Please answer the following questions-
1. Leah is from which of the following countries-
1. Leah is from which of the following countries-
a. The United States of America
b. New York
c. The Dominican Republic
2. True or false- A 1986Toyota Carolla is a 4x4?
3. True or false... the following foods can be fried...
a. Everything.
4. My name is-
a. Elia
b. Americana
c. Rubia
d. Gringa
5. The most recent juice I have tried was-
a. Tomato
b. Tamarindo
c. Sphaghetti
d. Cherry
6. Distances that are too far to walk, especially during the day-
a. 4 Km
b. the neighbors house
c. around the corner
7. Ture or false-
You will die if you drink liquids during a meal.
8. True or False-
Showering before 8am and after 7pm will make you sick and washing your hair everyday is just crazy.
9. Most common response I get to having a cat-
a. awww... how cute
b. eww... how dirty
c. OMG... get rid of it, cats prevent women from becoming pregnant!
10. When it is going to rain and you need to run an errand, which of the follow do you take to protect yourself from the water-
a. umbrella
b. rainjacket
c. plastic bag
Answers-
1. New York. Yes, New York is a counrty, not the US. People dont understand when I say Im from the US... they say oh... but what part of New York are you from?
2.True... anything that moves is a 4x4 and can manover anything.
3. everything and anything.
4. All of the above. And if I dont respond they just yell louder.
5. Spaghetti... no Im not joking.
6. All distances are too far to walk.
7. True. I get yelled at when I have water at the table. They are affraid that Im going to drown.
8. true.. if you are Dominican,not sure how to explain it, but its what I hear every day.
9. C. I dont understand it. But apparently cats prevent pregnancy
10. A plastic bag. I dont get this either. But women walk around with plastic bags on their heads to protect their hair from the rain.
Oh the DR... the things that I am learning. Another example of something that I learned... all female babies have an operation as soon as they are born so that they can grow faster. But this only happens in the US. Its never a dull moment in my house. Crazy, but never dull. Between the 100 family members who are always over, there are about 6 neighborhood boys ranging in age from 6-13 who are always over and curious to know what I am doing. One of them is always up in a tree looking for fruit for me. One time One of them brought me a bowl of fruit, cherries, and told me I had to go make juice with them. i told him I didnt know how and he siad yes you do, just go to the kitchen and make it, You are a woman. He didnt mean any disrespect, its jsut known that the women here know how to cook and amke everything. I think Im a bit of a shock here since Im not quite the cook. The oldest boy was out one morning without a shirt and shows and as soon as he saw me he ran home and came back 5 mins later and appologized and said now he was proper to greet me. He put on shoes and a shirt and a belt. He is also the same one who walked me to the store one day with a big smile and had me hold his arm the whole way there and back. He was such a gentleman and it was adorable. I am always escorted everywhere I go, whether I want it or not. To and from school there is a boy who waits for me to make sure that I get there and back ok. There is also another boy in the neighborhood who is 11 and has never set foot in school. He doesnt have a birthcertificate, and bsaiclly acording to the DR doesnt exisit. The first thing he ever said to me was that he wants to learn. So he is my project this summer. Im going to start the process of getting him a birthcertificate and Im going to sponser him so that he can go to the summer school that I am starting. He is wonderful and always helping me with everything and has this big toothy grin that is just adorable.
As far as school goes... its interesting. That is my new favorite word here. Everything is always interesting. There are 2 sessions, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, for 4 hours. Of those four hours, I have calculated that the average teacher teaches for less than 1 hour of those 4. They write a question on the board and thats it. But of course I am in love with every child. But there are 2 that have my heart. ONe in the morning... he always leaves his class and just waits for me outside of which ever room I am in. He doesnt talk, just stares. But now Im getting hugs every day from him and Im working one on one a little when I cant get him back to class. And there is one in the afternoon who doenst talk and often hides under his desk for 4 hours, that is if hes not fighting. I finally got him out of the room one day and was working with him in a quiet room, and he still didnt talk, but he smiles. I later found out that his mom died 6 months ago and that every month he has been living with someone else and that last month the person he was living with also died. And the teachers re`sponse to this is that he just has problems and doesnt want to learn. And this poor boy is only 6 years old. And Im madly in love with him. Which of the students am I not going to love?
Right now I am doing a Diagnosic of the school and students. I am interviewing the teachers, testing some of the students and just doing gerneral observations. I have a presentation in Aug. to PC over my findings and from these findings I can create my project for the nect 2 years. Also, Im in the initial process of creating a summer school for a few weeks for those students who are really struggling. Most of the students after 2nd grade are 1 to 4 years above greade level. Students are held back and fail grades like its nothing. Its hard to see a 14 year old in 4th grade. But these are all reasons why I am here.
Life here is very tranquilla... Im always drinking coffee somewhere and talking. Most of the time I know what is being said, which is pretty cool. But I do live half my life in the dark... literally. There is no light from about 5pm until morning when I wake up. Im getting used to life this way. Its kinda crazy.
Off to spend some quality time with my crazy family... in the dark.
LG
