Hello everybody! We’ve now been here for two weeks, and are settling in a bit more to life and work here. On our days off we've gone to the beach near our house, Playa Bonita, and Kira and some other volunteers have done some surfing! I hope to learn when the waves aren't so rough.
On Tuesday, we woke up at 5 am, and left to go snorkeling and diving at 6:30 from the dive shop here in Las Terrenas. Along with the other volunteers, Paul and Audrey (who run the dive shop), and four clients, we drove about 45 minutes south to Samaná bay where there is a small wreck and an island with an all-inclusive resort. In January-March this area is known for seeing whales and dolphins, but unfortunately we obviously won’t be here then. We went out on a wooden boat from the dock there, and went to two different sites for diving and snorkeling. Kira and most of the others went diving, but I went swimming and snorkeling along with three others. Hopefully soon I will be diving too! Those who went diving saw a nurse shark and a bunch of other fish and coral, but of course I saw pretty fish and coral as well! The visibility, however, was not very good but it should be better next time. On Friday, Kira and I both took our NAUI (National Association of Underwater Instructors) written open water SCUBA certification exam - and both passed! Generally it has been rainy and stormy here, so the weather is hard to go diving in, but it should clear up at some point this week.
It has been hard to adjust to life here, in a few different ways, but one of the biggest things is the way men treat women. Every time we step out onto the street, we are stared at, yelled at, harassed and cat called no matter the time of day, where we are, or what we are wearing. It is old grandfathers to twelve year olds, men who are walking, riding their motos, or in the trucks, and police and security guards as well. It is extremely frustrating to feel so exposed and like an object no matter where we are. Kira and I mostly stay together though, and have each other for support which is helpful. Being honest, we have also felt this sexism and patriarchal control at work from Paul, who doesn’t exactly understand systems of power and makes plenty of “non politically correct” offensive jokes. When we got here, he was not giving everyone their days off, but Kira and I, along with a couple other volunteers, are holding him accountable now for his actions. He has already improved in giving us our days off and letting us leave sometimes if there is nothing to do.
I love that we are able to walk to the beach near our house on our days off and swim in the ocean whenever we like. The owner of where we are staying, Edit, has returned with her 18 year old son Joshua. They are Dutch but have lived here for many years, since before Joshua was born. There are also other guests staying here this week, so there is more noise and laughter from the houses next to us.
One of the main goals I have for my gap year is that I want to keep learning, but take a break from the classroom. I am confident that Kira and I will learn a lot from this experience, about diving and marine life, but also about another culture, our own lives, and how to interact and work with people you may not always agree with.
I hope everyone is doing well and I'll be back next week!
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