaii for 8 months...
In any case, after chomping on the most delicious almonds ever (harvested off the road and then roasted and sold at road-side stands) we headed back from Playa Grande to go to Blue Moon for dinner. This is a well known but completely obscurely-located Indian restaurant in nearby Los Brazos. After heading a few miles away from the coast and up towards the hills/mountains, we arrived at the restaurant's roller coaster-like dirt road. I wasn't sure my aunt's sweet sweet car was going to make it but with my dad flooring it somehow we made it. Just in time to see one of the most beautiful sunsets of my life. The restaurant is situated on top of a hill in a quiet rural area surrounded by hills and valleys, farms, etc. and the sun sets just behind it over the mountains.
The dining experience was definitely the most unique of my life - the restaurant only does one dinner each night, and only when they have at least 8 people. This is because everyone sits in a circular hut on cushions, and eats a meal together - off of banana leaves and with their bare hands. I obviously had a field day with this and had food all over myself and my hands...but it was so delicious that I didn't care. They made their own chutneys, raita, etc....the whole meal was a delicious Indian-with-Caribbean-flare affair, and the setting was so peaceful, quiet, and gorgeous. I can't wait to go back!
It seemed a perfect and relaxing end to a crazy few days. Thanks to the Siegle siblings for the good times!
More to come soon...
-L
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Monday, January 25, 2010
The rain stops! Kids come to school! The family comes!
My apologies for the delay in getting this post out! I am getting accustomed to sometimes having internet, and sometimes not (as in the last 4 days or so), sometimes having electricity, and sometimes not, sometimes having a luke warm shower, and sometimes a cold one, etc....so I will definitely be blaming my inconsistent internet connection for sometimes not keeping up my blog, whether it's true or I'm just being lazy. You'll never know!
In any case, the last two weeks have been super busy, work- and fun- filled. I guess I'll start with a bit about our fundraiser's for Haiti because I think I left you all on the edges of your seat (it's ok to admit) as I described our plans in my last post...
So last Thursday at the DREAM center where I teach we held a pulga (flea market) where we sold donated clothes (both new and used...we got a ton of brand new stuff donated from a local surf shop so sooommmeeeone did a bit of discount shopping and didn't feel the least bit bad about it - all for Haiti!!) as well as some household items, etc...lots of people from the neighborhood came, and it was great...we made between $400-$500 to send directly to the Red Cross, which was pretty amazing seeing as we were selling all items for the equivalent of a few dollars.
So then that night was the big art show. Everything seemed to come together at the last minute, which was amazing - Cabarete is such a small community - it's amazing what you can pull together in a matter of days with the right connections - meaning DREAM's in general, not mine. We received food donations from some of the best local restaurants (including the best carrot cake that's ever touched my tongue), live music, jewelry from local shops, well renowned local painters with their work...it was so great! Local businesses also helped us to promote, which was helpful as well; the crowd was a great mix of tourists and local people too, and we made close to $1,000 which was really unbelievable. We had student drawings for sale, student-painted vases, our signature 'Hispanola Unida' handmade/student decorated shoulder bags, amazing handmade postcards that another volunteer made, some seriously great necklaces made by other teachers and friends, some coconut shell candle lamps, handmade candles...the list goes on.
It was pretty touching and emotional to see the whole thing unfold, having had less than a week to plan it, create the student-made pieces, get other artists on board, etc...Everyone who came was so generous and willing to donate, was enthusiastic about the work, wanted to learn more about DREAM, and wanted to do anything they could to support Haiti.
While the entire earthquake aftermath situation is completely devastating for our neighbors in Haiti, as with many similar situations, it also brings the best out of many people, and unity tends to surface in a big way. It's moving to observe this in a way that I think is probably extroardinarily powerful due to our proximity to the disaster here in the D.R.
Now for some not so good news... I was in the midst of taking some adorable photos of my students making pieces of art for the art show, so that I could share them with you all, when I turned my back for a second in the midst of helping an adorable child add his hand print to one of our 'Hispaniola Unida' shoulder bags (the hand prints were added in the center of a circular stencil we created with the words 'Hispaniola Unida')....when I turned around I watched in slow motion as another student knocked my brand new digital camera off the table and onto the concrete floor. Needless to say.....the photos seem to be inaccessible and I am now camera-less. Nontheless, I'm also keeping it in perspective and reminding myself that I am still alive and that my entire house hasn't collapsed...though I am also hoping that Canon will pull through with a great warranty policy that includes protection against enthusiastic and well-meaning but rambunctious 8-year old artists. Will report back...
In other news, it finally stopped raining! This was great because 1) the schools opened again, and kids started going to both their public school session and DREAM's - why they don't tend to go when it rains/looks like it will rain is beyond me, and 2) now I'm not so pale and I don't have mud from my street splattered on everything I own. Yay! Rainy season appears to be a thing of the past.
Post-art show, I also had a wild weekend with the Siegle family siblings (meaning my father and his sisters...) I think that requires a separate post, so I'll get going on that...
until soon, un beso!
Laura
In any case, the last two weeks have been super busy, work- and fun- filled. I guess I'll start with a bit about our fundraiser's for Haiti because I think I left you all on the edges of your seat (it's ok to admit) as I described our plans in my last post...
So last Thursday at the DREAM center where I teach we held a pulga (flea market) where we sold donated clothes (both new and used...we got a ton of brand new stuff donated from a local surf shop so sooommmeeeone did a bit of discount shopping and didn't feel the least bit bad about it - all for Haiti!!) as well as some household items, etc...lots of people from the neighborhood came, and it was great...we made between $400-$500 to send directly to the Red Cross, which was pretty amazing seeing as we were selling all items for the equivalent of a few dollars.
So then that night was the big art show. Everything seemed to come together at the last minute, which was amazing - Cabarete is such a small community - it's amazing what you can pull together in a matter of days with the right connections - meaning DREAM's in general, not mine. We received food donations from some of the best local restaurants (including the best carrot cake that's ever touched my tongue), live music, jewelry from local shops, well renowned local painters with their work...it was so great! Local businesses also helped us to promote, which was helpful as well; the crowd was a great mix of tourists and local people too, and we made close to $1,000 which was really unbelievable. We had student drawings for sale, student-painted vases, our signature 'Hispanola Unida' handmade/student decorated shoulder bags, amazing handmade postcards that another volunteer made, some seriously great necklaces made by other teachers and friends, some coconut shell candle lamps, handmade candles...the list goes on.
It was pretty touching and emotional to see the whole thing unfold, having had less than a week to plan it, create the student-made pieces, get other artists on board, etc...Everyone who came was so generous and willing to donate, was enthusiastic about the work, wanted to learn more about DREAM, and wanted to do anything they could to support Haiti.
While the entire earthquake aftermath situation is completely devastating for our neighbors in Haiti, as with many similar situations, it also brings the best out of many people, and unity tends to surface in a big way. It's moving to observe this in a way that I think is probably extroardinarily powerful due to our proximity to the disaster here in the D.R.
Now for some not so good news... I was in the midst of taking some adorable photos of my students making pieces of art for the art show, so that I could share them with you all, when I turned my back for a second in the midst of helping an adorable child add his hand print to one of our 'Hispaniola Unida' shoulder bags (the hand prints were added in the center of a circular stencil we created with the words 'Hispaniola Unida')....when I turned around I watched in slow motion as another student knocked my brand new digital camera off the table and onto the concrete floor. Needless to say.....the photos seem to be inaccessible and I am now camera-less. Nontheless, I'm also keeping it in perspective and reminding myself that I am still alive and that my entire house hasn't collapsed...though I am also hoping that Canon will pull through with a great warranty policy that includes protection against enthusiastic and well-meaning but rambunctious 8-year old artists. Will report back...
In other news, it finally stopped raining! This was great because 1) the schools opened again, and kids started going to both their public school session and DREAM's - why they don't tend to go when it rains/looks like it will rain is beyond me, and 2) now I'm not so pale and I don't have mud from my street splattered on everything I own. Yay! Rainy season appears to be a thing of the past.
Post-art show, I also had a wild weekend with the Siegle family siblings (meaning my father and his sisters...) I think that requires a separate post, so I'll get going on that...
until soon, un beso!
Laura
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Weeks one and two come to a close...
While it is still raining in Cabarete, two weeks after my arrival and every day in between - ok, except for two days of glory - I have finally become able to access the internet in my apartment which I imagine is about as good as heroin. Despite the rain (and my shockingly pale skin), I am happy. The DREAM Project is doing some really important work, and so far the organization is everything I was hoping it would be.
I'm teaching in their afterschool program (so... yah. kids here only go to public school for 3 hours a day. This is because there are not enough schools or classrooms for them to attend for a full day. This means they either go to school during the morning, afternoon, or evening session. Before high school, most kids go either in the morning or afternoon, and those enrolled in DREAM's program will come to the DREAM Center during the session they are not in public school. This still doesn't really give them a full day of school, but about 5 hours instead of 3...) Literacy is by and large shockingly low, and it's common in this community for people to not have a high school education. This is partly because they would have to commute (as there are only high schools in neighboring towns) and also because you cannot enter high school in the D.R. without a birth certificate. This is a whole other bizarre complication as many children are born at home and do not have proper papers....also because birth certificates can then only be obtained by travelling to Puerta Plata, a small city about an hour away. In any case...the kids are really enthusiastic so far. I'm teaching Adult ESL (figuring that one out as I go along!) and computers/english/writing to kids between the ages of about 10-17. I also have one art class with younger kids which I'm super excited about.
El Callejon de la Loma, the neighborhood where I live and work at the DREAM Center, is starting to feel like home. It's largely very poor, though completely residential and everyone has been insanely friendly so far. It's also, sadly, very flooded right now because it's been raining for the last 2 weeks straight - one street behind my apartment building is inaccessible without wading through what looks to be a river of about 8 inches of water...
At the end of the main road, El Callejon, there is "La Loma" or 'the hills' - it's apparently rural and beautiful, and many people live there; this area has been populated for much longer than the Callejon (as the Callejon is basically a swamp area, only settled in the last 20 years or so with the rise of tourism in Cabarete). La Loma also apparently involves caves, and one you can swim in. I'm excited to explore, but now it's too wet/flooded to go, so hopefully things will dry up soon...Will report back!
Otherwise the neighborhood is full of people, stray dogs, donkeys, horses (all wandering around, to some extent...as these happen to be my favorite animals, it feels like my hood is a good fit...though it's difficult to see animals struggling, homeless, and underfed. But here it's also easy to understand that humans in that predicament are prioritized, and should be).
Cabarete is a great mix of people; the beach side of the town is totally touristy and developed (not to mention a serious party scene...every night past about 11 is basically a music video for Now That's What I Call Hits, with a lot of bass...) where as the other side of the main road from the beach, where I live in El Callejon, is completely different and impoverished. It's a somewhat shocking contrast, but one I am fascinated by so far.
Of course the other event that has put a damper on things is the earthquake in Haiti; while we felt a mild quake here (or rather, those of us who weren't riding on the back of a motorbike at the time were..eh hem) there is no physical damage. Though many people in the community have family members in Haiti that they are unable to contact, and cannot locate - it's all terrifying and devastating. The Haitian border is officially closed and all phone lines are down across the country. It's so painful to see this happen to a nation already facing so much adversity, but I hope in the coming months to see many parts of the world united in the relief effort...
DREAM is planning some fundraising events this week to support the relief effort, which I'm super excited about; on Thursday we'll hold a 'pulga' or flea market, for the local community, as well as an art show of student as well as local professional artists' works, with all proceeds to be donated to the Red Cross, who is at this point determined to be the most effective organization on the ground, able to use funds immediately. The art show will be great - I'll be working with the kids on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday to create decorated bags we will make out of t-shirts, painted vases, and painted leaves. We're all really excited about the t-shirt bags, which I think will be huge sellers....photos to come!!!
Hasta pronto....
Laura
I'm teaching in their afterschool program (so... yah. kids here only go to public school for 3 hours a day. This is because there are not enough schools or classrooms for them to attend for a full day. This means they either go to school during the morning, afternoon, or evening session. Before high school, most kids go either in the morning or afternoon, and those enrolled in DREAM's program will come to the DREAM Center during the session they are not in public school. This still doesn't really give them a full day of school, but about 5 hours instead of 3...) Literacy is by and large shockingly low, and it's common in this community for people to not have a high school education. This is partly because they would have to commute (as there are only high schools in neighboring towns) and also because you cannot enter high school in the D.R. without a birth certificate. This is a whole other bizarre complication as many children are born at home and do not have proper papers....also because birth certificates can then only be obtained by travelling to Puerta Plata, a small city about an hour away. In any case...the kids are really enthusiastic so far. I'm teaching Adult ESL (figuring that one out as I go along!) and computers/english/writing to kids between the ages of about 10-17. I also have one art class with younger kids which I'm super excited about.
El Callejon de la Loma, the neighborhood where I live and work at the DREAM Center, is starting to feel like home. It's largely very poor, though completely residential and everyone has been insanely friendly so far. It's also, sadly, very flooded right now because it's been raining for the last 2 weeks straight - one street behind my apartment building is inaccessible without wading through what looks to be a river of about 8 inches of water...
At the end of the main road, El Callejon, there is "La Loma" or 'the hills' - it's apparently rural and beautiful, and many people live there; this area has been populated for much longer than the Callejon (as the Callejon is basically a swamp area, only settled in the last 20 years or so with the rise of tourism in Cabarete). La Loma also apparently involves caves, and one you can swim in. I'm excited to explore, but now it's too wet/flooded to go, so hopefully things will dry up soon...Will report back!
Otherwise the neighborhood is full of people, stray dogs, donkeys, horses (all wandering around, to some extent...as these happen to be my favorite animals, it feels like my hood is a good fit...though it's difficult to see animals struggling, homeless, and underfed. But here it's also easy to understand that humans in that predicament are prioritized, and should be).
Cabarete is a great mix of people; the beach side of the town is totally touristy and developed (not to mention a serious party scene...every night past about 11 is basically a music video for Now That's What I Call Hits, with a lot of bass...) where as the other side of the main road from the beach, where I live in El Callejon, is completely different and impoverished. It's a somewhat shocking contrast, but one I am fascinated by so far.
Of course the other event that has put a damper on things is the earthquake in Haiti; while we felt a mild quake here (or rather, those of us who weren't riding on the back of a motorbike at the time were..eh hem) there is no physical damage. Though many people in the community have family members in Haiti that they are unable to contact, and cannot locate - it's all terrifying and devastating. The Haitian border is officially closed and all phone lines are down across the country. It's so painful to see this happen to a nation already facing so much adversity, but I hope in the coming months to see many parts of the world united in the relief effort...
DREAM is planning some fundraising events this week to support the relief effort, which I'm super excited about; on Thursday we'll hold a 'pulga' or flea market, for the local community, as well as an art show of student as well as local professional artists' works, with all proceeds to be donated to the Red Cross, who is at this point determined to be the most effective organization on the ground, able to use funds immediately. The art show will be great - I'll be working with the kids on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday to create decorated bags we will make out of t-shirts, painted vases, and painted leaves. We're all really excited about the t-shirt bags, which I think will be huge sellers....photos to come!!!
Hasta pronto....
Laura
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