BIKESElementary Education Undergraduate |
BIKESElementary Education Undergraduate |
We have neared the end. They always say, all good things must come to an end, but I really wish that wasn’t the case this time. Reflecting on this past month, I have experienced so many firsts and have been continuously pushed out of my comfort zone. This trip definitely had its challenges. For example, being an English speaker in a world of Spanish speakers, busy schedules and long days, and let’s not forget the fact that there were seven of us girls living in one house for 18 days. But in the midst of the hectic, sometimes overwhelming situations we were put in or faced throughout the time in the Dominican Republic, I was reminded of the beautiful country and amazing opportunities that were laid out in front of me. I was lucky enough to be chosen to get to meet and bond with an amazing group of young women, and together we zip lined through beautiful trees of more than 100 shades of green, felt the ocean splash against our feet, and created friendships with locals and children from which we worked with at the schools and foundation. And to think, if I would have never made the decision of coming on this trip, I would have not been able to enjoy those experiences and make 14 new friends while doing so.
Sitting in the airport, waiting for the airplane to arrive to fly us back home was a very bitter-sweet moment for us all. I was so excited see my smiling parents, to hug my dog, and to sleep in my own bed that night, but in the back of my head I was thinking about Cabarete and the life changing experiences I had there. Even though I have touched on this already in my previous blogs, I do believe I have gained more of an appreciation of the blessings I have in my life. To think that there really are people out there who would enjoy eating the leftover scraps on your plate, or would love to take your place in school; the things we look at as garbage or a bother is what many people in the Dominican Republic long for, and it is such a heartbreaking idea. Then I remember people like Patricia (the founder of the Mariposa Foundation) and all that she and her staff are doing for 150 girls, their families, and their community, and it gives me hope for a country in need. I believe it gives the people in that area hope as well. After witnessing such need, my heart will never be the same. I am excited to bring the love that I received from the staff and girls at the foundation, the children at the schools, and the friends we made in the Dominican Republic back home with me and spread that love with everyone whom I meet. As a future teacher, I look forward to applying the generosity, kindness, and determination that I observed and learned from my experience in a different country and teach those values to my students. I would say my heart is more understanding and accepting toward others with a different background than mine through this experience and that will help me when I have my own classroom as well. Not only did I grow as a teacher, but I grew as a person as well as in my faith. The Lord not only worked through me, but through the Buffalo State group as a whole to bring smiles to the faces of children we worked with. Our group was able to supply donations of food, hygiene products, toys, and school supplies which was excitedly accepted by the families and schools in that area. At the end of the day, I am overjoyed with the experience I had and will hold the relationships and memories close to my heart. I am truly proud of the group and myself for making this trip not about ourselves, but taking time out of our break to give a little bit of ourselves and our talents of teaching to others who deserve it most. I couldn't think of a better way to start the new year. It has been a crazy ride, but the experience was worth every second of it.
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This whole week consists of us all being placed into classrooms at Coral private school. Another girl and I have been chosen to observe and teach in a preschool classroom with three and four-year-old children. I was and still am very excited to be working with this age group regardless of the many challenges that arise when working with young children. There is no doubt that babysitting, my job of working at a childcare center, and now my college career as an Early Childhood and Childhood Education student has shaped me into the patient, child-loving teacher that I am today. Even with this being said, none of those opportunities could have prepared me for the experience of being in the classrooms here in Cabarete. Knowing that the Dominican Republic is a third world country and the people who live there speak mostly Spanish, I had a little bit of an idea of what to expect when walking into the schools, but it took me physically being in the classroom along with the teacher and students to fully realize the reality of it.
Working in the Coral school has been a complete privilege and huge learning opportunity for me as a teacher. After observing the past few days, I have made some great mental notes of what to do, and not to do once I have my own classroom full of children; but regardless of the teaching strategies, or lack of, I feel as if now I have a better understanding of what children who live in poverty face throughout the years. Many areas in Buffalo, NY are poor or are housed by refugees with children who attend the Buffalo schools. I have worked in a handful of these schools including the International School 45 and have worked with children who have similar stories and backgrounds as the children I have seen here in the Coral school. It has been interesting for me to witness the conditions of the schools here and to make the connection that these same conditions (or conditions similar or worse than these) could be what a refugee in Buffalo has come from. I believe this experience working in one of the Dominican Republic schools has truly helped me to gain a better understanding of the children here as well as the ones I work with back in Buffalo. The children that I couldn’t relate to, I now can have a more understanding and appreciative attitude toward which will help me to be the loving, compassionate, and accepting teacher that I strive to be. Working in the preschool classroom and not knowing any Spanish to communicate with these children has been extremely difficult. When talking to a young boy about biting another child on the arm, my “teacher brain” wants to say more than “no,” which is the only disciplinary word I know how to say in Spanish. When the two teachers in the classroom are busy and the children are running around the classroom misbehaving, I want to jump in and help control the chaos, but 27 rambunctious preschoolers are hard to wrangle when you cannot speak to them using the words you would like to or normally use. Even trying to make small talk with the children or with the teachers in the classroom is difficult when you can only speak a handful amount of words and recognize that same amount when someone is speaking to you; I can see the frustration of both the teacher and the student’s face as they repeat the same question or phrase over and over because I cannot figure out what they are saying. The Spanish-English language barrier has definitely been a large obstacle we have all been working to overcome throughout this whole trip, including our time here in the school. Even with the language barrier, it is amazing the relationships I have made with people and the children throughout the two and half weeks I have been here. During some time of reflection with our Buffalo State group, one of the girls mentioned that even though the language barrier is there while she is in the classroom, she did not let it get in the way of creating bonds with the students and having fun with them. She had said this experience taught her that regardless of where we are from and what language we speak, we are all human. There is no us and them. We are all people with goals, dreams, hardships and talents, and I am truly honored to be given the chance to catch a glimpse of what these beautiful children have to offer this world. Yesterday was our last day spent with the Mariposa Dominican Republic Foundation. We have all had such an amazing time there and have felt so welcomed and love from all of the girls and the staff. The beginning of our day started off by meeting the younger mariposa girls, who are referred to as “maripositas.” The girls ranged from eight years old to twelve years of age and they were the sweetest little things I have ever been in the presence of. Not even a minute went by before the little girls were approaching us, hugging us, and holding our hands. We played a few games with the girls that involved us dancing, moving and clapping along mirroring someone who was coming up with the motions. These games had us all laughing and it was truly a joy being able to have fun and be silly with these young girls. The girls as well as us were then split up into three groups where we would each take turns moving to the different activities at each station. My group consisted of myself, four other girls from my trip, as well as six maripositas. The first station we went to was the literacy station where the literacy teacher worked with the girls on reading, writing, and comprehension skills. We played games like telephone where each person takes a turn whispering one phrase into someone’s ear, we paired up and read books together with the girls in both English and Spanish, and lastly worked together with a mariposita and drew a picture of a character from the book we read. This was really fun and allowed us time to get to know and work with the girls one on one. The next station we went to, we learned about healthy foods and why we should be eating them. Each person said what they usually ate for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and the class ended with the teacher talking about the importance of a balanced diet of meat, fruits and vegetables. The last station we visited was the art station where we Buffalonians and the maripositas were given colorful square paper to glue on and decorate the pictures we were given. This was a great time for all of us to talk to the girls and ask them questions about themselves to get to know them better. After the stations, the maripositas hugged us and waved goodbye with huge smiles on their faces as they all filed in on the bus that takes them to school. It was such a blast spending time with these beautiful girls! After eating lunch, the older mariposa girls that we have been working with in our Spanish classes arrived at the foundation. Mary Jane, the literacy teacher and leader of our Spanish classes had created a fun-filled day for all of us girls considering that it was our last day being with the girls and the foundation. We swam in the pool, sang karaoke, blasted music on the speaker and danced like mad women, and ended the day with LOTS of pictures, big bear hugs, and tear-filled eyes. It had been such a great week spending time with these girls and many of us had made strong connections with these mariposas. It was a hard goodbye, but I know these girls are in such good hands at the Mariposa Foundation. I know my experience working with these silly, sassy girls is one that will stay in my heart forever. During the past few days, the group and I have been given the chance to visit, observe, and even teach at a handful of different schools here in the Dominican Republic. This past Wednesday, prior to getting our Spanish lesson at the Mariposa Foundation, we traveled all throughout Cabarete and received a tour of five schools teaching children from grades preschool to 12th grade. Two of them are private schools named Coral and Cadin; the other three are public schools named Punta Cabarete and Puerta Cabarete while the last public school we visited was in La Cienega. Coming into these schools and observing their classrooms was something I was very excited to do. I have observed in many schools back in Buffalo, NY, but had never known or seen how schools in other countries teach their students. From what I observed, the schools here in the Dominican Republic do not have the same resources and equipment to supply their students as schools do in the United States. Seeing how teachers went about teaching their students with limited resources was very interesting and I learned a lot about the dedication and drive these teachers have. The private schools are not funded by the government, which means they have to use their own funds to buy supplies and materials for the classrooms and students. What makes this difficult, is that even though the government does not give them money or supplies, the school still needs to meet the requirements that the government creates for them. Although the public schools are receiving government funds and supplies, they do not have much more than the struggling private schools. While visiting the public school Punto Cabarete, the children were playing outside for recess. As we watched them play with each other in the open area covered in a thick layer of dirt, we noticed that they did not have anything to play with; they were scooping up stones from the ground and throwing them. As we talked to the teacher, she mentioned that she wished they had balls, swings, and other equipment for the children to play with while they were outside. It is apparent that these schools are in need, but do not have the resources or the money to obtain the materials they need to better educate their students. Working in these schools is a huge eye-opener. The classrooms are small with many children squeezed inside of them. In some classrooms, there are not enough chairs or books for all of the students who are trying to learn; the schools are very different than what I am used to seeing back in the states. After spending a few hours with a kindergarten class, I was able to join the children during their lunch time. After the students finished their food, they were allowed to run around the open space outside. The children were playing tag and chasing one another around the grassy area until it had started raining. Once they felt the rain drops, they came into the covered cafeteria area which consisted of four tables each with two benches. The six children continued their game of tag by running around the tables as the other children finished their food. Right away the teacher told the students to stop, and to find something else to do. Curious, I asked the translator to ask the teacher when the kindergarteners had recess, and the teacher replied back by saying that this time during lunch was there only time during the day to play outside. I thought this was very unfortunate for the children because considering their age, they should be given more opportunities to move their bodies. And when it rains, like the day I observed, the young students were not given a different space to play that was not vulnerable to the elements of the weather. Later in the day, I was given the opportunity to teach four sixteen-year-old boys the English Language in a classroom all by myself. I was a little intimidated at first because I was not told a head of time that I would be teaching a lesson and did not have anything prepared. It was also nerve-racking because I had never taught older students how to speak English when their native language was not my own. Although I was a bit overwhelmed at first, I was able to whip up a short 30 minute lesson with the boys to help them learn English. I showed them pictures of different objects and they were to say the names of the objects in Spanish first, then English; they then wrote both of the words in their notebook. We reviewed the sounds that the letters of the English alphabet make and I attempted to get them more comfortable with speaking and writing the English letters and words. The boys were very respectful, kind and patient with me throughout the half an hour we were there working. As I taught the sixteen-year-old students English, they helped me with my Spanish pronunciation. By doing this, we learned from one another and I believe this made the lesson less intimidating for both the boys and myself. This was such an amazing experience for me and I really enjoyed working with the four senior boys. Overall, visiting the schools was a very moving experience. As I walked through the bare classrooms, noticed the concrete floor of the basketball court crumbling away, and witnessed broken chairs and desks piled high in a corner or the school grounds, my heart sank for the students and staff of these schools. I now realize I have taken all of the textbooks, school supplies, and large gymnasium and cafeteria from the schools I attended for granted. And at the end of the day, all the students that attend these schools want, is to learn and gain an education. Many of the children here in the Dominican Republic are not even able to go to these schools because their families are poor and/or they are needed to do work around the house. Some children cannot afford the uniform for the school or do not have a way to get to school since a bus is not provided for them. It is such a shame that these children cannot receive the education that they deserve, but my hope is that people and organizations like the Mariposa Dominican Republic Foundation will continue to fight for the importance of educating our future generation. This is a subject I am very passionate about, and I hope that in some way I will be able to contribute and make a difference in the lives of children like these ones. The pictures below are of the private school Cadin: The next few pictures are of the private school Coral: Here are the pictures from the public school Punta Cabarete: Next are the pictures taken from the public school Puerto Caberete: On the 7th of January, the Buffalo State group and I spent the day learning about the Mirabal sisters by visiting the Mirabal Museum. We learned that during the 1950’s, the Dominican Republic was ruled by a nasty, evil dictator named Rafael Trujillo who ruled over schools, businesses, and homes; he had total control over everyone because he filled the Dominicans with fear. Over the 31 years that Trujillo ruled, he had more than 50,000 people killed. This number included Haitians, people of higher intelligence, and others who did not cooperate with Trujillo and his army. Trujillo wanted to remain in power and stay powerful, so in order for this to happen, he ordered anyone who would be smart enough to overthrow him, to be killed. This is also the reason why Rafael Trujillo did not allow women to go to college or gain a higher education. The Mirabal sisters, Minerva, Patria, Maria Teresa and Dede grew up during the time of Rafael Trujillo’s dictatorship and witnessed the wrongful acts that he was committing. Finally, Minerva, Patria, and Maria Teresa grew angry of Trujillo and the way he treated the people who lived in the Dominican Republic and knew he needed to be stopped. Over the years, the three sisters created a movement to end social injustice and eliminate violence against women. On November 25, 1960, the three sisters, Minerva, Patria, and Maria Teresa were assassinated by Trujillo’s people while driving to see their husbands who Trujillo had imprisoned. These women were stopped on the side of the road, strangled, beaten, and killed so they would not have the opportunity to stop Trujillo. Once people had heard about this incident, Trujillo was assassinated on May 30th, 1961 by his own army. November 25th, the day of the sisters’ assassination is now an international day for the elimination of violence against women, in honor of the sisters and their works toward creating a better life for all people, especially women in the DR. Dede, the fourth sister lived and continued to spread the importance of the vision that her sisters saw and longed for. Unfortunately, Dede passed away in 2014, but her family and loved ones continue to tell the tale and share the incredible, powerful stories of the three heroes. Visiting this museum, seeing the sisters’ house as well as their belongings, and witnessing their grave site was a very moving experience. These women are so inspiring and have taught many people the importance of determination, education, peace and equality amongst all people. Walking around the house of the Mirabal sisters was absolutely breathtaking and was surrounded by beautiful plants that were planted by one of the sisters. I believe the story of these sisters sends an important message to girls not only in the Dominican Republic, but all around the world. Just because you are young or female does not mean that you are helpless or weak. These women started off by having small meetings with a handful amount of people, and now they are recognized by all of the world. They stood up for what they believed was right and did not let a man get in the way of their dreams. I was very inspired by the story of the Mirabal sisters and aim to incorporate their drive, passion and hope into my personal life as well as my teaching. The following morning, we had planned an excursion to experience more of the beautiful landscape and wildlife that surrounds us here in the Dominican Republic. After experiencing the bumpy, 20 minute bus or “guagua” ride through the trees, we finally made it to the Monkey Jungle where we would be ziplining through the mountaintops. There was a total of seven zip lines that moved us all throughout the large fields and tall trees. A handful of the girls were terrified to make the leap of faith and zip line high up above the ground, but each one of the girls completed all seven and ended the day with huge smiles. I was so proud of everyone and myself for participating in an activity that was out of our comfort zone. The rush of adrenaline and wind against your face, the breathtaking scenery, and the comical, kind-hearted staff all made the experience one that I will never forget. After the zip lines, we were all taken into the monkey exhibit where we were given the opportunity to feed squirrel monkeys watermelon cubes and sunflower seeds off of plates. As you held the plate, the small monkeys would jump on your head, shoulders, or arms to reach the food. Their feet are made up of small, soft pads which prevents them from hurting you when they land on your skin. This was an AMAZING experience which I enjoyed immensely. I have always been an animal lover, so being up close and personal with these fascinating and adorable creatures was truly a dream come true. The Monkey Jungle was definitely a highlight of my trip so far in the Dominican Republic! This past Friday, we traveled back to the Mariposa Dominican Republic Foundation where we would begin the first day of Spanish classes. Three women on staff each took a few members of our group in different classrooms on the foundation to practice our Spanish vocabulary and learn how to speak the Spanish language more fluently. In my group, there were six of us with one Spanish teacher and three of the mariposa girls from the program. The same mariposa girls that we had met the day before joined us for our Spanish class to help the teacher teach us Spanish; this was a nice way to get to spend more time with the girls and learn more about them and their personalities. I love how the girls from the foundation were incorporated into the teaching process and were given the chance to be teachers for the day and share their skills with us.
Back in middle and high school, I took multiple Spanish classes that taught me vocabulary and sentence structure. This Spanish class was very different than any of those classes I took back in school because our Spanish teacher at the foundation spoke only in Spanish. This made learning a lot more difficult and caused me to have to really focus and watch the gestures and hand movements of the teacher and mariposa girls. Although the classes were completely in Spanish, watching the gestures of the teacher really helped to understand the instructions she was giving. In class, we learned the Spanish words for the different fruits as well as the different utensils found in the kitchen. We also learned how to ask how much something is by saying “Cuanto Cuesta…” and I want, which is “yo quiero”. The class was very informational and taught me helpful information that I will use while I am trying to communicate with the Dominicans here. It was nice that the teacher used games like bingo and had us drawing pictures and gluing colorful squares on it to learn colors. I thought this was extremely helpful for me to learn the vocab and made it easier for me to sit through the four-hour class. I enjoyed the classes immensely and look forward to continue learning from the teacher and the mariposa girls. Since the cocoa farm visit, I have continued to stay busy and learn more about the way of life here in Cabarete. Thursday, we visited The Mariposa Dominican Republic Foundation. The mission of this foundation is “to educate and empower girls to create sustainable solutions to end generational poverty.” Girls from the age of 8 through 18 are accepted into the programs of this foundation where they are taught different trades/skills and learn more about the importance of hygiene, health, and education. The hope of the foundation is that the information being taught to these young girls does not stay within the boundaries of the mariposas, but is spread to their families as well as the people who live in their communities. This foundation longs for the girls in Cabarete to feel intelligent, strong, beautiful, and capable in hopes that they will understand their worth and live the life that they want and deserve to live. When the mariposa girls and their families are taught these skills, it gives them the choice to break the cycle of poverty. These skills that are taught at the foundation allow them to go to school or get a job rather than limiting themselves to becoming young mothers and taking care of the house. During our visit, we met some of the high school sophomore girls who participate in the program; the girls are called “mariposas” which means butterflies in Spanish. During our time there with the mariposas, we were able to participate in icebreaker games to get to know one another, playing softball, and taking pictures together on a polaroid camera. Although it was difficult and a bit awkward at first not being able to fully communicate with the mariposas due to the language barrier, we all seemed to get more comfortable with one another during each activity we participated in. Toward the end of our visit that Thursday afternoon, all of us girls were giggling and having fun as the mariposas took turns braiding our hair and admiring our Henna tattoos we had received the night prior. We did manage to break the ice with the girls and get to know them with the little Spanish we knew and will hopefully get the chance to spend more time with them in the days ahead. While we were at the Mariposa Dominican Republic Foundation, a staff member gave us a tour of their facility and mentioned other programs that they offer there in greater detail. One of the programs gave local mariposa mothers the opportunity to earn extra income by sowing sailboat sails that have been thrown away to sit in landfills to make into bags to be sold at the foundation’s store. I thought this was a great way to not only reuse items that would be harming our Earth, but to also financially help the families of the girls in the foundation. On our tour of the foundation, the staff member described a list of all of the activities and trades that they have taught in the past and continue to teach their girls today. Those trades were art, dance, music, sowing, culinary, and much more. The foundations also teaches the mariposas different sports and works with them on their school work, and learning the English language. The Mariposa Dominican Republic Foundation is not only a beautiful building with extraordinary paintings and a large, colorful garden, but also helps and encourages so many young girls to be the best person they can be and gives them to tools and confidence to do so. After meeting a handful of the girls and witnessing how intelligent, humorous, and silly they were, I can’t help but wonder how their lives would be different if they were not involved with this foundation. I am so proud to be working with this foundation and am excited to see how they grow and continue to touch the many lives of young girls and their families. On the same day after the foundation visit, that staff member took us for a tour around the neighborhood where she lived. This neighborhood looked much different than any neighborhood I have ever seen in the Unites States. The houses were very small in size and were made of concrete walls and rooves made of tin or large palm tree leaves. Many of them did not have glass in their windows or doors to close to keep out bugs and dirt. Most families hung up their recently washed clothing to dry on bushes or fences that are found on their property and had puddles of mud surrounding their houses. This neighborhood along with many other neighborhoods I have seen in Cabarete had garbage lying all over the ground, piled everywhere. The majority, if not all of houses were not furnished with the luxuries that we find in homes in the U.S.; they did not seem to have a complete and matching set or furniture or a memory foam mattress to sleep on. The houses also do not receive running water and electricity all day long, every day. There are long pauses throughout some days of the week where the electricity and water is turned off in the homes of the neighborhood we visited; this makes it difficult for the families to wash their clothing, bathe, cook, etc. This experience for me was similar to visiting the cocoa farm. Walking through the area where these people lived and seeing the conditions of their homes was such a shock. I have known for a while that the Dominican Republic was a third world country and had understood that many of the families who live there are underprivileged, but I never knew the full extent of it until I was given the chance to witness their homes and way of life with my own two eyes. During the tour of this Cabarete neighborhood, I definitely took a step back and reevaluated my life and the way I live. I am so blessed and fortunate to have the opportunity to go to school and get an education, to travel to another country, to have a house with electricity and water 24/7, to have an abundance of food on my plate for three meals, the list could go on for miles. That experience really made me appreciate the items that I have and the home in which I live in. It breaks my heart to see large families struggle to provide for themselves and that is why I am so thankful for the Mariposa DR Foundation and other organizations like this one that aim to help struggling families and give them the encouragement and resources they need to create a better way of life. The Mariposa Dominican Republic Foundation website: http://www.mariposadrfoundation.org/ Below are pictures of the neighborhood we visited- Yesterday was the day I have been waiting for since I had officially been accepted to be a part of this trip. After waking up at 2 am, checking my luggage one last time, arriving at the Buffalo airport and spending the majority of my morning and afternoon up in the clouds, I was finally able to walk off of the plane and take in the sights of the Dominican Republic. We were taken to our home for the next two and a half weeks by a large van, where I had witnessed some of the craziest driving I have ever seen. Since the traffic laws are not enforced in the Dominican Republic, motorcyclists or “motos” are able to swerve in and out of traffic as well as drive on the side of the road next to other vehicles. As I sat in the van, I stared out of the window in amazement at all of the large greenery, colorful buildings, and wild animals that could be seen from the road. Once we made it to our living quarters, we were given the chance to settle in and explore our surroundings. We walked a few feet down to the beach where we were given the chance to watch others kite surf on the ocean waves as the strong wind helped them glide through the water. Looking out into the water, the number of colored kites in the air was remarkable; the scene was absolutely breathtaking. All of us girls stood with our feet buried in the sand, eyes glued on the ocean in front of us for fifteen minutes as we let that magical moment soak into our minds. We were finally here. Today was our first full day in the Dominican Republic, and I couldn’t think of a better way to get us Americans completely immersed into the culture and way of life of the people here. Our first adventure was visiting a cocoa farm where we were able to see how the Dominicans make chocolate. On the farm lived a family who showed us around and welcomed us into their home for the afternoon. As we slipped, slid, and squished through the mud, Freddy, one of the family members, showed us the farm which included different trees and plants of many different shapes and sizes. Among these plants, we were shown mango trees, banana trees and of course, cocoa trees. Freddy used his hands to pull of the cocoa pod then cut it open so we could see what was hidden on the inside. The cocoa pod was filled with hard seeds covered in a white, slimy coating. We were told to pick out the white coated seed and put it in our mouths to suck on the juices that gave off a fruity, sweet flavor. Next, we walked back to Freddy’s parents’ home where we watched some of his family members finish cooking and preparing our lunch. The kitchen area where the women prepared the food was made out of large branches, palm tree leaves for the roof, and was open for steam and smoke to escape into the outside air. The meal of rice, beans and chicken was cooked in a large black pot that was sitting on top of a fire, and it was probably one of the best meals I have ever eaten. The hospitality that we received from this family was unbelievable and they seemed so happy to serve our large group the limited supply of food that they had. After lunch, we were taught how to make the chocolate and were even given the opportunity to assist in this process. The act of making chocolate was super fascinating and a lot more complex than I had ever thought it to be. Once the white coated cocoa seeds were taken out of the pod, they removed the white, slimy coating and then let the seed dry out in the sun on a tarp. Once they are dry, the seeds are roasted above the fire to make them easier to crack. We helped Freddy and his family crack all of the seeds, separating the shell and the cocoa bean. Finally, we all took turns using a mortar and pestle to crush the cocoa beans into a paste to make the chocolate. This was definitely an arm workout for sure! We then celebrated by drinking a cup of hot chocolate that one of the women had made from the chocolate we had grinded and crushed. As we visited on the farm, we met Freddy’s nieces Liliani (age 5) and Lelani (age 6) who were the most precious, happy, loving little girls. I was wondering if these two girls were going to be shy toward us strangers who speak a different language than them, but that didn’t seem to bother these two girls whatsoever. They chatted with us and we tried speaking back to them with the little Spanish that the majority of us knew; with the help of a translator, they were able to help us learn Spanish and in return, we taught them English and had them saying phrases and words like “Buffalo Bills.” The girls requested hand sanitizer from everyone and enjoyed smelling the different scents, they played with our hair and were given piggy back rides all throughout the farm. We had all made two new best friends on our visit. The experience today was very eye-opening. These Dominicans lived in shacks that were made of concrete and trees and where furnished with the bare necessities they needed to live their life. In the one house was a table and chairs, a dirty refrigerator, a couch and old television, and two beds being hidden by a hanging sheet. Liliani walked around the farm bare foot as I stomped through the mud in my $45 boots. These people had so little, but seemed to live such a happy life. They were willing to welcome us into their home with smiles beaming ear to ear and feed us the food that they worked and labored to pay for. What a humbling experience. It is times like these that make you take a step back and evaluate your life and the blessings that you have. Groaning that I am not able to buy the newest iPhone, or complaining that I need more clothes feels so selfish and silly knowing that these people are excited and fascinated by hand sanitizer or hoping that all of their family is fed each day. With only the bare basics, this family was not distracted by phone or computer screens, but received joy by being present with one another. I believe many of us can learn a valuable lesson from this family, I know I did today. To wrap up the day, the majority of us girls went out to eat at a restaurant right on the beach; we were able to use our new currency, pesos, when paying for our food (which was quite the challenge). This was a great time for us girls to bond and get to know one another better and reflect back on the day that we had experienced. What an amazing day with an amazing group of people, I cannot wait to see what the rest of the trip has in store for me! As I sit at home writing this first blog entry, I can't help but think about the once in a lifetime opportunity I get to experince in only two days. As my group and I have been planning for this trip all semester long, the idea of myself and fourteen other students traveling across part of the world to the Dominican Republic has been so surreal to me. It wasn't until earlier today when my mother and I began packing, that the feeling of being away from home for two and a half weeks and being in a diffrent country and environment from my own really sank in. This trip has me feeling nervous, excited, anxious, thrilled, but most importantly very appreciative and blessed!
As a young girl, I have always wanted to make a difference in the world. I have also had a passion for caring for young children ever since I was at the age where I was able to do so. I believe it is these two aspects of myself that helped lead me to the realization that I wanted to be a teacher and take part in influencing and guiding this upcoming generation to become inteligent, caring and unique people. Earlier in the year, I overheard a student speaking about her time traveling with Buffalo State College to the Dominican Republic; she had mentioned how she worked in a school and assisted the teachers by teaching the young children English. The student ended her story by saying, "it was an experince that not only changed my attitude on life, but also changed my way of thinking as a future teacher. It was a trip I will never forget." After hearing this remark, I knew that this was an experience I wanted to be a apart of. Ten months later, here I sit. I am two days away from my departure date and my mind is whirling with all of the potential sights, situations, and excursions I will get to take part in and be influenced by. Throughout the seventeen days of living in the Dominican Republic, my hope is that I am not only blown away by the culture, beautiful scenery, and my experince working with the children, but that I also may have the opportunity to impact at least one person whom I come in contact with. I have been praying that this journey will help me grow as a person as well as a future educator and help me to become more familiar and comfortable with a different culture. I am truly excited about this trip of a lifetime! |
AuthorI am an Early Childhood and Childhood Education major at Buffalo State and have a passion for working with children and watching them learn and grow. Along with teaching, another passion of mine is singing. At the church I attend, I teach Sunday school and sing in the praise band during the contemporary service. I also enjoy laughing with family and friends and spending as much time with them as I can. ArchivesCategories |