Week 3

Weekend 3=Rain Rain Rain, and then some Lightning for good measure. This should be evident in soem of the pictures from my previous post. On Saturday I went for an extended stroll downtown until I hit the sea, which is ruined by the busy dual carriageway running alongside it. On the return leg I gto caught in the storm and sought shelter under the eaves of a building with a flower stall attached. This turned out to be one of two branches in Santo Domingo of an international interfaith NGO called the United Peace Federation. It was great to see evidence of Civil Society activity in the capital, even if the volunteers there were ex-pats from elsewhere (Japan and Peru). We swapped details and, the coase being clear, I continued on my sodden way. The simple charity which these people showed to a stranger was heartening. On the Sunday we (myself and Ciaria again) made an ill advised and ultimately abortive attempt to visit 'tres ochos' (three eyes), a set of underground caves and pools on the edge of town, we ended up at Santo Domingo Aquarium, which is quite small, but even on a day this rainy seemed popular with locals. The views across the Carribbean were fantastic and some of the fish were very cool indeed. The highlights were turtle pools by the entrance, unguarded and within touching distance of the visitors. A stroll into La Zona Coloinal, and dinner and beer to the strains of a Brass band signalld the close of a distinctly more peaceful weekend than the one preceding.

Liewise last week I seemed to settle into a more normalised working life, with the ebnefit of a weekend's rest with no travel behind me. I Joined the Gym, which is extremely hot. It's very good to get any form of exercise after a lay off that stretches back too far. This venture may even support me to save money, as I paid a substantial subscription up front for the benefit of using the facilities until I leave. There was an event at Instraw to promote the launch of a research report on the effects of Hurricane Noel on Women on Hispaniola and efforts to support them . Unfortunately it was conducted entirely in Spanish, so there was little I could do either as a member of staff or a bystander. The experience strenthgened my resolve to learn so I shook my lethargy, made some inquiries and booked my first lesson for this week. Also one evening I made my way with my housemate Ciaria to the Cinema Cafe, which is located behind the National Theatre in a big park between my house and Instraw. Partially outside, lit by moonlight, walls adorned with discrete black and white photos of film icons, palm trees forming a perimeter, spot lights and an actual VW Beetle made this place my favourite bar so far, even if it was very quiet when we visited. Work wise the lack of a really juicy task to take on really began to bug me as, presented with more banal administration, my mind wanders far to easily to anythign other than work (like this for example. This week I will consciously create something worthwhile to do in order to relieve my inertia. I have some great people and contacts at my disposal here, and the weight of the UN name, so I would hope to make some progress. The right idea is all that's needed.

This weekend just passed I was presented with two options. A Five AM rise and a trip by bus to the beach, or a Seven AM rise and an air conditioned car journey to the hills. Comfort and curiousity both led me to the latter option. So after an early rise I embarked with 5 others (3 interns, an Instraw employee and our Domincan partner in crime, Santo Domingo born and bred) on a two and a half hour drive to Constanza. For once on this trip a four wheel drive SUV was absolutely essential*. Costanza sits in a volcanic valley 500 feet above sea level so the trip is all undertaken at practically a 45 degree angle, at a crawling pace, under intense sunlight. Then once in this flat haven we went up again, into the hills around the town, ending up approximately 1000 feet above sea level, hiring a cabin that was the spitting image of the Little House on the Prairie! The atmosphere there is so entirely detached from the urban chaos of Santo Domingo that one could easily forget that the two are part of the same small country. The landscape is sweeping, with peaks clearing cloud level and lush vegetation more akin to what once might find in Austria or Switzerland than the stereotypical expectation of a Carribbean island. The air is clearer and cooler, there is no noise and the views are breathtaking. We ate, drank, played games, walked (some of us at least, myself included) and generally enjoyed ourselves without much of great import occuring. It was a peaceful and pleasant weekend in a fantastic location that shows a very different side to the country. One particular highlight is the small chapel that formed part of our chalet complex, out on its own little peninsula of hill, with a metal sculpture of what appears to be a particularly evil angel, guarding it. Apparently however this is intended to represent Saint Michael, who looks after the interests of soldiers. Whichever, I'm a big fan. Aside from a particularly torturous return drive down hill through incredibly dense fog that had hearts beating apace, all was well. I was in bed back at Dona Irena's before midnight and into work on time. And today I went to the Ambassador's residence for a lunch with some Dominican Chevening Scholars who have studied in the UK. It was really nice. The people were interesting, and able to give some great commentary on Dominican Politics (Leonel Fernandez, or just 'leonel' has just been elected for a second 4 year term, but word is all the bargins he struck to get power have caught up with him and the whole administration is stuffed with token appointments who do nothing but weigh down the state wage bill. Also DR is very close to missing payments on its electricity bill, which will harm its position financially, really hurting confidence in the country investment wise), the food was good and the wine was nothing short of sublime. Which brings things nicely up to date. Hasta Luego!



*We had 6 people in a luxurious, spacious truck. Way up in the hills I saw one pick up with 18 people sat inside, outside and on the vehicle!

#This is a slight lie. Some of the music chocies were just as torturous. The Roots were dismissed as 'just rap' after half a track whereas 'Odelay' by Beck (good album no question) which is pretty much a Hip Hop pastiche, got some big love. Plus I seemed to be the only one present who wasn't a massive Jamiroquai fan. These may seem like trivial concerns, hence their relegation to footnote status, but I take music far too seriously not to have been slightly offended:) Our host did also play some lovely Iranian music that soothed my soul somewhat.