we'll start with today because that's what is fresh on my mind.....

this morning i started with shadowing a pediatrician. it was frustrating because he only spoke spanish. for the most part i'm fine following his conversations with patients, but when i want to know more in depth information i'm at a loss. it's interesting seeing the different ways that they present information to patients.

this afternoon was really interesting. in the past year i've developed a sort of side interest in women's rights of sorts. last quarter at school i did a paper about the economics of the sex tourism industry in the dominican republic, and i actually got to see this played out today. at the clinic where i am there are sex worker clinics every afternoon. today i shadowed for one of these. sex workers are required by the government to get tested for STDs every month. they each have a little booklet that they get checked. after i sat in on this session we went to visit "negocios" which means "businesses" in spanish. i wasn't really sure what they meant when they said "business outreach" until i asked the other student. before coming here she'd spent a month working with a sex worker organization in the capital, so she's had more experience with this stuff.

i was unsure of what to expect when going. i was with the other student. a woman who was or is a sex worker who now works as a health promotor, a guy from the public health department and another woman. as we pulled up to the house it was beautiful. we sat in the backyard with about six young women. the promotor gave education about how to use a female condom and then there was some other discussion. we found out that the women have come from all over the country to work here. they live on the premesis. after this house we visited two other houses. the last house we visited was gorgeous. there was a jacuzzi and a beautiful bar. at each house we sat and talked with about 6-10 young women. we found out that these were higher end houses which attract a lot of tourists. men pay about $100 and sometimes more for a girl at these house and then whatever tip they might give. we checked at the first house and the girl gets part of the flat rate and then whatever tips they might get. it was interesting to have discussions with the girls. most of them appeared to be very nice. it was interesting that some giggled when talking about female condoms like high school kids in sex ed might....when you consider their line of work. it was interesting listening to them talk very candidly about their "clients". i liked listening to the girls talk and picking up their different personalities. wondering what their life must be like. thinking about how they must all be close to each other. after visiting the three houses we visited a night club/car wash. car washs here are a little more than just washing your car. the night club was interesting because the girls live in what seems to be a dormitory type thing behind the nightclub. they started at 7 and we got their shortly before that, so many of them were already dressed for "work". the girls at the car wash seemed different than the girls for the night club, but i can't explain.

the worker speaking with them was interesting because i could see the empowerment she gave them. i also got a strong sense of togetherness that they had. while talking about using protection she said "your boss might be the boss of the whole business, but when it comes to your body you're the boss of your own business". she talked to them about how they are people who deserve to take care of themselves no matter what people might say bad about them. it was also interesting hearing her say "i'll let you go because i know you have to work" when i knew what their work was....

all in all an interesting evening.

this weekend was good. i spent it in the country with milagros' family. i got the taste of what it's like to be a woman in this culture at times. finding that the woman stays around with the family talking, etc while the men go out and visit with their friends, etc. i decided i like american culture in this regard a little better.