Community Reunion Numero 2: Let's make a comite de agua

Brigada Mojada (as we agua trainees like to call ourselves) decides to compose some kickin' skits dramatizing the need for a water committee...

Skit numero 1...Super Comite!!!

Act one: Hurricane Ryan strikes pueblo X and Duncan the tuberia gets doused with a giant bucket-load of water. The taps run dry and people go without water.

Act two: The community struggles to raise funds and barely scrapes enough pesos together to fix the pipeline.

Act three: Super Comite!!! Super Comite (Justin decked out in a motoconcho helmet and a cape made out of a green first aid sling) saves the day by establishing a quota to ensure the community has enough money to maintain the water system.

Act four: Hurricane Amy ravages the water pipelines and Duncan is doused (yet again) with a bucket-load of agua. But this time the community is prepared with enough savings for the needed repairs. Si se puede!

Skit numero 2...Porque una Mujer?

Note to reader: So Dominican women are pretty suave with the dinero and, to make a gross generalization, men tend to be a bit flojo with the pesos. Additionally, promoting women as community leaders is always a good idea. So we composed a skit to demonstrate why a woman treasurer was a good idea in Mancebo.

Act one: The election. Ronaldo the borracho (Amy in botas fuertes) and Maria (Justin in Jen's red polka dot dress) duke it out for the position of water committee treasurer.
Ronaldo wins by a landslide.

Act two: Ronaldo drinks away the funds and the local chisme goes that with every bottle of cerveza he drinks away the community's water and soon enough the town will go thirsty.

Act three: Ronaldo repents and convinces the President to redo the election. Ronaldo urges the community to see Maria, a mujer seria, as a great candidate for managing the community's savings. Maria, of course, wins by a landslide. But, by an interesting twist, she starts her term with a toast to the people's health (brindis!!!) Maybe this Maria really is just a borracho in a dress?

Ah, life in the campo.

Feliz Cumpleanos

Dominican Birthdays are greeted with a bucket of water and shirt-full of cerveza. At least in the little pueblo of Mancebo. I danced the entire night of my cumpleano smelling of Presidente Light and the various colognes and sweats of every man in the community. As one of two Gringitas in Mancebo and one of six women the 40 or so men have to choose from, the muchachos tend to keep me on my toes.

Checklist for training (the nitty-gritty):

VIP latrine...got 'er done

Water Committee Election...yeppers, and Justin will forever be Mancebo's favorite Maria. And yes, I am the community borracho con mi botas fuertes.

Obra de Toma (spring box to protect water source)...done

Sedimentation Tank...almost complete

River Crossing...next week

Two more weeks of CBT...the countdown begins.

Oh, and check out this Flickr site with some of the brigada mujada's fabulous photos


Abrazos