Profe in the DR 23

Profe in the DR 23                                                      Wednesday, September 7, 2011

On Tuesday August 23^rd, we finally did get some rain out from Irene in the evening.   It rained for a few hours.  Most of it dried up the next day.   Wednesday and Thursday were like normal, working on all my normal projects and helping Jairo write his business plan.   Friday morning I started back up the Art club after summer vacation.  I still haven’t received any art supplies from World Vision, even though they told me they would give me some six months ago.  In the afternoon, I found out that my soccer coach Blanco has quit (for the fourth time).  The other coach Samuel says he will take over.  Sunday morning however, the day we have the championship for the summer soccer league, Samuel gets up and leaves town, with out telling anyone but his neighbor.  He said he was heading back to where he used to live.  In two days I went from having two coaches to none.  So I coached the final game myself.  My team played great, but lost to the first place team, we finished up the league in second place.  I had a normal busy Monday, and in the late afternoon I headed in to the capital to see the doctors again.  I managed to catch a ride with my APCD (Assistant Peace Corps Director) who happened to be in the area.  I had to see the doctors because I had a middle ear infection, and the left side of my left foot was numb.  The doctor said my foot was numb because nerves running through my lower back, were most likely being pinched.  My back has been giving me a lot of problems still.  She gave me muscle relaxers to try to solve the problem.   I came back to my site Wednesday.  Thursday I had a Peace Corps Trainee (Dustin Wood) come visit me.  As part of their training, in the third week, trainees visit a current volunteer to see first hand the life and work of a volunteer.  He stayed with me here through Saturday, observing/helping with projects.  Everyone in the batey came by to see the new American.  People asked if Dustin was my brother, some asked if he was my son, (he is 24 years old), one person even said that Dustin looked older.  At the bus stop, someone said I looked Dominican, but Dustin looked American.

 Saturday afternoon, after working in the play for a while, cutting back thornbush, the trainee and I headed off to Barahona where we met up with eight other volunteers and two trainees.  We then headed off together to San Rafael on the beach and spent the night in a house on top of a cliff overlooking the ocean.  Sunday we swam a bit and relaxed in rocking chairs on the porch with an incredible view of the sea.  I don’t take a lot of time off, even though we are allowed to, but it was nice to play tourist for the weekend. At noon, we headed further down the road to Los Patos and had lunch then swam some more.  At Los Patos they tell me is the shortest river in the world, as its source is only a 100 or so yards from the sea.  We caught a Bola (free ride) in the back of a large truck back to Barahona and arrived a little before four, but since it was Sunday there were no longer busses (old vans) heading towards Neyba.  A guy who drove a van to a different location offered to drive us at higher price than normal per person, since there were six of us heading that way.  He then proceeded to pick up other passengers, so we objected to paying taxi prices if he was going to pick up people like a normal bus route.  When he disagreed, Cameron told him to drop us off here, and that we would then walk up ahead of the van and then get back on as bus passengers, not taxi passengers.  Everyone laughed at that and in the end, we only paid bus prices.   

Monday was fairly normal.

Tuesday most of the kids finally started going back to school, even though school officially began August 17^th.  A few kids have not gone back yet, and when I asked, one 14 year old girl said she is waiting for her mother to buy her school supplies before she goes back.  She said maybe next Monday she will start.  Two boys said they are waiting for their parents to buy uniforms.

I have been using my laptop to teach typing, and also math.  I have also been working with younger children on math using flash cards.  Compared to US students, they are so far behind their age level in math that it’s unbelievable. 

I started off today with an hour ride on the mt.bike.  My back is still very sore so I took it easy. I then taught three English classes and had Creole class.  Any free time I had up until 5:30 was taken up teaching math.  I got out the flash cards and was working with whatever kids came in the house.  I had five years old to seventeen year olds all practicing math.  I headed out for soccer, and volleyball, then spent the evening like always, with a house for of teenagers playing chess.  After they left at 9:30pm, a friend stopped by to use my laptop for an hour while I read Charlotte’s Web in Spanish.  (I never read it in English.)