Unfortunately, today was our last day of teaching,
and it was bittersweet. Saying goodbye to the kids was difficult after our
teaching experiences. Some of the
children at the JFK School made us drawings and flower crowns, and many gave us
hugs. The children here want to learn,
and this desire reassured us that what we did this week truly made a
difference. We saw progress in English grammar,
vocabulary and Spanish literacy in just four days. We both agree that one of the best parts of
this trip has been working with the other Poly volunteers.
Following our morning at JFK School, we visited
a family-owned salt flat business where we learned how salt is produced. On the premises, there was a small selection
of souvenirs and local products alongside huge mounds of salt.
We’ve eaten well here. We enjoyed scrambled eggs, toast, and fresh
papaya for breakfast and fried chicken, watermelon, rice pudding for lunch. As
a treat, we also had chocolate cake because it was Kennedy’s birthday.
Following dinner, we watched an insightful documentary chronicling the history
of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. We
learned more about both cultures and how blackness is perceived in each
country. Overall, this trip has been really fun and interesting as teaching
young kids in a foreign country with a foreign language is a first for many of
us, but there is still more to look forward to as we will be sightseeing
tomorrow.
Until then,
Ikenna and Chize
P.S. Ella broke her three dollar limit at the
juice lady’s shop
