My ABC's of My First Year in the DR

 
I'm officially finished with my first year in the Dominican Republic!! I want to remember everything about my year, but I also know that that is impossible. So I decided to write out an alphabetized list of 26 things that in some how or some way are a part of my life here this year. Then, as I began to think about it, I realized that this little project of mine could have a dual purpose. Not only do you get a glimpse into everyday life in the DR, you can also use it to pray for me! Pick your favorite letter and pray for me in that area. Now, not all areas below are really "pray-able" seeing as I had to stretch for some of them (as you will soon find out!), but use your imagination or just pick a different letter! :)

In order to keep these posts to a reasonable length, I'll just post a few letters at a time.

Here we go!!!

A-Amazing Race~ Every Wednesday six of us would gather around our table to eat dinner together. We’d rotate who’d cook for everyone and so we all got to know each other’s regular fare. For example, Jenn cooks a mean vodka pasta, Melissa was always surprising us with delicious “first tries”, and Becky’s amazing guac was addicting!!  Then after dinner, we'd move into the TV room to watch the Amazing Race participants make their way around the world to win fame and fortune.  We have ached to join them in some of their adventures and others adventures, we are thankful we can’t experience (cup massages, anyone?)   So many laughs and good times came from these nights, not to mention the friendships. How grateful I am for this group and how lucky I am that I got to join in this tradition. 

B-botellones ~ Botellones are just the big jugs of water that we use for our drinking water. (Think water cooler jugs of water.) Because we can't drink the water in the DR, we have to get our drinking water in a different way. First, you call the colmado (more about that in the letter C, but think a grocery delivery service) and tell them how many botellones you need (which if you aren’t confident with the language could be a very frustrating experience even though it’s only a few sentences), and then they come deliver the water to your door. The water is super cheap (around a $1/botellon). While this isn’t a big “thing” and it doesn’t really affect me that much, it’s a small, somewhat interesting tidbit into life in the DR. 

C- colmado~ Remember how I mentioned calling the colmado for water? Let me explain in more detail the wonderfulness of colmados! Basically, a colmado is a small corner grocery store that will deliver whatever you need (if they have it.) Let’s say you go to the store and when you get home you realize you forgot the flour. Instead of going through the hassle of calling a taxi, going back out and then getting the taxi back home, just call the colmado! Tell them you need some flour and a few minutes later, he’s standing at your door with your flour! So very convenient! Don’t you wish you had colmados where you live?

D- Deysi~ Deysi is only the most fantastic maid you will ever know! She does so much for our house! She cleans, dusts (because EVERYTHING gets dusty in the DR), does the laundry and oh, so much more. It’s such a nice feeling to walk into our house after she has been there and everything is fresh and clean.  But she is so much more than a “maid”. Her sweet heart and cheerful attitude are smile-inducing for sure! Sometimes, when I've come home from school and she's still there, I can hear her singing Spanish hymns. Such joy! And, when I’ve been home sick, not only will she clean quietly letting me rest, she’ll insist on making chicken soup for lunch and make enough for my dinner too. She is quite the gift and I’m so grateful for her!

DR Living

So there’s nothing profound to update you with; there’s no big news to share; life is just….life here. However, I have noticed several things that make me smile and well, several things that while I knew while I was in the states, it is made even more clear here in the DR. Let me give some examples and maybe that can help you picture some day to day interactions and experiences.

I have learned…

·       that it’s tremendously difficult to sign using American Sign Language while singing a Spanish song that you know in English. However, I’m determined to learn how to do it!

·      That learning Spanish is not a 3 week process…Oh, boy am I a slow learner! On the same hand though, being silly and rapping a Spanish tongue twister will lighten your heart when you think you just can’t learn anymore that day!

·      That sigueme is not that same thing as un segundo although they sound similar when a Dominican says them b/c Dominicans tend to chop off the ends of their words. Sigueme means, “Follow me” and un segundo means, “one second.” And, actually, I’m not fully convinced even at this moment that I have those words correct!

·      …and this is the big one, that it’s all about relationships! From relationships with my students and their parents, to the Dominicans that work at SCS, to my wachis (the guards at my gate) to fellow expatriates, living life together is so important. They fill you up when you think you are empty. They give comic relief in tense situations. They play silly games with you so that you can learn Spanish so that you don’t feel so intimidated and dumb when conversing with the nationals. They sharpen my spiritual knowledge (can you name all the kings in chronological order of when Daniel was alive and what their significance was?). They cry with me and let me see that I’m not alone. Relationships take a while to grow and become a safe place to let down, learn and love, but when they do, man! It’s like a breath of fresh air cooling you off and refreshing you.

Thank you, Jesus, for relationships that continue to grow but also new relationships where I see you reflected.

A Quick Note about Church

Hello!
 This is really just a quick note about how God gave me a great birthday gift today! Our pastor has been in the US since this summer and I haven't heard him preach until today. I was excited to hear him because I'd heard SO MUCH good stuff about him and how he was easy to understand in Spanish. I was a bit skeptical seeing that I couldn't understand the other two pastors that we've heard the past few Sundays. Our pastor had sent a little video update a couple of weeks ago and I was surprised to actually be able to understand him...in Spanish! So, I was definitely looking forward to hearing him speak.
So, today, I walked in and turned down the offer of translation. I was a bit skeptical....I know so little Spanish!
Anyway, today marks the first time I've listened to a sermon entirely in Spanish and understood all the main points. I even reviewed the sermon afterwards with some Spanish speaking friends to make sure I wasn't making up my own sermon and it turns out that I followed along pretty well! I was surprised how much concentration it took, and how tired I was afterwards, but it was still fun to listen in a different language and be able to understand what the pastor said! Thanks God for that wonderful gift!

Life in the DR

Hola Amigos!
 So, I just started my 4th week of teaching in the DR. There are still times where I find it hard to believe that I'm here, here in the DR, teaching alongside some wonderful people, loving on students who seem to forget my last name (many students call you "Miss" instead of using your last name), soaking in the beautiful weather (it's been cooler than usual... :) ) and in general being a teacher in an international school. My heart floods with gratitude to my generous God who knows what makes my heart swell and sing with joy even before I do! With that being said, would you like to hear a few snippets from life here in the DR? You do? Well, read on, friend!

Story 1: The other day I was at a restaurant and the waiter asked for our names for our orders. Thinking that I'd make it easy on the waiter and not try to make him pronounce a gringo's name (clearly I wasn't thinking too well since they actually have my name here....), I used my nickname of Jo. The waiter looked at me strangely and repeated Jo back to me with a questioning look. I repeated the name and he asked for it to be repeated again. After a few insistent repeats of my name from me, he shook his head in bewilderment and wrote it down. My friends who were with me and have been in the DR for a while, asked why I used my nickname instead of my full name. I muttered something and made a mental note not to use my nickname again...at this restaurant anyway! I thought this was the end of this little cultural difference. However, a few days later, I realized why the waiter had been so confused. See, in Dominican Republic Spanish the letter y is pronounced more like a j. And you might remember from your high school Spanish class that the word "yo" means I. So, I realized  I was telling the waiter to call me I instead of Jo...and my friends didn't even tell me! Terrible! ;)

Story 2: After chapel last week, I came away with a Spanish song stuck in my head! First time that's happened and I absolutely LOVE IT! And then on Sunday, we sang the Spanish version of one of my absolutely favorite songs. I need to get the lyrics and practice, b/c it was super fast, but I'll be singing that one when I get back home and I'm going to teach it to people! Get ready!

Story 3: I took a big step in my independence here in the DR this past Saturday. I called for a taxi (in Spanish), took the taxi alone, did my shopping, and then found a waiting taxi and told him directions to get back to my house.  I did this all in Spanish, Spanish with a bad accent, but Spanish nonetheless! The first taxi tried to ask me a few questions and have a conversation with me, but I could only understand a few words and so that conversation didn't last very long. In fact, I'm pretty sure my part of the conversation consisted solely of  Si or Que! But, seriously, it was a very freeing experience! :)

So, I hope those stories, while some of my every day stuff, might give you a glimpse into my current world. Sure, I have days where I miss my familiar Orlando world and there's just too much "new" for me to soak in. In those times though, I ask myself, "Do I want to be on a plane headed back to the States?" and my answer is a resounding NO! I want to be here and I am so glad that God saw fit to bring me to the beautiful DR.

Until next time...

A Little God Story For Your Evening Reading

School starts...TOMORROW! I've prayed, prepared, and planned. I've worked hard, cleaned quite a bit, and sweated more than I care to remember! My classroom is ready and so am I...well, sort of! Every year I get super nervous right before school starts, but I think that's okay. I ignore the pit in my stomach because I know God has called me here. I keep right on teaching and enjoying the kiddos God has put in my care this year instead of wondering how it's going to happen. He's loved, called, prepared and equipped me, His daughter, to do this work that He's set before me. What an honor and privilege! And you know what? He's going to be with me every day, every lesson, every moment of my day. God is working in and through me to accomplish HIS good work. Oh, what a joy it is to serve this loving God!
 So while I was getting my classroom ready and going to meetings and all those good things before the students actually come, I met with the parent of 2 twins that I have in my class. The girls are deaf and have cochlear implants to help them hear and sometimes they might use sign language. The mom was telling me how it all works and sharing with me about her daughters. She then said that I was an answer to prayer. I thanked her for what I thought was a nice compliment. However, it wasn't just a compliment. She told me that last year, around the end of January or so, she started praying for her daughters and about this year. After praying she felt that God told her that a teacher from the states who knew sign language would know someone here in the DR and come teach her girls in 4th grade. People kind of just pushed this feeling aside, thinking it was too specific or just a silly notion or whatnot. I applied about a month later; me, who knew someone in the DR, who knows sign language and who is teaching 4th grade.
 When I heard this, I think my jaw dropped and my eyes got all sparkly; completely in awe of how God works. How wonderful it was to hear God confirm that I am supposed to be here! I think of all the times before I came here where I saw God confirm and confirm again His path for my life at this time. I wasn't expecting to hear another confirmation, thinking that I had had plenty and just to rely on those, but no. God saw fit to confirm His hand at work in my life once again! And you know, I'm sure He was smiling,if not laughing, when this all happened. He knew that mom and I would talk and He couldn't wait to give that gift of confirmation to me.
Now, I'm not saying this is going to happen for everyone in this same way. We might never know why God puts a desire in us, or puts us on a particular path or tells us to talk to a stranger, but He's always at work and it's always an adventure when you follow Him.
Until next time...

The first few days!

So,  I've been in the DR for a little under a week. I've gone snorkeling (saw some fish that God had to have fun designing!) and sea kayaking. I've reunited with some friends and met LOTS of new ones (I've already forgotten some of their names!) I've had my sunglasses "stolen" by a 6-year-old cutie and I've had tickle wars to get them back. I've sweated more than I thought possible and also have woken up chilly (Hurricane Bertha provided a cool breeze this morning!) I've prayed for my friends back home and I've shared the Lord's supper with some pretty neat Dominicans.
 I've done some cool things, but tomorrow the adventure continues! Tomorrow, I get to see MY classroom that I'll get to decorate and prepare for my new class of 4th graders. I know this year will have challenges, but it will also have JOY.  It will have joy because God is in control and He's never once been surprised at how something has turned out, had to ask me for help (good thing!) or failed me! He is God and I can't wait to share that with those kiddos!
So many of you have been praying for me, hashtagging me (helps me know you are praying!), texting me and FaceTiming me. I can't say thank you enough! God has used those very little things to remind me that I'm part of a larger picture, that He's big enough to care for me and man! does He ever love me! What a wonderful God He is!
I had a slight moment of panic the other night, thinking I wasn't up for this, but through my friend, God reminded me that He has me here for a reason and being right where He wants you is the best and safest place to be. My heart became settled once again and even excited at what God is going to do! And as He shows me more and more of His work in the DR, I'll share it with you all so that you can see, in one tiny place in the Caribbean, God is changing lives. May you all remember how great and kind our God is!

A Lesson about God from a dog named Baby

I've been thinking a lot lately about learning. More specifically, why I have to keep relearning lessons that I've already learned (and wondering what my teacher is thinking when I don't remember a certain lesson) and wishing I didn't have to learn and make mistakes and fail to get to the finish line, all while trying to remember all I've learned so that I don't mess up and forget the things I've supposedly learned. Yes, if you are thinking this is ironic because I'm a teacher, you'd be right, but God saw fit to teach me a lesson on this very thing using my parents' dog, Baby.

I'd just picked Baby up from the boarders and he was sitting on the couch with me. He didn't seem to need anything even though I offered him his favorite treat and the chance to go outside. After about 20 minutes, I went into the bedroom to work on something while he lay (sleeping, I thought!) on the couch. After about 10 minutes of silence, I hear a little bark, him saying "Umm...shoot! I've lost that human again! Where are you?!!? Did you leave me all alone?" I replied kindly, "Baby, it's okay, I'm in here!" (Yes, I know, I sound like a parent talking to a little child. Bear with me, please!) Baby didn't come into the room I was in, but didn't continue to bark, so I figured that he was settled out on the couch. Another 10 minutes go by and he comes into the bedroom a few minutes before I left. As I walk out to the living room, Baby stays in the bedroom. That's when I noticed the couch. It was very plain to see that Baby had indeed needed to go outside earlier. I got somewhat frustrated at first and said, "Baby...!" thinking that he knows better and why didn't he let me know he needed to go out (he usually will let us know he needs to go outside). Baby heard me say his name and comes slinking out into the living room and I could tell on his face he knew exactly what he did and that he knew he deserved to be scolded. When I saw him with his head down, I softened, remembered that he'd been abused before coming to live with my parents and has always been skiddish no matter how much we've loved him. So I  just called him over to me to pet him and love on him. He SLOWLY made his way over to me and I just pet him and told him it was okay. He wouldn't even come close to me at first, but ever so slowly he would stretch so that I would keep petting him. He's now sitting/sleeping on the couch next to me with his nose inches away from my hand.

That's when it hit me. I'm kind of like Baby. I didn't want to go to God and admit I made a mistake and will make many more mistakes/fail many more times for fear that He'd be angry and upset that I still don't do what I know to do or "I forgot what I had already learned". However, while I'm trying to think of other options to get out of feeling like this and wondering what I could do to make God not be upset with me, God was calling to me and asking me to come and let Him love on me. He wasn't mad, He understood, He LOVED me. Oh, that I would be quick to come to Him all the time.

Please note: This is an analogy! I know I'm not a dog and God isn't treating me like one.
Please note: I've not been abused, don't worry!