Money, Money, Money, Money, Mon-ey!

So, I only get news through Newsweek (which PC gets us for free but not for much longer, sadly) and very rarely from CNN (but I’m okay with a lack of CNN in my life.) As such, I don’t get news too often, but always in the same way: things aren’t going so well in the world right now. I hear there’s a economy situation with things like loans and oil affecting it, as well as some wars and of course problems in Asia and Africa.

Well, I thought I’d fill you all in on how the economy situation is affecting the life of Dominicans and PC volunteers in the Dominican Republic. Gas, as expensive as it is in the US is much more expensive here, especially if your main source is from someone who sells goes to the gas station that’s 45 minutes away once a week and sells it to the community out of old beer bottles and oil containers. So, this has led to a major increase in prices on the bus. My bus ride to the capital used to be 420 pesos and its now 510. I’m no wiz at math but I’d like to now remind us all that that is a lot more.

There were rumors that the federal government was going to increase our monthly allowances because things cost more lately, but the increase, which was rumored to be given in July, was not. We’ve all got our fingers crossed for August. The amount we get now, by the way is about between $260 and $320 a month. The rumor was that it would be a 17% percent increase. So we’ll see.