I realize that most of my blogs have been reflections of my service here and anecdotes about the more interesting aspects of my daily life. However, I have not shared my day-to-day, hence the purpose of this post.
8:00 to 8:45 AM – Wake up, sometimes to an alarm, sometimes naturally. Normal bathroom routine.
8:45 to 9:15 AM – Eat breakfast: Strong Dominican coffee with milk, bread (sometimes toasted, sometimes with peanut butter), fruit, vitamin pills, anti-malarial profilaxis (once a week).
9:15 to 10:15 AM – Do my business on the internet: research, send out emails (business and personal), read some news, post blogs, etc. etc.
10:15 to 10:30 AM – Walk to the Centro Tecnologico Comunitario (CTC), which can be an adventure (Read the “Awkward” blog about the various obstacles).
10:30 to about 1:00 PM – Hang out at the CTC. Right now, I am in the diagnostic phase of my service. My job is to snoop, get answers to my questions. I have been talking with teachers, the administrator, attending a few meetings in the community, designing my diagnostic plan, creating instruments (surveys for interviews… ah, I feel so academic), and speaking tons of Spanish.
1:00 to 1:15 PM – Walk back home. It’s usually burning hot at this time, and I have to walk up huge hill to my house. Very hard.
1:15 to 3:00 – Lunch and siesta time! Yay! I usually help myself to healthy portions of the “bandera” (traditional meal here… rice, beans, chicken, salad, and sometimes plantains. Yum!! My Doña is an excellent cook. One day, I’ll take pictures.). After lunch, I retire to the porch with a Dominican coffee and a good book. Usually, I’ll talk to our pet parrot (named “Cuca”). Lately, I’ve been knitting too. At times, I’ll take a nap. I love very relaxing siestas.
3:15 PM to about 6:30 PM – Walk back to the CTC and then more snooping. Many times, I have meetings with the administrative committee or the employees of the center. Sometimes I observe classes. Sometimes I just get information. Yesterday, I helped teach 2 classes – one computer class and one English class. Let’s just say I was more successful in the English class.
After 6:30 PM – I usually sit on the porch and “compartir” with my family for a while and whistle at Cuca. If there is still light out, I’ll read. Then there’s dinner, more “compartir-ing” with the family by moonlight, a cold bath (though during this time of year, quite refreshing), and a good movie in my mosquitero.
By Midnight – I’m sleeping safely in my mosquitero and the house is quiet, aside from a humming fan and some serenading frogs outside.
At the playa.
My Peace Corps PR shot. Taken during a walk with my sisters.
Caballos!
Walking with my sisters
My new friend, "La Cuca." He's said my name once.
