Profe in the DR 11

Profe in the DR 11

I have now been in the DR more than eight months and in my sight for six.   

My soccer teams had bad luck this weekend.  Saturday a town nearby was to bring both their boys and their girls teams.  We chalked and cleaned up the field, bought water and ice for them, set up new sticks and rope for goals, etc. in preparation for the game, but they never showed up.  Sunday the boys were to play in Batey 7.   They asked the local government office for transportation; however the driver never showed up.  Very frustrating, but very common.  (One of our biggest problems with playing games against other communities is the lack of money to pay for transportation.

            It finally rained the other night.  There’s a lot less dust now, however the ants that adventure all over my house are back, and so are the mosquitoes.

            The woman across the street has a young boy, and she is always calling him, Angel!  Angel!!  Ange1!!!  I am beginning to think that the boy was not properly named.

            Semana Santa (holy week) just ended.  They don’t do a lot to celebrate it here.  Most people had work off on Friday.  The colmados could still sell beer but they could not play music at all Friday.   Easter was not much different here either.  There were tons of relatives visiting from the capital, a little more drinking than usual, but that was it.  

            I went to the capital on Thursday, and got to the beach on Friday, and came back to my site on Saturday.  I spent Easter relaxing and reading, with only a few visitors playing chess.

            I got a chess program for the computer while in the capital, and last night I beat it.  I think I am getting a lot better at the game.  So are the kids.  They are always at my house playing chess.  More young kids are also showing up to learn everyday. 

            I got out on the mt. bike for two hours yesterday.  I went out with a young man of 22 years of age, and he was able to ride a little longer than the teenagers I normally take out.  We tried a new trail, which ended up with us jumping over a small river, riding through another, and me getting tossed into a cactus.  (My front wheel hit a loose rock as I was climbing a steep path.)  It took a little while to remove the 3 inch long needles.

            This morning as I was putting on a pair of pants, I felt something on my lower back, and swatted it off.  It turned out to be about a 2 1/2 inch black fuzzy spider.  That’s what I get for forgetting to shake out my clothes before putting them on.  At least it wasn’t inside my pants.  

            I am getting to the point with my creole where I can ask quite a few questions, but I still can’t understand the answers.  I have decided to also start studying Spanish again.  I am not sure how studying two languages at the same time is going to go, but I will let you know. 

           

             

Profe in the DR 10

Profe in the DR 10

Last Monday I went to the capital to learn about a program the business volunteers are doing called Construye Tus Sueños.  It’s a course on writing a business plan.  (Very similar to what I taught while a volunteer in Guatemala.)  They also have a competition for the best business plan with a prize of start up money for the winner.  I believe Plan International is supporting the competition.  I plan to give the course here in my site.

            While in the capital I saw the doctor about my wrist.  I was tripped while playing soccer and landed hard on my wrist.  I am now wearing a brace on my wrist for the next two to three weeks.

            My neighbor on the other side of the colmado just fixed up large speakers for music.  I now have blaring loud music being played on both sides of the house, often at the same time.   I have come to prefer when there is no electricity (although the colmado has a generator).

            I tried cooking broccoli for the first time ever.   I overcooked it and it was mushy.  It’s hard to get good vegetables here in my site.  They eat a lot of green plantains, green bananas, and yucca here, and they will flavor them up with lots of onions and oil.  I have been eating a lot of spaghetti, cereal, and peanut butter and jelly on biskwit sandwiches.  I just recently found out that the make a larger size biskwit (Haitian bread) in my site.    (photo on FB)

            It’s very dry these days.  It hasn’t rained in a long time.  The dust blows all around the batey.  It’s amazing how much dust accumulates on everything in my house in a matter of moments. 

            I continue to teach kids how to play chess.  There are a lot more girls and young children playing than before.  They come over to my house to play whenever I am home.  Some kids are even starting to make there own chess boards.  I am thinking that some day we should have a chess tournament here.

            Friday I was in the capital again for another meeting.  I am part of a committee planning a 5 day girl’s conference called camp GLOW that will happen in July.  I am also part of a smaller group in charge of re-writing the manual and workbook for the Chicas Brillantes program. 

            I taught the boys how to Sumo wrestle.   They really got into it.  We have done it a few times since.  (photos on FB)

            The kids don’t have school again today.  Nobody knows why.  They seem to have more days out of school than in.  The educational system here is one of the worst in the world, and things are even worse here in the batey.   Teachers are hired based on political party not ability. 

            My art club that started off so well, imploded.  No one showed up the last three weeks.  Its not that they weren’t interested, just that the kids were too young and had no concept of time.  We even went around the day before reminding them, but they still forgot.  After semana santa (holy week) I am going to try again, but this time with some older kids involved.  They can help the younger kids remember.  I had the same problem with the younger kids and soccer.  When I had a time just for them they would forget to come, but when I switched the time to the same time that the older boys and girls were practicing they never miss.