Can anyone help me help this kid? Sorry L O N G post!

[SKing]

My cheeks are hurting from smiling so much!
Congratulations to you and Melanie!

[Lambada]

How was Melanie's first day?

[J D Sauser]

Originally Posted by Lambada

How was Melanie's first day?

I am lagging behind, sorry... but it's because she had a great first two days!
I will post a picture as promised later.

I got to get up a 06:00 hrs... yep, in the morning... I hate mornings but I love Melanie... so, I do get up, drive out there to La Union to make sure her family is getting the new rhythm and it will become a normal routine to see her dressed and ready to the street to eventually get on her concho ride. So, rite now, I'm doing the concho thing for her alone. She appreciates that a lot!
She needs that attention thou and I like to believe that it has helped her having the courage to affront the new situation with all the positiveness. The other girl came along on Monday and my cousin, who is visiting, also joined the VIP detail. Obviously this gives her a certain standing she has never really had, but while she clearly appreciates and enjoys it, she does not presume!
Yet, I hope that by the end of the week I may retire from my dedicated driver duties and hand her over to the minibus driver. Still I will keep a close eye on her attendance record.
I'm real proud of her, she takes it with pride and the most dedication she can have... she does not yet recognize the value of numbers nor the message letters shall soon become second nature to her and all that while sitting in a class of kids her age which are one year ahead.
It's all still at a very beginning stage and she will have to get over many hurdles yet, but I have a funny feel she may succeed!

I'll post the picture later!

Thanks! ... J-D.

[J D Sauser]

Melanie on the left proudly wearing her new clothes, back pack and school stuff donated by an anonymous dr1-er... Thanks again!

... J-D.

[BushBaby]

There are many words of congratulations one could write here but I think the following encaptulates (whatever that word means) what we all feel ............

J-D, You are a STAR of the highest order!!

~ Grahame

[Lambada]

I second what BushBaby said. What a great role model of a substitute father you are being, JD. It could have ramifications years into the future - quite apart from Melanie's education she is also learning what responsible adult males do - could affect her choices in later life.

Way to go, JD!

[J D Sauser]

Well, the first week is over and Melanie gave all she had... even tried to wake up, dress and fix her stubborn hair all by herself... while the rest of the family slept firmly. I did all the driving back and forth... getting up earlier every morning as we had to move her "ready time" earlier in the attempt to be able to switch over to the guagua service. Wednesday, Thursday and finally Friday it just didn't work. Friday I left Puerto Plata at 6:00 in the morning and spent an hour banging on their door and had all the neighbors up and furious but her family. The driver even offered to give it an extra turn around the barrio... but eventually he had to leave. Finally I got Melanie out just in time to rush her to the school once again. I was furious and had been quite happy to send the family to the moon but then... they were so sound asleep they would not have noticed the missing air.
On the way to Sousa I was thinking... I felt sorry observing Melanie being quite and sorry herself... she knew what I was just about starting to figure... it' won't work. No sense to try to talk sense and responsibility into them, they think excuses and colorful explanations are as good as fixing the problem... it's not my house hold and even if it made to work for a couple more days... it would degenerate rite back to what is turned out to be as soon as I'd stop to play little Indian hiding behind the shrubbery for just in case.

But ol'd JD sure ain't gonna give up on that girl jest yet!

Well, it just so happens I made a mistake too. I had mistaken the other girl's school as being the International school... because it's on the same street as the later (entry to La Mulata). So, after dropping Melanie off at Hess... I went right out there. That school's name is "Colegio Nueva Vida".
Turns out the price is almost the same. They do kids in the afternoon. So I spoke to the director lady and we worked out a plan.
Starting Monday Melanie will go afternoons to a private tutor at La Union. In 3 weeks they will test her at the school and direct us as to where she needs to get better to join in into 1st grade by August. That should work as far as the time table is concerned as the other girl in the same house hold does attend that school at that time.

So, later on Friday, I went back and spoke to the teacher lady at Hess and she was very understanding... none of the "told you so attitude". I thanked them and I will also go see the director Monday, as he was not available at that time.

I hope those of you who have taken the time and energy to write to the Hess school will understand. But sometimes, around here, one needs to inventar un chin.

I'll keep everybody posted of the progress here anyway.

... J-D.

[samana66]

Look I am sorry for the kid, but hey these things happen - we cant help them all

[Lambada]

Good on you JD, for being flexible, finding a plan B and not giving up. And for NOT strangling the substitute parents for unconsciously trying to prevent Melanie from doing better than they have done.............I suppose buying the family an alarm clock, a very loud one, wouldn't help? On second thoughts...........someone has to set it!

[J D Sauser]

Originally Posted by samana66

Look I am sorry for the kid, but hey these things happen - we cant help them all

... not so fast my friend, you don't know me. Yes, you can't help'em all, but I am sure hell bound to help her. What we are trying here, Samana, is to take a kid out of the vicious circle of ignorance... es lo que toca.

Originally Posted by Lambada

Good on you JD, for being flexible, finding a plan B and not giving up. And for NOT strangling the substitute parents for unconsciously trying to prevent Melanie from doing better than they have done.............I suppose buying the family an alarm clock, a very loud one, wouldn't help? On second thoughts...........someone has to set it!

Exactly! I already had one in my car... and then, I thought of our various technology-vs.-locals-threads... It would soon have wound up broken, lost or taking joy rides in the wash machine together with the cat.
Where there is not will and a flagrant lack of proper priorities... once they are set in their ways, we can't change them, so you have to work around it.
Melanie tried hard to comply with her duties... but then she is just a kid starting out on facing the facts of life. She did good an I am real proud of her... goes to show that she has a good chance to succeed and I won't let her down for that.

Today however, we'll do the most Dominican thing one can do on a Sunday, we are packing up some dead chickens, the BBQ, bread, sodas and plenty of ice cold beers for the big ones and go to the river and leave the car doors open to have plenty of Bachata blearing out of it... slightly distorted just to be sure we got the volume maxed out. I'll be a mess, but we haven't done it in a long time and the girls asked for it. Tomorrow is an other week.



... J-D.