Montessori Teacher Training in Esperanza

Recently I recapped a teacher training we were able to do at a friend’s school in the Miches area, and how much I and the teachers enjoyed the experience of traveling and sharing what we’ve been working on for over a year as a school with other interested teachers. Since that trip, Marina and Isabel, the two teachers who did the training, have been planning more Montessori trainings and exchanges with neighboring schools. We organized a visit to a Special Ed. school in Esperanza, a neighboring town about fifteen minutes or so from Mao. The schools have had exchanges and visits before because our towns are so close. We prepared a similar presentation to our first training - Montessori instruction in basic language didactic activities - and brought supplies with us to leave with the Esperanza school so that they could have a base off which to incorporate these and similar materials into their classroom. 

The Special Ed. school in Esperanza is a little different than our own. The school is part of the elementary school, but is located in a separate building. So ideally, students could integrate between the buildings, but as of now that isn’t happening too much. The school is located in a corner of the main school’s property. The building itself looks like a little house as you’ll see in the pictures and has one large classroom inside and a covered space behind the school functioning as a separate classroom. All classrooms are traditional in the sense that they are lined with rows of desks and chairs. Looking at the school and thinking of our own reminds me just how fortunate IDENE was in receiving a sponsor. This school in Esperanza, though obviously much smaller, is also fortunate in the sense that it has its own building and doesn’t pay rent on it. Many schools in the DR often rent out land space or houses to conduct their school. Other schools are on rented land that the DR's Ministry of Education will pay for month to month in lieu of building a school...but I digress... In IDENE's case, before 2009 when Banelino built IDENE, the school had been running out of rented homes for about 10 years. My point is - it was interesting to notice the differences between the two neighboring Special Ed. schools, and realize once again the impact that school sponsorship and the banana have had on IDENE, and by extension my experience with the community I have been a part of for over 2 years.

The training itself went well. Teachers and directors from both the elementary and the Special Ed. school participated in our Montessori training, and Marina and Isabel conducted the whole presentation just as they had done the last time. I was really happy after our first training because it was such a good event for all involved, so it was a blessing to be able to repeat the traveling teacher training experience with another school. 

Enjoy our photos!

walking to the school. Elementary school is on left, and Special Ed. school is in distance on the right.

front of the school

outdoor classroom

Montessori materials we made and gave to the Esperanza school

Marina and Isa leading the training

Bandeja Fonetica

Letras de Lija

Distintas Formas de Letras

participants from Esperanza

Tarjetas con Pinitos

All of us post-training!

Marina and I

with Isabel

post-training lunch at Supermercado Morel - going to miss that place! and them!

XO

On the Haitian Border: Dajabon Market

I went to Dajabon! Dajabon is a town located on the DR/Haiti border, and visiting the famous Market there has been a travel goal of mine for quite some time. Down to the wire time-wise, but I made it all the same. I went with my neighbor, Carla who goes weekly to purchase for her store in Mao, and three other Mao donas who purchase from the Dajabon Market to sell at the Mao Market. I had heard about the Dajabon Market from other volunteers and their recounts are usually laced with the same theme - it can be a crazy place. That said, and having now been, yes, it is overwhelming so I’m really glad that I went with Carla as she has literally been hundreds of times and knows the majority of the Haitian sellers there as she’s been buying from them for years. I got to spend the day in her shoes seeing what she does on a weekly basis which I really liked, and also helping her carry a few bedspreads and baby basinets that she purchased to sell in Mao. All in all a good time, for sure!

The day began early. We woke up and left by 5am in a large white truck driven by Mamacita - another Dajabon regular and professional shopper for the Mao Market. Joined by two other Mao women, the five of us made the trip, and upon getting to Dajabon, entered the Market separately (except me, obviously I stayed with Carla to help/not get lost alone on the border). Carla knew exactly where and who to go to look for anything, and you can buy just about anything at this Market - you name it, it’s most likely there. Carla approached every seller (the majority Haitian women) with a “Madam,” and haggled the price of the item for sale. We jumped around the Market really quickly, this is not the browsing or “I’m just looking, thanks” type of place. We walked from tent to tent, looking at shoes, bedspreads, baby carriers, shirts, sheets, and all the while were confronted with people presenting socks, garlic, or underwear right up in our faces asking us to buy it. Pigs roamed around and poked through trash. People pushed constantly as our paths crossed theirs, and motorcycles carrying goods, people or both plowed through the shoppers and sellers driving to and from the Market exit. And of course it has been raining everyday lately, so there was a lot of mud and puddles to avoid as well as crowds to navigate while looking for the items. All that said - I was really glad I went with Carla because she knew exactly where she was going in this chaos. 

After observation and asking Carla about a little of the logistics of the market itself, I learned a few things. The market takes place twice a week, on Mondays and Fridays (we went on a Dominican holiday - Dia de los Trabajadores, and it was still packed) and according to Carla, this market happens rain or shine no matter what day it is. And it makes sense once you see how many people buy and sell. Never in my time in the DR have I seen so many pesos all in one place. I did a little reading post-trip and learned that $1.5 million USD are represented in the market on a market day. That dollar amount might surprise you if you’ve already looked at the pictures below, but though the atmosphere may not be glamorous, it does have a really competitive, fast, and stressful spirit about it. It’s hot, there’s little shade, and you don’t just browse around and relax, or at least we didn’t anyway. People have a very purposeful attitude in the Market, despite how unorganized it may seem to someone new. But those who know, already know, and navigate the crowded, tent-lined paths with ease. At a certain hour of the morning, Haitians are allowed to cross the border to sell, and then the tent space fills up (you might notice empty spaces in some of the pictures, those were all earlier in the morning before their arrivals!) I also learned from Carla that the goods that Haitians sell are bought from a market in Port-au-Prince and the goods themselves are received off embarques (remember those?) and boats in Haiti’s capital. And this market is huge, truly a business - people from all over the DR travel up to the northwest border. I saw buses from Bani (south), Puerta Plata (north) and met people who woke up a lot earlier, and traveled a lot further than me to get there that day. Many Dominicans sell what they buy in Dajabon at other Markets in different provinces. For instance, the three of the women I traveled with sell their purchases weekly at the Mao Market on Sundays. Others, like Carla, have their own stores and go to Dajabon for the low prices. Essentially, many people’s livelihoods depend on the items that they buy from one another at the Dajabon Market.

And what are they buying? Well anything. But I can tell you exactly what in some cases because I actually recognized so much of the stuff from my former American life. :) There were shoes from Target, (some of which I have previously owned), shoes from Payless (again some of which I have previously owned), a lot of Crocs, college shirts (looked. did not see St. A’s though it was likely represented), shirts from Aeropostale (popular here), cooking supplies, sheets, blankets, bedspreads, larger items like bikes, strollers, cribs, playpens, and so much more. 

The day was a good one in that I really liked seeing what Carla does weekly to support her store and livelihood, and although it was probably more chaotic than I expected it to be, I respect the business that is the Dajabon market and the countless people that sustain themselves and their families from the market profits. 

Carla and I in her store in Mao

Obama 2008 campaign shoes? pero claro!

Dajabon Market with future market building location on the far left

shoes are a hot item at her store, so we were on a hunt!

don't own Toms, so don't know - but somehow I don't think this is how "buy a pair give a pair" works.

so many little pigs!

one of the checkpoints on the DR/Haiti border in Dajabon

border checkpoint and front of future market

lots of rain = puddles and mud everywhere.

Dajabon haul of the 4 donas I traveled with. (I didn't buy anything).

Mamacita securing all the purchased items!

black flats from our Dajabon trip that Carla gave me to remember the day. very sweet:)

Unexpectedly, the trip took away any desire I had to visit Haiti before returning home, which for the past 2 years had been something I planned on doing. I still think I’d like to go someday of course, but as long as I had a reason, a plan, and maybe a guide. Helping Carla carry and search for her store’s items (not as easy as it sounds by the way! that stuff is heavy), made the Dajabon experience a lot less overwhelming and gave me a little job to do that morning. Without that, I wouldn’t have enjoyed or understood the Market as much. So instead of hopping the border post-Peace Corps, I’ll spend my last days on the island with the same people I’ve spent them with the last two years - drinking sugary black coffee, listening to bachata, getting bitten by mosquitos (can't wait, bring it on), and (with any luck!) eating yucca with my Mao families, and of course spending time at school with the IDENE family. My days are numbered now (I guess they always were?), but it’s going to be a wonderful and tear-filled last few weeks, I’m sure. :)

Take care all, and see you next month Stateside!

XO

PS- If you're interested in reading about the Dajabon Market, I really liked these two pages:

1. The Haitian Struggle for Existence - A Market in Dajabon, Dominican Republic. A good overview with pictures of the Market.

2. Haitian Women on the Border - The Inequality of Informality. A perspective on the Dajabon border, market, and women who work there.

14th Anniversary Week

In April the school turned 14! We had a week full of community events including an opening Mass, a parent’s meeting, a presentation from a Santiago professional, two school visits with a neighboring Mao elementary school, and a Esperanza Special Ed. school. I feel blessed to have shared in two of IDENE’s 14 years. Pictures from the Anniversary Week last month:

welcoming everyone to the 14th Anniversary school mass

Anniversary Mass with Mao community

A and I in the garden at school

School Pool

revamped trash cans!

Parents' Meeting and Visit from Dr. Martinez

Parents' Meeting

Singing the school Anthem with a visit from Esperanza Special Ed. School

dancing with friends from Esperanza

Floppy made an appearance

Visit with neighboring escuela basica across the street

barrio kids!

XO

IDENE Carnaval

Here are pictures and a video from our school’s Carnaval celebration in March. Carnaval at my school was a culture celebration of the past and present in the DR. Each classroom presented something different. One classroom dressed up and did a traditional dance, another class dressed as Tainos and presented different items and foods of the indigenous culture, and another class dressed in typical campo dress and danced. Obviously this was a different type of celebration, not like the modern Dominican Carnaval in the larger cities. But rest assured, we had just as much dancing! Check out the video for proof on that last part. 

Vida Practica class with the Campo display

A from 1ro y 2do class with the Customs and Traditions display

Baja Audicion class and Pre-Primaria class with the Taino display

Alena, C and I

And yes, for those who recognize the video song, thats all the students at school dancing to El Teke Teke. :)

XO