Feliz Navidad!

It has been a while since I've been able to do a little updating. But today is the day! And seeing that it is also Navidad I send merry christmas wishes to all. I have to say that Christmas doesn't seem like a big holiday here. I'm not saying they don't celebrate it, but just differently then it is celebrated in the states. They choose to celebrate by throwing parties and dancing in the street and eating tons of food. Anyway, I feel like telling a few stories. Two in particular from my journal. The first I wrote like this... The donkey came back today. It's the same one that gave me a fright the other night when I was showering out back. Out of the corner of my eye I saw some creature and was caught off guard a little bit. Once I turned to see that it was a donkey who had no idea I was naked or an idea of anything else, I was cool. So anyway, this donkey has been showing up at random times always when I'm not expecting to see a donkey. Today I was rocking away a full stomach of beans and rice when I looked up to find the donkey chomping away at our overgrown front yard. He's quite the tranquil fellow. He'll slowly raise his head and acknowledge your presence with a very unintimidating stare. So I thought, "it's not everyday a donkey comes into your front yard in the states. I should capture this moment on film." I return with my camera and not to my suprise the donkey was still there. I'm getting all these great angles of the donkey while telling him to growel like a tiger, look sexy, and other such photographic incentives. Then I hear the high pitched yell of one of my little neighbors - "Mira! Mateo tirando fotos del burro!" And not less then 1 second later Franklin aka ChicoMono (monkey boy), Mipiel (which translates to My Skin), and the crew are posing along side the burro. The donkey was such a good sport. These kids were pulling his ears, hurling themselves over his back, and playing with his neck and the donkey just kept staring with those big black eyes of his. My next little story... I picked my first coconut today! And with all the grace of a true Gringo I might add. While it wasn't all that high of a palm tree I mounted that coco tree with all the stiff awkward Americanness I could muster. My hands were pulling and my feet pushing myself up until I could wedge my bare foot behind a branch. From here I had the leverage I needed to raise my arm and reach, with my pride welling up inside, to the coco that would be my first. I cupped its' bottem with my palm and twisted until the coco's weight was too much for my outstretched hand. It fell to earth with the force to kill a man (by the way, stear clear of walking under coco trees - it would be such an unfortunate way to go - but nevertheless I heard happens). At this point I remove my foot and instantly start sliding down as the trunks of palm trees and my unaccoustomed feet combine to give me zero traction. Instead of waiting for my punishment of straddling a coco tree while slinding down out of control I choose to jump, the consequences of which seem small in comparison. My next step was to look for a Machete (a super sized knife like you've never seen) and try to immulate what I had seen Andres do the day before. You want to cut the incredibly tough fiber stuff away on one end of the coconut and leave it with somewhat of a point. The top of which is the rock hard inside shell (which contains the coco water and coco meat), halved it is often modled by drunk males thinking they have breasts. Anyway, I have a small part of this shell showing at the top of my macheted masterpiece and give it one swift wack with the machete. The next thing I know I get a heaftly load of coco water thrown right in my face. Felling like a chump I wipe the water from my eyes and look up hoping no one was watching and noticed what the American just did. Tossing my shame aside I took a seat and with both my paws holding prize, I enjoyed my coconut. I am going to upload some new picture so if everything goes alright and it doesn't take all of my morning there will be some new viewing material.

From Rags to Riches en un dia sola

I woke up in my humble abode this morning. I crawled out of my mosquito net once again to take my pan of the nights urine to the outhouse and use the bathroom. I proceed to take my shower with the hose and get myself clean because a clean body leads to a clear mind. I breakfasted humbly too with two eggs and what seemed like light mashed potatoes. I was expecting a visit from my director at the Peace Corps today. It is my third day here and she wanted to see how settling in went. Well, in short she wasn't able to come but proposed I find my way to El Seibo provincial headquarters and attend an inaguration of a new health center, which was to be inagurated by The First Lady. Have you, Hillary or Laura whichever your political persuasion you may be. For some reason I am still clueless as to what my day will hold.

So I made my way to El Seibo and said health center. OHh on the trip there I passed by a skinny old man playing a large very old guitar on his front porch. His name is Dilio and he played that old beat up guitar so raw and real! I felt like I was hearing a part of the Buena Vista Social Club in person, right there on his humble paint flaking front steps. Sorry, so upon arrival I find many people, all of which were dressed nicely and looked very important. Even I could see this. There was a tent and lots of cameras and a head table with microphones. One of the directors of the organization I will be working with was there and she figured I should meet all of these people. In an instint I proceed to go from my world of pee-pots and outhouses, and chacos and guitars, to shaking hands with really important people: Secrataries of State, the Governor, representatives of the UN and the millenium goals project, and others whose names and positions I have long since forgotten.

The First Lady comes and gives her speech and leaves. I proceed to snack and drink some amazing fruit juice thinking well and good of my short time with the big suits. The next thing I know I am being wisked away in a nice new SUV to an undisclosed location. Upon arrival I find myself at a country club with about 15 round tables set for lunch and a head table with microphones, once again. I am at a lunch-in with The First Lady! I've never been to a lunch-in in my life! Well, everyone gives their talk about the millenium goals and how the DR is realizing these. Goals like erradicating extreme poverty and hunger. After the talks The First Lady invites everyone to partake and a large line forms at the buffet. I find myself comfortably near the back but not at the very end. What happened next I really found irronic. I grab my plate to find that all the food had finished and the chefs were not scurring around to refill the containers. But this is no problem with me as I am a flexible PCV and will find food somehow. I head back to my round table and think. A significant portion of this party was left without food, at a lunch-in with The First Lady about extreme hunger. I had to chuckle a bit.

Afterwords, I shook hands with some of the important people I had meet before and others I had yet to meet. They all then jumped in their important looking SUVs and headed off to what seemed like much more important business while I walked away with my Chacos on my feet and my nap sack over my shoulder reflecting on what just happened to my day.

Two final thoughts. One observation: How would you like a job where you pull out the seat for someone where ever they go...all day every day? I was intrigued by this gentleman the whole day as he pulled and pushed in The First Ladies seat. Two thoughts actually: I would never ever have gotten this oppurtunity to have an experience such as this one in the states. The second, I'm very sorry if I misspelled words, butchered sentences, or used weird phrases in this post. My agaility with the english language is going down hill fast.

I sign off now.
Please take care.
Love from Mateo

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Well it´s hard for me to imagine that it is almost Thanksgiving back in the states. I feel like I should be having a half week at school this week then driving to Toledo for a fun filled day of eating and relaxing with the Ferner clan. Oh no! I just remembered Tina´s way to sweat, sweat potato cassrole. I was fine before this thought but now I am going to be thinking about that cassrole all week as I eat my yuca and platanos. Ahh, what a different life I had back in the states. But we will be having our own American style Thanksgiving here with all the other volunteers and PC staff. I´m really looking forward to it! There will be a 5k run, soccer and basketball tourney, and talent show all of which I plan on participating in.

Thanksgiving will be on thursday if I remember correctly and on Wednesday I will be sworn in as a Peace Corps Volunteer! I´m pretty pumped about this as I will finally get going with my work here. Training has been great and I´ve learned a whole lot about development, culture, and my job but it´s not what I came here to do. Sunday will be my first day at work and in my community and I can´t wait to begin.

Maybe I should describe a little more what my visit to Pedro Sanchez was like. Well, the first night there I was welcomed with a huge surpise party. There were probably over 200 people packed into this little community center awaiting my arrival and ready to celebrate. The excitment I felt and the welcome I got was overwhelming. I remember thiking that these people either have no idea that I am a regular kid who just graduated college or they truely don´t care who I am. They were clapping and chanting my name as I came in and I remember standing in front of them feeling both extremely humbled and like a dirty politician, all at once. I was shaking hands and kissing babies and the whole sha-bang. They even had a live band that played some traditional dominican folk music and I was requested to dance a little jig in front of the whole crowd. I sat up front feeling out of place with the important people in the community like the mayor, police cheif, and director of the local school as people were standing up and welcoming me individually. It was like no other experience I have had before. I felt important and intimidated sitting in front of my new neighbors. It´s great that they are so excited and motivated but I also don´t know what they expect from me.

Anyway, the next four days were filled with meeting so many people it made me dizzy. I was meeting Ana, her mom and dad, her tia, her 1st and 2nd cousins, the abuela, and then more cousins and nephews. If I ever want to sort things out in my head I am deffiently going to have to put a few community family tress on my bedroom wall and fill them in as I meet a new relative. Also, if you ever want to feel like a celebrity just join the Peace Corps! That is really how I felt most of the visit. I would walk down the street and people whould call me by name and invite me in to talk. It´s really incredible. One night I played chess with a neighbor across the street and I next day I´m at the basketball court and someone, who I have never met, comes up and says "I heard you lost to so and so in chess last night." I already know that whatever this gringo does will be quickly spread through all of Pedro Sanchez in a matter of minutes. And I can foresee this being a possible frustration down the road, but we will deal with that when it comes. As for now I have to get to work on some names...

Ohh, another thing I remembered that was really great about my visit. My host family has an outhouse and a shower stall next to it behind the house. I know thats not so great. But what is cool is that instead of going to the shower stall and showering in the pitch black at night I just take the hose and shower behind the house under the light of the stars and moon. What a great place to shower huh? I can´t wait to bath under the meteor showers. Oh, and the stars here really twinkle! I remember a little twinkle in the states but here the stars out twinkle anything I have seen in the states.

Alright well Happy Thanksgiving. Paz y Amor
Mateo

Home Sweet Home

Just want to do a quick post and say that I´m finally home and it feels great! Well I´m only here for a visit but will be comming back to stay at the end of November. My new home is a small village of about 2,000 strong nestled in the valley of some rolling hills. It´s Peace Corps picture perfect! I´ll write all about my warm welcoming when I get more of a chance.

The 500's

My barrio here in Nagua is called The 500's. It is one of a kind and deservidly should be refered to by a number. I had a moment a few days ago. It was one of those moments when I was walking back through the 500's from class and I realized where I was. So I got back home and sat out on the pourch to write everything I was hearing, seeing, and feeling. This is a little of what I got. Bachata and Merengue music comming from all around me. The sound of Dominos smacking and being shuffled on the board. Kids riding bikes back and forth on the sidewalk and in the street. A Grandma carrying 2 two gallon buckets to fill for water. A moto with a boombox blarring Reggeton and the driver carring bags of bread around his neck and shoulders. Mystery water splattering across the street, comming from the pvc pipe that over hangs the sidewalk. Above me, a birds nest of bootlegged wire up the electric pole. An old man walking slowly up the sidewalk. A section of the houses accross the street being painted a new shade of bright (yellow, green, pink, teal, red, and white) A warm humid breeze blowing softly through the various tropical tress across the street. Political fliers blowing gently in the breeze hanging off the the electric pole. A young girl yelling "Mateo" at me while I sit here observing. A young guys who passes on the street and greets me with an accented "how are you?" An incredible sunset that lights up the sky different shades of hot carribean red and oranges accented by purple coulds...giving way to darker blues and greys as I sit and write. Kids playing and yelling excidly in the street, most of the time unintelligable to me. 4 people deep passing by on a moto. The gazeebo made of all different types of metal, wood, car parts and appliances under which dominos are being played. Heat lighting flashing softly over the 500s.

Hoy

I think I will take this oppurtunity and do what I never thought I'd do. Talk about what I did in a day. I am doing this because my good buddy Will requested that I do so and also because other people often ask me what I do everyday. So here it goes...

I crawled out of my mosquito net today before the sun rose. Randy, a fellow volunteer who lives across the street, and I decided to go to the Perfect Body Gym this morning for some much needed exercise. I've found excerise way too few and far between here. It is hard to go for a jog because the streets are really rocky and it is very likely that I would be hit by a moto. And soccer here is played less then in the states which is very unfortunate. Anyway, I came home dripping in sweet since at 6am it was already about 85 degrees and heading for my favorite thing in the world. The Cold Bucket Shower! I think I'm getting used to it but every time my hand pours those first few drops over my head I still chring. I survived and made it to breakfast.

Breakfast was nothing out of the ordinary. Bread and warm chocolate milk. On to 4 hours of Spanish class were we discussed the rights of children and the subjuncitve tense of verbs. After countless times going over this I can finally say I have it down. Around 10am the sweat started again. Our class is in a tin roofed house and for those who have not experienced the tin roof, it heats up like an oven as soon as the sun comes out.

At 12 I headed home for a lunch of rice, chicken, and some fried corn meal. Pretty standard. My diet here is very different but that was to be expected. Green vegtibles and meat are expensive so rice and different types of roots are eaten at almost every meal. A lot of starch and carbs to fill you up. Afterwords I head across the street for a few rounds of dominos. I don't know if I've mentioned this but dominos is huge here. I swear the old guys across the street play it all day long!

At 2 I headed to my NGO intership and today we presented a talk on AIDS to about 50 people in a small rural community nearby. In the states I didn't really hear AIDS being preach that much and I don't remember when I was taught about AIDS. But here it is a very important issue. People still don't have the facts right and almost every person you talk with can tell you of a family member with AIDS.

I was home by 5. I took my book out to the front patio and read a bit. We are reading Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Fiere for training right now. It's a critique of the educational system that exists in the US and throughout much of the rest of the world. He basically says this is not allowing peole to fully become human and is keeping them unconscious of the oppresson they are suffering. Its way more indepth then that though.

And that brings me to the present. After I leave here I am headed to work on a leadership workshop we are giving to the youth leaders of the community in Nagua. Then I will crawl back into my mosquito net to rest my tired head on my pillow for a nights rest.

Buenas Noches

¡Se fue la luz!

This has become one of the most common phrases to hear in Nagua. It literally translates as "the light left" but is used when the power goes out which has just happened about 5 times during my current internet session. My fellow Peace Corps'ers and I have learned to have some fun with this phrase saying it randomly and in different tones of voice. Se fue la luz. Or se fue la luz. I just love to say it. It slides so gracefully off the tongue. Se fue la luz. Commical at times. Well maybe not commical but I have made myself laugh at it. It's also fun to hear the neighborhood when the light arrives at night. Everyone cheers.

Hurry. Post. Before la luz se va.

Adios Amigos

Saludos

Just wanted to make it known that I have put up some pictures.

But first this needs some explanation. There are not many pictures of Dominican streets or shacks or people or the other stuff of the nature that would give a wonderful visual of what life is like here. This is for two reasons. The first is selfish in that I don´t want to be flashing my camera around to let everyone know that the Gringo has a machine that looks like a space camera. Mainly to protect my camera from deciding to walk out of its home and not come back.

The second reason being a little more in depth and still something I haven´t quiet figured out how to deal with yet. I´m sure everyone would enjoying seeing what my barrio is like and other pictures of Dominican country side and maybe even the reality of poverty. It´s just that I can´t bring myself to whip out my $300 camera to capture a family sitting on their dirt porch when my camera is worth more then their house. It´s hard to take a picture of a person knowing that they most likely make 1 US dollar a day. Thats almost a years work for them to buy the camera I have in my hand. Or showing pictures on my camera to my host brother whos foremost desire is to get to Puerto Rico, in a raft. This is something that carries a lot more weight then a simple photo and is just one of the thoughts I have been thinking over.

Now I will probably end up getting over this, if its something to get over, and will have more pictures of life here but until then...

Saludos de la Republica Dominicana

My New Digs

It's day 2 in Nagua, my new home for the next 5 weeks. I'll be going through the second phase of training here, which has been dupped "community based training" by the Peace Corps. I'm relieved to get out of the rat race of the capital and the grouling training schedule we had there. Anyway, in an attempt to maximize my 20 pesos for this hour long computer session I share what I wrote in my journal yesterday.

3/10

I've been here 24 hrs and I've already seen some interesting things. I was sitting in tech training and our trainer calmly tells a group of three of us who are sitting along the wall to stand up and take three steps forward. He then throws his foot into the back of a chair, kicking it against the wall. I guess he missed what he was going for because I seen the biggest spider run across the wall. Possibly a tranchula.

On the way home I pass a guys getting a cast put on that goes from his foot to the mid thigh, with a bed at the knee. Not something you expect to see outside on the corner. I would never go to the guy nextdoor with a broken leg and let him set it in plaster to heal in whichever way he sees fit. But then it may be better to have it set wrong then live without it being set at all. I don't know. A decision I would never have to make in the US.

I was told yesterday that I had "pelo malo" or bad hair by an eight year old. It was because my hair is curly. This is really a sad fact about Dominican culture. While Dominicans are a mix of Spanish colonists and African slaves they refuse to acknowledge their African heritage. They call themselves indo-mezclado and any african traits are seen as wrong or bad. This is where the phrase pelo malo comes from. This also gets into racism against Haitians. I don't know enough yet so I will stop here.

I shaved today without a mirror for the first time every! No mirror or running water in my new house. I was quiet impressed with the results.

arlight my 20 pesos has been stretched to the limit. take care whoever is reading this.

paz y amor

Chicken Dominican Style

I'm sitting in probably the most unlikely place to be using the internet right now. Just about to head back to Santo Domingo after my Volunteer visit and wanted to share a little sumin' sumin'. This is what I wrote in my journal on the 22nd...

I could be really grossed out right now. And actually I guess I should be grossed out right now. See this is what's up. I'm visiting a real life Peace Corps Volunteer this week. Just seeing what life is really like in the PC, all the day to day kind of stuff. All I can say is that this is the Real Deal. I've realized I'm getting pampered at my host families house. I will be living this life of luxgery (well, I guess luxgery it's relative) for the next 2 and a half months until I move to my own site. This visit has just made me much more psyched to get going with my own site and own projects. Between training, my host family, and the fact that I feel about 8 yrs old when I speak Spanish I am ready to grow up and leave the nest. But anyway to the part that should have made me puke.

Me and my real life Peace Corps Volunteer went out to gather up supplies for lunch. We were able to get our hands on some beans, a few vegies, but we needed some chicken. We found some without any problem, its just that the chicken wasn't exactly where I would expect to buy chicken. We walk up to this corner and my rlPCV starts chatting it up with this lady who proceeds to whip out a whole chicken from a bag. This headless chicken had the longest neck I've ever seen. It also still had its feet, toes, and all internal organs. The lady then whips out this huge machete, takes a few full swings and chops up this whole chicken Jujitsu style. Before I knew what to think about the whole ordeal we're off with a bag full of chicken parts, including a huge chicken foot. I guess, this was all fine and dandy and would have been enough for me.

We get back home and have to prepare this chicken. We had to pull out some extra feathers, remove various organs (heart, lungs, liver, etc.), and cut up these ginormous toes into more bit size pieces. After adding the chicken to an amazing beans and rice dish it turned out to be an excellent lunch. Had I been in the states, I would have given up way before we got to the feathers but this is the DR and if I want to survive there are things I just have to not think about. Freshly killed, whole chickens with feathers and toes being one.

Welcome to The DR

I really don´t no where to start or what to even say, so I´ll just start rambling. Maybe that will be the best way to get things out. Lets see...

I can start out by telling you about my shower. I would just like to say this is not your Grandma´s bubble bath! Calling it more of a drip shower or bucket shower would be more accurate. It really consists of a limited amount of cold water that I drip over my head, wash, and drip some more to rinse. I don´t think I have been as awake in the morning as a have after a cold bucket shower. You should try it sometime. This brings me to my second thought.

I don´t think I have stopped sweating since I walked off the plane exactly a week ago. I sweat myself to sleep, wake up and sweat as I walk to training, sweat all day long, and even sweat during my cold bucket shower. It really never stops and it is quite uncomfortable, but I hear it is also great for my skin. All of us in training have all pretty much gotten use to this and are at the point where we don´t even think twice about talking to each other while dripping like a faucet.

Wow, it sounds like I am complaining about being here which is deffiently not the case so I better talk about the things I enjoy here in the DR. #1 is the people. Dominicans are special people. They are very warm and welcoming, and really enjoy to dance! We even have been learning merengue and bachata dancing in our culture classes. You have to know how to dance to survive here. Music is everywhere and Dominicans will break down and dance as soon as they hear it. It´s really great and gives the atmosphere here a wonderful vibe.

There is so much more and forgive me for getting to only a small part of it. I hope to write more soon. Take care and I miss all of my friends and family.

paz y amor
mateo

Quick Note

Well, I don't have long but I just wanted to do a small post. I'm currently in Miami and have just finished up our orientation into the world of Peace Corps, it remindes me of what I studied in my social psyc class about indoctrination. I am currently beening indoctrinated into the Peace Corps culture and it's not so bad. We are a group of 51. Most are recent college grads and a few a recent grad school grads and its been exciting and odd meeting all these new faces. I'm trying extra hard to learn names because I usually don't get names until about 5 weeks of talking to that person. I thought I better work on changing that. I just thought of this, but tonight is my last night in this country for a while. I will be jumping head first into the DR tomorrow and will be living with my host familiy the next day and everything will take off from there. What exactly everything is I have no idea. I feel this will not be the last time in these next two years that I have no idea what is going on. Guess I better cut it short as there is way to much more to say and I don't have the patience to say it all right now. Just a note, (Mom, Dad, and whoever else is wondering why I haven't been in touch) my gmail account has not been working. It may be a problem with the computers here at the hotel or something else but I'll get in touch with you asap. Alright, peace and love from the MIA.

Hasta Santo Domingo

A DR News Article

I'd like to share a piece of news I came across about the DR. It's not happy news. It's actually rather disturbing, but since I had no idea this type of thing went on I figured it would be good to clue you all in also.

Friday, August 25 Migrant slayings trigger tensions between Haiti and Dominican Republic PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) -

Haiti recalled its top diplomat to the Dominican Republic on Thursday after three Haitian migrants were beaten and burned to death in the neighbouring country, an official said. Pierre Willy, Dominique Gilberto and Paul Cinius were attacked Aug. 16 in a small suburb just south of the Dominican capital, Santo Domingo, where they worked at a furniture factory, Dominican police said. According to the Dominican Attorney General's Office, the three men, aged 19 to 22, had been drinking alcohol with a group of Dominicans at a neighbourhood store. Later that night, the Dominicans went to a house where the Haitians were staying and demanded money from one of them. After he refused, the group jumped the men, beat them, doused them with a flammable liquid and set them ablaze, the Attorney General's Office said in a statement. The men died days later from burn wounds in a Santo Domingo hospital. In response to the killings, Haiti's interim government recalled its charge d'affaires "for consultation," said Jean Daniel Lafontant, a spokesman for Haiti's Foreign Affairs Ministry. "The Haitian interim government energetically condemns these criminal acts. It deplores that such deeds have occurred at a time when significant efforts are being made to lastingly improve relations between the two countries," a Foreign Ministry statement said. The Dominican National Police said Thursday it had formed a commission to investigate the attack and find the killers. The slayings seemed likely to further inflame growing tensions between the uneasy Caribbean neighbours, which share 390-kilometre border on the island of Hispaniola.

Roll No Rocks!

Longs Peak is a ginormous mountain! It stands well over two miles above the sea, at exactly 14,259 ft....And it was dominated. Being one of the toughest 14ers in Colorado and given its height and susceptibility to afternoon lightening strikes I, along with 9 others, began our ascent at 2:00 AM. The hike begins at a little over 9,000 ft. and it totals a mere 7.5 miles; the first 5.5 miles being relatively easy for an acclimated hiker. This took us about 3 hours (this picture is taken from about this point). The next half a mile you are scrambling from bolder to bolder to reach the key hole. The key hole is were you cross from the face of Longs in this picture, to the back side where you no less then risk you life for two hours pulling, crawling, and tight rope walking the last 1.5 miles. It was at this point that I questioned my motivation for attempting this feat and realized that we were not going to get a helicopter lift off the top or find an easy way down. Cheating death, we summitted at the bright and early hour of 7:30 AM. The summit was literally breath taking and amazing and I could think of nothing better to do then take a nap! Why I climbed 7.5 miles and ascended about 1 mile high to take a nap on the jagged rocks of Longs peak, I have no idea. But that's all I wanted to do. As for the way down, I would have actually preferred to descend by continuing to go up but this was not really possible. We left the summit at roughly 9:00 AM and arrived back at our cars at exactly 1:11 PM, which was 11 hours and 11 minutes after we began. Personally, this was one of the most challenging things I have done and an experience that I think everyone should have just once.

As for Peace Corps news and happenings there is none to speak of. Just going through the formalities and paperwork (I have quickly learned it is never ending) that they require. I have also been researching and reading as much as I can about the Dominican Republic. The more I read the more happy I am with my placement and the more excited I get for that September 7th departure date. I'm learning about the geography of the DR which is the most diverse in the Caribbean. There are beaches, mountain ranges, tropical forests, and even desert. I've read about, and am interested in hearing, this type of music called "son" which is Cuban but supposidly from the Dominican originally, although "merengue" and "bachata" are the two most popular music genres in the DR. If your interested in DR news check out www.dr1.com which is an English language site or www.listin.com.do for news if you want to practice your Spanish.

Peace Corps News

Well after 4 months of dreaming of small desearted islands and scuba diving in the South Pacific I've been reassigned. My new assignment will be in the Dominican Republic! A little bit of relief and dissappointment were my first reactions. I was relieved to know that I would be speaking Spanish again (since I somehow came out with a major in it) and maybe this time it will stick. But a little dissappointed because in my mind I had Costa Rica, Equador, and then any other Spanish speaking country as my top 3 list. So I got #3 which is on the top 3 list...I guess I really can't complain. But I am complaining that I got the only hispanic country in the world where futbol isn't the national sport (this will most deffiently be the hardest part of the 27 months!)!! No but after about 6 days to think about this I am getting very excited and I think that the DR will be an amazing experience for me.

My offical job title is Youth Development Promoter and the short job description they gave me is "strengthening margenalized youth, families, and communities." I do know that this is a very new program in the DR and I have a feeling I may be part of the trail blazing group. I don't know what they will mean but I'm preparing myself for the ambiguity that will probably fill my next 27 months. What else can I tell you about this?? Oh, I'm leaving on September 5 or 6 for staging in Miami and then off to the DR on the 7th so things are approaching quickly. Leave some comments or send me some emails if you want more of the greasy details.

Peace (corps)

Mateo

A Little bLog From CO

So, first of all I'm sorry if this doesn't read like it should. For one thing I'm using my roommates laptop, who is French, and the keyboard is really messing with my head. I have to think twice before I type an A or else I'll get a Q; qnd thqt ; zqsnùt supposeded to be q ; but q ,. Get the picture; I ,eqn ?? Anyway, enough about my roommates keyboard and lets talk about me! Well, I mean I would really rather not but I guess that's what you came to hear so I'll give it to ya!

Ok, I'm in Colorado. It's sweet. The food sucks. The mountains rock. That pretty much covers it. Alright see-ya.

No, but really it is awesome here. I never realized that we had this type of geography here in the US. I keep thinking I'm in Spain on the Camino because that was the only place I have seen that could compare to the beauty that is Colorado. There are snow capped mountains in view no matter where I look. It's really awesome feeling being this high and so small and fragile compared to the rock steady mountains. I've been doing some hiking, biking, and gasping for air (more gasping than anything else) and will be going camping and rafting later this week. Do I only play all day you ask?? Ohh, no don't worry, my job deffiently makes up for all the excitement I have the rest of the time. I'm a Professional Lifeguard, which pretty much means I yell at little kids to "GET OFF THE ROPES!!" and "GET OFF HIS SHOULDERS!!" all day long (and they still come back the next day and do the same stuff I told them not to do the day before). Kids shouldn't be allowed to get away with the stuff they do! Its time for them to grow up! Anyway, I that's enough...although it barely covers half of the excitementment that is my life here at Snow Mountain Ranch, but this is my bLog and I say it's time for bed.

Ohh yeah! I went to Telluride to see mi buen amigo Will (with Berg and Laura) this past weekend and we all attended the hugely popular (at least with the pot smoking, hippy crowd) Telluride Bluegrass Festival. I mean no harm to pot smoking hippies, because they do amazing things and are amazing people too. Just read "Blue Like Jazz" for more on this subject. Anyway, lets just say 12 hours of live music makes this little boy :).

Alright, let's see if I can figure out enough French to post this bad boy...

Pictures to come (once I learn more French)

Well here's the link to some pictures....http://community.webshots.com/user/ferndinho

Late Night bLog

It's 1:24. The night before my second final and I'm wide awake. What better time is there to write my first entry? I have to say, I'm really looking forward to putting this new toy of mine to some use. I think it could be really cool. I can put whatever I want on here and you will read it. Ohh, I know you will! But what if it's just really boring and dull (like now perhaps)? Let's just hope I get some more excitment in my life...soon! I have feeling it's just around the corner. I'll let you know...
Goodnight