Part 1...Bring on the New

I was still half asleep, wanting to be back in bed, with morning eye crusties not yet brushed away, opening the cupboard in my new house (a very normal ritual for anyone to say the least), when four legs came hurtling for my face. Even though I live in the DR, it has yet to become a norm to find frogs living next to the glasses, and I’m surprised that the neighborhood didn’t come running at the racket I made. He didn’t stick around too long, although he found the orange juice and didn’t want to part without trying some. I managed to show him the door and decided that frogs in the morning are a bit stronger than any coffee I could ever make.

Sadly, a month ago I had to say goodbye to my old house with the lack of running water and the nasty kitchen. I unfortunately now pay less rent for a bigger room and my own bathroom, running water (and hot showers!), mostly constant electricity, a clean house and more importantly kitchen, 5 crazy-fun Dominican roommates, and living close enough to school that I can bike in under 4 minutes (close was important so everyone could walk to work since everyone is petrified of driving a motor). Why I didn't move earlier is beyond me. ( Right: The neighborhood boys enjoying the big puddles outside my new house. Below: my 5 roomates: L-R Walkiris, Randa, Loida, Elena, Rebeka)

The house is actually the Kids Alive women’s house. It was formed as a solution to our three Ark graduates whom needed a ‘transitional’ house of sorts. Now, the DR is no United States where girls leave home to stake out on their own before marriage. To find a woman’s house here is nearly impossible unless they are missionaries or Americans. So I imagine we are the talk of the neighborhood, the 5 girls and the bike riding American…which I add only because that is actually how people track me down. All they need is: American. bike. lives with 5 Dominican girls…in which I will add makes dodging unwanted house guest a little tricky.

On the topic of new, I have been instated as the official art teacher here at Anija. Yes Anija is a school, accredited by the country. And no I am not a teacher and I have not really taken any teaching classes, let alone art classes. I did paint a mural in my office. And that is good enough to secure my Dominican teaching future. So I’ve been thrown into 1st -8th grade Dominican madness, blindly wandering from one class to the next with paper cutouts unknowingly glued to my bottom and my hair falling out (or pulled out by my own hands to alleviate the pain of trying to stand up front and teach to attention spans of zero). But…the pay is great, and I always still have my other fulltime job of sponsorship to look forward to at the end of my teaching day. Thank goodness school goes just to 12:30.

But in all seriousness, teaching art and getting in the classroom has actually been fun. It takes you to a different level once you become a teacher. I now know the kids better and vice versa, I finally get 25 voices of correction for every Spanish word I say wrong (which is all of them), and I’m teaching art, something they are excited about. And I get to keep the best/silliest/cutest work and put it up on my door and get a constant laugh from the Mr. Potato Heads look-a-likes and attempts at 3D birthday cakes.

Excitingly, Anija has added a new program to our repertoire. Last year we had begun a small afternoon program for Haitian students needing to learn to speak, read, and write Spanish, with the hope that eventually we could get the then girls good enough to enter into our equivalent of kindergarten. This program, now officially the ABC program, has grown to both the morning and afternoon. We have both boys and girls, and it is for any students in our programs that need extra help getting caught up enough to enter a classroom. At the moment this pertains to mostly Haitian kids who have never gone to school, but on occasion we have similar cases with Dominican kids. (Left: Jenny, one of our ABC girls. Right: An ABC student's home and family)

It is remarkable at how fast we can see changes in kids that have so many factors fighting against them. From the house visits we have done, the trend is that they live in a one or two bedroom house, sharing a bed with 5 others and living with 7 others, brothers, sisters, cousins, parents, and family friends. They speak Creole and so must learn how to read, write and speak a new language. Their families are the poorest of the poor; they are discriminated against by the Dominicans, and can’t go to school unless they have a Dominican birth certificate, which is rare. And YET, they know much more Spanish than me, they love school, are learning about Jesus, and have a drive to learn. And two of our girls from last year are now in pre-premario (Kindergarten) and first grade!

It is a blessing and an encouragement to be apart of something that is breaking the mold here in the DR and giving hope to the most oppressed. Last year I dreamt of program growth that would allow the involvement of sponsorship. And as we entered a new year with the provision of day and afternoon classes, lunch, and a classroom, we have decided that we can take the dream a little further and start entering these kids into our sponsorship program. This means that our goal is not short-term with these students, but instead to see each one through 8th grade and beyond. (lower left: the ABC morning class- the two kids on the left live at the Ark and had never been to school before). Right: Angie and Rebeka on a ABC student house visit)

I’m appalled that I have yet to make
a plug for sponsorship in any of my blogs. I want to encourage each of you to think about sponsoring a kid. Kids Alive has taken a big hit with increasing food and oil costs, in addition to program growth and increasing teacher salaries, etc. Please consider sponsoring a child OR helping us by spreading the news about Kids Alive and finding people in your town, church, soccer team, bible club, school, etc that want to sponsor kids. Feel free to email me if you or you know of anyone with interest: erfrancis@gmail.com.

Thank you for all your prayers over the past months...my new house situation and roommates are truly a blessing. Please continue to pray for sanity as I teach art and try to keep sponsorship for multiple sites organized. More so, please pray for willing bodies to come fill the missionary vacancies that are and will be in the next months.