Today is Tuesday August 5, 2014,
and we are enjoying our third day in San Juan de la Maguana! Today was our
second day of helping with the children’s camp and I’m finally getting used to
things. Although anything with kids can easily transform into organized chaos,
today went very smoothly compared to yesterday. Many of the children greeted us
with tight and welcoming hugs and attentively listened to and participated in
the activities we planned. I’m in the sports section and today we did a variety
of things, from volleyball to Duck-Duck-Goose to Simon Says all without any
issue.
My ability to speak and understand
Spanish is getting better every day. In the beginning, I could hardly
understand anything. As days go by, I’m getting better and better and have no
problem talking with the kids. They understand that we don’t speak perfect
Spanish (usually) and will slow down to explain things. It’s a nice process,
and I’m glad that everything I learned is being put to a good use!
After camp, we had our lunch of
chicken and beans as usual. The ladies here are very good cooks and everything
always tastes very good! After, a teen at the camp I’ve became good friends
with named Jamin came by with his motorcycle. These are very common here
because of how expensive cars are and since the weather is always so nice. He
let me ride it with him, and it was the first time in my life that I ever rode
one! We rode through the barrio and saw a lot of the things around us. It was
really fun and makes me wish that they were more common in the US. I hope to be
able to go on it again with him before I leave!
What was more surprising is that
even though he seems a lot older, Yamil is only 15 and already not only drives,
but races his motorcycle competitively at speeds over ~120mph. When asked, he
said that there is no enforced age to drink or drive. People can do these
things whenever they feel comfortable. He also refuses to wear helmets since
only “estupido” people and the police wear them and proudly shows the scars he
has earned from his competitions.
This speaks to a much larger idea
in Dominican culture, which is that they trust their children with a great deal
of responsibilities. Broken families are common here since many fathers have to
work in the capital and send home money to support the rest. As a result, many
kids have no true playtime and instead have to spend much of their time caring
for younger members of their family. This is why the playtime we offer in our
camp is so necessary for this community.
One of the most important ideas
that I’ve come to understand here is that we don’t serve at people–we work with
people. The Dominicans are anything but helpless people. They are
passion-filled individuals who deeply love the children we work with and only
want for them to have a great experience. Our job here may be small, but if us
being here makes a better experience for the kids and inspires the teens to get
involved in their lives, then to me, our trip is worth it.
In other news, today is Kate’s
birthday. The kids all signed a card for her and we had cake and ice cream for
lunch to celebrate it! Actually, today all 80 kids sang happy birthday to her.
Although she might have been a little embarrassed, to me, it was adorable and a
perfect way to celebrate. The teens are planning a surprise party for her
tonight with games and food and hopefully she will enjoy it!
-Ed Lippl
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