January and February

I should be a master organizer. I like nothing better than to take a pile of junk and having it make sense. I see a mess, I get excited. Yes, my writing this is strange but I realize I spend a large amount of my time currently in my service just organizing. This habit takes over me in almost every aspect of my day to day. I’m not sure if this is OCD or if it’s a talent. I want to think it as a talent but frankly the latter makes more sense. The reader may want to be the judge.

I spent practically my entire morning re-arranging my book shelf (decent size at this point of my service) browsing materials that can be given to incoming volunteers and those picking up new projects. Subconsciously I am already making a slow move to the Capital for my third-year assignment as well as forestalling a pack-rat habit. I literally want to move back to the states with a suitcase and nothing more.

This upcoming Month of March is starting to look too busy. The calendar is filling up and all I can do Is plan exactly how some days need to run in order to make it flow. Otherwise, Catastrophe!!! I cannot accept this. (This is all normally, normal; just not too this degree).

Yes, Maybe I assumed too many responsibilities but here in the DR things fall through all the time and there is nothing worse than being the only Americana, in a village, feeling useless and bored. Unacceptable. The problem is that recently everything is functioning and taking shape….>…. This is great! March includes the following: Training of aspiring appropriate technology volunteers in my community. I’m assisting this year’s water sector trainer, mainly for latrine construction…mind you, I didn’t single handedly build any of my latrines (it was a community effort; people who know how to build latrines pretty well). This training will last 5 weeks

My friend Andrea and I are tearing apart the current manual/coloring which breaks down in elementary terms the spread of contamination by grossing out the village woman and through teaching basic sanitation. This manual is meant to better integrate and condition woman in the appropriate use of this ecological latrine. I can speak for many volunteers and say that it can pretty challenging keeping up with the attention span of any one person when speaking of such a subject and training a person to break many old habits. The manual currently has many dense and repetitive areas. Andrea and I really want this manual to be more user friendly for future volunteers and be more educational because we don’t lose our audience. ----More organizing.

These past 2 months involved lots of organizing: work-related travel, visits from fellow volunteers, latrine inauguration, Scuba diving training and because I don’t know when to stop, I was fighting some disease throughout this time I also hemorrhaged my ears after my dives. I’ve seen many doctors in these three months which accounts for my damaging my ears, my tummy ailment, personal management J and one truly inspiring medical mission. Ooh and I forget a wonderful woman’s Camp, where I got to work with some of my favorite people. I no longer have to say pictures to come. I finally made a leap and got Picasa. Why, you may ask was I avoiding such a wonderful program? If you have read any of this thoroughly you already know that I take organizing to another level. Now I’m tempted to spend entire days organizing pictures, past events, dates, and writing memoires for them (not so much).

Don’t judge me, I have not had the chance to begin organizing pics---but here is a window to my Peace Corps experience……

M