Arroyo Seco

(From Wednesday)
Everyday I wake up here, and I know that it is going to be a great day; just like today. Nikki, Sam, Krissie and myself went out to Arroyo Seco to just hang out and visit our kids.

One of the girls that I have known since the beginning, and who I have become close with, was there today, and it was the first time I have seen her this year. It was a really nice reunion with her, and I loved spending the day with her, and the other kids.

We played some games, blew some bubbles, and then the kids got it in their heads that they wanted to go swimming in the river...which is a good 30 minute walk. By this time, it was midday and the sun was as hot as ever. But we couldn't say no...the kids were SO excited, and they had all gone to ask their parents. So we were getting ready for the long walk when Pastor Garcia the "Jefe" of the community, drove up in his truck. We asked him to drive us to the river, and of course he said yes! So we loaded up all of the kids in the back of the truck and headed down.
The swim was so much fun...since I only had clothes to wear, I did not go in, just wet my legs and cooled off.

The kids loved it...we had about 14 with us, mostly girls. We bought them Skim Ice...which is the best freezes ever...and just swam and had fun!
The walk back was a little tiring...mostly uphill...but so worth it for the excitement and fun that filled the kids day.

I am so happy that we were able to go and visit our friends again today; they are really amazing kids, and although they don't know it, they have had such a huge impact on my life. Their community is the first one that I ever worked in, and they are the kids that I first fell in love with.

best. day. EVER!

So today was fabulous!
Our morning started out by taking the Guagua and then a moto to Nazareth; a community that we worked in last year with Hero Holiday. Phil and Donna, who run Searvant's Heart, opened up a clinic there last year, and today was one of the days that they are open. It is also where our friend Krissie, is volunteering. So she showed us around, explained the routine, etc. We walked around Nazareth, which is mainly Dominican's. We also walked down to Redemption; the community at the bottom of the mountain, which is mainly a Haitian community. We had kids attached to us at all times! It was really great to see that the fence we built in Nazareth last year was in use, and we walked through the school that it surrounds. It was a really great morning!

This afternoon, we went down to Aguas Negras. It was Sam's and I sponsor kid, Yohan's actual birthday today. So today was the day that we told him we were his sponsors. We brought him balloons, and presents. We brought him a new soccar ball, and new belt and for his Mom we blew up a picture of the two of them and framed it. When we gave it to them, his Mom started crying. She LOVED it!



Then we asked Yohan if he wanted to go out for lunch with some of his friends. So we went around the village, rounded up a bunch of boys and got on a Guagua to head for the Provocone. The guagua is public transportation, and the Provocone is a place we take the boys to eat sometimes...we can get a lot of really good chicken, fries and fried plantanes for really cheap.





From there, we walked to get ice-cream. And then Jose had the idea to walk to the Melacon...which is the pathway along the ocean front. It's a beautiful spot in Puerta Plata, and the path goes a very long way. So basically we just hung out with the boys this afternoon, and had soooo much fun! We saw one of little boys, Jose Manuel, who is 9 years old, shoe shining, and just pulled him along with us, to keep him out of trouble. He had the most fun I think; This is the same little boy that I talk about in a lot of my blogs. He was so cute today; he laughed and laughed and laughed...and all of the other boys treated him like their younger brother. Since he did not get to eat with us, I bought him a cob of corn and a small bagof chips from a street vendor, and even though I could tell that he was so hungry, he still offered to share his chips.
The boys went down to the ocean and picked out crabs...and chased me around with them since they know I am a little scared of them! They were climbing in trees, and eventually our walk took us to the end...where the Fort is.




We just hung out there, and the boys had so much fun. They were wrestling,and laughing and acting as they should; like care free teenagers. We also figured out today what Jose Chichi's calling in life is; photography. He spent the entire afternoon with mine and Nikki's camera, taking videos of random things, and a lot of pictures. He loves taking photos; he gets right into different angles, taking shots from the ground or up high. He loved it!
Today was one of those days that I will remember; it is a day that will stick in my mind when I think about the Dominican. I love that we were able to take the boys out, and make Yohan's birthday memorable. I love that we were able to take Jose Manuel with us and keep him from shoe shining, and make him laugh so hard he was rolling on the ground.
I love the Dominican!

Meeting Day

So today is Monday; Boys Club and English, as usual. When we first got there this morning there were no boys! So I decided that I would go back home and prepare some things for our big meeting with the kids and parents tonight. Nikki and Sam stayed, in case any boys showed up, and sure enough, right after I left they all showed. So they ran the club this morning while Liz and I did some other administrative stuff.

After lunch, Cathy, DOVE missions new Boys Club director who lives down here, came to get Liz and I. We went down to get the girls, and deliver the other memos about the meeting tonight. The meeting was scheduled for 4:30, however at around 4 it started raining. People down here do not like to go out in the rain because it is difficult for them to dry their clothes, so people mostly stay in when it rains. We were really worried that nobody was going to show up...especially because it was at least a 10-20 minute walk for most of them. However, when all of our club showed, I was really surprised and happy!

The parents were really into it, and knew how important it was for the boys to be in the club. They really don't want their kids working on the streets, but sometimes they have no choice. However, the club is a safe place for the boys to come, and keep them out of trouble. It was clear that their parents appreciated it, and we were really proud of everyone showing up in the rain.

Field Trip!

So today we took the boys on a sweet field trip to the beach! We had SO much fun! First, we went to the villages and rounded up all of the boys. The girls and I rented this bus to get everyone there, which is super cheap. As soon as we arrived, all of the boys got into their swim gear, and ran for the ocean...pulling us along with them! As soon as we got into the water, we were attacked by the boys, pulling us under, and pulling us around. It was SUPER fun...the boys had such a blast! To top it all off, the weather was absolutely gorgeous.
We took almost all of the kids in our program...right from the little ones to the older ones. The little kids had the most fun I think...they LOVED playing in the sand, and completely covering themselves in it.



One of the little boys, Jose Manuel...he is a 9 year old boy that I have mentioned in other blogs...he came with us to the beach today. He LOVED it so much, and was also very clingy with me. By the way he was acting, it was clear that he was looking for that Motherly love that he lacks in his home life, although he does have a Mother. He just needed the attention so much, and he got it...he really had a care free day...which is our main goal of these beach days; to let the boys just have fun, relax, and have an awesome, worry free day where they can actually act like kids.

Another awesome Saturday!

So today was great. One of the kids that Sam and I are sponsoring will be celebrating his birthday next Tuesday, so we decided to celebrate in the boys club this morning. We baked him a cake, plus made some extra cupcakes in case we ran out. The day before, we went to his house while he was at school and invited his Mom. We blew up balloons...which by the way the kids went CRAZY over...fights actually started to break out a little bit. So we brought out the cake, and sang. It was funny because we put trick candles on the cake, and so when Yohan blew them out, they automatically relit until he blew them out again.


So we have decided that the best way for our English learners to speak only English to them at all times.

We do speak Spanish when necessary, but we find that they are picking up some of what we are saying. I really love it though, because since I took a very basic Spanish class before I got her, in preparation, the boys know that they have to help me with Spanish as well.


I can speak broken words and get by some of the time, but I am nowhere near fluent...so today when I went outside three of the older boys were whispering about something...probably plotting about their crushes...so when I walked out, one of the boys says to his friends, "shhh, she speaks Spanish"! It was sooo funny, because I do not speak even enough to understand what they were saying!
After we taught our English class, we just kinda hung out with the boys a little bit, and ended up making crazy pictures...made me laugh a lot!





In the afternoon was Art class. All of the boys showed up, except for one. Liz has been having some issues lately with the Art teacher, and today pushed her over the edge with him. Long story short, we will not be working with him anymore.

Overall, today was at times, very frusterating. But when it comes down to it at the end of the day, it is always amazing and so worth it.

Flooded out

So this week has been kind of a laid back week for us. On Monday, we had boys club in 2 parts. It was a really fun day...until the rain started. The day began with morning boys club...the craft was making crowns...they loved it. One of the older boys, Jose, is one of the leaders in our class...and he knows it and loves it. So of course, he cut his crown to look like an actual king. In spanish, leader, or boss is translated into "Jefe".
Later on, we taught our English class. This week we covered the months of the year, the names of family members, and started on different verbs such as "to have" and "to want". Most of the boys are really loving English, and they work so hard at it. One of the boys, Junior, does not know how to read, so learning a new language is 10 times harder and frusterating for him...and yet he is the hardest working in the class. I really love when we give the boys worksheets, and they actually work on them, putting a lot of effort in. It shows me that they truely want to have options, and make more opportunities for themselves. So far, we have had at least one boy more per week join the English class, because we have seen them showing interest.
After about a solid hour of studying English, we decided to treat the boys to lunch. Normally, we take Motoconchos around town, which is really cheap transportation...you can get anywhere for about $1.00. However, the public cars are even cheaper, and they basically run like a bus; on a certain route. So since the boys take these "guaguas" sometimes, this is how we got to lunch. Jose collected the money from us to pay for all the boys, and took care of paying the driver. He sat in the front seat, and acted his normal role as Jefe.
After lunch we headed back for the afternoon boys club. However only a few boys showed up since it started to rain. There were only a few of us, so we had some of the boys working on their English, and everyone else just kind of hung out and had fun. We played some games, and spent some quality time with the boys. It was pouring rain out all afternoon, and by the time we were ready to leave, the streets were completely flooded. We had to walk to our ride home, and we basically walked to the car in knee high sewage. I felt really bad leaving all the kids behind in the mess. Later that night, we saw on the news that the village was completely flooded. However, we recieved no emergency phonecalls...unfortunately this happens a lot, and the people who live in this village are just used to it.

The rest of this week has basically been home visits, and shooting footage for the kids sponsors.

Haiti

So I have been trying to find the right words to describe my trip to Haiti in a post. And to be quite honest, I don't have the words to do a justice. We only spent two full days there, in Port au Prince, but it was enough time for me to get a taste of what life for people in Haiti is like. Our morning started when our escort, Fon Fon showed up at our guest house. Since there was no way that we could go anywhere unaccompanied in Haiti, we set up with a missions organization in Haiti to have a local escort associated with them, accompany us for the duration of our visit.
We visited two orphanges; one for handicapped children and also kids without disabilities. This orphanage was run by a lady named Gertrude, who also ran a sewing school, and a guest house; the one we stayed in - which was way more than we expected by the way - it totally made our stay enjoyable. So we spent the morning at Gertrude's orphanage, just playing with the kids, and providing them with the love and attention they so desperately need.






After we fed them lunch, we left to go back to the guest house for our lunch.
The second half of our day was spent visiting an orphanage named Mother Teresa's, as it is named after her. This place was also mainly a hospital for dying babies; Some of the kids have parents, and some do not.
When we first drove up to the orphanage, our driver had to honk to allow the guard to open the huge metal gate that completely blocked view from the building. When I entered the building, I took myself on a quick tour of the orphanage and I was not really sure what to think. I walked through five different rooms; all with at least 25 to 30 sick and crying babies in each room. As I absorbed the sound of these kids crying, the image of the skinny, boney babies, or some with swollen bellies due to malnutrition, the constant smell of urine and feces, and the sight of 30 dying babies in each room, I was in a state of shock. I was almost numb, but at the same time I wanted to burst out crying. So, I just dove right in and picked up a baby. They need so much to be held; they crave the affection and attention that is hard for the nuns to give as often as they need it. So basically I spent the 2 hours that we were there holding babies and helping to clean up after them. It was a silent walk home, and I just felt completely numb inside. I wasn't really sure how to deal with the emotional stress that overtook me.




The next day, we spent the morning in Cite Soleil...the poorest neighbourhood in Haiti. We went with a water Ministry...basically they fund a huge 3500 gallon water truck to go into 24 different neighbourhoods every day of the week, 4 per day, to shoot out water through the huge hose into people's buckets as they line up.


Each day, fresh water reaches 2800 families. We tagged along with this ministry one day, and went to Cite Soleil. Before we got there, we were warned not to take out our camera's out, since there was a danger of them being taken from us. Although, I mananged to sneak a couple of pictures. When we got out of the car, the water truck was setting up...getting the big hose out, and turning on the taps. We saw people running from all directions, buckets in hand, scrambling to be first in line. We were told that we could take turns holding the hose, filling people's buckets with water. So we did just that, however we had to let the workers take over when it started to get a little rough. At first, people lined up very orderly, and took turns getting their buckets filled. However, as time went on, people were trying to get in front, and pushing each other out of the way. I cannot even describe the desperation for water I witnessed that day.
On the way back we all rode in the water truck...I rode on the outside since there was no room in the cab. It was not a long ride out, but I was able to observe what Cite Soleil is really like, and snap some photos along the way. It was like a desert setting...and a community in the middle of no where. There were concrete walls everywhere...as there is everywhere else in Haiti. But the walls in Cite Soleil were different. There were so many bullet holes in every single building. There were so many destroyed structures everywhere. A lot of garbage all over. Although peaceful for the most part now, Cite Soleil was once one of the most dangerous places to go...during all of the wars and riots throughout the years.

In the afternoon, we went back to the Mother Teresa Orphanage. To be honest, I was not looking forward to going back, as bad as that may sound. But the day before was so emotionally draining, and I found it hard to be at this orphanage. However, when we got there, my mood changed, and my insticts took over. I immediately started to help feed the babies, clean them up, and just held them. I picked up some of them and took them outside for some fresh air...which I am sure they do not get very often. By the end, I was very glad that we had gone back. I was really glad that we were able to help.

The next day, we headed back to the Dominican. However, the trip back did not go as smooth as the trip there. It started out with our driver not knowing how to get to the bus terminal, and him racing through the streets to try and make it on time. I really thought that Dominican's were crazy drivers, however our drive that morning made me gain an appreciation for them. At least there are some rules in the DR, but Haiti is a complete free for all. With 4 minutes until departure time, and still not knowing where the terminal is, we were stressing out a little bit. Somehow, we made it on time, and loaded the bus quickly. However, by some other passenger's error, there were 50 seats, and 52 passengers. To make a long story short, we ended up sharing 2 seats between us three girls...for almost 10 hours...and then another 4 hour bus ride after that. However, we made the best of it, and chalked it up to a fun experience.

Overall, I am so thankful that I had the chance to visit Haiti. It was truely an overwhelming and worthwhile trip.

Boys Club in 2 Parts

So today was a very busy and amazing day, once again. We had boys club twice today since some kids go to school in the afternoon and some go in the morning. The first group was large, like normal but we had a smaller group in the afternoon.
However, the day was also a little stressful for some of the boys. We could tell that something was not right when we first arrived this morning. Some of the boys that are normally loud and hyper were very mellow and quiet. I also thought it was weird when some of the older boys started acting out today...doing things they weren't supposed to. We werent sure what was going on until Liz found out and told us. Five of the older boys that were involved in the pedophilia ring had to go and testify again today. This is their 5th time having to testify, and hopefully thier last. As you could imagine 13 and 14 year old boys having to relive the nightmares they went through with the pedaphile sitting right there is very traumatizing. One of the boys did not even come back to meet where he was supposed to when it was time to leave. He was just too nervous to go.
I was very sad for the boys today, thinking of what they must be going through, I can't even imagine.

As for the rest of the boys club, it was great. We made big envelopes with them today, to hold all of thier work in. We gave them stickers to decorate with and they went crazy!
The boys are awesome, and we are really getting to know more of them.
They all have so much imagination and potential. One of the boys, Kelvin that has recently joined the program is really coming out of his shell. He is super polite and well behaved, and shows leadership. He really began to show his real personality today, and it was great.

I am sitting here tonight, and so thankful for what my life is. I know that I am so blessed, and it really is one of my motivators for being here.

Beach Day

Today we took the boys to the beach for a sports and rec. day. Let me just say, it was totally awesome! We first headed down to the village to round everyone up. Then we loaded them all on a bus for a really cheap rate and drove to the beach. We tried to organize a game of dodge ball but the boys just ended up running around everywhere whipping the ball at each other. So dodge ball eventually turned into soccer...or football, and then ended in everyone jumping in the ocean to cool off. It was such a beautiful breezy day today and the perfect day for sports at the beach. The boys were so happy, and it was great because we knew that they weren’t off somewhere getting into trouble.
At the end of the day we treated all the boys to skim ice and dropped them back in the village. We thought that was the last of them we would see for that day, however a couple hours after we got home, Sam noticed one of the boys lingering out front of the house. We went outside to find three of the older boys dressed in their best with their hair done, riding their bikes. They had come to see us to impress. It was soooooo cute.
Today was awesome, once again. I am loving being down here doing what I am. I feel like it is right where I should be, and doing exactly what I should.

Language Barrier

Ok so this is going to be a quick post, because it is something that I forgot to mention a few days ago. So in preperation for this longer stay in Dominican this year, I took Spanish class at school. I learned the basics and learned enough that I can somewhat get across what I am trying to say and understand. But I really thought that I had the basics down pat.
So when we were the orphanage the other day, a little girl asked me "tu nombre"?, which means "your name"?. I have only learned that name is "llama"...so I thought that 'nombre' meant number. Basically I thought the little girl was asking me my age. So I told her "mi nombre es 20", translating into "my name is 20". However the 5year old little girl picked up on my confusion and corrected me. Hahaha oh the joys of language barriers.

Day 5 First English Class

So today was a busy busy day! We had the Boys Club this morning, and the art class in the afternoon.
The little 9 year old boy that I mentioned in my previous blog that was in jail showed up to the boys club this morning wearing the brand new outfit that we left at his house for him. His name is Jose Manuel, and on Thursday, we told his parents that he must show up for Boys Club wearing his new outfit on Saturday morning. We wanted him to wear his new clothes so that we knew the family did not do something else with them. Normally, we have to go and get Hose Manuel at his house otherwise he does not show up. However, there he was today, on his own in his new outfit. It was awesome! He is finally getting the message of responsibility, as is his parents.


There are a few older of the older boys in the club who have specifically asked to learn English. Although Liz covers the basics of English such as days of the week, colors and numbers in the boys club, we decided that Nikki and I would take those boys aside and teach them a special English class to help them become more fluent. So after the did thier leadership duties in the boys club, we took five boys to another room and began working on a review worksheet that I made for them. Although they have memorized some things from oral learning, they did not know how to spell anything in English. So that is what we began working on today with the boys; spelling out the numbers, days of the week and colors. Although we will only be here for a couple of months, Nikki and I are going to design an English "course", so that when Liz has missionary groups down they can pick up wherever the boys are at.

I was really excited for the boys that we were teaching English to, because they were so eager to learn and get their work done. They paid attention and were really excited. It was really amazing to see how much potential these boys really have.

In the afternoon we went to the boys art class that DOVE missions pays for. Only 8 of the boys go to the art class, and it acts as art therapy. As I mentioned before, most of the boys were part of a pedophilia ring that broken up last summer. So the art class is like art therapy for the boys to release whatever they need to through art. It also provides another safe place for the boys to spend thier Saturday afternoons.




Today was awesome and we have planned to meet the boys tomorrow for a sports day at the beach. Can't wait!!!

Day 4 Afternoon

Today was a busy afternoon. We went to the villages that we are working in; Aguas Negras and Playa Ouesta. We delivered some donations to families that really needed them, including some vitamins, clothing, and hygiene products.
When we went to one little boys house to deliver some clothing for him and his siblings, we found out that he had been thrown in jail for shoe shining. The police had caught this little boy in a place of Puerto Plata that he was not supposed to be and put him in jail for one or two days. This little boy I am talking about is 9 years old.
Obviously the Dominican Republic has some problems, and it will take a lot to fix the corruption that exists here. However, what we are trying to do with DOVE is help these boys who are forced to work on the streets aquire skills and responsibility so that they can attain skills to get a proper job, and therefore eliminating the need to work the streets.

We also donated a huge bag of hair supplies to a little girl in one of the villages. She has a lot of potential, and Liz decided that she could earn some money by doing hair. Since Liz used to be a hair dresser, she had a lot of professional supplies. She was so happy when Liz presented her with the bag and we are sure that she will put them to good use.




We also visited the school that the boys attend. One of the requirements that the boys must fulfill to stay in the program is to actually go to school. So once in a while, randomly, our job is to go to the school to ensure everyone is there that is supposed to be. All of the kids that attend the school are required to wear a uniform, that the families muct buy. The school is basically a warehouse split into different classrooms. However, the teachers are very nice and it is sufficient for what is needed.


Overall today was a busy, but productive and awesome day! Tomorrow we are taking the day off to head down to the beautiful beach!