dominican journal

My fourth week in school is over and the time has flown by so fast. It feels like just a couple of days ago that I was in Altos de Chavón enjoying last weekend.

This week we started preparing performances for Christmas. Seems a bit early, I know, but 10-12 weeks isn’t actually that long. Every class is expected to perform a Christmas-related song or poem for their parents on the night of 14 December.

Both my Sexto classes will be singing a carol or two. Septimos wanted to do a dance but didn’t think the song was “cool” enough (they’ve got a point, to be fair). Unfortunately for them the song has to have a Christmassy theme to it. Octavos and Primeros want to do a play. I will probably do a nativity play with Octavo and A Christmas Carol by Dickens with Primero. Segundos will probably sing. However, motivating a bunch of 16 year olds is far from easy and getting them to sing is even harder – especially Christmas carols, in a foreign language, infront of eachother, then infornt of their parents. It’s a good thing I have 12 weeks…

I think all of this is a wonderful idea and I really hope it doesn’t all end in tears. I’m particularly looking forward to the plays which should be a lot of fun to organise, rehearse, choreograph and, ultimately, perform (not to mention time consuming and bloody hard work!).

I just hope, what with all this, that I have time to write and correct thier exams.