Relief

Finally, relief.  After suffering over a week with that wretched, infected bug bite of mine, I can lay on my back without cringing in pain, do everyday tasks without wincing in agony at the random use of my back muscles, you know, things like walking. 

I have a sixth sense about things that are going to pop, and I was saddened and pained when I failed to do so to the monster growing on my back.  I had almost lost all hope when I finally decided to bite my lip and go another round. 

Could be worse, could get dengue...

 I won’t give you all the gruesome details, after all, you may be about to eat, or just have eaten.  Suffice to say it was a discharge worthy of Youtube.  Now I am on a strict regiment of antibiotics, wound cleaning and bandage changing.  Should be a pleasant sight to behold at the beach for New Years.

Ok I’ll quit my complaining.  I’ve been watching HBO’s Band of Brothers and my suffering pales in comparison.  It’s an incredible show that chronicles the missions paratroopers.  It’s true, as I understand it, with bits from the actual veterans at the start of each episode.  Gives me goosebumps listening to them.  I highly recommend it if you haven’t seen it.

The six pups our dog let loose on the world a month ago are walking and talking.  I’m having trouble deciding which one to take and what to name it.  Please comment favorite dog names below.  It will most likely be a male.

About a week ago, I was catching a bola, or free ride, with an amigo and I asked him what his work was.  He works for one of the larger cacao producers in the town and often takes other crops of his to the nearest city, Puerto Plata, to sell in the market.  He invited along on the next trip, I agreed and found myself leaving our dark little campo that very same morning at 2:30am. 

I hadn’t slept a wink, courtesy of the purple-pink fiend rising out of my lower back.  Stuffed in the back of a two door cab for the bumpy, hour-long drive was a grand adventure.  It’s amazing the positions one finds when they are unable to lay their back against a seat cushion nor extend their legs beyond the knee joint.  I would have preferred to sit atop the mountain of naranja and rulo trailing in the bed, but for the company inside.  Miguel was driving, also on the campo baseball team, and Santo in the passenger seat, the one who invited me.

We arrived around 3:30am and unloaded the rulos.  At the unloading area we were greeted by a number of unsavory looking individuals, however, upon talking with them, were as nice as anyone I’d met here so far. 

After unloading all the rulos and counting them, they were sold in one fell swoop to one of the gentlemen present.  I assume he owned a colmado where he would later sell them in bunches.  Here are the rulos, in the vivere family along with bananas and plantains.  How many do you think there are?  A gold to star to the person who makes the best guess! 

Then it was onto the main market area.  We pulled in and parked parallel with over a dozen other trucks equipped with similar wares – lots of oranges, rulos, plantains, mandarins, pineapple, guanabana, coconut, yucca and more.  At about 4am it started raining and my companions shoved me into the truck for shelter (such a hospitable people, really), my eyes felt heavy and didn’t open again until 7am, with light careening in along with the familiar shouts and general hustle and bustle or bartering Dominicans.  I stepped outside sheepishly, having come along to see how things were done here with the sale of various fruits and veggies, yet sleeping through a hefty chunk of it.

Our oranges were sold in quantities of no less than 50, being laid into black plastic bags in fives by experienced hands, counting out loud so there was no mistaking the correct amount.  Each passerby was a potential customer.  I wondered how one could effectively differentiate their product here with so many substitutes close by, but somehow they did, and I heard on more than one occasion praise for our particular oranges over those of others.  I wondered if I would ever become such a connoisseur. 

Finally the oranges were dwindling and business was slowing.  We moved the truck to the other end of the lot and sold the rest at a discounted price to a buyer who did just that – buy up everyone’s leftovers.  During that last transaction, this curious individual showed up selling raffle tickets.  I’ll bet you can guess what the grand prize…

Hustlin'

After that transaction was completed, Santo and I were off to cobrar those who had bought our product fiao, or on credit, earlier that morning.  Before reaching the first debtor, we stopped in a little breakfast joint and had some typical Dominican fare; mangu, a mash of boiled, unripe banana with yucca, onions and cheese.  We washed it down with fresh OJ and coffee.  Then it was back to business. 

Big fort of sorts

So they collected their debts and we went for a drive down to the malecón, or beach-front road.  We pulled into the end of the malecón where this massive fort and statue of an old Dominican general overlook the water and meandered toward the shoreline. 

It was nice just shooting the breeze after a hard morning’s work (for them anyway) with the sun rising overhead.  My two companions, Miguel and Santo.

Miguel and Santo on the Malecon

Other incidents include this chicken.  She laid an egg up there next to the TV and we replaced it wit a light bulb.  The thing keeps coming back to sit on it, making awkward noises and ruffling up wires.  I’d leave her be but it’s right next to the door and the last time I walked inside unaware she was there she flipped out in a loud display of squawks and feathers, flapping around and out the door.  I thought she was going to take my head off and I’d be lying if the little bastard didn’t scare the bajesus outta me.

A perfectly good place to lay an egg

Also found this charming fellow dining on is own kind in my sleeping quarters.  I’m told these are harmless to humans, so I let him be.

No Peace Corps blog is complete without large images of creepy crawlies.  Yes it is eating its own kind.

Among other roommates recently found were two colonies, one of ants, one of termites.  I would have snapped a shot of them too but instead I drowned them in Raid. 

Ahhh the DR – Gorgeous beaches, hot, sunny days, exotic fruits, and bugs, if not huge, then numbering in the thousands.

Breaking News

"Cabarete trip huge success!"

"Volunteers find accommodation for New Years and enjoy themselves so much they stay extra night."

"Extra night comes to haunt volunteer as he is irreparably scarred with horrific bug bite unawares in hotel bed."

"Volunteer aggravates bite, located on lower back, by squeeeezing it with hopes of release."

"There is no release, and bite only seems to gain strength from attempts on its life."

"Victim has trouble sleeping on back, leaning back in chairs, and receiving pats on back."

"Pain moves into the deep muscle, maneuvering in bed becomes troublesome, seeks council."

"Caring friend in community forces Volunteer to call doctor.  Prescribed antibiotics."

"1 day into medication.  No improvement."

"Volunteer curses bug gods.  Blames karma for past centipede murder."

"Volunteer contemplates another round of squeezes, but becomes squeemish at the thought (A rare occurrence for the victim as he has always been a fond picker-squeezer."

"Volunteer becomes expert in tucking in mosquito net and sleeps on his side, backfiring on years of training at 'back sleeping'."

As you may have noticed, my thoughts are consumed by this bloody bug bite of mine.  I will post pictures, and you will understand why.  You'll all understand...

What else is new?  I've been desperately trying to figure some things out with my cacao farmers, but I am the only one who finds the matters to be of any import.  Who cares about long over-due bills that jeopardize the future of the association.  A small matter, already resolved.

The Holidays are on the rise.  People are decorating - Christmas trees, wreaths, lights.  It's similar to home, down to the torrential downpours , the temperature of course the main outlier.

I checked out the two vacant houses eligible for me to move into.  They're both decent.  One is definitely better - bigger, cement floor (other has some dirt floors) nice patio area, private, outdoor bathing area, nice latrine (thanks to the volunteer who lived there 5 years ago and built our splendid aqueduct), water, a light bulb (so I'm assuming electricity) and a single outlet!  Even a little covered kitchen area outside where I hope to build a clay oven (finally, bread other than hotdog buns, and maybe some pizzas, too).  Only problem is there are currently some Haitians living there.  They are on there way out, heading back to their country to see their families, or so I'm told, and it sounds like they aren't going to return.  That's all good and well, but I want to make sure I'm not going to be living there for a few months, settling in, building my stove, and I get a group of displaced Haitians at my door.  I couldn't allow myself to displace anyone from a house, especially people who journeyed here through God-knows-what kind of conditions, leaving everything behind to work their ass off in this beautiful, tiny campo.

Big Christmas plans have all fallen on the 22nd.  In the morning, I'm to head to Fundacion, the little town nearby where I had 5 weeks of training, to eat chicharrones (A traditional Dominican dish of grilled pig skin) with my old host family there.  They will slaughter the last little piggy of their litter early that morning and enjoy him for lunch.

That same afternoon, the cacao association in my site is having a holiday celebration at one of the member's houses.  We all threw in some doe to supply the affair with refreshments, but I plan on bringing the heat.  Kimmel heat.  I've got two over-sized bottles of cheap whiskey and I plan on doing my family proud by liquoring up these polite little farmers with a taste of the Homeland!  Admittedly, I see the drink doing better in cold, winter conditions, but one must make-do with what one has.

If I don't get back to you by whatever holiday you celebrate, Happy...whatever holiday it is that you celebrate!