Feb. 5, 2012
Just a brief update before my next grand trip out of La Caya- on Tuesday I, and most other PCVs in-country, will be heading to the capital to help work at/enjoy the PCDR 50th Anniversary Reunion. It’s a really unique, special opportunity, and hundreds of RPCVs are returning after decades to get together for a few days and learn about PCDR- Peace Corps Dominican Republic, its past, present, and future. I can’t wait! I took an easy (relatively speaking) job as a floater, I’ll be directing everyone around the building. I work all Wednesday and so then get to enjoy the history lectures on Thursday, yay! I will sadly miss the reception at the Ambassador’s on Thursday night because I will happily being going to an all-weekend Chicas Brillantes conference, my second or third, I can’t recall.
That reminds me, I just wasn’t cut out to be continuity on the telenovela, and so I’ll be working a different job at the next shoot. We got two more episodes filmed! In other out of my site news, I spent two days in nearby Mao last week with fellow PCV Emma, we are going to solicit for a tent for a tire game at a poor school there. I’ll explain some other day. As you can see I am spreading myself a bit thin, but thoroughly enjoying my work.
So today, I had a Chicas Brillantes meeting in the morning, I taught them how to make paper mache flowers which we are going to sell on Valentine’s Day as a fundraiser. Fundraiser for what? For March 8th, International Women’s Day of course! My grant went through for it (Hooray!) and now it is time for the community contribution. I then met with my project partner this afternoon and discussed the grant, plus one I want to write for a library in the school, plus figuring out how to get teachers to participate in a teacher training program that I’d like to do. Now, I have to lesson plan for my English classes tomorrow and then pack for the 50th. So that was a glimpse into the scattered priorities of Claire McManus, of course I’ve left off three or four major ones I can think of without any effort. I am blessed to have so many options and resources at my disposal, but I’ll definitely be trying to narrow them down this year! Paz,
~Clara/Claire
