Lets Celebrate

It’s been two straight days of graduations here in Pedro Sánchez and my camera is spent. It told me so. And my arm is feeling a little pulled out of its socket from everyone grabbing it and dragging me to the nearest free section of wall to pose horribly (Dominican sexy) while I throw them a picture. Today I slipped out early of the graduation turned beauty pageant turned dance show. It was sponsored by the secretary of the woman to celebrate the 30 or so women who completed a beauty salon course. I wondered if the lady that came from the capital really wanted these 15 year olds taking it over with their Brittney Spears schoolgirl costumes and reggeaton dance moves. But I dipped before my 512 memory card was able to be filled with photos of both young and old women in graduation togas with one hand on their hip and their torso kind of twisted, like an S maybe. I sometimes laughed out loud on purpose while framing them up in the LCD. Just to get them to break that stare they had going on. Kind of like they wanted to make love to my camera. Maybe that’s why it’s spent.

I also came way too under dressed to this one today. Not much unlike many of the other functions I attend in this country though. I guess I still need someone to remind me to put on nicer clothes and shave. But at the same time the nicest clothes I have here can’t even compete on the Dominican level. Even in the campo. I signed up for the Peace Corps and thought it was all about hippy style right? Wrong. Peace Corps should put a disclaimer on the DR info page about this one for people like me. I really shy away from all kinds of fashion or formal wear, opting always for comfort and practicality. Pants or a suit in the Carribean isn´t comfortable or practical but this wont fly here. I still fight it. Detrimental as it may be to the whole work realm of my life here. It’s one reason I prefer hanging out with my muchachos all day. I can wear my play clothes around them and would be able to fit right in, if only I would roll around in the dirt for two seconds after I put them on. I always love the look I get when someone finds out I graduated from college. It’s not the “wow you must be intelligent” look but the “You? You don’t look like a professional” If they only saw a college campus. I take this as a great oppurunity to share cultures.

This is all just a reflection of what this culture values. It’s all about outward appearances here. And it doesn’t stop with personal appearances either. It extends from extravagant graduations to the importance placed upon an ID card. You may laugh but the first thing they want to do when some type of group is forming is make sure everyone is identified with a carnet. I had a group organized to help me organize a sports tournament and they all thought they should have identification for this. Even spending more effort on getting this organized then they did helping me organize the reason for their identifications.

I walked into a family’s newly built house the other day and was surprised. This house was way nice by American standards. But I knew this family was just sleeping two or three kids to a bed the other month in a wooden and tin shack and probably aren’t any richer now to feed themselves any better. Got some money from somewhere and put it into this mansion. Still dirt poor but living in a mansion. Something is wrong with this thinking. And I don’t think it can be justified by cultural differences.

But anyway, things are rolling well. Had our one year IST the other week which was a great time to reflect and regenerate and motivate with the rest of the YDC (youth development crew). I’d love to give a little summery of my little first year PowerPoint I shared with the gang and my bosses. Maybe next time. Or maybe I’ll see if I can put it on here. It was great to see what everyone else had going on this first year in their communities also. We threw around some great ideas to bring back to our communities.

I’m looking forward to another Dominican Christmas here. I’ll be spending the 24th, their main celebration day here, filling myself with all kinds of good stuff at two different family’s homes. Then on the 25th I’ll get together with some other volunteers nearby to have a Mexican Christmas. I guess if you can get snow you might as well make guacamole and salsa and drink margaritas or coronas (if we can find them). So Merry Christmas and until the next time, when I will hopefully give you a recap of the Shakira concert I will be so unashamedly attending this Tuesday. I’m so pumped!

Cheers y Feliz Navidad!