Week Bills are going to the Superbowl!

Let’s go BUFFALO! The Bills Bar in Dominica was open this week (although the bar did not actually have access to the Bills game but I wore my Bills shirt and booed for every team on TV). We kicked off the season with the Dominican equivalent of chicken wings- spicy chicken back stew. It was delicious.

School started again last week. I had a double ear infection (both of my ears had swimmer’s ear that became an infection because the water stuck in them was dirty and then infected my ear drums) so I only went on Thursday. I’m working on many of the same projects I was doing last year; tutoring children who are very behind in classes, working with Hands Across the Sea (you can still donate to get us more books and art supplies for this year!) to set up the library, cleaning up the computer room, etc.

I’ve added on two projects that I am incredibly excited about. I’m working with a young woman in Salisbury to set up a resource center in the unused building above the school. There are some Salisburians living abroad who came back for Reunion and offered to collect donations to send down for the center. We’re envisioning a big open room with a reading corner, tables for tutoring and homework help, a craft area and using the stage that is already in the room to have some theatre programs. Currently there are no consistent after school activities (there are sports that happen on and off one day a week after school) and its clear that some structure would behoove many of the children. I’m hoping to incorporate a peer tutoring program (like the one I had last year) into the after school program as well.

My second project is expanding the House competition. The students are divided into four houses that currently only compete on the biannual Sports Days. They have house assemblies once a week, where instead of coming together as a whole school they meet by house. The summer camp lover in me saw this as a waste of potential competitive spirit. Where are the cheers? The songs? The inappropriately serious rivalries? Most importantly, why are we not using this to con children into cleaning and participating in activities that they would otherwise not care about? Thus I have worked with the principal to create a much expanded house competition system to encourage academics, cleanliness, school spirit, sports and active participation in all my future projects. If you know any good cheers please send them this way! Next week I’ll begin teaching house chants and the Bear Song.

Dominican Phrase Book:

Waist pain. When I was a child I was painfully dramatic, a hypochondriac and a whiner. Apparently everything that came out of my mouth was in a whine until I was around 7. My mom still teases me about my waist pains. I used to complain that my waist hurt all the time, which was due to my waist cancer. I’ve found my people. Dominicans all have waist pain and they talk about it incessantly.

Strong, grown man: “Air-een, my waist is so bad. I been taking rum all day and the pain in my waist not leaving me.”

Middle-aged woman: “You know when you start bleedin’ and you waist does hurt you all the time.”

Small child: “Miss Air-een, my waist is broken!!!”

Adorable children anecdote:

The children have begun calling every interaction they have with me a “club”. Some children came over and played UNO the other day, everyone wants to join the UNO club. A little girl borrowed a book and I have had many requests to be part of the book club. There is also a baking club, a bay club, a slinky club and, my favorite, an essay writing club.