Day 74

Today the kids had school, and everyone acted as if nothing had happened. It’s been 10 days since they last had classes, but when we showed up at school everyone was in the routine as if they had been here yesterday. When returning to pick up the kids and sitting outside the school during recess, I watched the older kids / young adults playing volleyball on the cracked paved basketball court in back. Every day, or every day that I am there, there is a volleyball game at the end of the school day. It is co-ed, with the people playing looking to be between the ages of 15 and 21. The skill level is high – they play seriously and all the players know the strategies and skills of volleyball. When I’ve played basketball we’ve always had to play half court while waiting for the volleyball game to finish, and many of the basketball players try to get in the volleyball game. It impresses me as yet another throwback in this region – where in the states would you find the local youth community joining together in a sports activity every day? Don’t get me wrong – there is the usual adolescent energies, such as picking on each other and shows of hormones but, when the ball is served, they are serious. This scene stood out in my mind because I had had an earlier discussion today with the gri-gri regulars about the prostitution and sex world here. The DR was reknowned for years as a sex tourism stop, with the country only taking steps to curtail that reputation in the mid-90’s. Still, it seems that there are remnants, especially in the Samana Peninsula, where the government has never taken an active interest in regulation. I have been told that the local disco has a vibrant prostitution scene, with it being a regular activity for many local men. Recently someone told us they had heard that HIV was rampant here and, when I mentioned how - in the midst of garbage everywhere here - I’ve never seen a condom, they replied that the local attitude is that if you contract HIV you were meant to, and that there is no avoiding it.