7/24/13
Sorry for not posting last night, we had an early wake-up this morning so that we could go to the Sugar Mill.
Today we went to Plaza Caonabo. Caonabo was a native leader who fought the colonization of Republico Dominicano. The Spainards gave him a pair of handcuffs and claimed that they were a ‘gift’ from the king. They instructed Caonabo to put on the handcuffs and once he did so the Spainards took him back to Spain, by ship, but before the ship docked Caonabo had passed away.
From the Plaza we got back on the bus and continued our day at Rancho de Angela, There, we had the opportunity to go swimming and play games. We could play pool, cards, or dominoes. Angela supplied us with a delicious lunch and was extremely hospitable. I was able to practice my Spanish when I got a chance to thank her.
English class yesterday was incredibly fun for almost everyone! I almost caused the group to be late because I got bug spray in my eye, but we made it on time, My class size increased from 4 students to 10 students, although 2 of my students from the previous day went to the salon… We taught them opposites, characteristics, fabric/clothing items, jobs, and practiced oraciones (sentences) using the vocabulary we had learned. Many of the sentences were similar to: Maximillioin is ugly but I am tall and beautiful, My class makes sure that I am aware if I am pronouncing or spelling something wrong in Spanish.
As El Lider del Dia (Leader of the day) being on time was one of my main challenges. I have been working hard this past year to be more punctual, but yesterday I was accountable for others punctuality. I did my best to make sure that everyone was awake and ready to depart on time, even though in Dominican culture its acceptable to be 15 minutes late. I need to reassure myself that I am doing my best and that is simply all I can do.
I am thankful for my lack of bug bites! Unfortunately quite a few of my peers aren’t as fortunate. The delegation has become like a family and it feels like we have been here for a month!