Orientation Week Complete!

I can't believe I've been here for over a week now. Orientation is officially over! It was a very exciting, busy, and fun week, but also emotionally, physically, and mentally exhausting. We had many orientation talks and sessions, as well as trips into town to explore museums, local department and grocery stores, and to learn how to navigate the public transportation. I officially feel comfortable using a "gua-gua", a public van that you can ride all over town for only 20 pesos! My first time on my own in a gua-gua, I was one of 25 passengers... traffic and driving regulations are so different here - there are none! It's definitely a thrill, to say the least... :)

Throughout the semester, I will be volunteering at one particular service site every Monday and Wednesday morning. I am responsible for paying for and managing transportation to and from my site, so that I serve four or more hours a week. During orientation, our group visited all of the potential service sites. They consist of an orphanage for mentally, psychologically, and physically handicapped children (Hogar Lubi); a tutoring program for neighborhood children (Sala de Tarea); a daycare/soup kitchen for neighborhood children before they go to school (Caritas in Licey); a daycare/soup kitchen for children in the poorest slum in Santiago (Caritas in Cien Fuegos); a hospice/nursing home for the elderly of Santiago (Hospicio); a public school in the slum (Santa Lucia in Cien Fuegos); and a pre-school for Haitian refugee children (the Batey). In spending time at these sites this week, my strength, energy, and faith were all put to the test! Ever since I arrived, I had been asking God to work in my heart and humble me and open my eyes... and He definitely did this week... didn't waste any time! I love it though. I'm already learning and growing so much.

Although I already got sick and it has been an overcast and rainy week, we ended orientation with a bang! We took a day trip to Playa Grande, a beach on the north coast. To get there, we had to go through many streetside campos and slums in the northern mountain range of the DR. It was about a 2 hour drive and despite rain the whole way, the clouds parted and we got enough sun to all get sufficiently and unexpectedly sunburnt! I felt like I was in paradise - it was surreal how beautiful the beach was and how crazy it felt to be standing in the sand on an island in 80 degree weather in January when I would have usually been sitting in Brandeis, eating mediocre food in Omaha with 6 foot high snow drifts... I am very lucky!

Today was our first day of service and class. This morning I went to the Caritas in Cien Fuegos (100 Fires). Cien Fuegos is one of the poorest slums in Santiago, who hardly ever see "gringos" or Americanos. I wanted to check out the Caritas in Cien Fuegos because it reminded me a lot of La Colonia in Reynosa, Mexico, where I served for two mission trips with Cor Jesu my junior and senior years of high school. I longed to be back in that environment, serving that community. I spent my morning washing plastic chairs, cleaning, cooking, talking with the women in charge, and playing with the children at the daycare. Games like hopscotch, Down by the Banks, Duck, Duck, Goose, and makeshift baseball games (really stickball or handball) are big hits with the kids here! I haven't decided if this is the place I'll serve all semester or if I'll try someplace new Wenesday before I settle down at one site.

First classes today went really well... but I realize now that they weren't kidding when I heard that the academics were just as rigorous in this program! I have TONS to do already... and it's crazy to think we leave for our 10-day campo immersion after just three weeks of classes! I'm in group three for Spanish class (the most advanced), so we'll see how that goes... I have lots of projects, presentations, and cool assignments to get started on - it's definitely going to be a busy but meaningful class! I also had my first Microfinance class tonight for two hours - this one is just a three-week course. It's a very informal seminar course taught by my microfinance teacher, Juli-Ann Gasper and her sister, Jean Holt. Jean is working on her Masters in Public Health, so we're doing lots of research and interviews with local businesses and families to look at the relationship between microfinance/microenterprise/microcredit and public health! The first class was long, but very interesting, so I'm really looking forward to it. Lots of work in the next three weeks though; we start our interviewing this weekend!

Thought for the day:

"Muestra tu Bondad." Show your Goodness. God made us good and He calls us to show this to the world each and every day, in our own unique way. This is a phrase that Padre Bill, the Jesuit priest who lives at ILAC and serves as the chaplain, is very passionate about. He preached about it last week at church and he reminds us of it often! They have t-shirts with this mantra on them and they are selling like crazy at ILAC with students and staff... I want to get mine!