Greetings all,
I hope this message finds you all enjoying the summer months.
As all facets of the world are adapting to these impecunious times, the Non-Government Organization (NGO) that I work for has been no exception. The current global economic situation has hit the organization really hard which has resulted in major cuts in funding. For years, the NGO has contributed to the successful development of countless children in the Eastern Caribbean. Their presence has allowed many children the opportunity to stay away from destructive habits while encouraging them to realize their dreams.
Until this past month, ChildFund, an international child sponsorship group which assists deprived, excluded, and vulnerable youth around the world, has completely funded this NGO. Because of these trying economic times, ChildFund has decided to create separation from financially backing its Dominican-affiliated division. The NGO will now be an independent entity relative to ChildFund. The organization will no longer be guaranteed the funding that it requires from their parent organization, ChildFund. It will have to compete with other non-profit type businesses for ChildFund’s resources.
ChildFund has not completely cut ties with my NGO. They have developed a system where the NGO turns in a business plan which spans over a three year period. If approved by ChildFund, this business plan will get a substantial amount of resources for developing projects and activities. After the three years, ChildFund will reassess the situation and make necessary alterations. The amount of financial resources provided by ChildFund will be more scrutinized and dissected moving forward.
During this past month, the staff at the NGO, a few other Peace Corps Volunteers, and I have been working tirelessly in producing a legitimate business proposal. We created an entire new vision for the company with new problem statements, initiatives, goals, objectives, and activities, et cetera. The proposal has been sent to the people at ChildFund and we are awaiting their feedback. It was a wonderful opportunity to work together as a team to accomplish a very crucial task. I am confident that ChildFund will be impressed with the professional demeanor of the plan.
I hope that these past few paragraphs don’t come across that I am criticizing ChildFund. The organization represents hope for impoverished, malnourished children across the entire planet. They have to make extremely difficult calls on who receives resources from them. If anything, I feel immense frustration with the current world economic circumstance which has undoubtedly “trickled down” and affected people who are less fortunate and more defenseless. Almost all citizens are negatively affected by this economic crisis but people have to ensure that individuals who are most vulnerable don’t get forgotten.
Even though I’ve been really busy with work, I’ve still found some time for leisure activities. I attended my first ever international sporting event. I watched the West Indies compete against India in cricket during a five day test match. It was a historic day for Dominican cricket as this was the first five day test match to be held on this island. I only went to day four as I didn’t have the time/money/energy to attend all five days. One of my friends from my village informed me that he saw me on television in the stadium. He told me that the camera kept focusing on this shirtless, sun-burnt white man (me) hanging in the grounds. I opted to purchase a ticket in the inexpensive section of the stadium where there was no coverage from the sun. Despite putting on layers of sunscreen, I still got quite sunburned. I sat with other Peace Corps Volunteers at the match and they were fairly impressed with my knowledge of the sport.
Cricket has similarities to baseball but is definitely its own unique thing. I would like to add that Cricket is way older than “America’s pastime.” I understand many of the rules but I still am learning the strategy of the game. I would attempt to explain the rules here but it’s extremely complicated and I’d most likely end up confusing myself and you all too. I suggest that you read a book about it or check out the Wikipedia page if you want to know more.
Besides watching some of the best Cricketer players in the world compete, I’ve been finally getting back to my adventurous ways. Chris Hoffman, another Peace Corps Volunteer who lives in a village around twenty miles south of mine, and I have undertaken journeys to some of the most intriguing parts of Dominica.
Chris and I have a decent amount in common. First of all, we both graduated from the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse during the past few years. We didn’t know each other while going to school. It was neat to have that commonality when we first figured it out. The fact that we both attended the same school then ended up living nearby each other for our Peace Corps posts is pretty coincidental. Another commonality that we share is that we both know Dan Koenig, a friend of mine who I was on swim team with while attending Madison West High School. Chris knew Dan through some of Dan’s college swim teammates from UW who were his friends too. Finally, we both agree that the Green Bay Packers have the opportunity to win multiple championships with Aaron Rodgers as the quarterback. This last point is made much to Chris’ chagrin as he is from Minnesota and is a diehard Vikings fan.
Anyway, Chris is an Eagle Scout who used to be a full-time tour guide in the northern Minnesota Boundary Waters. He lives for the outdoors and for going on wild adventures. My theory is that at one point in his life he was an actual Marine or Navy Seal. I enjoy the outdoors too but what I have in enthusiasm I lack in experience.
Either way, he and I have done some really cool stuff this month. My village has a very pleasant beach in it. Even though I live on the side of the island facing the Atlantic Ocean, the waves are sometimes not so bad because my village has mountains that protrude out into the vast water thus forming a bay. The bay calms down the waters by blocking some of the waves and reducing the wind speeds. On one edge of the bay lays two islets which are not connected to the island. The islets appear to be literally right next to the island from the perspective of the beach.
One day when we were hanging out on the beach in my village, Chris and I decided to hike the mountains to the furthest point then swim to both islets. We were hanging out with two of my local friends at the time so they decided to join us on the trek. The hike itself was an adventure as the path was narrow and steep down to the crashing waves below. The first islet was only about 50 meters away from the island and the water depths were manageable to walk across. The waves did intensely shoot around the first islet and would furiously crash into each other at a meeting point.
When we reached the cliff overlooking the vast sea I couldn’t believe how far away the second islet was in relation to the first islet. It had to be at least 200 meters away. Chris, the locals, and I climbed down to the edge so that we could jump in and start swimming to the second islet. The locals and I were getting “cold feet” as we were intimidated by the distance we would have to swim. Without hesitation, Chris plunged into the water and started plowing through the swells to the second islet. In a few minutes he reached the islet and the locals and I were still on the ledge of the first one. After a few more minutes the locals decided they would not swim across the distance. My decision was wavering back and forth but then I finally made the leap and proceeded to swim across the islets as well. My adrenaline was pumping as I combed through the big swells. The only way I could describe the water is by saying it had a “pure blue” tint to it and I could see as far down until the darkness captured the depths.
The view of my village from the second islet was absolutely beautiful. The village is surrounded by mountains which looked really cool from that far away. Also, it was really surreal to look out to the sea and only witness the vast blue. Chris and I swam back to the first islet and then proceeded to jump off parts of the cliffside into the ocean. This time, the locals joined us in this fun activity.
Just a few weekends ago, I joined Chris in his village so that he could show me some of the stuff he’s discovered. We ended up traveling to extravagant waterfalls. The waterfall in his village is over 60 feet tall. It reminded me of scenes from the award winning Discovery Channel show “Planet Earth.” This island is seriously a natural treasure of beauty. We walked easily over 20 miles throughout the entire weekend touring the southeast of Dominica.
Thanks again for reading about my adventures!
As always, I would love to hear updates about how you’ve been doing.
Until the next time,
Joe Bridwell
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