House-Keeping

I wrote the entry below yesterday, meaning to add more today and send out an update email. There's still plenty of things to say! Unfortunately, I got a fever last night that is persisting through today (not too high - don't worry), and I am taking it easy between chills, sweats, and ibuprofen. (There appear to be no blankets for miles around, so I have all my extra sheets and my bath-towels stacked up on my bed to substitute hahaha.)

You know, I thought I might be homesick if I got sick during this year overseas, but it's not all that bad. My family here checks up on me, and my colleagues called as soon as they found out to order me to rest and to come see our unit's doctor tomorrow if the fever keeps up. They've promised to call back this afternoon to check on me again. To me, these are real signs of membership/acceptance in this community. I have real friends who care about my well-being! Yay! Also on the plus side, I may be better able to face a cold shower with a fever....

And now a quick note about mail: I will be moving to a new city in about a month to start work on a different project here in the DR. To those of you who were/are planning to send mail, it can take three or four weeks to get here, even under the 7-10 day airmail plan. (Sometimes it takes less, sometimes not.) So, now's the time to get a-mailin'. And remember if you're sending bulky things to use the small, green Customs Declaration - CN 22 form (must be less than four pounds). My address is in the right-hand column of this page.

And that's it for now! I'm going to go try to take a nap. Have a good week!

Christmastime!

Advent is here, and we're all busy preparing for Christmas. The weather has cooled down remarkably (finally!) and now we enjoy days of about 84 degrees and nights of about 72. It's become fairly windy here, which Father Guelmi told me is typical of the season. (The winds are called The Christmas Breezes.) Even though we've had our plastic Christmas tree out for weeks, we finally got around to decorating it last week:


It's always fun to decorate a tree, but I felt a little funny doing it in a t-shirt and bare feet! I made a few paper snowflakes with loops of thread to hang on the tree as a decoration contribution. They twist and blow in The Christmas Breezes coming through the open window - a pretty effect.

For supper that night, we had traditional Christmastime food: Pasteles en Ojas (roughly Pies in Leaves). During December, the streets are filled with vendors selling pasteles. Last week, ours came from a batch Grandma made, and they were delicious. The pies are made by mashing plantain with other ingredients like flour to create a semi-gelatinous skin. The inside is stuffed with ground meat, beans, and spices. The whole thing is wrapped in a big plantain leaf, tied with string, and boiled until cooked. Here are some pictures of cooking and eating Grandma's pasteles last week.

Just after boiling - ready to be cut open

Father Guelmi cuts open a pastel

Inside view of the meat and beans... Mmmm.

Advent Calendars are not really done here, so I had my Dad bring a couple in November. Now there's one hanging in our living room and one in the clinic, and everybody seems very pleased with them. It's fun to be able to contribute something different from home, and be able to experience the traditions here in turn. On Christmas Eve (la Buena Noche), we'll have a special meal involving pork (I haven't been able to figure out all the details yet). On both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, we'll go to special services at church. But big family gatherings and presents are saved for Jan. 6th, El Dia de Reyes, when the three kings arrived bearing gifts. I am so grateful for the wonderful family I live with here - this promises to be a special holiday season!