January | 2010 | Live by the Bucket

This past weekend was a long one here in my country, and since December my boyfriend and I had been planning on going to the Pico Duarte. I don’t even remember how we got to talking about it. When I was a little girl (I was the six the firs time I went) I used to go there every single year with my father. But it has been 9 years since I visited. Last time I went, I was 15 and it was the year 2001. We went for spring break when the weather was pretty okay. This time, it was mid January, and the weather was much colder.

Anyway, we contacted a group of people that my boyfriend knows were planning a trip. Thursday January 21st we headed to Jarabacoa and stayed in my family’s house there. The group was leaving by bus at about 1:00am past midnight. Since my house was on their way, they stopped for us at about 4:20am. *funny* We had already packed our bags the day before, so we headed out. The ride there was longer than what I had anticipated. I was very tired and sleepy but try as I might I was never going to fall asleep with the excitement I was feeling inside me. It was the first time in forever that I was going back, to a place I had not been to for about nine years. I wondered what I was going to see changed. What was I to expect?

At about 7:30am we arrived at La Ciénega, it was still a little before dawn and the bus lost track of the road. We ended up going up some hill where it wasn’t supposed to and it was hell to turn it back. Once we were able to solve that, the whole group got together and we gave some kind of “briefing” about the way things were gonna’ go down. They gave us some canned sausages, a Milky Way and some other food I can’t quite remember. I was anxious to get going, and I kept rushing my boyfriend to hurry up. At about 8:15am we were finally able to go.

The first stop you have to make is pretty close from where you actually get going. It’s a place called Los Tablones. The road is pretty easy and most people find themselves commenting on how “harder” they thought it was going to be. I always laugh at them because they have absolutely no idea that they are just about to walk straight into the devil’s road to hell. The first stop we make is at a place called La Cotorra, which literally translates to”The Parrot”. The name was given because once, a long time ago, these mountains were full of, well, parrots. When I used to go with my father, I remember listening to their noise as I was going up. I used to get pissed off because it sounded like they were laughing at me. So anyway, once you get there the road starts becoming much more steeper, muddier and sure as hell harder to walk on. I’ve always had excellent cardiovascular resistance, despite the fact that I tend to smoke. Not long before, I plugged on my earplugs and took it up a nut. Without realizing it, I left my boyfriend behind and caught up with the people from our group that were basically leading us. We were a long way ahead of the others. I had never met these people before in my life, and yet here we were fighting the same battle. Once you have about 3 to 4 hours walking, it is then that you realize “Fuck, what the hell have I gotten myself into?” It was very different from the last time I went, because three years ago a forest fire had engulfed everything in flames. All the trees were burnt and butt-naked. The ones that did have leaves, only had a few remaining on its peak. They all loOked like Mohawk-Strutting Pine Cones

After stopping for about 5 minutes at La Cotorra, we were thinking on stopping and having lunch there. But we decided to keep on going til’ the next stop, La Laguna.

This New Year I will most definitely be embarking on exciting, new experiences. But before I do, I think it’s important to look back on the year 2009 and reflect upon it and the things that I have accomplished; most importantly on the things that I have learned. I think my 2009 was one filled with surprises, let-downs, and experiences that changed the person who I thought I was into a better me. Looking back, I believe that I took advantage of the 365 days we call a year, perhaps not to their fullest potential, but 2009 has been the start of my very own inner-self progress. I want to share this with the world…

I must admit that I started my 2009 on the right foot. For the Día de la Altagracia weekend on January 21, my friend Anita and I, along with my brother and a big group of his friends went camping to the most beautiful beach in my country: Bahía de las Aguilas. It is one of those places where you fall in love all over again with a country like Dominican Republic. The beach is almost 8 miles long, pristine, crystal clear with frosted-white sand that disappears into a whisper. Never in my life have I laid eyes upon a similar scenery, where the blue sky blends perfectly with the ocean’s turquoise horizon. I couldn’t believe I was there, watching the sun set on the horizon and disconnected from the outer world.

During the nights, the stars that are supposed to be on the sky land on the sea, impersonated as bioluminescence plankton. Light rain pours during the wee hours after midnight, blessing the day before us and the ones ahead. When the night creeps in, the stars come out. And oh, do they come out. Again, it was nothing like I have ever experienced. The black sky was full of tiny holes that looked like fireflies, like the whole world had sewn itself into a black sequin dress. I lost myself staring at it, and millions or perhaps billions of stars stared back at me. For the first time in my life I felt like an ant must feel when traveling on forest floors. I was lost in paradise.

* * *

2009 was the year for me to take full advantage of my Scuba Diving lessons. I started Scuba class on December 2008, but didn’t get my certification until almost February of 2009. I also bought my old Nikon Coolpix a housing to take pictures with it underwater. I have been to Isla Catalina, Bayahibe, Bávaro, and to many different diving places at La Caleta Underwater National Park, and the best part is that my boyfriend is my Diving Buddy, so we go diving whenever we want to. I think Scuba diving has struck a note inside me that I will never stop exploring. After my certification, I also started an Eco-diver class with Reef Check, so I can help monitor coral’s health.

I think the most significant thing that happened to me in 2009 was the fact that I tuned into a part of me that I knew I had, but hadn’t really realized how passionate I am about it. I realized that what makes me happy is working for social causes, especially environmental ones. I was involved with alot of things this past year, including the 2008 and 2009 International Coastal Cleanup, volunteering for the Vida Azul foundation (broken leg and cast included!). In May, I was involved with the Los Haitises campaign, one which opposed the construction of cement factoryin the National Park Los Haitises. This campaign proved successful: On November 26, 2009, representative of the United Nations in the Dominican Republic concluded that the construction of such factory was not viable for the environment. I also participated in the underwater cleanup projects for World Ocean’s day. I started the 350Dominicana initiative in the country, with the help of my good friend Carlos Rymer who I contacted to work together to introduce the 350.org campaign to the Dominican Republic. I worked alognside Oxfam International, managing their Latin American Blog for climate change and how it’s affecting my country. I organized two reforestation projects, attended press conferences, hosted discussions about climage change and the importance of preserving our environment. All in all, it was one great year of challenges and wonderful outcomes. I also graduated from college, although I might be leaving to Australia on July to start a second career on Environmental Management and Policy *insert excited giggle here*

Looking back at the pictures from my year 2009, I have come to realize how much I’ve grown internally. I have left behind that antagonistic teenager I used to be and have become someone more mature, responsible and above all: more consciously aware. All the travelling I’ve made has opened my eyes to alot of things. I remember back in August when I made the trip with CYEN and 350.org to the south region of my country thinking that advocating for the environment is exactly what I want to do. And even though I got into a terrible accident while doing the beach cleanup at Bahía de las Aguilas, it was still not enough to stop me. Yes, I did get run over by a speeding boat and had to get 18 stitches and a cast to patch up two broken metatarsals on my right foot, but the satisfaction that I got from going there and sharing that experience with people who had the same passion for the environment that I do was very enriching, to say the least. Visiting Haiti also made me acknowledege the fact of how lucky I am to have all the things I do. I remember seeing children who had nothing, and yet they still offered you a gentle, sincere smile. That trip with 350.org and CYEN was very exciting. We visited the Sand Dunes in Baní, stayed in Pedernales for the weekeng, crossed the border to Haiti and went to Bahía de las Aguilas. My accident prevented me from expanding the 350 campaign in the country, but our International Day of Climate Action Eco-Picnic event on October 24th still proved successful. And although COP15 was a complete and utter failure, I think that this new year is going to pave the road to accomplishing what we are all rooting for.

I know that I have omitted alot of things from my 2009 in this post, but I am hoping that the pictures speak for themselves. I look forward for my 2010, arms and mind wide open, smiling from ear to ear and above all, hopeful. =)