Update covering February

Another month without a post. The post-a-day thing has really been lost on me at the moment. Some of that had to do with not having a laptop, also not having a camera, and also getting a site change.

Yes, a site change. I asked to change sites when I realized that the work was not materializing in my site, and that there probably wouldn’t be any work materializing anytime soon. So I requested a change, and at the same time I was trying to figure out where I could move to my good friend Sarah mentioned how her community was looking for an ICT/Edu volunteer to work in a few neglected computer labs. And that a volunteer looking for a site change might be best.

Sounds like a miracle, right? Except (thank you John Waters) I know that only ultra-suede is a miracle; this was merely good timing.

I spent some time down there toward the end of January and met people. An amazing community, very friendly, very excited for the possibility of me working there, very interested in community development. I even started poking around the lab and repairing computers as I could. Things seemed to be lining up nicely. At one point we go up into the loma and I can see the entire Lago Enriquillo and even into Haiti, because we are so close and so high up.

Then I was robbed and had all my stuff stolen (at knifepoint? spoonpoint? I still don’t know) while I was waiting for a bus in the morning. Well, most of my stuff. Camera, clothes, shoes, etc. Dealing with that was a chore, but luckily I have amazing friends who are visiting and have collected things to replace some of the stuff I lost.

Mikey is here now, I am writing this on the laptop that he gave me. Which is beyond awesome. So now I have a laptop. So now I can write. So now I can watch a movie occasionally. And do computer work. While the last two months have been refreshingly computer-and-internet free (for the most part), I think it’s time for me to hunker down and get back to doing productive computer things.

Okay, that’s enough for now. Have to ease myself back into computer madness. Oh, but a goal list for the next few months!

1) Quit smoking (yeah, I can hear everyone back home laughing)
2) Start yoga with Sarah at my site, and start running again, so that I can…
3) Run the Lowenbrau half-marathon in June
4) Get the computer center that is my primary project up and running
5) Start giving basic computer classes
6) Help the youth leaders with a conversational English class
7) Finish my community diagnostic at my new site so I have an idea of what other projects are available
8) Explore the beauty of the southern parts of this island

That should be good for now. When I find a camera I will snap some pics.