Out of the Campo and into the City

Wow, it's been a long time since I have written. Well during my last year in the campo of Los Limones de Pimentel I installed some water filters, participated in many youth conferences, finished an HIV prevention course with youth, taught lots of English, had another reading book club, and formed an all girls volleyball group. I decided to extend another year in the Peace Corps for many reasons. I mainly had no idea what I wanted to do in the U.S. I extended for a whole year with Peace Corps to be a Regional PCV Leader in the city of Santiago. Basically this last year I have helped out with sites who want a volunteer, checking out the security of houses where a volunteer will be living and volunteer support. It has been a great year with so many accomplishments. On top of being a RPCVL I have also been working with my volleyball girls on a bunch of tournaments as well as a library in the school of Los Limones. It's been so great! My Spanish has also gotten so much better. I will be putting up some pictures later of my library and my v-ball girls.


Life in Santiago de los 30 Caballeros:
Wow where to start, this is a beautiful city with so much history. Santiago is located in the north-central part of the country. It is very hilly and when it rains it turns into a river. So it's best to stay indoors when that happens. It is the second larges city in the country. It is also called the Cibao Valley, depending on where you are in the city you can either see the Cordillera Central or the Cordillera Septentrional, the two major mountain ranges on the island. It is a beautiful mounainous view. Santiago is also the home of the major baseball team of the Aguilas. There are many cultural centers located in the city and one of the biggest cultural attractions is the Monument to the Heroes of the Restoration. One can always find something to do in this city and
transportation is great, even though it may seem pretty chaotic.

Palos or drumming in the city