FSW Travelers in the Dominican Republic

All is well in Miami, with smooth sailing through passport control, customs, and security. We are currently eating dinner, with a choice of pizza or Asian wok. We are expecting on time departure at this time, with arrival at 9:42 pm. See you all soon!

This morning we were greeted with a double rainbow. We’ll take it as well wishes as we finish up our time here in the Dominican Republic. After breakfast we walked to the beach for Meeting for Worship. Students grounded themselves in this place, many focused on the rhythms of the waves as they settled. Query: after this week together, filled with open hearts and minds, connection, learning, what is it that you will carry with you in the days and weeks to come at home?

Now, we are getting organized before our afternoon flight. We will have a quick lunch here at the hotel and then will head off to begin our travels home.

Tonight after dinner we joined together to simply tell stories about moments of connection with students. Here are glimpses of the moments of connection:

One of the girls braided my hair and it felt very special – Phoenix

Playing basketball with the kids and we didn’t really have to talk and I could say blanco vs azul based on their shirts for teams. It was weird because we got really sweaty. Super fun and connection. – Lucca

One of the girls was really attached to me and really didn’t want me to leave. She was also braiding my hair. She was so sweet. -Lola

I think it’s like really interesting to see the connections we made in such a short amount of time. Because it’s harder to communicate we had to put in more effort to talk to each other and to interact. It was interesting to see how much they enjoyed us being there. -Jane

We were playing basketball with this girl Leslie and her mom was the STEM teacher and she gave me this paper mache chicken with rocks in it. -Jane

There was a little boy that had two crayons and he was doing a super hero story and could do it without using a lot of words because he could tell that I didn’t understand a lot. It was really cool. -Reese

Me and Lucca met the two best kids in the world, Jose and Julien. Jose was the best because he had a double hat and he was kind of crazy. Julien when we first met him he was dancing and he gave me a hug. We played basketball together. -Ches

They communicated by doing hand signals and it was really helpful. -Alden

Whenever we played games they would always drag me and huddle around me and push me towards whatever they wanted to do. They kept saying my name and they said I was 1,000 years old. -Jack

We were playing this one kid wanted me to play soccer, and he said futbol and he was doing the Ronaldo celebration to show. I played soccer for like 2 hours. -Andrew

There was this little kid named Josue and on the second day when he realized I couldn’t understand very well he grabbed a book and wanted me to repeat after him. He was teaching me how to say mom, dad, cow, and it was just very sweet. -Quill

It was really cool to see all of you and to see all of you interact with all the students. The last day doing puzzles was really fun. I don’t always feel that my Spanish is all the way fluent, but I felt like I could totally connect and be understood during that activity. It felt really sweet to be doing something together that transcends language barriers. And just to have the opportunity to learn to communicate more in Spanish. You’ve heard a lot while here. -Kaylie

In the cable car place, we could hear the Coffee song (Ojala que llueva cafe) that we learned in class. -Andrew

The biggest joy is seeing students connecting with kids here. For me personally, though, I’ve felt more connected in collaboration with Dominican teachers this time. I think the messaging that we appreciated being welcomed into the classrooms for learning together was well received and there was a lot of mutual respect. -Martina

What a gorgeous day it has been! We started the morning with a more traditional Dominican breakfast which included mashed potatoes, fried cheese, and Dominican salami (also common to have plantain mofongo) and then hit the road towards Playa Caleton. We enjoyed swimming the clear and refreshing water in this cove with minimal waves. Next we continued to Playa Grande and began with lunch which included salad, pasta, rice, beans, fish, and chicken. Many students chose lemonade or a passion fruit with creamy oats drink. Next students were excited for swimming and body surfing in the waves. Sometimes the waves and currents are strong here, so we were excited to be able to swim. Kaylie had a little time to surf and we cheered her on from the shore! Many students enjoyed checking out souvenirs. Now we have a little downtime and coming up we are heading to a restaurant called Mojito in Cabarete.

After some unwind time at the hotel, we enjoyed a little river cruise to La Boca where Wilson’s Restaurant is located. Students were very excited to see some adorable puppies! We enjoyed a Dominican dinner (some of these students may need a break from rice when we get back!) with a new favorite being tostones (crispy thick plantain chips). After dinner students made a friend who had lots tag game ideas they could play together. A full moon lit our path on the beach as we walked back to our gua gua (bus). Students are settling in apartments now after some group journaling. Buenas noches!

Today Martina taught a second STEM class with a simple Float or Sink experiment. As STEM is a new program in this neighborhood (just started in January) and there is not very much training for teachers, the goal of this time was modeling asking questions that promote critical thinking. Previous lessons we had observed were more basic like drawing an animal that you identified with or coloring a worksheet. In this lesson, we talked about how scientists don’t know the answer, but rather make predictions, look at the results, and ask why and how. Students were touching objects to notice about weight and density and practiced explaining their thoughts. Students engaged in this lesson well and teachers appreciated the collaboration. Fun!

After lunch and a tour of DREAM Center headquarters, we were guided in a discussion about sustainable development. Judith had researched our school and was excited for all the values that we share. We looked at the goals for sustainable development by the United Nations and talked about the How of Dream Project and its programs. Students participated well and spoke to their hopes and goals for the future.

Today we were greeted with so many hugs and smiles. Students knew just what to do, hopping into classrooms and interacting with ease. Students excelled within centers and played games like El barco se hunde with familiarity and confidence. What a difference from day one! It was bittersweet for our students, both wanting our beach day tomorrow and some asking if we could visit the school just one more time. This morning students signed a card for the teachers expressing our gratitude for welcoming us into their classrooms and allowing us to learn along with them. We expressed that we felt inspired by their connections with students and their teaching. Teachers seemed really moved by this small gesture and took the time to gather us before students went home to express their gratitude and how impressed they were by how students adapted socially to the norms and so easily connected with their students. The conversations led to us brainstorming about how we might be able to connect as pen pals via email and we even played with the idea that the teachers could come visit us as guests in Wilmington. Well done, students! Way to have open hearts and minds – this will take you far!

Today is our last day in the classrooms which feels bittersweet for our students. We’re hoping to get to the classrooms even earlier this morning for more time together.
Check out some of our jumps from yesterday! IMG_5713

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After lunch at Happy Family comedor and a big dumping of rain, we headed to El Choco for our hike to the caves. We visited three caves with water interconnecting them underground. The first took descending down a narrow rock staircase 25 meters and then allowed for an opportunity to swim. We did this half the group at a time since it was a smaller space and very tight on the way down. Next we hiked to a cave that featured stalactites and stalagmites. So beautiful! In the last cave students had the opportunity to jump into a pool of water. We have lots of videos of our students jumping which we can share later! They all jumped repeatedly, having lots of fun. Dinner at Kite Club was delicious with rice and beans, veggies, salad, fried chicken, fresh juices, and cookies. Some are extra tired this evening and are enjoying some relaxed time before bed.