For the first two days of training (meaning staging then the first official day), the theme was planes. Planes to take us to and from DC to the Dominican Republic. Planes to take us away from what is familiar to someplace new and exciting. Planes to lead us to the next 2.25 (or more) years of our lives.
I arrived to Washington DC after two short flights and not a lot of sleep. I was tired, hungry, nervous, but most importantly I was excited. At the luggage claim I spotted a familiar looking blue folder, another PCT. A taxi drive later, we arrived at our hotel where we meet others like ourselves – all exchanging hopes, fears, backgrounds, and filling out last minute paperwork.
Icebreaker after icebreaker and activity after lecture, we finally became true PCTs (one activity was the Dot game that my middle schoolers and I facilitated for their peers). We were then sent out for our last meal, which for me consisted of sushi and plum wine. A few more hours of sleep and we were all awake and checked out of the hotel by 2 am. We spent what seemed like days in the DC, and Miami airports and waiting in lines. And then the five words we have all been waiting for…
Bienvenidos a la Republica Dominicana! We were warmly welcomed by PC officials and current volunteers (and not to mention the weather). Everything went smoothly with only one lost piece of luggage that was recovered the next day. Then all 59 of us crammed into about 3 busses (GuaGuas) and were whisked away to the Retreat center. More orientations, shots and food lead us to the finally of our first day in the Dominican Republic (i.e. Santo Domingo).
The next morning, right after breakfast, we got back into the GuaGuas and went to the training site where we had a full day scheduled. We were then able to meet our host families which felt like an auction because the families were eyeing us looking for their child while we all stood in front of the room nervously, hoping that we wouldn’t be picked last. It is there that I met my Doña (host mother) and realized that I live directly across the street from another PCT who is from Michigan. (You may begin to sing “It’s a small world after all.”)
My host family is great. I get wonderful food to eat, a nice room with a fan, and the water/electricity situation isn’t bad at all. I actually enjoy bucket bathes. (Megan, we toss the toilet paper like in Peru and Ecuador). I have countless hermanitos (little brothers and sisters) and have taken up playing with them, singing karaoke, and teaching English, as long as they help me with my Spanish (which they do). I am also learning how to play dominos and dance Bachata y Merengue.
At the Entrena (training facilities) the information keeps flowing in. We collect more and more papers and information that we can hold. However, it is all necessary, informative and at times fun. We spend about 2.5 more weeks here in Santo Domingo, and then we are off to the campo (country) where we will be separated by groups. I will be with the other Youth, Family and Community Developers (YFCD) – there are 25 of us, the biggest group so far.
The other day we went to the Colonial Zone to get accustom to Santo Domingo and the transportation system. Everything thing was going well, meaning we didn’t get too wet in the downpour that occurred, until we tried to go back home. A bunch of us got on GuaGua 10B back to Pantoja and after a few minutes of driving our GuaGua tried to pass some other cars…And we got stuck in about 2 feet of water at a sideways incline. I was in the third row from the back and was not sure of what was going on other than we were stuck because it stalled and then the driver was having difficulty shifting, thus leading to the transmission to start smoking. Then another GuaGua tried to push us out, but that didn’t work either. So we all got off and waited for another 10B to come by so we all could get home.
This coming Thursday through Sunday, we will be visiting Volunteers at their sites. I will be headed up to Baoba (somewhere in the north near the coast). Wish me luck that I will be able to find my way there and back again.
