Hello again!

Quick update on gap year journey. Since my first post I have: passed my driving test, had all my jags, finished exams, finished school forever, been doing as much spanish as possible and writing endless lists of teaching and packing ideas.

I also have just returned from a very intense four days of training on the Isle of Coll on the West coast of Scotland. On training we were given more information about our projects and country as well as info on general issues such as insurance, health, travel, teaching and lesson planning, drugs and alcohol etc. I was also able to meet the rest of team Dom Rep including our desk officer and my partner! The group seems really lovely and I think we will make a good team!

From left to right: Fiona and Bryony who will be working in a project identical to the one which I am going to about 20 minutes from La Hoya (the village where I will be based). Fiona is the art teacher and Bryony is the English teacher
In the center is Felicity (our desk officer, based on Coll)
I am on the right with my partner, Ruth. We will be living in la Hoya where I will teach art and Ruth will teach English at the primary school which is run by the charity COPA.
Kneeling at the front are the two boys Dylan and Ben. They will be living and working in an outreach programme in Santiago in the North of the country.

Because it is such a small country (slightly smaller than Scotland) we will all be able to meet up regularly and travel together at weekends and holidays.

It will be really good having the other two girls very close by and as our projects are so similar we can share ideas and lesson plans when we meet up at the weekends as well as giving each other a bit extra support and security in the first few difficult months.

So between now and leaving (on the 14th of Aug, four days after my 18th birthday!) I will be gathering all my things together, saying final farewells and just generally panicking! However, in all seriousness though I do still feel totally terrified and have the odd (fairly frequent) wobbly moment I really can't wait to get stuck in! I can't wait to experience a new culture, meet and get to know a new community and way of life, smell new smells, taste new things, speak a new language and get to know a new country. It will be the experience of a lifetime and I fully intend to make the most of every minute!

First post on my blog! Exciting!

Right well news bulletin numero uno: I have finished fundraising! Yup, my target of £5,400 has been reached, a HUGE thank you to you lovely people who helped me get there. I obviously couldn't have done it without you guys! I received invaluable support in lots of different ways, both economic and emotional, but maybe most important it has been great knowing how many people are rooting for me! That will feel good in the scary months to come! 

Breakdown of fundraising

Wax resist cards

Bake sale at school

Christmas dress up day at school

Fimo birds in constriction

Finished Fimo birds

Second item of news! 
As some of you observant people may have noticed this blog is called 'A year in the Dominican Republic' instead of 'A year in Chile'! What has happened you might ask!? Well people I shall explain: last week I received a call from Project Trust who wanted to discuss country allocation, they said that there was a project in the Dominican Republic which they think would really suit me. Little bit scary but I was not perturbed! The project is in a little village called La Hoya in the South-West of the country. I will be teaching Art (and maybe some English) to primary school children in a school run by a charity called COPA. I will be teaching in Spanish from word go! It is quite a deprived area but the school is well resourced. Me and my partner (who will be a full time English teacher at the school) will be living in a small house at the school.
So I will be packing sandals and shorts instead of boots and jumpers! Its quite a change to get my head around but it does look like an amazing project and a really interesting, beautiful country.

        

So. Right now, life continues with highers and advanced higher exams coming up very soon (mmmm, first one is next week!), finishing school forever which is quite scary, learning to drive (also quite scary!). Also a big part of what is in my head is getting ready to go away. So to prepare (if you can ever really prepare) I have signed up for Spanish lessons at a local Spanish school. I go every Tuesday night for a two hour lesson which is both very helpful and extremely draining! I have also been helping at a local primary school which has been really good for learning about classroom management and activities. 

I will be going on training on Coll near the end of July and will get to meet my partner and the other Dominican Republic volunteers then.

I will be sure to keep everybody updated. In the meantime feel free to send me your top tips on primary school art lesson ideas and favourite Spanish phrases!