Gracias a Dios

            57= Number of active (i.e. not yet scars) mosquito bites covering my body. 2= Number of current semi- infections from mosquito bites. O Dios Mio. Hay mucho.  However, the odds seem to be in my favor, obviously not regarding the plethora of mosquitoes, but given the relatively few infections from these mosquitoes in light of my crazy skin sensitivities. I did wake up one day this week and fear I had a staph infection. Some doñas insisted it was a centipede bite or a spider bite, but alas, it was only an infected mosquito bite. Gracias a Dios. I have also been battling a cold/ cough duo this week. I showered in the evening (I use the word “shower” loosely. I actually poured a bucket over my head and washed my hair). My hair was wet when I went to bed, similar to how it is every time I wash my hair (I’m a night washer). When I woke up, I had a cold, that later turned into whooping cough-esque symptoms. My doña insisted it was because I went to bed with wet hair, and continued to tell the whole town why I was sick, muttering under breath how she told me not to, how I need to wash my hair in the day, how I can’t wash my hair at night, how she knew I was going to get sick…So now I get scolding looks from her every time I cough or sneeze. On top of being sick, I feel like I am about 4 years old, but without the coddling that a sick 4 year-old would typically receive. She made me some limonada to help me feel better, so I think I am back in her graces. Gracias a Dios. In light of the aforementioned ailments, I feel pretty good today, and hope to feel even better tomorrow, si Dios quiere.

      To set the mood, I am writing this blog with a headlamp on (la luz se fue), sitting on my bed in the dark, tucked into my mosquitero, bobbing my head to the Pentacostal/ Evangelical church screaming singing. Also, I wanted to include some of my daily vernacular in the paragraph above, clearly influenced from my Evangelical community.

O Dios Mio= O My God, You don’t say, What the h*ll (ironically enough), and a bunch of other meanings. It is used as in English but is more common here. The preachers use it; the Evangelicals use it; the children use it.

Gracias a Dios =“Thank God,” but it is used after nearly every sentence. I had a super Dominican moment the other day when someone asked my how I was doing, and my automatic response was, “Bien, gracias a Dios,” all in one breath.

Si Dios Quiere= if God wants/ God willing. This is also used commonly here, and after plans are made, this is thrown in, signifying uncertainty or blatant doubt about the plans that have been made. Por ejemplo, a conversation might go like this. Person 1, “Quires ir a la iglesia mañana?” (Want to go to church tomorrow). Person 2 responds, “Sí, claro, si Dios quiere.” The actual translation is more like “God-willing,” but the implied message is “Probably not.” It is a pretty good noncommittal response to any obligation presented. Who can argue with God?

     

      I went to visit my first batey today, and visited with three other volunteers. It was my friend’s birthday so we went to surprise her in her batey. We brought her a piece of bizcocho, 2 packages of Cracker Barrel sharp and extra sharp cheese, a wheat baguette, 3 Fuji apples, and Hershey Kisses. Pretty sweet birthday package J We went into the sugar canes, and the men (our husbands and a boy from the batey) hacked us some sugar cane, which we happily ate. The cane fields were amazingly beautiful. They kind of looked like corn fields in the Midwest, and the grasses looked like “amber waves of grain.” All this breadbasket nostalgia, and I was born and bred in Arizona. There was a slight breeze, some clouds, and all in all, it was a pretty amazing sight and experience. I will try to post a picture of me holding a machete in my teeth, and of Dominic and I on a motorcycle together, with our helmets on (like good Peace Corps volunteers), cuddling with our motoconchista.

      This week is Thanksgiving, so we are going to go to the Capital, and Peace Corps is having a dinner and festivities all for a pretty penny. I am excited, though I will be jealously thinking of all of you in the states, more for the fact of the leftovers rather than of the actual meal. I love Thanksgiving. What a great holiday. A day dedicated to expressing thanks. Me gusta. I love it- a day just for being thankful and recognizing it as such. Regardless of religion or anything- simply just being thankful. On that note, I am thankful to be here in the D.R. I am thankful to have such wonderful friends and family, both back in the States and also my new family and friends here. I am thankful that Claire and Georgi called me tonight to chat for the first time in over 3 months. I am thankful to have such a fabulous husband. I am blessed and thankful in many ways, Gracias a Dios.