As school is beginning on August 24, we profesores began our training this past Friday. The first day was exclusively for the brand new profesores and the volunteers, and we went over the basics of living in Salcedo (most of which I either had to learn on my own, since I’ve been here a month and a half already): Don’t electrocute yourself, always wear a helmet when riding a moto taxi, etc. One important note was regarding our water usage, though, was basically not to use that much. The DR is experiencing a nation-wide drought. It’s not hard to see the effects. Simply turning on the radio will give you an idea; there’s a PSA that highlights how seriousness of the drought. “Gota a gota…” goes the husky voice. We use well water in my house, and our cistern has been almost empty for the past week or so, requiring us to keep the valves of the indoor plumbing shut off, and consider our buckets our best friends. My housemate, Abbey, who has taught in Mexico and India, has dealt with sub-optimal plumbing before, and showed me how to use a bucket to flush a toilet. Now, to just add that skill to my resume…
The workshops have been filled so far with presentations on how to grade with a rubric, the mission and vision of the Liceo Cientifico, and an introduction to other organizations in Provincia Hermanas Mirabal that work to improve the community here (See: Oficina Tecnica Post). It’s been great meeting the other profesores and fellows on my program. There are 6 of us from the PiLA program, 5 mujeres y 1 hombre. Everyone seems really nice and excited to get to work! I can’t wait for the school year to begin!
Wein About It 