It’s been a while since I last wrote a blog and it feels good to be back at it. I returned to the Dominican Republic a few weeks ago after my Portland vacation, and despite the difficult good-bye it feels good to be back. It was a little uncomfortable to first land in the US after an entire year had gone by, but once I saw my family it felt like hardly any time had passed at all. I am amazed by how easy it felt to re-adjust to everything in the States. I was equally surprised by the ease of my transition back to the DR. When I was in the Santo Domingo airport, waiting to board the States-bound airplane, I looked around at the other passengers. I found three categories of people: Dominican Yorks (Dominicans who live in New York), honeymooners, and missionaries. I quickly felt like I didn’t fit in with any of these groups and I guess that summarizes my life right now… partly Dominican, partly American, a little of both but not completely either.
Life in Las Tablas is feeling increasingly “normal,” as I have begun some new projects and moved into my new house last week! First on my list of projects are a girls’ group and another Escojo (health) group. Both have been a little slow to form and I have learned that work in the campo comes at a different pace than in the city. Nevertheless, I am optimistic about these two groups. In a couple of weeks I will be starting a sports program, probably a volleyball team, that combines sports with activities based on HIV awareness and healthy decision making. Next week I’ll take two youth to training for the sports program; I am very excited about this new project! Another thing is that I am helping out with first and second graders at the school. I’m starting off as a sort of teacher’s assistant… spent the entire hour yesterday helping kids write “m.” I usually prefer to work with older kids but these two grades are the biggest and in the most need of help. And… to my surprise I actually enjoyed helping kids write the letter “m.” We’ll see where this project goes. I am hoping to eventually pull out struggling students for more one-on-one help. One last project: support an already existing youth group, Juventud Caribe. This is probably my favorite group so far because Dominican youth themselves are in charge. It’s fun to see them take control of the group. Wow, that sounds like a lot of stuff! But rest assured, it’s much easier in the second year when there is no language/cultural adjustment period to account for.
As for my house… well, it’s a bit of a downgrade from my house in Bani. Okay, a major downgrade. No running water, less electricity, outhouse… but the house feels more like home each day. In fact, I am convinced that, with time, it will feel more like home than the other did. And even though I will miss my mango tree I’ve got sugarcane, lime, guava, and bean plants as my disposal in the new home.
Back to my projects: I have been getting a lot of pressure from the community to start an English class. I know, I am being really stubborn about refusing to teach English, but the refusal comes with good reason. On my run this morning I started to think about the exact reason why I am so resistant to English courses, and I got my answer. I have formed my own list of priorities for the community which stems directly from its most immediate needs/dangers for youth:
1. Healthy decision making/avoiding teen pregnancy: I feel so passionately about focusing on this priority that it’s hard to even put into words why it is so important. First of all, teen pregnancy is a threat to the teen mother, her community, and the environment. There are just plain too many kids whose families cannot provide the financial or emotional support that they need. When 15 year-old girls begin to have a family, the family grows to be really big. It also deters them from finishing both high school and even elementary school. That means for these girls that their life is already established for them before they even turn 18.
2. Basic math and reading skills (and preferably knowledge about geography too): The school system here is terrible. Some people claim it’s the worst in Latin America, and I wouldn’t doubt it. Kids go to school for 3 hours each day, and that includes a snack and recess break. I have met several college students who still do not understand basic applied math skills, such as setting prices on items to make a profit. I am a true believer in education, and without basic skills in math and Spanish, I believe youth will have an extremely difficult time stepping out of poverty. Poverty is not only economic; it refers to many factors beyond money.
3. Service learning: Okay, after taking care of one’s health and basic educational skills, of course it is important to become involved in other aspects of one’s community. This could include art classes, sports, or even English courses. But what if we actually taught youth about helping others? As far as I can tell, service/volunteer projects are not a high priority in this country. I have met a lot of youth who ask if they too can join the Peace Corps. Unfortunately Dominican youth do not have that opportunity, but they can give back to their own communities. They just need a little support to get going.
I still haven’t managed to formulate an appropriate response for Dominicans as to why I am not teaching English, but if I were to be brutally honest I would state the above. There are several people from Las Tablas who have lived in the States for a short period of time; all but one was a baseball player or drug dealer. Until I hear otherwise I will be sticking with my original plan to avoid English classes.
There is a little rant about why I am against teaching English in Peace Corps DR…