Today in the office, I saw what I supposed was a little rodent running about. Imagine my surprise when the rodet turned out to be a cute big iguana! Perhaps "cute" isn't the best word to describe my reptilian friend, but it was really interesting looking.
Other things that I am seeing: lots and lots of rain. Every day. Evidently, the April Showers decided to last until May. And probably longer. It's neat because I get to cancel all of my meetings after school. Why is that? Well, if nobody has a car, and the roads are muddy and impassible by motorcycle, and the women can't get their hair wet, and the men don't want to get wet either...there's just really no way anyone is showing up to a meeting. So, some forced relaxation!
The rains are bringing lots and lots more green. Where I live in Monte Plata is so green- before the rains. Now everything is brighter, grass-like plants are taller than children, the flowers are beeeeautiful. On the downside, the river has flooded a few times, making a nearby bridge unpassable, my feet get muddy, and there are lots of flying ants and mosquitoes (both of which bite). But the muddy feet part doesn't really bother me...they're usually dusty or muddy.
Let's keep going with neat things I've seen. A few days ago, a "gang" of around 20 neighborhood boys "rode" past on their "horses" (branches). In the rain and their underwear. Hahahah!
Today was a lovely day at the school, even though I wasn't there for too long. I went to pick up a student from his class to work with him, and his teacher said he'd been sent to the office because he was misbehaving. So I went there, and he had the decency to look embarrassed, and I took him to work with him...and wouldn't you know it, today we finished all the letters. The art teacher with whom I share an office space used to be his 2nd grade teacher, and she started jumping around and hugging him when he read her a complicated sentence. I almost started crying, and he got to write his name down on the list of students invited to the literacy party at the end of the year. I think I have worked harder with this one particular child than most this year (since February). Incidently, this child is also part of a family that got a latrine this January. His sister always helps him with his homework because his parents are never around. Nice kid, except for his tendancy to get into fights when I'm not looking over his shoulder.
Anyways, after that really awesome experience, a visitor from a community around 2-hours away came to see me. This community is soliciting a new PC volunteer, and hopefully they get one. They are so excited about the prospect, and have really motivated all of their community organizations to work together and fill out a form soliciting a volunteer, and have found homes where he/she can live. It's exciting to work with a group of people who really want their youth to have some opportunities, and I hope that they can get a new volunteer!
Just to clarify, this is how the system works (usually): community hears of PC or PC makes initial visit, community decides if it wants a volunteer and what he/she could do, community solicits volunteer, PC prepares community (and trains volunteer) volunteer goes to community! That way, volunteers aren't dumped in communities that don't know what to do with them (hopefully), and, since communities have had to work a little for a volunteer, they're more likely to work a little with them (also hopefully).
The last part of this particularly lovely morning: I had McDonalds. We never really were a fast-food eating family, but still. I don't remember the last time a burger has tasted this good.
Today I'm walking with the neighborhood youth group up to see the other youth group; my girls are going to give them a lesson on discrimination! It should be fun. Also, Sunday is Mother's Day here; we're having a party saturday and sunday to raise funds for the basketball courts we're trying to build here.
Speaking of courts...if anyone knows anyone who would like to contribute to the Basketball Court fund, all they have to do is send a check to the El Portal de Belen Foundation, to the following address, and earmark it "for the basketball court." The organization is a registered non-profit, started by the American priest in Don Juan.
El Portal de Belén Foundation
c/o Greg Calvin, Treasurer
51 Waterview Heights
Ithaca, NY 14850
Also, I hear that raising funds for a basketball court in the DR is a great service-learning project! On a different note, if you are a teacher or work with children and would like to start up a letter exchange program, let me know! I'm always looking for ways to get my children here to think about life outside of their small community, and I suspect it would be a great learning experience for your students to learn about life here!
Thanks for reading!
Alicia
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