Kelly in the Dominican Republic - update #3

Here’s another update from Kelly from last weekend. It’s long… so… enjoy! And I have more posts from this week to get out to you soon too.

Hello!
You all need to know that I am LOVING this! Every minute! I’ve adjusted, I’m speaking so easily half the time I just answer back and don’t even think first. Anyway, LOVING IT!

I just got home from mass. It started at 4:00 and just now got over. It was long, about an hour and a half. The kids sing SO well, and the songs gave me goosebumps. Very cool. As we were walking back to our houses (mass was at the school) it started to rain. It wasn’t a cool rain, but the raindrops mixed with the breeze made it slightly refreshing. Right now, it’s overcast, grey clouds and 85 degrees or more. BUT, I have FINALLY stopped sweating! WOO HOO! I have adjusted. If I lay really still and concentrate, I can feel a slight breeze on me while I sleep.

This week was busy. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday I worked in the school all day to help them prepare for graduation. The whole school has a graduation ceremony, it’s formal, and lots of preparations have been made. I’m looking forward to it. The ceremony is next Friday. The teachers here are SO talented. They create student work by using a notebook for each student and writing the assignment in each notebook for all 19 kids. Talk about prep work! Very dedicated people. I am going to take that idea for me next year… my wheels are already turning with all the ideas!

The school day is from 8 until 12:00. The kids come home, change out of their school uniforms and into their regular clothes. At 12:30 they eat lunch that is cooked in the kitchen, then delivered by other kids. Lunch is usually over around 1:00, then they do chores. They fold their own clothes, sweep, mop, clean the bathrooms. From what I can tell the kids “earn their keep” so to speak. In Spanish the verb they use is “ganar” to stay here. Well, that is how it was explained to me. The tias do EVERYTHING around the house serving food, caring for the kids, etc, except housework, the kids take care of that. Including dishes, everything. And, I must say, the houses are spotless.

GOOD NEWS! I got my language! My Spanish has clicked! FINALLY! I understand the Dominicans a lot better, and I can finally speak without having to think. Don’t get me wrong… sometimes I get stumped, and sometimes I have to think about how to say something, but for the most part, I can just sit and chat. It’s WONDERFUL! I was talking to one of the nuns yesterday. They are Columbian. Her Spanish was SO easy for me to understand I almost felt like it was English. I didn’t realize just how much I was struggling, until I heard the Spanish I was used to. But, like I said, I understand so much more now, and I am talking to the preschool kids too. LOVE IT!

What else to say… hmmm…OH! I have finally found a way to describe the humidity. All the time it feels like you are walking around in a steam room, sauna, or in a bathroom RIGHT after you have finished a really hot shower. Then, you’re sort of wet all the time, so your clothes feel like in the hot summer sun – right after you swim and you put your clothes back on. So, they aren’t wet, but they aren’t dry, and they stick to your skin. I don’t know, best way I can think to describe it.

We haven’t had power for over 24 hours. I think there is something wrong with our house. The guys were here yesterday around 12 working on the electrical panel for some reason, and after that it hasn’t worked. I talked to Jonvier (pronounced John – Vier) who is a volunteer from Haiti working in maintenance and with the automotive. He’s going to look into it. (update, he “fixed” it by running an extension cord from another house that has power to our refrigerator. Hee, hee, hee. Hey! It worked!)

I can’t believe I have been here almost a week already! My house feels like home. But – this is the weirdest thing! I sleep HARD, like a rock, and I don’t set my alarm. I just wake up naturally around 6:30 or 7. In that just waking up time, I always think I am home in my own bed and that Dominican Republic was just a dream. Then, I look around, and hear the kids talking, singing, (and occasionally crying) across the grass and realize where I am. Kind of strange.

This morning, I was getting ready to leave the house and go to the school again, and I heard what sounded like horses. So, I looked over the wall (the orphanage is surrounded by an 8 foot cinder block wall) and I can see some heads bobbing up and down. Then – I realize the sound I hear is baseball cleats! RIGHT next door to the orphanage is a Texas Ranger training camp. I guess most major league teams have training camps here. Anyway, they take street kids, and anyone else interested or with talent and bring them to these baseball training camps. The good players are then moved to the US for farm teams. So, I heard them running this morning. I’m going to see if the other Kelly wants to walk with me one night after work outside the gate and see the baseball training camp.

Speaking of the gate… there is a 24 hour guard at the front and he lets folks in and out. I’ve met a few of them, and they seem very nice. On the other sides of the wall are Bateys. (pronounced Buh-tay) which are the very poor surrounding neighborhoods. We drive through one to go to town. I have never seen such poverty. I won’t be taking any photos there, because I find that a little rude, but they hang their clothes on the barb wire fences to dry, and many, many people live in little tiny rooms – some of which have no doors. Some are just piles of tin. Like I said, I’ve been to a few 3rd world countries, but haven’t seen anything like this.

The thunder just started. I wonder if it’s going to pour… We shall see.

Coming events.. next week should be busy… here are some things going on

Saturday – meeting with Fanny (one of the nuns) and Kieran (the director of the orphanage, basically the head boss).

Sunday – Nothing

Monday – Volunteer meeting about summer school. I’ll probably also go to the school to help with anymore graduation stuff

Tuesday – Presenting the workshops to the school so the kids know what they can sign up for.

Wednesday – we are going to Santo Domingo to a batey with a guy from “The Dominican Experience” who is going to talk to us about the DR, poverty, and other issues.

Thursday – A couple more summer school meetings (they are called Reunions here… I like that)

Friday – Graduation from 9 – 12 at the school

Saturday - I have to work, which basically means play with the kids when they are done with their chores.

Sunday – the beach.

So, all is well. Teresa just got here. She is another volunteer for the summer. So, Kelly, Teresa and I are going to plan out the summer of arts and crafts so we can get a supply list together by Monday.

Couple more things…

Dinner tonight was bread with butter and jugo tamarindo. Delicious – ICE cold juice from 4 different fruits and lots of sugar. I thought it couldn’t get any better. I haven’t had anything cold in a week. I miss ice.

I read a book to my house on Wednesday and it was amazing. They couldn’t take their eyes off it. It was SILENT. If someone talked, someone else would shhh them. They were standing behind me, leaning on me, over my shoulder, on the floor, and I was SURROUNDED by 16 warm bodies and I was sweating like no other! It was great! So now, whenever I go over there to eat, they bring me books and make me read to them. I LOVE IT!

The kids LOVE my hair. They come over touch it, play with it, put it up, take it down, and think it is great. So, it’s kind of fun!

I guess that’s it! I’ll keep writing, as long as you guys keep reading! J OH! I’ll try and upload photos this weekend. The internet is SOOO slow – it could take a while. AND, I’ll answer your other emails too… Didn’t have time for that yet.

Kelly

P.S. I think I need to learn Creole. There are some Haitians living here and working here and they speak creole and I could listen to it ALL Day. I have NO idea what they’re saying, but it sounds awesome!