my site ... never in my wildest dreams!

At long last, I have received my site assignment, met my project partners, and have spent 5 days visiting where I will live for the next year. I am so excited, as the site is much more than I could have dreamt of!

I will be living, playing, and working with the people of Veron, a community 10 minutes outside of Punta Cana on the eastern coast of the country. The town of Veron sprung up quickly in the early 70’s, when the first resort was built in Punta Cana. Since that time, it has grown as more people have flocked to the area in search of work in the resorts, which now number over 50.

The second largest reef in the DR runs along this eastern coast. From the beach, I can see the waves breaking on the reef, as it is so close to shore. One of my project partners will be Reef Check www.reefcheck.org, an international organization dedicated to preserving coral reefs. I will strategize with them on community education projects and will be trained in reef monitoring, thus opening up diving opportunities to me!

In the past few days I have seen postcard-quality beaches of spotless white sand, hundreds of palms, and the unforgettable turquoise of the Caribbean. I’ve been inside amazing resorts and spas, seen the houses of Punta Cana, which include the residences of Oscar de la Renta, Julio Iglesias, and Shakira, and I ate some amazing grilled shrimp.

I also toured a lot of barrios in the area where one can see the worst of what tourism can do to area. Human trafficking, including that of children, is prevalent. The aforementioned of course, means a much higher rate of HIV/ AIDS than other parts of the country. Housing can be expensive, and many families live in one-room apartments without a bathroom. One barrio I visited has no trash service, no sewage, and no school. The people that live there are waiters, waitresses, and maids in the resorts. In this one particular area in Bavaro, outside of Punta Cana, the only school of two rooms is staffed by two women who voluntarily teach the children, 5 days a week. While touring this area we learned that there is currently an outbreak of dengue fever in the barrio.

Another project partner of mine will be the Punta Cana Foundation (www.puntacana.org). You can read the website to learn about the history of the Foundation and all of their ecological work in the area. What you will not read much about is their work in the community. The Punta Cana Foundation is committed to improving the quality of life of the people of Veron. They have facilitated the building of a Politecnico, or high school, have greatly improved the quality of the community clinic, including keeping it well staffed and supplied, and have built a sports facility in Veron. The Foundation aided a group of local community leaders in forming the Asociasion Pro-Desarrollo Sostenible (Association for Sustainable Development).

This Asociasion consists of a dedicated and amazingly passionate group of community leaders who care about their community—both its people and the environment. The Punta Cana Foundation wants to work with them to continue community development, leadership building, and community education about environmental and health issues. Hence, that’s where I come in. My role is to be a link between the two groups and to help implement projects in the coming two years. I will also most likely work to form a youth group of kids who want to protect and learn about the environment. I don’t think the next two years will be boring, as these folks have great ideas, tons of motivation, and a willingness to work.

So much of what I love about my site so far is the people. My project partners that came to welcome me in Santo Domingo are dynamic, fun and creative. This past week I spent with them was wonderful. I learned so much from them and heard their ideas on how to improve their community, I laughed really hard, and played a few great games of dominoes. They threw me a welcome party on Saturday night that included BBQ steak and chicken, yucca, and lots of bachata music. One of the group members painted me the most beautiful beach scene as a welcome gift. I couldn’t believe it!

Another fun note is this: my new host family used to live in Tampa and still has a few kids there! We joked that it’s just a kid swap—my folks can watch out for their daughters, and they’re my family here. Best of all, they share in my love for a tiny cafeteria called Ideal and think that Café Bustelo is great coffee.

Stay tuned, my life as a PCV is about to begin...