O.K. Let’s see. What did I do this week in the Dominican Republic. If I was a Christian, I touched the hand of God, but since I am Jewish, I touched the hand of Jesus Christ as you can see. I went to the top of the mountain overlooking Puerto Plata and stood where they had a statute of Christ replicating Brazil…sort of. It is always cloudy at the top and looking over the city through the clouds was mysterious and exciting when the mist separated for a few seconds. You had to be fast with your camera. On the way down the moutain, there was a jam up of cars in front of what looked like a restaurant with blaring music.
I went inside and there were multiple pools of water from the mountain with people inside. I assumed the water would be hot but was shocked to discover the water was cold. There was also a bullpen where dozens of people were just getting prepared for a cock fight. I know the big fight is to-night where there is serious drinking, dancing and betting on the cocks. I wonder if they eat the loser? I also went to a number of beaches from Costambar to Sosua and I must admit the beaches were far more to my liking (and my ideal of a perfect beach) then Costa Rica, at least where I am. The beaches had white fluffy sand fringed with palm trees, the water seemed to be denser and just held my body in its waves and the colour was a beautiful azur. I could just float forever it seems in these waters.
I also visited very many schools and like all schools in this part of the world, check that, like all schools the world over, the emphasis is on rote learning, memorization, teacher centred work and kids engaged in pleasing the teacher. While I know all of this is ‘wrong’ it seemed to have worked for us, but did it? Was it our formal education that got us where we are now, wherever that is, or was it our informal education through working with our children that made us into the learners we are today? In other words, did we learn in spite of our education?
I did see literally hundreds of school aged children in Puerto Plata not going to school and I know there are a couple of reasons for that. One is that if they are from the campo there is literally more emphasis on helping the family on the farm then going to school, but in the city the problem is the registration of the children at the school. If you are an unwed mother, registering your child at school seems to be virtually impossible.
I would really love to get one of the Dominican baseball players to donate a pile of money to help me set up a free school where there would be no questions asked about who could learn. I was in a sort of a bar the other night, you know, the usual blaring music and copious amount s of beer and it reminded me of Sam’s Restaurant in Stouffvile. In Stouffville, there are all the hockey players who came from the area and who have signed pictures on the wall. Here all of the Dominican players from Big Papi on down have their signed pictures. The problem is they are still in El Norte and I would not get a chance to speak with them. If they were here, I am sure I could get a generous donation from them. Apparently they are well known and well respected and do come and drink with the ‘locals’ By the way, there is one university in Dominican Republic that is public and apparently, like in everything else here you have to know someone to get in. The private universities are exorbitantly expensive so if you are relatively wealthy you can go to Cuba to study. In a few minutes, I am going to drive to Santiago and look around, The next few hours will be interesting, since I did not book a flight from San Jose to Liberia since I am arriving late and depending on how long it takes me to get my baggage I may miss the plane so maybe another night in San Jose and then the bus? Everyone tells me not to take the bus because things get stolen.
No comments:
Post a Comment