I am here! (Safe and happy)

I have finally arrived in the Dominican Republic! After over a year of applying and planning for this grand adventure I have made it to this beautiful country. I still cannot believe that I left at 7 am this past Tuesday morning. In some ways it feels like I have been here for years! There are so many people that I have met and feel like I have known for years. Even writing this I am having a hard time collecting my thoughts and organizing them in the correct order because I have experienced and learned so much these last few days!

So.... Let's start with the arrival. I left from the Minneapolis/St. Paul airport on Tuesday morning. I had not been able to sleep very well in over a week previous to boarding that much anticipated plane. I was both so excited as well as all-consumingly nervous. When saying my last goodbyes (or "see-you-later"s) to my friends and family at home I found myself losing my thoughts and staring off into space because of the many thoughts that were contantly running through my head. Did I pack batteries for my flashlight? Should I bring shorts or not? What should I get my host families as thank you presents? Even though I had checked and double checked my packing list at least three times over, I understandably still had fears of the unknown adventure that lay ahead of me for 27 months. Before leaving the United States and during most of training I did not know what to expect. These are the things that I did know... I was going to the Dominican Republic for 27 months. I was going to work in the health sector likely with HIV/AIDS and sanitation education and communication with mostly women of the Dominican Republic. I would likely not live with much/any electricity or running water while I was abroad, but I also knew that the Dominican Republic has an excellent reputation for Peace Corps volunteer service and the Peace Corps did not want anything to happen to me. I did not know much else specifically to my service besides these few points.

Ultimately, I was extremely nervous and excited. I arrived at the airport and lucky was able to meet two other girls from Minnesota going to the Dominican Republic to serve with me, which was comforting. With no layovers we arrived in Miami for "staging". Staging for the Peace Corps, at least what I experienced, includes the group of volunteers serving in the same country and time as you to meet, participate in ice breakers, relax after a stressful day of traveling, prepare your last goodbyes in the United States, and learn a little bit about what your service will entail and what the Peace Corps expects from you for the next two years. Following staging, my group of 42 amazing men and women woke up around 5 am to catch a ride to the airport and take a short flight from Miami to the Dominican Republic. I am so incredibly greatful for so much of my trip so far, but I am extremely grateful to have 41 other adults to be able to share nearly the exact same fears and excitements that have filled my head and my heart for over a year!

My group nearly filled the plane to the Dominican Republic and as we were lifting off I was sharing with others how "This is finally happening! I can't believe it!". It starting become more and more real and less like a dream. From that moment on honestly my hands started to quiver slightly and did not really stop until yesterday after I was able to feel more comfortable in my situation. At times when I stood up I even felt light headed slightly from my nerves.

I felt like a young student again. I was filled with an awe of the unknown, with a nievity of much of the aspects of the culture of the Dominican people and my many of the details of my life for the next 27 months. I was reminded of my arrival to my thrid grade class. I had never visited the "upper campus" of my elementary school. When arriving to my third grade class in a totally new building than my kindergarten-second grade classes and a building filled with older/bigger kids no less, who I assumed knew everything, I sat down in my assigned chair in the classroom. Recently, I had just bought new school supplies for the brand new year and they were in a plastic target bag at my feet. Because I was so nervous about my new campus and class, my legs were shaking violently and consequently the plastic bag obnoxiously was shaking and making loud noises. The teacher stopped the class briefly to even ask what the noise was. Upon arriving in the Dominican Republic I identified very closely with my newly third-grade self.

After tonight I will have been living with my welcoming, patient, and kind host family for two nights. I sleep under a misquito net as to help prevent against malaria, Dengue, and Chikunguya. I am super fortunate to have electricity and even wi-fi available to me in my home. I do not have running water at my host families house, but cold bucket showers are much desired after a hot day drenched in my own sweat. My host family, who I will live with for the next two months is too good to be true. My family consists of mi mama, mis dos hermanas, un perrito, y un bebe (my mother, my two sister, a puppy, and a baby).

During the day, when I am at the training center for the Peace Corps, I am learning about staying safe, how to be the most effective volunteer I can be, and practicing my Spanish skills. Luckily, I have felt more confident in understanding when other speak Spanish than I had expected, but I am still fairly shaky on speaking myself, although I am improving and I know that I have a lot of time to learn and immerse myself in the culture and language. Also, in the Dominican Republic, many people speak very quickly and with an accent unfamiliar to me, where people often drop "s"s for example. In total, I am learning so much and literally every minute I am feeling like I am at least learning new Spanish or learning how to better use the Spanish I already know.

Lastly, the food is excellent here. I had heard before arriving that the Dominican Republic does not have very flavorful foods, which I was very nervous about because even though I really eat anything and love all foods and I have recently started to eat meat again, I love as much flavor I can get on my food (salty or spicy especially). The Dominican diet mostly consists of beans, rice, and chicken or pork. I have been able to eat a surprising amount of vegetables since I have been here which I am so excited about as well as spagetti and coffee and hot chocolate. Also surprisingly, I have not eaten much fruit since I have been here, which I thought would be a daily consumption, but I have eaten fried plantains, which I love! I look forward to trying fresh mangos and avacados here in the future and many, many other meals like mangu (mashed plantains).

Overall, I am here. I am safe. Thank you so very much to my unbelievable amazing family that helped send me off. I have already read some letters and the jewlery, gifts, even texts, etc. that you have given me have made me feel so loved and so much more confident and comfortable here.

As always, please feel free to message me on this blog or email me with questions or comments. I am hoping to not use my computer too much and especially after I leave this first host family, either for other training sites or for my permanent site, I likely will not have regular electricity or wi-fi accessibility. So, I am going to try to keep blogging regular, every Friday evening perhaps. While doing my homework for training and reading the Peace Corps manual for the Dominican Republic, the Peace Corps described the word "vivencia" as "to experience something to its fullest. Perhaps it is cleshee because I took this word directly from the manual, but I truly try to live my life like this, living life every day to its fullest and experiencing everything I can to fullfill myself and those around me. I hope to expecially practice this lifestyle while living in the Dominican Republic. 27 months sounds like a very long time, but I am awake tomorrow for 16 hours and I want to make the most of every one, whether that is sitting silently with my host mom, not knowing what to talk about, or brainstorming a grand secondary project for my future health world in the DR, I hope to appreciate this amazing gift of time I have been given.