Savage in the DR!: Happiness is...

Running through the Dominican countryside, dogs trailing behind, with a good friend at sunset, listening to powerful music, and breathing it all in...

Mailing Address

For letters and PADDED envelopes (please do not send boxes, if possible, b/c customs duties can be very expensive; also please put post cards into envelopes), here is my capital mailbox:

[My name, PCV]

Cuerpo de Paz

Av Bolivar 451, Gazcue

Apartado Postal 1412

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

To deter any thieves or slow postal processing, please draw crosses and write "Dios" on the package. If the contents are for "religious purposes," I will probably get it faster.

Please do not send anything by express door-to-door services (FedEx, DHL, UPS, etc.)... They end up in customs anyway and cost a lot of money to retrieve.

Finally, it is a good idea to confirm the address with me before sending anything. I have an alternate, faster address, so please contact me if you would like to use that one instead. Otherwise, I usually go to the capital about once a month for business.

DR Glossary

Terms you will see me refer to frequently in this blog

***PEACE CORPS TERMS***

Training - 10 weeks of language, cultural and technical training

Trainee - someone who is currently in training

CBT (Community Based Training) - five weeks of technical training in a smaller group and another town (for me, I will be doing IT training)

Volunteer - once the Trainee has passed training, he or she will be sworn in a special ceremony as a Volunteer

Peace Corps - abbreviated PC

Site - the town where I will be living for 2 years after training

Diagnostic - During the first three months, I'm required to perform an investigation of my community and the technology center where I work. It's rather indepth with lots of interviews, observations, and inventories.

***DOMINICAN TERMS***

Campo - basically the rural areas here (we say the ¨country¨ in the U.S.)

Guagua - small bus and the main form of transportation

Gallos - roosters.... they're everywhere!

Chisme - gossip; quite a beloved past time here in the DR

Viveres - the starches that are the base diet here - platanos (plaintains), yucca, batata (green potatoes), etc...

Doña - the matron and heart of the family and usually a highly respected member of the community. Doñas work tirelessly for their families, they will take you by the hand, they're towers of strength, and they're usually in the know.

Confianza - a really important concept here. It's the trust that you develop with people here after several cups of coffee, games of Dominoes, dancing, or just hanging out. Once you have confianza with someone, you're in.

Compartir - literally "to share" in Spanish, but here it really means hanging out - sitting together, chatting, enjoying each other's company

Rubia - my second name... literally means "blonde female," but here it also means "blanca" (or white) as well.

Dios - God. He is everywhere here to be sure. He is responsible for everyone's well-being and He is also the reason why things don't happen at times. Some favorite expressions: "Si Dios quiere," "Gracias a Dios," or "Ay, Dios mio!"

A Note About This Blog

Yo! Help Haiti!

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Happiness is...

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