Imma kill a gringa, part 2 of several

18 October 2001
Dusk
Francisca’s
Aguacete

I came down here to write because this woman I’m with is pissing me off. So I’ll take a moment to write before I rip her a new hole.

I woke up this morning when the animals started their chorus. At a few minutes til 7, I rose, put on work clothes, ate thin oatmeal gruel, and drank some coffee.

Went up to B’s house where we discussed organic pesticides and permaculture. We then made la comida del mediodía: rice, garbanzos, veggies, and yucca patties.

The crew from Entrena arrived. The nurse assured herself that we were still alive, and the language we spoke was ascertained by the language coordinator to still sound something quite unlike Spanish.

Then there was language class, during which J and I got in a fight.

Here’s a question: when is it worth it to work a problem through with someone? When is it better to give up? If I don’t defend my actions, is this more just than being defensive? Is it better just to admit fault than to seem unreasonably defensive?

Trainer E says we’re acting like children. She’s demanded we talk it out, though I’m not sure it’s worth it.

Note to readers: This is a review of my personal journal from my time as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Dominican Republic more than a decade ago. I have done my best not to change what I wrote, even if I feel differently now or found out later that I what I wrote was factually incorrect. Part of the joy of reading old journals is seeing a story arc where I’ve learned new things.

• The next entry in this series is Imma kill a gringa, part 3
• The previous entry in this series is Imma kill a gringa
• You can see the journal entries as I post them here.
• If you’re just starting, here’s the first entry.