Profe in the DR 18

Profe in the DR 18

Last week I had to see a specialist in the capital about my finger.  He told me to keep in immobilized for another ten days, but at least he didn’t put it in a cast again.

  Saturday the soccer team worked on the play.  After the last heavy rain, the play filled up with water and as people and animals walked through it, they left behind holes where they stepped, and pushed the mud up on the sides sticking out.  This dried hard (lots of clay in the soil) and was dangerous to play on.  The soccer team continued to work on the play, carrying dirt from just outside of the play and filling in the holes.  This took a long time since we only had one shovel, one rake, and one wheelbarrow.  They also picked up trash and tons of broken glass from the play.  Today we had are first home game of the co-ed summer league.  Our team played very well and won 1-0.   I refereed the game, and figured I ran more than the players did. 

I finally got out on my bike on Monday.  It had been a long time since I last rode.   I had to fix a few things on the bike, then various health problems (back spasms, dislocated finger, bad chest cold) kept me from riding.  I rode this morning with Aiden, another volunteer who just moved to Batey 1.  I got in 3 hours, and had two flat tires.

Yesterday was Día de Bañarse (bath day).  The kids all went down to the river and swam and splashed around.  Other kids were walking around pouring water on them selves. 

The teenagers showed up for English class on Wednesday, and came with friends.  The class doubled in size.

We had our second and third classes of Deportes para la Vida this week as well.  The boys don’t have a lot of patience but are learning quite a bit.

Lately more girls have been coming to learn and play chess.  My house is always full of kids playing.

One of our volleyballs came apart and the other has several holes in it, leaving us with nothing to play with.  I am trying to get some more volleyballs and a net.

I have been trying to teach the kids how to type, but the lack of electricity is making this difficult.  World Vision installed ten new computers in our community center, but there isn’t any electricity ever to use them.  The transformer from the street blew out five years ago and has never been replaced, so the only electricity for the community center comes when a neighbor chooses to run his generator (which is not that often since gas costs money.)

It’s been getting hotter at night and it’s been hard to get to sleep.  I finally got smart and use a bottle of cold water to help cool me down.  I place it on my chest or under my neck. 

Profe in the DR 17

Profe in the DR 17

Saturday we had our first co-ed soccer game with Batey 5.  We loaded 13 girls and 11 boys in the back of a small pickup and headed over.  The game scheduled for 3pm began a little after 4pm, which is on time for here.  It was hot and dusty, and we didn’t have enough water.  (The home team was in charge of providing water.)  Their field was full of glass and many of the players were barefoot.  Our team dominated the first half, but discipline broke down in the second half with all the forwards and center line playing back with the defense instead of their positions.  The only score came on a free kick, after one of our girls touched the ball with her hands.  By the way our kids cheered and sang on the way home, you would have never guessed they had lost. 

All in all the game was a success.  The boys and girls played well together.  The girls from the other team seemed to have outplayed their boys.  There were complaints from both sides that some of the kids weren’t between the ages of 12-17, but in a country where so many don’t have birth certificates, it is hard to prove.  The game between the other two teams in the league was successful as well.  Batey 9 beat Batey 7 five to zero.  Our next game is June 25^th against Batey 7.

Sunday morning I worked with Jairo (my project partner), helping him write a business plan.  He is starting a business producing and selling cleaning products.  He took a course and learned how to make bleach, shampoo, pinesol, and several other cleaning products.  In the afternoon we played volleyball again.  There was a huge crowd gathered, and we played for hours.  Once again, I insisted that they play mixed with three guys and three girls to each side. 

Monday no one showed up for English class in the morning, although my house was full of kids playing chess.  (Its always full of kids playing chess.)  In the afternoon we started the first course of Deportes para la Vida with the boys from the soccer team.  Deportes para la Vida is a program to teach about HIV and AIDS using sports to do so.  It started in Africa with professional soccer players under the name Grassroots Soccer.  At 3pm I taught another English class, and then had my Creole class.  At five, I headed for the play where they were practicing baseball, soccer, and Jairo had decided to play volleyball again.  Since Blanco was working with the soccer team and Profet with the baseball team, I decided to help Jario with volleyball.  We are discussing the possibility of forming a small league just with in the batey.  After dark, my house was full of kids playing chess again until 10pm when I kicked them all out.    

Profe in the DR 16

Profe in the DR 16

The new hurricane season is upon us, the first system pasted over Haiti and my site bringing six days of rain.  Currently the sun is out but there is water everywhere.  It will be some time until things dry out.  All the rain increases the dangers of cholera in the area, not to mention dengue and malaria.  Cases of all three have been increasing in the country.

            I was lucky; I was in the capital for half of the time it was raining.  I had a three day conference on mobilizing marginalized populations.  The conference was held at the Quality hotel on the east side of the capital.  It was the first time in six months I showered with hot water.  The conference started early in the morning and ran until after ten each night.  Could have used a little more sleep.

            My right hand is still in a cast, and I have a pretty good chest cold going on.  It’s hard to stay healthy here.  My system is under attack far more than normal here, and sleep is often hard to come by.  One neighbor has his music blasting until late at night; the other cranks his up early in the morning.  When deafening music isn’t robbing me of my z’s, the dogs, motorcycles, people yelling are.

            Gitana, (the volunteer in Batey 7) and I have put together a small soccer league during summer vacation.  Only four bateys are involved.  We managed to get a grant to cover transportation, and buy 2 soccer balls for each team.   We decided to make the league co-ed, mostly since we didn’t have the money to create both a boy’s league and a girl’s league.  A co-ed sport is something new here.  I have worked on the guys to get them to behave better around the girls, but the girls are still apprehensive to practice with the boys.  Tomorrow is our first game; I can only hope all goes well.