Complications

Ah, the joys of the WWW! As a veteran websurfer, I really appreciate the web. It is a great help to my work, providing materials, inspiration, education on a plethora of subjects that interest me and communication with a myriad of people. Still, it was quite a stretch to make and maintain my own website. I decided to go with a freebie, because frankly, I wasn't sure how it would work out. I didn't want to invest a lot of money or even time, until I could see it would actually be useful to me.

Unfortunately, the server I chose, doesn't like to let me update my site. Sometimes I upload it five or six times before it all gets through. And their support is dismal. You send in a support ticket, and wait up to 48 hours for a response. The first response is always something canned, so it means writing again, and waiting up to 48 hours more. And so it goes. What do I expect for free?

So if you've been over to my website, hey, I'm working on getting it back up ASAP.

All in a day's work

Today was a "día de colores" as they call it here. That is a day where the kids can wear clothes other than their school uniform. We wanted to take pictures. Many came quite dressed up. Normally the kids here in all schools wear uniforms.

We also welcomed a new student. He's 8 years old and has never attended school. He doesn't know any Sign, or even how to count to five on his fingers. His mom said she tried to sign him up before, but the (oral) school wouldn't take him without a hearing aid, and she couldn't afford one.

A couple of the boys were fighting today during the last hour and a half of school, and every time I looked away, they would go at it again. At the end of the day, almost walking out the door, one popped the other in the nose pretty hard, and gave him a nosebleed.

Lately I'm constantly saying, "Use your hands to Sign, not to fight!" I want them to learn to resolve problems more with discussion and less with fists. These kids come from rough neighborhoods, so they are not easily convinced.

I walked R. home so I could talk with his parents. .Wow, quite a walk! It was about 35 minutes at a fast pace. I couldn't have found my way back without help, because there were so many twists and turns on the way.

The unpainted cement block houses in the area, many with zinc roofs, are separated only by narrow walkways. There are no roads. Everything that comes in must either be handcarried, or come in on a bike or motorcycle.

These are houses that no architect has planned. Instead, they are put up, little by little, as the family can afford the block. Most begin with a wooden one room shack, and slowly replace it with block, then begin to expand and add on rooms. Eventually, they replace the zinc roof with cement, if they can, allowing them to build a second floor, perhaps for another relative to live in.

Pumps were on, pumping water to fill up containers for later in the day when water and electricity would be off. Laundry hung everywhere. There was a spider's web of electric wires connecting all the houses, providing the intermittant electricity which was doubtless stolen. (Note: approximately 50% of the electricity used in this country is stolen.) A baby cried. A barefoot little boy filled a plastic bag with water and threw it against a house. People looked at me with curious eyes; they weren't used to seeing an American this far off the beaten path.

As the boy arrived home, he found the door and gate padlocked. No problem. He was obviously used to this. He called for his brother, but the brother didn't come, so over the 8 foot tall metal door he went.

The mom didn't arrive at the promised six o'clock that her other son indicated. Because this little barrio is undoubtedly a dangerous place, I had to get out before dark. I left word with the brother to have his mom call me. Sadly, R. is suspended for the time being, pending a meeting with his parents.

Centro Cristiano de Educacion para Sordos

Originally I had planned to update the website more often, but since it often takes hours to update it due to various error messages, I thought I'd just do a blog for more frequent updates, and try to update the pics etc. on the website once a month.

Update:

• Thursday several of the kids are off to the audiologist. There is a group here that will provide recycled hearing aids at no cost to the children.

• Bus fare, which is already a difficulty for many of the children, is going up five pesos on Thursday. It has been $12RD-$15RD already. The good thing is that carfare will not increase. (Here there are "public cars" that are on regular routes, which function pretty much the way buses do in many countries.)

• Friday, there is no school, because they will be fumigating the building. The teachers will be getting together for a planning session.

• My students are starting to read at last! They are very excited and very proud of themselves. So much preparation went into this, and it is really nice to see the "aha" moment!
  

• The new deaf teacher, Svetlana has finally started teaching. She had been delayed since January, because she needed more appropriate housing for her family. She and her husband, three children, and her parents, all deaf, are from Russia. We are so thrilled to have her on our staff. She will be the primary Sign Language teacher for new students, and will be teaching the youngest as well.

• One of our students has begun to attend the deaf church on a regular basis. She is a new Christian.
• Hector, the deaf pastor at the deaf church is trying to work into his schedule a weekly visit to teach the kids. He was with us last Thursday, and the kids were very attentive.