un dios de queso

I promise to fill you in soon on really important things (like yesterday´s Independence Day in which I saw the DR´s President live and in person), but for now, I´ll tell you something really fun--
If you know me well, then you know about my unnatural love of nacho cheese. I celebrated my birthday last year with a giant jar of nacho cheese, my friends and the beach. I expected my next few years to be void of nacho cheese. Little did I know! Today after training I went to La Sirena, a local supermarket to buy toothpaste. Upon arrival I found Tostitos doing a promotion and offering FREE SAMPLES! They were changing between salsa and chips or cheese and chips. When it was my turn in line, the lady was preparing to open salsa, but I asked ever so politely for queso instead. So, I just ate four tostitos with queso! Life is good and I relished the moment. Food here hasn´t been bad at all. In fact, I really like it. But, it is a bit monotonous. I eat a lot of yuca, plantanos, rice and beans, so queso was a fantastic afternoon snack! More meaningful things later... (maybe)

what´s in a name?

So anyone who has been around people that speak a language other than English know that sometimes it´s necessary to adjust the pronuniciation of your name. For me here, my name is Coh-leen. No problem, except that I have recently learned that one of the major manufacturors of machetes in the DR has the last name of Collin (pronounced just like my name is). Hence, if someone is having difficulty, I say ¨Coh-leen¨como la machete, and then the understand. From that, a lot of jokes have been made about how fuerte, or strong I am.
Well, a family member of my host family who sometimes visits told me upon our initial meeting that he was going to call me Coh-leen Power. Since he knows some English, I figured he was making a joke about strength. I saw him a few days ago and he said ¨Hola Coh-leen Power¨and then asked if I knew who that was. I played along and said yes, me of course. Nooooo, said he, Coh-leen Power, the guy in Washington D.C., the black man .... oh, said I, Colin Powell!

In other news, while you at home watched the Oscars last night, I had a movie-going experience myself. I saw Sanky Panky (www.sankypanky.net), a Dominican film about Sanky Pankys, or Dominican men that hang out at resorts to charm rich tourists in order to get married fo ra visa or just get money. I´ve been told that in recent years there has been a rise in Dominican cinematography. It tends to be very satirical. The film was a lot of fun, very silly. If you can get ahold of a copy at home, you should watch it. The scenes shot outside of the hotel really depict a lot of what I see daily in my barrio and at local colmados, or stores.

No hay mangos o aguacates, pero estoy bien

(There aren’t mangos or avocados, but I’m good) -- correction--I wrote this a few days ago, and have since been served beautiful avocados!
I’m so glad that I am here. The avocado and mango season is not until late summer, but I will survive, since everything else is great. So far, I absolutely love this country. The people have been so kind, machismo isn’t bad. I’m never cold. The sun shines often. The Peace Corps training program has incredible structure and excellent instructors. My host family is wonderful. My Spanish is progressing decently. Esta bien!
I think that it will take me some time to learn how to share my experiences. For now, know that I have had several action-packed days and the only way I know to share them is to offer you some excerpts from my journal:
How will all of this play out?
I feel like I connected with people today.
I am so distracted—did I pack the right things?
We are a team now…2.5 hours in the DCA airport…ran through MIA
Platanos dulces
Rabies shot #1 (we get 10 shots in total, 2 are rabies)
Hung my mosquitera (mosquito net—mandatory for malaria prevention)
Sweat
Water
Caribbean
Palm Trees!
I could see the difference between Haiti and the D.R. from the air. The DR is green.
Host family today. Dona Maria. She explained that she is my Dominican mom. If anything bothers me, I should tell her.
We have two pregnant Chihuahuas in our house—Gucci y Mimi.
Pasta y platanos.
Happiness requires positiva, says mi dona.
Hummingbird at La Entrena (our training center).
Cheddar cheese in the DR—yay!
Lots of rest, even with barking dogs, crowing gallos and merengue.
My dona sounded surprised when I told her I heard gallos last night. She said they only crow en la manana. I would guess that they are just white noise to her. When will they be that to me?
Great culture and diversity exercises at Entrena—will add to my bag of tricks.
Tetanus shot (ok, I won’t report on any more shots!)
A RPCV (returned peace corps volunteer) from the 60’s spoke with us today.
Jogging with my host cousin.
Yoga.
Frisbee with neighborhood kids—“la platillo”
Vamos a la playa! One of the first phrases I ever learned in Spanish and someone said it to me for real. WOO. After church (Catholic of course), 4 adults and 4 kids piled into a tiny car and went to Boca Chica—the beach closest to Santo Domingo. Many hours of playing in the Caribbean with lots of kids. I am “la Americana”.
Saw my first McDonald’s and Payless Shoe Source.
Ate empanadas—laughed with the dona about how hard the dough is to make. She buys it pre-made. Es muy inteligente says she. (Aunt Alice, I guess you know what you’re talking about because this dough was much much better than anything I’ve ever concocted!)
(end journal)
Today we had a transportation lesson at Entrena. We rode around the Capital with small groups, learning the norms of public transportation here. So far, I have ridden in a ”carro publica” and a “guagua”. Carro publicas are (usually) very old Camrys. The normal capacity is one driver, plus 2 passengers in the front seat and four in the backseat. Guaguas are mini-buses that fit as many as can sit and/ or stand. I am so grateful for my experiences in Guatemala that taught me a bit about public transport in Latin America. I have, however, been reminded on several occasions of the many, many differences between Central America and the DR. I have made several incorrect assumptions and have since learned the difference. I am being very patient with myself here. I have lots to learn, and luckily, plenty of time.
As you begin filing your taxes this year, smile, think of me, and know that your tax money is financing my Peace Corps experience. Thank you! For the next few months, I believe that email will be scarce. I will do
my best to stay in touch though. Amor y paz!

t'was the eve before leaving...

...and all through D.C., we repacked our bags, began forming friendships and braved the snow together to find one last Thai meal.
Our staging training is now complete and it's simply a count down. We have a very early flight and ambitious plans for the evening.
I will be in touch as soon as I can from the D.R., but have been told that especially in the first few weeks, Internet access may be scarce. I am excited and ready ... and just trying to figure out why my checked luggage equals one 32 pound bag (HECK YAH) and others have near 100 pounds of luggage and a few bags. Any idea what I forgot? I'll let you know.

Unemployment. I love it.

The past month of unemployment has been quite enjoyable. Some highlights:
-Christmas at home in Tampa with family, including a cooking extravaganza with Uncle Tony and manatee paddling and snorkeling with Robbie.

-New Year's and the week after in Palm Beach with Travis, Brian and Kristin. We paddled, dove, snorkeled, peddled, ate and laid around on the beach. I saw a turtle while diving, tons of gators in the Everglades, and an anhinga eat a fish much larger than I would have ever imagined. We watched blowing rocks on the coast, and um, well, I left there completely soaked. 4 games of Cataan were played, and I won the final, which leaves me with the title of "Queen of Cataan" for the next 2 years.

-Several days were spent in Ann Arbor, MI with my brother, Robbie. It was so cold my teeth hurt one day! Fun was still to be had. A day in Canada ended with Poutine (french fries with cheese curds and gravy), we experienced the North American Auto Show in Detriot, scraped ice off a windshield, and spent hours inside IKEA and Trader Joe's.

-From Detroit, I flew to San Diego to visit my friend Sarah. Cool things we did: tidal pools at Cabrillo National Monument, seals-- tons of wonderful seals at La Jolla Cove, saw a gray whale up-close and personal, spent a day in Mexico seeing La Bufadora (another blow hole!) and ate fresh lobster, beans, rice and a margarita on the coast.

I arrived back in Tampa for a dinner with each parent, then drove back to Jax. I'm here now, enjoying great friends and going away parties.
Ahh, transition. I can't complain though--I often sleep 'til 8:30 or 9:00 now, go to yoga classes with soccer moms at noon, and have been eating all the brie and dark chocolate I desire.

Last day, first day

My final day as a Volunteer Program Specialist for Community PedsCare was on Friday. I am so grateful for the opportunities that I have had with the program. First as a volunteer for a few years and then in a full time position, it was an honor to work with the children, families and staff. Leaving the office at 5:00 was surprisingly difficult. My final act as a VPS was to visit the hospital to say goodbye to a patient that I had worked with. She has taught me so much about making things happen for yourself. She inspires me to take advantage of every day.
On that note, Friday concluded a phase of my life, although a 9-5 phase, it was still a really great phase. What begins today is my preparation for Peace Corps service. In 8 weeks I will travel to the Dominican Republic! From now until February 13, I will soak up quality time with my family and friends.

If you have a minute and are curious, check out http://www.peacecorps.gov/ for answers to FAQ's. I'll also answer a few here:

How Long? 3 months of training, plus 2 years.

When? I leave for staging on February 13, 2007, will be in the DR by Feb. 15.

Why? Always wanted to live in another country, experience another culture, master another language. Plus I'm not so sure about a desk job.

Why the DR? Peace Corps placed me and I'm thrilled because I had asked for either a Spanish-speaking country or an island ... I got both!

What will you do? Some type of environmental education. It will be more defined once I'm there. Stay tuned to the blog to see how it unfolds.

Where will you live? With a host family for the first 3 months, after that, your guess is as good as mine.

Are you excited? Um... YES!