Altagracia School and Health Clinic Visits

 We got right to work on Monday, and accomplished a great deal on a busy day.  We were up at 6:30, ate breakfast at 7:00, and had a 7:30 departure time in order to make it to the Altagracia school in time for the opening ceremonies.  When our bus pulled through the gate (the school is in an urban walled compound topped by concertina wire) we were greeted like rock stars.  Children raced back and forth to get a look at us, and crowded toward classroom windows. Every child we encountered eagerly high-fived or first bumped us as we walked into the school to meet the Director, who guided us to a spot in the large courtyard where opening ceremonies happen every day.  Hundreds of children in plum-colored uniform shirts were lined up in their class groups, patiently waiting for things to start.  After a few announcements on the portable PA system, two children raised the DR flag and students and teachers alike sang the national anthem, which was familiar and evocative to some of us. Pairs of students were holding Dominican and US flags, a school banner, and a large poster welcoming us.  Several students took the hand-held microphone and greeted us in English.  A pair of students performed a short dialogue. School Director Maria del Carmen, who was with us at church on Sunday and also came with us on our visit to the village of Las Auyama, gave a welcoming address and then introduced Rita, who introduced DR Projects and reminded the students that Cotui was where her mother was born, and where she spent three formative years before emigrating to the U.S.  Then each of us took turn introducing ourselves. Finally, a student chorus sang and danced a welcoming song.

The students then filed off to classes, passing us on the way and giving each one of us the chance to greet each one of them.  I switched to low-fives after my knuckles started bruising from enthusiastic fist bumps. With the children now busy on their first class session, we told everyone “Hasta pronto” and boarded the bus for a 40 minute drive to the remote mountain village of El Limon to visit a clinic Rita and DR Projects had built in 2009.

 

The drive to the clinic took us past fields planted with pineapples, extensive orange groves, and the now familiar fruit trees:  mango, papaya, cacao and others.  The clinic, staffed by the DR Health Ministry, serves five small villages, and is the only source of health services. Severe injuries and illness are referred to the public hospitals in Cotui.  The clinic handles more routine urgent care, pre-natal health, birth control, vaccinations, and all sorts of health screening.  Every cost is covered by the Health Ministry. The resident doctors at rural clinics are recent medical school graduates performing a year of community service. There are also nurses, a health facilitator, and a custodian. The sturdy little clinic building was well-appointed, and the cabinets were loaded with medicine.  There was a bedroom and kitchen for the doctor, who will spend many nights. There on duty.  We were very impressed with the young doctor, who had just passed the rigorous testing to become an anesthesiologist, earning him a round of our applause.  He is just about ready to complete his year of service.  After our tour, we had a delicious snack of freshly-cut pineapple, papaya, and oranges. Then, another treat. On one side of the clinic is a small orchard with passion fruit, and Rita hailed the resident farmer and purchased a bunch of fresh passion fruit.  Luis, our translator, showed us how slice off the top and spoon out the seedy, tart, mushy fruit.  It was an acquitted taste for some.  On the other side of the clinic is the home of an elderly woman who had donated the land for the clinic. Rita visited her and was rewarded with half a dozen fresh eggs.  We all posed for a picture with her (attached), and thanked her for making the clinic possible.  On the way home, we stopped at the home of Meribel, the Clinic health promoter, who was also a member of the Cotui Womens’ Collective that has produce high-quality woven items since its founding years ago by (who else?) Rita. We provided Meribel with large quantities of dental supplies, and large amount of childrens’ clothing, which will benefit many of the families served by the clinic. We made it back to the hotel in time for a late lunch and then headed back to the Altagracia School.

 

After an orientation in a school conference room (we were the first group to ever use it!), we took a tour of the school and then divided into two groups, each going to a class taught by one of the two designated English teachers, Valentina and (another) Meribel. Group One had the chance to observe Meribel teaching her fifth-grade class.  Group Two met outside with Valentina, who was teaching a Physical Education class with third graders, and very soon we were given the chance to take it over.  We began with a vigorous round of “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes” (Perfect for vocabulary), and then Zeph suggested a game of “The Big Wind Blows”, which she had learned at Horton Center. (If you don’t know about Horton Center, please ask me).  We then broke the class into groups of four of five, and gave the students the chance to run things.  Thrown right into the deep water, our students responded beautifully.  Several games of “Duck, Duck, Goose” caught on quickly.  Zeph, Lydia and Eva had notable sessions.  Lily Stover had the confidence to try something new, and had amazing success.  All too soon, the class ended and the school day was over.  Departing students surrounded us on the way out, and two sixth grade girls remembered me from and demanded to play a thumb wrestling game with me, my go-to playground entertainment.  We helped the teachers shoo the kids out the gate with promises of “Hasta manana”, and then did a debrief in the conference room before joining all of the school’s teachers for an introductory meeting. This was remarkably effective. They learned our names and found out why we were so eager to come to the DR to help. Something about church, come to find out. We hard them tell us how important it was for their students to learn English.  The exchange of stories went a long way to uniting us as a t

eam for the week.  We won’t see every student, but we will see most of them. Tired after a long day, we headed back to the hotel for supper and an early bedtime. Tuesday we get down to the heart of things!