Happy December!

Written 11.25.2009
Thanksgiving…new puppies…and experiences…
I have been looking forward to Thanksgiving week for 21 days and it is finally here! Though it did not start off as I had anticipated, that doesn’t mean it isn’t going to be a great 4 days. Indeed I lost my Peace Corps best friend to the states and it will be hard adjusting to not having that one person to talk to every night that can understand and relate to everything that I am feeling and saying. Still, somehow I know that I will learn and grow from this and add it to the long list of Peace Corps- DR experiences that have and continue to challenge me, and essentially, at the end of the day, help me become just a little bit stronger… wiser…
Which brings me to Essence! My new puppy! This morning while I was taking care of some errands at the PC office, a fellow PCV came in with a cage full of puppies that she brought from her site to save them from being someone’s campo dinner. In the midst of puppy cage havoc full of varying volumes of barking and aimless attempts to escape from the cage, one puppy abstained from this behavior. Not only was she the smallest of the bunch, but as the rest of them barked and moved around in all sorts of directions, in the background laid a teeny tiny honey colored pup, tranquil as can be.
I took her out of the cage and held her in my arms. Something just felt right about this. Even though I wanted to tell Kaitlin at that instant that she had one less puppy to find an owner for, I withdrew from my impulse and told her that I would let her know by the afternoon. As I made my way to the computer lab upstairs my mind was already thinking of possible names for her. Only one name really came to mind – ESSENCE – the very soul, spirit, and fundamental nature of someone; or something. Most of us spend our entire lives trying to figure out and solve…to really understand why something is the way it is.
Reaching that moment of “Ah” – and successfully breaking down the subject matter, whatever it may be (love, life, yourself, calculus problem, etc) down to its core – is rewarding. Challenging?
Yes…impossible? No such thing
So, my mission here for the next two years (for the rest of my life really) is to search inward, outward, and all around to reach the essence of everything that I will do here. I will do so openly and humbly.
Essence came into my life at a very crucial point in my service. Sometimes I think that I may need her more than she needs me. This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship!



Happy December
Written December 1 2009
Whoa… I have been at my site for one month now! Its December! just yesterday it was Thanksgiving. Time…you just fly by! Two days ago I went to La Sirena to get Essence her bed and some shampoo. She is so smart. She goes straight to her bed whenever shes tired or is going to sleep. I am trying to train her not to bite my toes (she really likes to do that!) and that she can’t sleep with me on my bed. This morning she barked and scratched so that I would pick her up and have her lay with me. I didn’t let her and now I think she is upset with me. I opened the door this morning and she refused to leave the room. Every time I’d walk into the room shed get up from her bed and her body away from me. I hope she doesn’t stay upset too long.
Today I am working on my seasonal calendar and community map with the help from my community partners. Yesterday was such a weird day. I didn’t want to do anything. I didn’t want to see or speak to anyone here. I just wanted to be alone…with Essence of course! It’s crazy how one day can be so low and the next day can be great. Today I am feeling a lot better. I feel good, motivated, and ready to work. I will admit, it has been a little rough getting used to my site again after being in the capital for 4 days. Everything was so comfortable there. Being with all of the other volunteers just made me feel at home. When I arrived back to my campo on Saturday, it was almost like starting anew again. Which let me just say, is not a good feeling. But I am glad to say that I am getting back into the groove of things again.
I am really just trying to change my outlook on this experience. All along I haven’t been looking at this as my job. I’ve been so busy just trying to adjust and get by without totally stressing out that I have lost sight of my purpose here. I am here to help the community by creating sustainable development through English/arts/etc classes, presentations on health issues (and other issues), sports clubs, and other educational and social activities. I am here not only to teach people, but to learn from them. I am here to listen to what they need to make their community better and do everything in my power to help make that happen. My community wants English classes, a youth center, arts classes, help with documentation, a sala de tarea, a girl’s group, an Escojo group, a reading club, and oh yea, they want to build a community center! I am excited that they are so motivated to help with the progress of their community but sometimes it just feels like they forget that I am just one person and that development is a time consuming process, which doesn’t happen overnight. Sometimes I have to remind myself of all of this as well. Today, I see clearly. I feel good, I feel comfortable with why I am here, and optimistic about all I will do. I’ll just end with saying that Peace Corps wasn’t lying when they said this would be the hardest job we’ll ever love.