Cabarete and 3MM

Hi again!  I have made it to Cabarete!!  Yay!  I have actually been here since this past Tuesday but have neglected posting since I have been soooo busy!  When I arrived on Tuesday afternoon, I was introduced to many of my fellow volunteers as well as the director of the 3 Mariposas Montessori program, Sarah.  Everyone seems so nice so far and Sarah could not be any more hospitable or nice!  Currently I am staying with her and her husband and 2 year old son in their downstairs apartment which is amazing!!  I am living in the lap of luxury right now....at least until they finish the on-site lodging at the school.  Once the lodging is completed I am expected to move there and stay for the remainder of my time...oh to leave behind 24 hour electricity, hot water, and ceiling fans!!!

So far since arriving I have been going to the school everyday in order to paint, clean, and organize a few activities for the first week of summer camp which begins tomorrow.  I am very excited about finally meeting the children and working with them to improve their English skills!!!  I think the first week or two will be hard, just adjusting to everyday school life and the rhythm of things, but hopefully I will catch on quickly and the children will like me.

For those of you who don't know much about the school in which I will be working, I will give a little bit of basic information so that you can better understand.  It is called 3 Mariposas Montessori and it was founded by an American woman named Sarah.  Since it's foundation in 2009, the school as been dedicated to providing a sound education to the low-income and poverty stricken children in the surrounding neighborhood.  These children, through the kind donations of others, are able to attend school for free, and this year even summer camp!  Although 75% of the school's population is made of Dominican/Haitian children, the other 25% is comprised of immigrant children, such as children from American, German, and Australian families for example.  What a wonderful mixture!  These children get to grow up playing and learning with each other...helping them to view each other in a different light then they might have in different circumstances.  This year there have been 2 wonderful new announcements!  Number one, this year will be the first year that 3MM will provide a summer camp for the children and we have so many wonderful activities for the children!  Secondly, Sarah has announced that in the coming years the "graduated" children of 3MM will be able to receive free education at their partner school in the same area.  Since 3MM only provides education to children from infant-6 years of age this continuance of their education will be a life saver!  How exciting!

Okay, so that was the spill on 3MM.  I will attach the link to their website here: http://3mariposasmontessori.com/ so that if you are interested in finding out more about the school and the children, or if you might want to DONATE then you can!  Okay, Okay, you know I had to do that!

I imagine this first week may be hectic so as for today I have a very relaxing schedule set up of doing absolutely nothing!!  I will probably eat some breakfast and then head to the beach to chill out for the rest of the day!  Life is rough, huh?  :-)  Talk to you all soon!

Santo Domingo

Yesterday was a long day of traveling...luckily for me I did NOT toss my cookies on the plane like I thought I was going to!  On my first leg of the trip from RDU to Fort Lauderdale I sat beside a little girl named Bella who did all but talk my ear completely off...but she was SO sweet and cute and her mom didn't seem to mind that I was keeping her occupied.  Poor woman with esa platicadora, her other young daughter, and a 9 month old in her arms she was probably all but completely stressed out.  Come to find out they were all on their way to Santo Domingo as well and I saw them numerous other times throughout the trip.  After arriving safely at the airport I made my way to the hostel in the colonial district of town.  It is a beautiful place with an odd admixture of Spanish, Portuguese, and African cultures, as well as other cultural influences.  The architecture and the overall vibe of the place makes me feel as if I were in a Mexican town, but the climate and the scenery makes me reminisce of my short time spent in Jamaica.  The best of both worlds harmoniously overlapping one another.  I wasn't long for the world last night since I was completely pooped after my long day of traveling so I went to bed pretty early at around 8:30 after venturing to the roof-top restaurant for some Lebanese food??  Yes!!  It was delicious!  I had a Falafel wrap and enjoyed some conversation with one of the workers named Vergílio (think I spelled that right).  Everyone here has been so welcoming and friendly so far with huge smiles and outstretched arms!  I have met some truly wonderful people so far...including the owner's 4 year old son who  informed me last night that we are to be married today.  Haha!  Ladies' man!  He now calls me his "preciosa"!  A true cutie pie!

This morning I had my first "Dominican" breakfast which wasn't that extravagant...but nonetheless delicioso!  Fresh papaya, mango, plátano, some super strong (but amazing) coffee, and toast with some type of pineapple jelly that I swear could have been made in heaven...so sweet!  So far so good!  I have been out exploring the "centro" and have seen La Catedral Primada de América (the first church to be built in the "new world"), a few statues, one being of Christopher Columbus, and a few other old structures such as the ruins of the oldest hospital built in the "new world".  Other than the often pesky tour operators that don't want to accept the fact that some visitors just want to roam the streets and explore the area by themselves, the people and the atmosphere are very inviting.  I am now cooling off in the room from the hellish humidity outside and getting ready to go out for a second round of adventure.  I think this time I will explore the oldest military fort built in the "new world" and then find somewhere cheap to do what I do best...EAT!  ¡Hasta pronto!

Follow me in learning the new Dominican dialect!!!

my newest world: "vaina" = nuisance