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