Cynthia, the Only Other Female Peace Corps Volunteer Over 50 in the Dominican Republic, Visits My Site at Villa Mella

Thanksgiving Day, Peace Corps hosted a Dinner and Talent Show at the Hotel BQ in Santo Domingo. My day was wonderful, because I spent it with Cynthia Cowgill, Peace Corps Volunteer serving in Dajabon. Cynthia and her husband, Ricardo, are Environmental Volunteers working on building stoves and water sanitation systems on the Frontera. Cynthia and I had plenty to talk about. Peace Corps states that the average percentage of older volunteers is 7% worldwide. As the only two older female Peace Corps Volunteers in the Dominican Republic, Cynthia and I concluded that the percentage of Volunteers over 50 is much smaller than the international average. There are two male volunteers in the DR at this time over 50. I've been told there care approximately 170 Peace Corps Volunteers in the Dominican Republic at this time. So there are 4 out of 170 Volunteers over 50!

Peace Corps is a strong Youth Culture here in the DR. Everyone here in the Youth Corps is very, very young, most under 25 years old.  Peace Corps has been lonely and frustrating for me at times.  It has been quite delightful to share perspectives with another mature woman, since both of us have decided to leave all that was familiar and bring the fullness of our life experience to the Peace Corps.

This week Cynthia and her husband have been in Santo Domingo while Ricardo completes a language course. Cynthia came out to Villa Mella on the Metro and we spent a marvelous day together at my site! We started out in the morning at the therapy group for the girls living here at the Hogar Renacer. Marcela, one of the Hogar's Psychologists, asked each of the young girls to introduce themselves to Cynthia. In turn, Cynthia introduced herself. Cynthia and I spent the rest of the morning happily chatting away! Others seemed surprised to hear me speaking rapidly and fluently in my own language. I don't think anyone here thought I was capable of speaking in any manner other than rather slowly and with deliberation! It was great to be seen with a friend, rather than on my own all of the time.  Staff and girls alike welcomed the other "Americana Madura" with great warmth! And  Marcella took this photo of the two of us together in her office.

After almuerzo, the lunch served here at the Hogar, Cynthia and I went over to visit my host mom as well as a neighbor who is Community Contact here in Villa Mella.  My Community Contacts Candida Rodriquez and  her husband, Javier "Tiko" Rodriquez, had located an apartment nearby that they wanted me to look at because of knowing that I was chomping at the bit to get out of my current host family situation. What a thrill for me that Cynthia was able to come with me and my Community Contacts that afternoon for a view! Turns out the apartment is quite lovely and after the holidays, I'll be moving out of my host family's residence and living on my own. Not only were Cynthia, Candida,  and Tiko, along to view my new abode; the Social Worker (another Community Contact) and Psychologist came along. What an amazing experience of support I enjoyed that day.

These two photos are taken at the home of Javier and Tiko Rodriquez. Candida, Cynthia, and Dulce Maria Cruz Jimenez, the Hogar Renacer Social Worker and my Community Contact, appear here.

All three of these women are pictured above, in front of a Nativity Scene at the home of Candida and Javier Rodriguez.

Many group activities at the Hogar lately have revolved around the approaching holidays, of course. The Hogar Renacer will be closed three weeks around the holidays so that staff can have some much needed rest. Still the closing strikes me as very sad for the girls. I find myself wondering, who gets kicked out of their home during Christmas unless they are poor or have been found to have been abused, and are thus stigmatized? Some of the girls will go to their families for the three weeks, and these families are in general not happy ones. Others will go to Conani, an institution here in the Dominican Republic not favored by these girls, at least according to what I've heard.

Two weekends the  women from the BankReservas came to teach the girls how to bead and fasten clasps on their own necklaces and earrings, an experience I found very delightful. The girls were thrilled by the gifts they received at the end of the second weekend, which included caps and t-shirts advertising the BankReservas. I was less than thrilled to see the girls wearing  blatent marketing messages on behalf of the Bank given as "presents" from the bank. Corporate Greed is everywhere folks, especially in Third World Countries! The women (Bank Employees) who came to be with the girls for two weekends were very warm and generous, and I loved them!

Another Group, organized by a Dominican woman living in Miami and her aunt, living here in Santo Domingo, held a day's outing at the Parque Mirador last week on behalf of the Hogar Renacer. The photo below shows the girls participating in the Girasoles outing with their gifts:

The day at the Hogar Renacer I enjoyed most lately was one in which I baked Gingerbread Men! I didn't have a mold, so made a pattern of a Gingerbread Man and cut each man out by hand. The recipe was a little heavier on the molasses than recipes I've used in the past, which made forming the gingerbread men more difficult than I anticipated. The Cook here at the Hogar laughingly told me that the men were not hombres, but "Tigres." I brought the girls into the kitchen, one at a time, to decorate their own Gingerbread man. Below are photos of the girls and Gingerbread "Tigres."

These photos are of Nydia, the very loving Concinera here at the Hogar Renacer, along with the girls!

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I'll leave off with these two photos of Gingerbread Tigres and Gingerbread Cookies! Last week I went to the Santo Domingo IKEA store, where I found some Gingerbread Men and other Cookie Molds. Next week I'm making more cookies.

Aside from cookie making, I've been busy here at the Hogar Renacer teaching English classes twice a week, and conducting interviews with staff as part of the "Community Diagnostic"  (not a term I find endearing) Peace Corps advocates Volunteers complete in the first three months of being on site. The first week of February, all of of us in the Youth Sector will be getting together to share our findings. Our community Partners participate in this two day retreat as well.   Everything I've heard about the Three Month Retreat, (or IST, as Peace Corps terms this event) has been positive. Presentations will be short, as twenty minutes in allocated each Volunteer and their Partner, and I plan to do my best, learn from the presentations of others, and enjoy the experience. My Spanish is getting better every day, which is the main thing, and I am really happy about that.

Other highlights of the last few weeks have included attending the Circus du Soleil, as well as the performances of Latin Musicians Marc Anthony, Marc Antony Solis, and Chayanne in Santo Domingo. Dominicans all know all the words to every song and sing along with each cancione. I enjoyed watching them as much as I enjoyed the stars themselves. Additionally, I'm going with my Spanish teacher, Patria, to see Dominican Bachata Legend (or The King, as he likes to be called), Romeo Santos, December 15!