Week #8

November 12 - 19

Just yesterday, on Monday, we started volunteering at the International School here in Las Terrenas! Last week we had a talk with Paul and Audrey about our schedules at the dive shop, and it was agreed that Kira and I will only come in when specifically told to for diving or if they really need hands doing something else. This gave us a lot more free time to do other, more productive things with our time here. Kira reached out the Mahatma Gandhi foundation here in Las Terrenas about us possibly volunteering with them. They run the international school with the goal of giving an equal education to students of all races, backgrounds, and socioeconomic statuses. The school is 50% lower income local Dominican and Haitian students and 50% other students- mostly European students with families that moved here. Kira and I are helping with the pre-school and kindergarten classes because it seems that is where they need the most help.





It has been a challenge, because it is always hard to get kids this age to listen, but it is especially difficult when they speak different languages! Some of whom don't speak English or Spanish but only Haitian French or Turkish! It has been a good, fun challenge though and we both feel like we're being more effective at the school than sitting around the dive shop. It is nice to be around laughter and kids playing for a change.







On Saturday we went to Samana. I got to do my first deep dive to 40 meters at the first dive site which was super cool. We went to the normal wall there, but then kept going deeper past 18 meters until 25 to the bottom of it, and then into a trench bellow all the way down to 40 meters. Thinking about going down that deep seems pretty scary but it actually wasn't bad at all. It was quieter down deep and was also easier to equalize my ears. On the second dive, Kira and I again dove around the coral gardens near the wreck and stood up coral that had fallen over.

On Monday night the residents of Las Terrenas held a candle light vigil protest here. In 2012, the hospital that used to be here was knocked down with the promise that a new one would be built right away. The government started construction on it, but stopped in 2016 and hasn't started up again since. So, before sundown, people went up and down the streets setting up candles along the curb. When it got dark these thousands of candles were lit and the streets had a magical yet sad glow. There are about 25,00 people in Las Terrenas during the low season and this number almost doubles during high season, yet there is still not big public hospital, which is unacceptable. I am so grateful for my access to medical care and all the resources we have back home. It was powerful to watch the whole city come together though in support of this cause.







We still go to the beach a lot. I am definitely going to miss being able to pay $1 and be at the beach five minutes after leaving my house! Missing fall is hard but I assure you I am still loving the warm weather here!!