Tomorrow is my official swearing in ceremony as a volunteer. Throughout training I have had my trusty Moleskine notebook by my side. I have taken pages upon pages of notes, but occasionally I’ll hear something that seems extra important, makes me laugh, scares me, seems notable, and a lot of times I doodle as well. I’ve decided, rather than to write some long winded e-mail that wraps up training and the wonderful lessons that I’ve learned from it, to send you all of the starred comments, highlighted quotes, descriptions of doodles, funny quotes, and important facts that I’ve jotted in the margins of my notes. I think they provide a nice window into the spectrum that has been Training for the Peace Corps Dominican Republic.
It all began on August 16th:
- Sink Water = Toilet Water
- “Maybe someone pulls a chain on your neck and you get cut.”
- La Grande, Compania de Taxi (809-545-3737) <– Least likely to rip you off
- “El hombre propone y la mujer dispone.” (The man proposes it and the woman accepts it.)
- “Amarra tu Gallina porque mi gallo anda suelte.” (Tie up your chicken b/c my rooster is on the loose.)
- 42 Million cases of HIV/AIDS, and 39 million of those exist in developing nations. Welcome to the concept of the real world. Where are we?
- Syncretism —> When cultures come together and begin to mesh traits
- “Enriquillo es un simbolo y una ensenanza.”
- “Cada Dominicano tiene el negro detras de la oreja.” (Every Dominican has black behind the ear.)
- Volunteers always mix Spanish Words into their English conversations.
- “Mas sabe el diablo por viejo que por diablo.” (The devil knows more because he’s old than because he’s the devil.)
- “Al que madruga, Dios le ayuda.” (To he who rises early, God will help.)
- “There are risks and costs to any program of action, but far less than the long range risks and costs of comfortable inaction.” -John F. Kennedy
- “Walk, talk, shake hands, kiss cheeks, make friends and open up.” -Current PCDR Volunteer
- “Si te bebes el cafe estando de pie te baraja los planes.” (If you drink coffee while standing, your plans will get shuffled.)
- “They are always going to challenge you and your work, no matter what community you go to.” -Miguel Leon (Health Sector Associate Peace Corps Director)
- “No por mucho madrugar amenece mas temprano.” (Things won’t end differently just because you got up and started early.)
- Dinamica —> Body of an Animal, Head of a Fruit
- “How do you help someone who thinks they don’t have control? Help them realize that they do.” -Anne (Health Technical Trainer)
- **Doodle of a water bottle, a Turtle and a scorpion**
- **Picture of Noah’s Arc**
- **Picture of a Dinosaur**
- Community Diagnostic never stops!
- It’s just as much about participant knowledge enhancement as for the facilitator.
- **Picture of a cockroach**
- “I always ask myself, ‘Did this encounter honor the people that I’m working with?’”
- The Cuerpo de Paz is just one giant Pyramid scheme
- “Sorry guys, I need to answer this call. I’m sending a kid to some random thing with this guy…”
- **A picture of a bar of soap**
- Structural Violence – Any political, social, economic or cultural structure that inhibits an individual or group from realizing its full potential.
- Sexo, Madre a hijo, Sangre! (Sex, Mother to Child, Blood!)
- !!!!Lead by Example!!!!
- Be aware of the barriers between info and retention AND between retention and Action.
- Always have two dinamicas in your pocket.
- Be yourself and Be awesome.
- Find people you trust and DO NOT let them go.
- “I’m german, but I’m not chocolatey”
- **Doodle of a desert**
- “You’re the crazy American. You can do what you want for 2 years. They’ll think you’re an expert in whatever you do, so just go with it.”
- “It’s easy to make fun of what Dominicans eat and do, but you’re living here and there’s a reason customs exist. You’re going to be slipping in your behaviors too.”
- Don’t have a preconceived notion that people actually want to change.
- Remember to make a set of cards with tons of pictures of food on them for fun activities
- “The Peace Corps actually discourages touching people’s butts during your service.”
- “Kids spend much more time in poop, they have developing immune systems, and malnutrition is way easier.”
- *Malnutrition, Diarrhea, Pneumonia, Measles and Malaria <— Account for 70% of worldwide childhood deaths
- “I don’t certify a home as healthy unless every time I visit, they’re all wearing shoes. It’s more about behaviors than preparedness.”
- It’s not just washing your hands and avoiding disease. We’re talking a sick child needs healthy food, should be breast fed, needs the mother to be healthy, needs the mother to be healthy before she even gets pregnant.
- “El comer bien y El cuidar al aseo son las mejores garantias para la Buena Salud.” (Eating well and hygiene are the best guarantees for good health.)
- “Hey! Y’all don’t look like dirty hippies today.”
- Always have a plan for follow-up
- VIP Latrine = Ventilated, Improved Pit Latring…not a Latrine for special people.
- *Very detailed picture of a latrine (VIP) with a pig next to it*
- Best way to discourage teen pregnancy = Focus on values
- Prenatal Care à Should be done with the least amount of technology, “La madre y el cuerpo sabe major” (The mother and the body know best)
- “Everyone knows who’s being beaten in your community. Find out fast and empower those people.”
- “Your community is an illustration waiting to be designed.”
- “It takes some sense of idiocy and lunacy to be here.”
- Never be in a hurry in the DR, nothing’s going to happen.
- *A doodle of the female reproductive system.*
- “Menthol in my eye! Ah! It’s like a minty cool burn!”
