It ain't all roses

The Top 10 Worst Polluted Places

The Top 10 worst polluted places in the world are:

1. Chernobyl, Ukraine
2. Dzerzhinsk, Russia
3. Haina, Dominican Republic
4. Kabwe, Zambia
5. La Oroya, Peru
6. Linfen, China
7. Maiuu Suu, Kyrgyzstan
8. Norilsk, Russia
9. Ranipet, India
10. Rudnaya Pristan/Dalnegorsk, Russia

This morning I headed out to the third most polluted place on Earth (depending on the source and criteria for choosing), Haina, DR, which is only 20 minutes from where I live in Santo Domingo. Haina was the site for a battery recycling plant that didn't comply to legal guidelines and the levels of lead in the area are the main cause of contamination. Of course since it is a "factory" town the people that end up living there are often poor and without human basic needs, like clean water. On the drive we encountered a road block where the locals were burning tires and trash to protest the fact that they haven't had clean water for 40 days....

Forty days without clean water. There is a river that runs through the town and dumps into the ocean within the city limits. This morning a group of teachers from school decided to head out to the "beach" area for a clean up day. I didn't make it to the clean up part (I was running on Island time today) but I did make it to the get together after. One of the teachers lives in a mini paradise compound like house in the town and we met there after lunch. 

We decided to head down to the point where the river dumps into the ocean and here's what we saw...

Jarabacoa

This weekend the school arranged free transportation to Jarabacoa, which is a mountain town here in the DR. If you head northwest from Santo Domingo, you'll see it in red before La Vega. This is sort of the adventure spot here in the DR, with rafting, canyoning, horseback riding (don't worry I'm never getting on another horse again), hiking, etc. A group of us decided to try out the rafting.

The woman on the far left is our human resources director, Nancy, and she is awesome. She has been super helpful in many ways and I cannot imagine my transition here without her. The man with his arm up is the director or some may call the headmaster of our school! I KNOW, how cool is it that he's right there with us! So far I've worked for some douche bag directors, so it is great to have one that supports us in many ways including having fun! The girl in the very middle is Miki, and she is why I have my OWN apartment. She was living here, where I am now, and she didn't like it because no other teachers live in the building. It's really close to school and to the park, but she just wanted to be around other teachers, so she was able to move into a building where a ton of teachers are and her place opened up and here I am. The other three are new teachers.

Now, I knew better to have high expectations... I'm practicing my low expectation philosophy, especially after getting burned a few times in the DR already... Here I am not ready for much!

We loaded up in a big truck and drove for a bit in some of the most beautiful scenery. I am going to ask for an underwater camera for christmas because it sure would have been nice to have been able to take some photos! One of the teachers stayed behind and I have pirated these photos from him...

The river that runs through this part of the island is called Rio Yaque (pronounced "Jackie"). 

We stayed in a resort-like place which was convient for planning the adventure trips. Are you ready to fly out here and explore? Check out their website and see you soon!

Here's a video taken by one of the spectators. You'll be able to see our boat, which is grey, and we are waving frantically to the camera. This was one of the most fun rivers I've ever rafted! The boys were focused on having fun and of course safety, but without the restrictions of US lawsuits the atmosphere was more relaxed and a great time was had by all!

My New Digs

I really really really like my new apartment. Now, don't get me wrong, for the past two years I have loved having my roommates, but this time around was completely different. My life feels different here. I'm not sure how to describe it to you, but I feel like I've grown up a tiny bit - I KNOW, that's a huge statement coming from me, but let me clarify... I still think like a teenager in many ways and I'm not about to get super responsible on you, but I just feel, I don't know, more settled. Like I've found a little niche that I'm sitting comfortably in. School is challenging right now. The schedule is murder, but I'm going to do it and you know me, do it well. My days, afternoons and nights are filled with thoughts of lesson planning, but at least I can do that in a nice environment... My new apartment...