Art & Impromptu Beach Trip

A few families that were displaced from the village are living nearby in a tiny town called Congrejo. One of our teaching assistants from school, Vanessa, moved with her family after the village became unsafe. They have been nice enough to let me use some space in their home to work with the kids from the village living in Congrejo over the next few weeks. Today, I went to Congrejo armed with acrylic paint (all colors of the rainbow), paint brushes, and an assortment of little boxes. About 10 kids that used to live in Villa Ascension showed up for my "art class." They had a great time and I was pleasantly surprised by their creativity! We had a great time and the kids had a painted box to take home with them.

After we finished boxes, some of the kids were still lingering, so we decided to walk out to the beach- Playa Congrejo. Ramona, Ramoncito, Yaneli, Manuzca, and two other little children came with me. It was a long way- but I think this was mainly because I carried four year old Manuzca the whole way. Luckily, she sang to me to keep me entertained. Once we got there, we splashed around until the kids decided they needed to strip down to their underwear and swim. They had a blast and so did I...

Bònn Ané!

Happy New Year! I am long overdue for a post. December was full and I have a few things to share...

First, my mom arrived here on December 13. We had a fabulous week together. I loved having her all to myself. The week was spent exploring, sunning, trying not to get killed driving on Dominican highways, relaxing and eating lots of good food (I had chocolate molten cake three times!!!) We met my dad and brother out on the Samana peninsula after spending a week in Cabarete. It was great to have my entire family here with me. We spent several days in Las Galeras. The Samana peninsula is, without a doubt, the most beautiful area I have seen in the Dominican Republic- maybe the world...maybe... We also spent a few nights in Jarabacoa and they flew out on the 29th. It was a very special time for me....

Second, I have bad news. A Dominican motoconcho driver was murdered just before Christmas by three Haitian men from the village where I work. This is tragic for many reasons. Obviously, the motoconcho driver lost his life. The story is that the Haitians were trying to steal his motorcycle and they violently killed him in the process. Less obvious to most is the fact that any conflict that happens between Haitians and Dominicans heats up deep-seeded hatred between the two peoples. Shortly after the murder, a gang of Dominicans formed and they entered our village, which is about 70-80% Haitian, and began to threaten the lives of the Haitian families there. The families, not wanting to lose their lives and the lives of their children, promptly moved out of the village. Out of 200 families, only 50 famlies are left. Most of the remaining families are Dominicans. The Haitians have moved to other towns and villages nearby and are barely surviving. The North American workers here have been advised not to enter the village until further notice.

School has been postponed indefinitely, though our staff is optimistic. Please pray for this situation. Without our school, many of these children will not eat breakfast or lunch each day. And obviously, they will become even more behind in their subjects. Selfishly, I am upset because I am unable to see the children each day that I have grown to love so much. Hopefully, in the coming weeks and months, families will move back into the village and it will be safe for us to enter the village and start the school year. If you have any questions about anything, please email me and I can tell you more....

Much love to all,
Georgia