Sign from God

I've been struggling for a while now with making a decision about the future. We decided a while ago that eventually we would be going to the US and we've been preparing by getting all of the papers and documents ready for the visa application and Kelvin's been taking an English class. The difficult part for me has been deciding on timing. I have been stressing about when would be a good time to leave: should I leave Peace Corps early, should I wait until my official end date, when should I start seriously applying for jobs, when should we start the visa. So many questions and I felt like I no inner or outer direction.

Last night I got some direction of biblical proportions. I'm dead asleep around midnight and I'm rudely awaken by my dogs jumping on top of me in the bed. My dogs never get in the bed and I was like, "what the hell is going on." I step out of bed to turn on the lights and I step down into ANKLE DEEP WATER. It was pouring rain outside, but there was a loud rushing sound coming from inside my house. I walk into the bathroom and there is a waterfall of rushing water/mud coming from the bathroom window right into the shower. There was so much water and mud that the drain couldn't handle it and all of the water was filling up the entire house. To top it all off, the biggest centipede I've ever seen was on the wall looking for a dry spot out of the rain. Centipedes here can literally kill and I was afraid to even go into the bathroom because they are so fast and slithery.

Kelvin wasn't here, but he called his cousin to come and get me because I was so freaked out and everything was just covered in water. I could not deal. He came and got me and took me (on a motorcycle in the pouring rain) to Kelvin's aunt's house where I finally got back to sleep. I came home this morning at about 7:30. Thankfully the water had mostly drained out, but this is what was left:

Mud everywhere! I cleaned for 5 hours. I cleaned until my hands were raw. I cleaned until my cistern ran out of water and then i refilled it and started cleaning again. My mop used to be white.

Is that even a color?!

Despite all of the cleaning I took a moment for reflection. I was reminded of a 16th century poem by puritan Anne Bradstreet, "On The Burning of My House." Anne Bradstreet's house is burning down, she's actually watching it happen and she is thanking God for reminding her where her true home and life's true treasures reside. I read this poem in high school I think, but the power of it has always stuck somewhere in the back of my mind: to be thankful not just for the good things in life, but the bad as well. Mid-cleaning spree I sat down and thanked God for sending me a sign, for showing me the way. His basic message? "Get the hell outta dodge!" Of course I would have preferred that the sign not give me blisters on my hands, but no one ever said life was easy.

I realize now that what wanted here in the DR and with Peace Corps both personally and professionally has come to a close. I'm content with what I have achieved in my time here and Kelvin and I are ready to take the next step in our life together. It's going to be hard work, it's going to be emotionally grueling, it's going to be stressful, but just like my adjustment here it's also going to be fun, exciting, and a great learning experience for us both. Thank you God for flooding my house...but please don't do it again!

Ode to Coco

Today is Sunday i.e. laundry day which means a full day of buckling down, carrying buckets of water, and walking up and down the stairs to the room about 100 times. But as a reward I always buy myself pica pollo (fried chicken and plaitain chips) afterward. The sooner I finish, the sooner I get my chicken. Here's a couple of picture of the baby a.k.a. Coco. She's only 4 months old and is almost the size of Lula!

Las Hermanas Mirabal

It's been a while since I posted something so I wanted to share some pictures of a little trip that Kelvin and I were able to take with a fellow PC Volunteer and about 40 screaming girls from her community. We spent the day at the museum of the Mirabal sisters in Salcedo, DR.

The four Mirabal sisters were political dissidents during the era of Trujillo, dictator of the Dominican Republic. The sisters along with their husbands were very active in the underground movement against Trujillo and his extremely oppressive regime. On November, 25, 1960, the three older sisters, Minerva, Patria, and Maria Teresa were visiting their husbands in prison and were intercepted by Trujillo's secret police, murdered and their car was then pushed over a ledge in an attempt to cover up their assassination. The death of the Mirabal sisters was like the last straw for the Dominican people and the beginning of the end for Trujillo. The UN General Assembly declared the day of their death as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

The youngest sister, Dede, didn't accompany her sisters on that fateful day and as a result survived to tell her sisters' story. We had the opportunity to meet her and talk with her when we were in Salcedo. She's still such a lively, caring, and funny woman to this day and I was personally honored to meet her. Many Dominicans know the name Mirabal, but don't know the extent of their contribution or impact on the Dominican Republic. The trip was an opportunity to educated the girls on the history and importance of these women.

On another note, the landscaping at the museum, which was the home where the sisters lived for ten months with their mother before their death, is absolutely gorgeous. I told Kelvin to prepare himself because I want my yard to look exactly like that...lotus flowers and all. He laughed and said he would do his best.

Kelvin and I with Dede Mirabal

The Mirabal sisters referred to themselves as "The Butterflies" within the underground movement and they have been their symbol ever since

 Check out the lotus flower!

So pretty!

Giving some loving/training to my future gardener.