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From Catherine:
Orphanage outreach was an experience full of learning, teaching, making friends, and helping others. Within the volunteers there was a strong sense of camaraderie. We shared our teaching experiences, passed on tips and exchanged stories of success or frustration. We also shared episodes of what happened when were were playing with the orphanage children.
For me, there was one girl who latched right on to me. She also latched onto Josie. Whenever one of us would walk onto the field between the orphanage and the volunteer area, we would hear, "Eh! Eh! Eh!" and see little Mery awkwardly clapping her hands and running towards us. Most of the time I spent with Mery was passed by playing her favorite game -- throwing the ball as far away from me as she could and having me bring it back. Sometimes, though, she would just lead me around holding my hand and saying "Corre, Corre" when she wanted to run somewhere instead of just walking...
From Jeremiah:
When we taught in the schools I noticed may differences between JFK in Monte Cristi and Brackett in Arlington. The first was that the kids wandered around the classroom and no one seemed to mind. There were even kids that came into the class we were teaching that didn’t belong there. They would try to get a sticker that we were giving out and then leave. Another difference was that the teachers taught by writing something on the board and the kids would copy it down. They didn't have any textbooks or worksheets. A third difference was how the teachers disciplined the students. At Brackett, students get warnings, lose recess time, or get sent to the principal. At JFK, the teachers would hit the students with a stick or twist their ear. This was strange. I’m glad I am a student at Brackett instead of JFK.
Our family at the JFK school in Monte Cristi
From Josephine:
To get to school each day we walked along the dirt, or sometimes mud, roads. As we walked through the neighborhoods everyone would greet us with a very happy “Hola” or “Buenos Dias” even though they did not know us. Everyone seemed more than content to sit around on their sagging front porch gabbing away with whomever. They did not appear to be worried about the fact that there was a hole in their roof or that they did not have running water. They seemed at least as happy as their next door neighbors who may have had a nicely painted house and two shiny cars. I did notice that in Monte Cristi when people got more money they did not up and move away to a nicer part of town, rather they improved their house so they could stay near their own neighbors. I thought this was great because it meant that once people somehow got more money they did not think they were better than their neighbors and they should move away from them. Seeing these people really proved to me that happiness does not come through material goods or money.
One of the 12 paved streets in Monte Cristi
with a variety of building types.
Orphanage outreach was an experience full of learning, teaching, making friends, and helping others. Within the volunteers there was a strong sense of camaraderie. We shared our teaching experiences, passed on tips and exchanged stories of success or frustration. We also shared episodes of what happened when were were playing with the orphanage children.
For me, there was one girl who latched right on to me. She also latched onto Josie. Whenever one of us would walk onto the field between the orphanage and the volunteer area, we would hear, "Eh! Eh! Eh!" and see little Mery awkwardly clapping her hands and running towards us. Most of the time I spent with Mery was passed by playing her favorite game -- throwing the ball as far away from me as she could and having me bring it back. Sometimes, though, she would just lead me around holding my hand and saying "Corre, Corre" when she wanted to run somewhere instead of just walking...
Mery with Josie
From Jeremiah:
When we taught in the schools I noticed may differences between JFK in Monte Cristi and Brackett in Arlington. The first was that the kids wandered around the classroom and no one seemed to mind. There were even kids that came into the class we were teaching that didn’t belong there. They would try to get a sticker that we were giving out and then leave. Another difference was that the teachers taught by writing something on the board and the kids would copy it down. They didn't have any textbooks or worksheets. A third difference was how the teachers disciplined the students. At Brackett, students get warnings, lose recess time, or get sent to the principal. At JFK, the teachers would hit the students with a stick or twist their ear. This was strange. I’m glad I am a student at Brackett instead of JFK.
Our family at the JFK school in Monte Cristi
From Josephine:
To get to school each day we walked along the dirt, or sometimes mud, roads. As we walked through the neighborhoods everyone would greet us with a very happy “Hola” or “Buenos Dias” even though they did not know us. Everyone seemed more than content to sit around on their sagging front porch gabbing away with whomever. They did not appear to be worried about the fact that there was a hole in their roof or that they did not have running water. They seemed at least as happy as their next door neighbors who may have had a nicely painted house and two shiny cars. I did notice that in Monte Cristi when people got more money they did not up and move away to a nicer part of town, rather they improved their house so they could stay near their own neighbors. I thought this was great because it meant that once people somehow got more money they did not think they were better than their neighbors and they should move away from them. Seeing these people really proved to me that happiness does not come through material goods or money.
One of the homes on our walk to school.
One of the 12 paved streets in Monte Cristi
with a variety of building types.
A wonderful post; thank you. It reminds me of how valuable and important it is to experience the people and places beyond our enclave in Arlington. How did the Haiti earthquake affect you in the DR?
ReplyDeleteThanks again!