Profe in the DR 09

Profe in the DR 09                                                                                March 26, 2011

I have now been in my site about 5 months and in the country 7.  Despite living on a resort island, I have only been to the beach twice, once during training, and the second time in the end of February.   There just never seems like a good time to go.  I always have something I am working on. 

            March 12^th, 13^th was the Chicas Brillantes two day interchange with six bateys.  This was the second interchange we did, this time I was in charge of it.  The theme was “Girls of Science”.  The two day event was absolutely wonderful; all the girls involved had a great time doing science experiments and activities.  The only problem was that none of the girls from my batey attended.  The woman who was helping me with my group did not like who the group chose to participate, and refused to take them.  She wanted to take the same five girls who went to the first interchange (and who are related to her).    Since she didn’t go, three girls couldn’t go.  Since the three girls couldn’t go, the other two didn’t want to.  So I went without anyone from my community.   Life as a PCV.

            The boy’s soccer team had their second game on the 13^th.  They played batey 7, who are coached by a female volunteer who used to coach college women’s soccer.  The boys from here won 1-0.  They played their third game just last Sunday against batey 2.   I was in San Cristobal so I asked an older Hatian man (Blanko) to coach them.  The game was going well until the second half when batey 2 slowly started replacing the boys with men until there were more men playing than boys.  The men also seemed intent on hurting the boys from here.  The coach from here then decided to stop the game and go home.   I am hoping Blanko will continue on as coach of the team, freeing me up to work more with the girl’s team. 

            The girls’ team continues to play everyday.  There are now about 17 playing.  They always divide into the same two teams and never switch it up.   They never do any drills, or any type of practice, they just play.   They never listen to any advice, but always insist I be there.   They are however slowly improving. They are not the most athletic bunch; all the athletes went off to play softball.  However, they seem to really be enjoying themselves, and if it weren’t for soccer, I don’t think any of them would be exercising much.  I have managed to get the boys, small children, and young men to leave them alone while they practice.  

            I started up an art club.  12 boys showed up the first day with notebooks of things they have already drawn.  We practiced drawing something they picked up outside that day and they were all quiet and intently drawing the whole time.  I am hoping to get supplies from World Vision so we can do other types of projects as well.

            World Vision did however give me four sets of chess a few weeks ago.  I plan to start up a chess club soon.  For now, I have been teaching people how to play.  In the evenings my house is full of people playing chess until about ten o’clock.

            I just recently spent five days near San Cristobal about a half hour west of the capital. I participated in training for a program called Deportes para la Vida which started in Africa as Grassroots Soccer.  The program uses sports to teach about AIDS.  I took two young men from my community as well and we are now planning to give the courses here in Isabela.

            I am working on several other projects, trying to get them going.  I am helping plan a men’s soccer tournament with 14 teams from all the bateys.  I am also going to do a four week math camp focusing on students who have problems with singe digit addition.  I am trying to get supplies together to start an engineers (science) club, and am waiting on photocopies of a book to start English classes.  The youth group I am working with is working on the garbage problem in the batey.  

            This morning I spent four hours helping World Vision translate letters from children to their sponsors.  (When they called and asked for my help, I thought it was one letter they needed to translate, not the stack of letters they came by with.)  In return I asked for more things for my community. 

            I have gotten much better at riding on the back of motorcycles; I no longer feel the need to hold on to anything.  I have even mastered riding three to a motorcycle. 

            No one ever talks about the weather here, its always hot and sunny.  Quite a switch from living in Northern Michigan. 

            My clothes are slowly getting holes and rust marks.  The woman who washes my clothes dries them over barbed wire like everyone else here.  She uses the wire that makes up the fence around her house.