I have finished my family stay in La Cumbre. On tuesday night we had a going away party with the whole community, all of which are family members of everyone in my training group. I am excited to be finished with this part of training, which means only one week left until I will finally know where I am going. Unfortunately I am really going to miss my family there. They really were awesome. So friendly and accomodating, especially because I was only there for such a short period of time. My Doña was so sad to see me go, she was crying and hugging me lots, and she even made me a handwritten book of letters and poems from her family, so that I wouldn´t forget them. This made up for all the frustration I was starting to feel.
Frustration over the rediculous things that campo people believe, that otherwise normal, or sensible people know are, to say the least, absurd. I was TOLD I could not shower, becuase I just ate, and I need to wait. And by shower, I mean a bucket bath, pouring water out of a bucket over my head, not exactly the same as swimming. Even then, I don´t think the rule really applies. Then I was TOLD, like I am 5 and incabible of making any sort of decision for myself, that I could not eat CRUNCHY rice, because it is bad for Kidney stones, yet I was looked at with disappointment and confussion if I declined coffee heavily saturated with sugar, or the daily dose of Coca Cola. Hm, I thought that made sense to...
All of the Dominican women here are strong willed and decisive in their homes, and with all concerns regarding their pet American, but when it comes to making any sort of commitment with regards to decisions outside the home, only God knows. Hence, the most popular phrase in the whole country... Si Dios Quiere! Which literally means if god wants it. You might think that in a church setting this might be acceptible, but here this is the worst, and GREATEST phrase. This popular term is used strategically when the user either A, does not want to do something, or 2, when that something is not the way that SHE wants it. It is so frustrating to get Si Dios Quiere, as the answer to almost any question. WHat are we going to have for breakfast tomorrow? Guineos, which we have everyday, Si dios quiere. Or Are we going to the city tomorrow? si dios quiere... well the biggest benefit of this being an acceptible answer for rediculous decisions, it that when I don´t want to do something, I also can sport the phrase. Which is totally accepted. Like kids skipping school because it is SPRINKLING! This is also an acceptable reason to NOT do anything. A slight amount of precipitaion falling from the sky. Coming from a culture where you show up when you say you will, you show up on time, and 5 inches of snow and ice is not an acceptible reason to stay home, you can see the headache.
These are the things that require the term ¨cultural sensitivity¨. It is always important when trying to integrate into a new culture.
More to come...
