Mas vocabulario

Ok, I've learned some more vocab. words that I think are necessary for you all to know:

Gripe (pronounced gree-pay): I unfortunately have the gripe. It's a combination of flu/cold that is hitting all of us youth volunteers. I believe 14 out of the 16 have had the gripe within the past 2 weeks. The reason why we all get the gripe is this: We are constantly playing with grubby little kids. These grubby little kids do not have constant access to water therefore handwashing is not common practice. And to top it all off, the customary Dominican greeting is to kiss each other's cheeks, so germs are spreading like wildfire here.

Patronales: Wooo! It's patronales time! This is a 9 week party in honor of the patron saint of the country. And luckily for us, it also falls on Constanza's 101 anniversary. So for the past week there has been live concerts in the park at night. I've gone every night but one, and I have a great time. And it's a lot easier to go now that my "parents" just give me the key to the house and let me come home whenever. Mom and Dad, they're almost stricter than you guys with the curfew rules.

Bachata and Merengue: I mentioned lots of dancing at patronales. Well these are the two most popular dances with salsa being a close third. I absolutely love dancing. And what's great about this country is that the guys here love dancing too, especially with an american. At patronales, we usually meet up with some kids in our youth group and just spend the entire time dancing with them. It is so much fun, and I advise all of you who plan on visiting to start working on those bachata and merengue skills because I guarantee that we will go out dancing. (Liz, this means you!)

Campo: This may be the most important word in my life right now. On Wednesday, I find out exactly where my site will be for the next two years. However, I talked to the Youth Volunteer Director, and she let it slip that I will be in a campo. A campo is an extremely small, rural town. My director guessed that my campo will have about 200-300 people in it, which probably means about 50 houses total. And the positive of this, is that whenever you come visit just find your way to the town and ask where the American lives. I guarantee they will know exactly who I am and what I am doing at that precise moment.