Becoming Accustomed

We are now into our second week in Las Terrenas and things are starting to become familiar. We have located a favorite spot to steal a WiFi connection (photo below) from a nearby restaurant, we’ve found a favorite beach to swim at every night before dinner, and we’ve started recognizing new friends on the streets.  We know how to find the grocery store, the best empanadas and pizza. Unfortunately, I’m still searching for the best cup of joe. There are so many places to go, and not enough mornings for them all!

We are also getting to know the students well. Matteson has been recognized three times already by students from the library. They shout out “Profe Mateo! Profe Mateo!” And he loves rubbing it in my face because I have yet to get a shout out. I’m blaming it on his height.

At the library, it is becoming much easier to work with the students. Both of us are improving our Spanish quickly, and with students visiting regularly we can get to know them and their learning levels. There is one girl, age 8, who I have become good friends with. And an eleven year old who is the nicest of them all but stays busy helping her boyfriends with homework, so I don’t work with her much. I still don’t know the eight year olds name. She has told me 10 times but the names here are so strange and difficult to pronounce. They aren’t like Spanish names I’m familiar with. No name seems to be traditional, most start with the letter "Y" and some even "Q" (and Matteson thought his name was unique). It’s amazing what some parents can think of as names for their children. Even Jose admits he has students write their name in hopes of figuring it out, and remembering is another challenge entirely. But the 8 year old and her English are incredible, and she is at a very high reading level in Spanish. And, on top of it all, she LOVES to practice reading both languages. I assumed 2 hours of reading English and Spanish would exhaust her, but every afternoon she’s hesitant to leave. I love that.

Oh, then there are the trouble-makers. Most of the kids who come to the library don’t have toys or games at home, no puzzles or coloring books or anything. So at the library, all they want to do is play. Jose and Annette have set up a rule that there is no playing until 4:00, but some of the kids make puppy faces, thinking they can get us to bend the rules for them. They whine and pretend to cry, but eventually start laughing and walk away to grab a book if we don’t give in. It drives me nuts. Then there are the rambunctious kids that cannot sit down for the life of them! A few will ask me to help with homework, hand it to me and run away as if I’ll do it for them. Then I find them splashing water from the drinking jug at each other, or playing tag in the library’s tiny courtyard.

And the trouble-makers? They try the same tricks on me and Matteson, but separately. And when Matteson get’s sick of them he sends them to me. Then I send them back. Some days, it’s two hours of groups going back and forth, back and forth. And while they don’t get tired of the game, Matteson and I have got to figure out a better way to handle these kids. The most frustrating part of all of it is that the library is a library so some ids actually come to read and finish homework, while the troublemakers just come for a spot to hang out. As Jose explained to us, Matteson and I are volunteers at the library, not babysitters, though some days it may feel like it. It’s very hard to get the trouble-makers to sit down and focus while maintaining professional command, as teachers rather than parents.

Oh, and note that if you’re sensing frustration, we just finished a day working at the library without Jose. While they respect Jose, we haven’t earned it yet.  Today was pretty rough.

A more positive note: this island! I may have mentioned it already, but it is beautiful here! The food is as colorful as the fruit being sold on the streets, and the shops with bright clothes and accessories branching out beyond the open doors and windows. The music is fabulous, you can’t help walking to the beat. We were returning from the beach a few nights ago and there were two young boys walking ahead of us. As we approached a restaurant blasting “reggeatone” music, the boys started tapping their hands to their hips. Then they started waving their arms a little, then bouncing their heads, and as the music got louder their dancing got bigger, until they were jamming down the street. I loved it.


Photos to come!