4H Equipo GIS

So I feel I should conclude our one week stay in the Dominican Republic. What should have been only Day 8 became Day 9 as well. It started with our ongoing mission of searching for the lost pair of Thomas’ sunglasses. His “Hollywood” glasses bought early in the week got lost during our banana boat ride and ever since then we had all been searching every store’s sunglasses collection for the “Hollywood” pair. Unfortunately, we were unsuccessful…until a couple of hours before our flight was supposed to leave to Miami. Two hours before arriving at the airport, we wanted to make time by going shopping to MegaCentro, Thomas rationalized that this would reduce our waiting time at the airport and would increase the “excitement” were we to arrive while the plane was boarding. So we arrive at the airport ready to be boarded in less than an hour…and then the news comes: our flight had been delayed from 4:35pm to 6:00pm! So much for not waiting at the airport. Well, when we finally have our bags checked, we proceed to find our gate and looking at the departures screen, I notice that the flight had been delayed to 6:30. Resigning ourselves to waiting, we decide to have lunch. Then Thomas goes to check our departure time again, and returns with the news that our flight was now…7:10pm! So much for not waiting.

Well, we finally arrive in Miami at 9:20pm. By then, we had all missed our connections.  After waiting for our baggage for a good 15 minutes, there is an announcement saying there were some technical difficulties and our baggage would not be coming our right away. I stood waiting for the bags for the first hour, and then Christian convinced me I should go sit down and wait. At 11pm our bags finally came out. 11pm! Now, we had to wait in line to reschedule our flight and to book hotel rooms, as we were staying the night in Miami. We waited in line for what felt like an hour and then got our new flights and hotel rooms. I would be staying at a nearby hotel while the guys would be staying at another, farther hotel. Before saying goodbye, we had some dinner with our $10 voucher from American Airlines. After waiting another 30 minutes for my shuttle, I finally got to the hotel, watched 10 minutes of Spiderman, then fell asleep. Day 9 involved flying from Miami to Houston, where I finally arrived at my dorm at 12pm and immediately fell asleep.

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As my last blog for this wonderful trip, I would like to make some final comments:

1) Thanks to all who sponsored this trip, it would not have been possible without you.

2) Thanks to Sarah and Thomas, who make an amazing team as chaperones.

3) Great job to the rest of the group for hard work, wonderful teamwork, and a great presentation.

4) Viva la Republica Dominicana!

The first three days here weren’t so great there was a huge tropical  storm. It was crazy the wind were blowing at atleast 40mph and the hotel was on lock down. One of the front doors to the hotel had a crack near one of the hinges. When they saw thats when they closed the doors and metal shutters were put in front of the Glass front doors. On wednesday it was still raining but it the storm was almost gone and gave our presentation and it went well. On thursday we went to the ARCGIS Explorer presentation and we learned about the 3D capabilities of the program. And that after noon we finish the first day by going shopping and having dinner. On friday we went to the HP presentation in the morning  and it was cool we learned about all kinds of printers and their capabilities. After that we went the beach Boca Chica it was about 25 minutes from our haotel. But it was worth the trip the beach was awesome. This trip was great and I enjoyed it alot.

When i got to Santo Domingo i thought that it was very big and that we where going to get lost but we didn’t. This is the first time i gone out of the US by my self well not by myself but  without my dad and mom with me. This trip has taken me to a hole another level of traval. Since we got here it has been raining a hold lot until thursday and friday that it did not rain. I want to come back here to see all the historical site to see because we did not see all of them because of the rain. BUt above all now i know how people get nerves when they get on stage

Today was one of the most interesting days I have had since last lear. Friday at last and we were finally on our way to Boca Chica and exitement was in the air. After a very long wait at the hotel for “unclear” reasons, it was around 12 in the afternoon and we were finally ready to go. About 30 minutes later, we were arriving at Boca Chica, when the driver turned into this very small and densely populated street. The driver continued driving towards the end of the street and told us he would drop us off at the far end. As our van approached the shoreline 10 to 15 people “happily” came rushing to greet us. Getting of the van was like walking into an obvious trap. Immediately I was told that because I spoke spanish I would be able to get a great deal on beach chairs and “great” food. Walking towards the shoreline we though we had escaped these wonderful people. As luck would have it, we were again immediately swamped with a multitude of vendors that their merchandise ranged from necklaces to hair braids to manucures and massages.  It definitely was some very exiting moments. Tom, who had felt the frustation before, let out a loud and very comical response. “NO!, NO!, NO GRACIAS!,” he said. finally we were able to make it out alive and settle on the shore. I named this attack the First Wave because I knew this would not be the end of our arch enemies.

All week we have been anticipating Boca Chica.

With a view of muggy water through our hotel window all week long, we have grown fond of anticipating the clear waters of a place described in paper. A place where the sky is no longer gray and everything is bright from a shining sun. A place where no floods exist. A place unaffected by tropical storm Noel.

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Arriving at the beach, we were greeted by an unexpected surprise. Dozens of people came up to us asking us if we wanted to buy anything from CD’s, watches, blankets, food, manicures, etc. These were people who made a living off of tourism and because of the storm they had been unemployed for about four days. They were very happy to see tourists.

The water was crystal clear, the sun was shining, and there was a very light breeze.  We went on a boat ride while riding on a “banana.” It was super fun, especially getting flipped over.

As the name implies, today we took a day of rest. Since members of the group were feeling tired and were getting sick, we thought we needed some rest. Thankfully, I haven’t been getting sick. The rest was well called for and we were all refreshed by the time we were ready to go out.

First we went to a printer presentation, learning about different types of HP printers.

Afterwards, at a social, I had an interesting conversation with a GIS user from the Dominican Republic. He was in charge on inventorying Cacao trees around volcanic areas for the government. He also explained how the Dominican has one of the largest export of chocolate beans to England and other countries who process them and make chocolate. While they export the chocolate beans, less than 10% of Dominicans consume products made from coffee beans, according to this man.

Interestingly, he also said that the last time they had a tropical storm/hurricane was about 10 years ago. Lucky us to have been here when the storm came around. It was pure nature and fascinating to witness. Although I didn’t wish for a storm and the loss of lives is very unfortunate, I have gained awareness for those who have ever been in a storm (worse than this) and for those who live in areas that are not meant to sustain such weather.

Well today was presentation day. All of our hours of practicing and rehearsing for this one day. Was I nervous? Only a minute before we actually presented. It was more the anticipation of having to sit through the previous presentations and knowing that we hadn’t actually rehearsed on stage. Once it was our turn to present, I was as ready as I was going to get. When it was over, I was filled with relief. We were partially done with what we came down here to do. I felt better with our presentation when I went to sit down in the audience and a man sitting next to me said, “You guys are doing a great job,” which at the moment, was all I needed to hear.

I want to take a moment to offer my truest appreciation for all the people at ESRI who have helped make this happen! Without all of you, 4-H Equipo GIS would still just be a very great idea, not a reality!

I want to thank Jack Dangermond for supporting our youth and the program! We are continually overwhelmed by the amount of software, support, and energy ESRI puts into our youth development programs, and for creating the opportunity for the youth to attend the conferences both abroad and in San Diego! Without his support, we would not be able to offer these opportunities!

 I want to thank Esther Worker and Charlie Fitzpatrick for their continuing support, and their belief in the 4-H program! They have provided the best support we could have had. They have been wonderful in promoting youth experiences, and encouraging our youth to explore! They are vital to what we do!

 I want to thank Merrill Lyew and Juan Gomez for the terrific Latin American and Caribbean User’s Conference the 4-H EquipoGIS youth have just attended. This opportunity, both to present, and interact with GIS professionals has made a profound impact on the entire team!

 I want to thank Joseph Kerski for his ongoing support of our criteria and all of the work we do! His input has been essential to improving the skills of our youth!

 I want to thank Ismael Chivite for answering the questions that came from our team! Your direct answer to their question has clearly inspired Clara to peruse a career in GIS, and to believe that she can set her goals high, and achieve it!

 Thanks to all of you for all of your support, enthusiasm, and your belief in youth! You clearly are making a difference!

My deepest appreciation,

 ~Sarah Cofer

Well, it finally seems like the storm may have REALLY broken. We actually saw some stars tonight as we were walking back to our favorite outdoor marketplace. We had a difficult time getting everyone out the door of the hotel for this evening’s excursion, but we finally made it. We still missed a lot of the open stores because of our late departure AND because we had to make a little stop by la farmacia. Si, estoy enfermo. My stomach has been a little upset for the last couple of days. May be the milk products - delicious going in - but not settling so well. I took a nap this afternoon and definitely headed for the pharmacy this afternoon. Was thinking maybe TUMS or GAVISCON, but they were around USD20 for a bottle. Ended up with a single serving of Phillips Milk of Magnesia. About USD2. Not completely sure yet if it has helped or not, but I’m hoping for the best. I was going to take my nap today by the pool because it seemed like the sun was going to break through, but due to all the rain, the pool was still closed. The lady in the spa area said that they were going to clean it before re-opening. Anyway, after the pharmacy tonight, we went to the market area and walked by mostly closed stores but we did manage to find the little souvenier shop we had stopped by a few nights earlier. We were better negotiators tonight than before. I think all in all we got some pretty favorable deals. So it’s been decided that I’m a look alike for a Latin singer named Juanez. People look and say, “Coca-cola.” He has apparently done a coke commercial. Well, the kids decided that I needed to learn a Juanez song, so I’m working on La Camisa Negra. Hopefully, I will have it down for the trip to the beach tomorrow. Boca Chica is about 30 miles away. We’re hoping for good weather. But anyway, we found ourselves tonight back outside a location that Sarah swore a couple nights ago was a brothel. But instead, we found it to be one of the kids’ favorite restaurants so far. Kind of a cafe/italian/french/techno place. We had a really good time. I had one of my favorite Italian dishes - Gnocchi. We had a great walk back - the DR finally has their street lights working in Santo Domingo. We got some good pictures. I’m sure they’ll be posted on here or FLICKR. Well, I’ll hopefully get back on here tomorrow, but I need to go to sleep. Hasta manana.

Our presentation was on Wednesday, October 31^st, at 3:30 EST. The kids did absolutely incredible. There was a bit of nervousness but they did great.  We have the video tape, but not the cable to attach it to the computer! So we will have to upload it when we get back.

They DID not get to practice on stage, nor even hook up the equipment before hand! We went down to the Melia (a very short block and a half from where we are) the day before and met with staff. The ballroom was being used for something else (a different conference or meeting) and would not be set up until after 10 o’clock at night! So we peeked in the room, and left.

We arrived for the plenary sessions at just nine am the next morning! BUT there were issues with power (we have an intermittent power outages), some of the computer equipment (for the conference) had not arrived, the registration system was not set up, and it appeared that the equipment for the translations (each person could have an individual ear piece) had not arrived. The flooding has really disrupted travel! (Don’t worry I am checking on the airport today, as well as time it is going to take to get there.)

I have to interject here that Juan Gomez who is coordinating the conference, was absolutely, utterly, fantastic!

So we waited, and the kids found an empty room and practiced! I was so nervous I couldn’t sit still.

It finally started about 10 am! We heard Juan Gomez speak, and then Dr David Macquire from ESRI talked to us about the ESRI’s products. He spoke for two and a half hours, and we had a break and then he spoke for perhaps another hour.

We then ate lunch which was a buffet style catered lunch….FABULOUS …(in fact we didn’t even know we were going to get the lunch until just before…because we hadn’t registered…we didn’t have a ticket…etc)

They were expecting 400 people and in the audience yesterday there were maybe 150. Travel within the DR is limited because there is a lot of flood damage, and many people couldn’t make it!

During the opening presentation Ishmael Chivette (ESRI) worked through some brief overviews with the software….he spoke in Spanish….and he did a great job! Joked as he worked, and presented in a lively manner. We all decided we would take his classes this am….if we could get up!

In the middle of David Macquire’s presentation part of the ceiling fell in on several attendees! (It was not the vent itself, just the very soggggggy roof tiles….probably felt like getting hit with a bowl of oatmeal thrown at you from 40 feet!) Provided quite the entertainment!

The kids got to stand on the stage for the first time at 3:00! (Remember they were to present at 3:30!) We hadn’t had a chance to check to make sure the equipment would connect, or even project….(can u say I was having cardiac arrest…..) although we had asked about the specs of their system the day before….so we knew it should work!

So after eating lunch, we took our equipment, and prepared to present! I was so proud of the kids! Half an hour before the presentation….not knowing whether the equipment would even work or not….just walked it…walked up on stage..(no one else was in the room, except for the people fixing the large hole in the roof) and set up. Plugged everything in, pulled everything up….no issues. (I was so nervous I thought I was going to puke, but they were great! I don’t remember EVER being that nervous…it may have been better had I actually had to get up on stage! Thomas and I had decided that we were not going to present anything….as we wanted it to be entirely the kids presentation….and boy has that worked…but more about that later…!)

The only thing that I had to help with was how to get the laptops to project on the screen…I just had to show them where the fn f7 (on my computer) but I think it was fn f4 on theirs….was to toggle the projection to the screen and then to turn it off again!!!! Oh, and Luis was checking the battery power and noticed it was not charging despite being plugged in…..(more brownie points) so I had to bend the plug a bit to make it a stronger connection with the 1960s power strip…..THAT is it…they did every thing else!!!

They were ready by 3:20…seated on stage…people milling about…and Juan came in to let us know that they were going to wait for a while to start, because the workers hadn’t finished setting up a stand under where the roof had fallen.(During lunch they had shortened the room….by moving the chairs forward, and were placing a display (ESRI) under the spot where the roof had fallen in so that no one would be under it…..the stand was not set up yet)So we waited…the kids on stage, sitting in chairs…some people in the audience….some people milling about! Me fiddling with the camera, and the video cam….