Observations

As part of my job here, I am here to observe the Dominican culture without judging. This is a lot easier said than done. The following are a few things that I have observed. These are generalizations, as there may be exceptions to the rule, but I have found them to be pretty much the norm.

• Kids here, especially in the campos (rural areas) get married and start families at a young age. The 14 year old neighbor is married to a 24 year old. He also has a 5 year old daughter from a previous relationship, so now this 14 year old is a stepmom. Another girl is 12 years old and pregnant.
• Children go to school here for about 2 hours a day, and that it is when there is no rain. One classroom can have up to 60 kids in it. And the reason why the kids are in school for so few hours a day is because they are so overcrowded that they need to go in shifts. So three different groups of students use the same school building throughout the day.
• Also, in order to attend public school children must be able to afford the mandatory school uniforms. And their parents must have all of the correct legal papers. One of my host sisters, who is 14, is not allowed to go to school because her mom does not have all of those papers. So her day consists of waking up at 10 a.m. and watching telenovelas until the rest of the neighborhood kids come home and then playing with them.

With that said, I love Constanza. The kids here are great, and there are so many of them! I have a 13 year old sister who lives with me, and other siblings who live in the house down the street. Almost every house in our barrio has about 3 kids living in it. Everyday I end up playing tag or hide and go seek outside in the dark (no street lights), card games (I taught them Go Fish, which they all absolutely love), dominoes or volleyball. The first Saturday we were in Constanza, about 20 kids ages 6 to 13 led us hiking up one of the mountains, and they were so proud that they were able to lead the gringos.

I brought my digital camera to the Dominican Republic, but I did not bring my cord to upload the pictures to my computer. Once Dad sends me that cord, I will gladly post pictures!