robin's dominican adventures

And now...

2010-11-28T14:57:00.000-08:00

I have been home almost 5 months. Really? 5 months?? Gosh, that flew by! I was home for 2 days and then left on a trip to Port Aransas with my mama, Jay, brother, Erin and Philip. I pretty much just sat around reading, watching TV and sleeping. It was lovely!

We did go to the Corpus Christi aquarium. We also go to hang out with the dolphins (there are pictures, just not on my computer)!!

I started working 2 weeks after arriving in America. You would think that it would cause some major culture shock, but I think that it actually prevented it. I didn't have time to be shocked, I just had to dive right in. I am the Spanish I teacher at Hill Country Christian School of Austin. And I love it! The Lord, indeed, had so much more to give me than that.

I am slowly starting to catch up with old friends and starting to be social (quite an accomplishment considering how little rest I had after moving home and how out of place I can feel here!). This is Rachel (aka T-Slice) and myself on Halloween. She's Luigi (as if it weren't obvious) and I'm a smurf (which isn't obvious at all).

Here's Angela with Evangeline Piper! So much has changed in her life since I left. She had 2 kids and is pregnant with their 3rd! Life keeps moving while you're away and you just have to jump in to the new world that presents itself when you get back!!

These are some of my students. This is, in fact, my smile class! They bring much joy in my life. I like to say that Jesus gave them to me at the end of each day to remind me how much He loves me!

An international cooking class! I have been waiting for the time when I got to join Anna's international cooking collective! For my first time we "traveled" to Afghanistan to eat some delicious food.

More to come, I'm sure, on life back in the States. Thanks for reading, those of you who having continued reading!!

2 August

2010-11-27T14:43:00.000-08:00

Time to leave. I woke up ready to go. I had said so many goodbyes, cried so many tears and hugged so many people. The time for which I had prepared was here and I was ready to walk forward. Mr. Jim, Ashley and Cristina took me to the airport.

Saying goodbye

My Dominican parents. Thank you, Mama T and Mr. Jim, for all that you have done for me.

Ashley also said goodbye to them, as she was leaving the following week from Puerto Plata.

I checked in my bags and made it up to the terminal (the one terminal, that's all STI has). Kendall has given me something that read when I had left and I decided to read it in the terminal. It was notes and letters written to me from all of my friends on the north shore. Seriously, she and Ashley must have worked so hard to get that many people to write me something. It was utterly special and sweet and such an amazing gift. Kendall, thank you. Ashley, thank you. For everything.

I sat in the terminal and read such sweet notes from all my friends. It was a perfect closing to my time there. It was wrapped up with such an outpouring of love. Of course I cried through them all and felt so showered with love. I got on the plane and left the country that I had called home for 3 years. As Anne described it, I was in "no-man's land". I did not yet live in American. I did not anymore live in the DR. I was in the middle. For 2 hours, I was nothing and had nothing. I sat with Jesus, read my Bible and prayed. It was a sweet goodbye to one life and hello to another.

1 August, Part 2

2010-11-27T14:31:00.000-08:00

After church, I went over to Sandra and Amaury's to say goodbye to them. They have been such faithful friends. They have been there anytime I needed anything (prayer, food, a couch, a TV for the World Cup, a hug, anything). They are true and dear friends. Saying goodbye to them felt impossible. Thank God for Skype (seriously!). We stood in their kitchen and Amaury prayed for me. It was a sweet time of fellowship. I just adore their entire family.

After that, the Mak staff came to pick Ashley and me up to head to the Caribe station to catch a bus for Santiago. The bus ended up being full and we had to wait an hour at the station, but they all waited with us and when the time came, they all prayed over me and sent me off with a hug. I cried the bus ride to Santiago but was ever so thankful that Ashley had come with me.

We took a cab to Jim and Teresa's house. Cristina showed up about an hour later!! She came down from the capital to say goodbye to Ashley and me!! What a wonderful woman! I was EVER so thankful to have time with the Whites and Cristina.

I know that it's quite a dark photo but it's Ashley and Cristina at dinner.

I was thankful for the talk I got to have with Jim and Teresa about leaving. They have done it before and had such words of wisdom. Their home has been the closest I have had to feeling at home on the island. Their couch alone brought me much comfort over my time there. And their love and support of me was a continual encouragement to me.

1 August, Part 1

2010-11-26T14:15:00.000-08:00

My last morning in Puerto Plata was a Sunday. Perfect for saying goodbye to all my Templo Bíblico friends. The service was lovely and at the end Ashley and I had a surprise. The pastors had dedicated time for the church to spend loving us and saying goodbye. They had people get up and say what our lives had taught them. They had us talk about what we had learned from them. They asked us our favorite parts of Dominican culture and what we were looking most forward to with going home. It was a celebration and a beautiful time of saying goodbye. After the service they had Ashley and me stand up in front so that everyone could easily find us to give hugs and kisses.

Wilson, such a great friend over the last 3 years. Cara Jane and I always loved hanging out with us because he was the most "American" of our Dominican friends. He speaks perfect English and loves going to see movies, going out to eat and driving us around!

Some of the families of the elders of the church. Marta, Osvaldo, Bernabe, Jesenia with me, Ashley and Kendall

Manases, Jesenia with her girls Pricila and Tifani.

Ashley and me with Jessi Nicole

Jesenia and Lucrecio...such faithful friends!!!

Crying and laughing, a perfect description of my last week in Montellano

Just some of my family at Templo Bíblico.

31 July

2010-11-26T14:00:00.000-08:00

For my last time in Chichigua, I wanted to spend plenty of time with all of those I love (meaning, almost everyone in the village). So I planned to spend most of the morning there, eat lunch, and then hug everyone goodbye. I arrived later than I had planned (I was really reluctant to go...I didn't want it to be real) but was able to spend time with everyone (except Gui, who was working; and Felipe because, in true Felipe style, he kept running away). I had asked Dido if I could eat lunch with her. She, of course, said yes.

We had a DELICIOUS meal of rice, beans, chicken, avocado, and soda. We sat there chatting and eating. And then crying. She was one of the hardest to say goodbye to. She was one of my best friends there.

She had been so welcoming to me (and Kendall!). She always let us hang out at her house. Visiting her was like visiting with a regular friend. There was no ceremony. We could sit on the floor (instead of being given a chair), take off our shoes (she didn't really like that we took off our shoes, but she would let us) and just sit. She loves making fun of Kendall and me. She cried just as much as I did when I hugged her goodbye.

After lunch with Dido, I walked around and said goodbye to everyone. It was 45 minutes filled with hugs, tear and laughs. They thought that I was a bit crazy for crying so hard. Plus my face turned all red and they think that's pretty funny!

I had Tigabi (Franchesca's dad take me home on his moto) and I cried pretty much all the way from Chichigua to El Silencio. I sat at home with Ashley and Kenny for a few minutes before going to say goodbye to the people in Tamarindo I hadn't yet seen. I stopped by the school to say hello to Laura who was there with a group from the Stone. More crying, hugging and saying goodbye.

We decided to go out for one last pizza at Lax with Rachel, Cara Jane, Ashley and KennyB. It was so nice to sit with those ladies and watch the sun set. It was a peaceful ending to a ROUGH day.

29, 30, and 31 July

2010-11-25T13:29:00.000-08:00

Saying goodbye.

I cried for about 5 days.

Starting on Thursday, I began going around to each village to say goodbye to all of my students, the parents and friends that I had made. I went to Pancho Mateo, Tamarindo, Chichigua and walked around my neighborhood. I really cannot describe the pain that came from saying goodbye to mi gente. Will I ever see some of the again? Will they remember me? Do they miss me? Do they know how much I miss them? Even if I go back to visit, it will never be the same. I will never live there and be a part of their lives as I had been once. I won't get to watch our kids grow up as I had when I saw them almost everyday. I won't get to be a part of all the stories told. I was saying goodbye to a life that had been mine for 3 years.

I spent about 2 hours in each village going to each house of the people I knew. I stayed in some houses for a very short time, just enough to say goodbye and hug everyone. I stayed in some for a long time, not wanting to believe that this was my last time to sit there with them for a long time. I cried with almost every hug and cried harder when they would cry with me. Oh gosh, it was heartbreaking. Painful. Sad. By the end of it, I had nothing left to stand on but the promise that Christ is with me always. I had no emotions left. I had no strength left. I had nothing. I had left a life behind me and hadn't yet reached the new life in front of me. I had nothing but Christ.

"Amaziah said to the man of God, "But what shall we do for the hundred talents which I have given to the troops of Israel?" And the man of God answered, "The LORD has much more to give you than this." (2 Chronicle 25:9). This was a verse that carried me through pain. What, Lord, will I do with the love that I have given these people? What will I do with the parts of me that I have given to them? What will I do with the years that I have given to them? I can never get any of that back. I will never have my heart fully back, as cheesy as it sounds, because part of it is left in the DR. And the Lord says, "I have much more to give you than this." And He is faithful to fulfill His word and His promise.

28 July

2010-11-25T08:00:00.000-08:00

The Wednesday before I left, here's what I did:

Oh how LOVELY are these trees. They bloom about twice a year and it's quite a sight around the island.

A group took our Chichiguan students to the beach over the summer but Jaquelin wasn't allowed to go because she has to finish washing clothes. So I promised her that I would take her and a friend of her choosing another day. The outing was postponed more than once because of rain. But we finally were able to go for an hour or 2. The girls swam and swam and played and laughed. I tried to stay out of the water (so as to not get sand all over....I hate sand) and walked along the shore.

Susan, Jaquelin and myself. What lovely young ladies they are! And we had a great time.

Later that night the Mak staff had a going away party for Ashley (who left a week after I did) and myself.

They had DELICIOUS food!

Lots of fellowship!

And a sweet time of being able to say goodbye to our American friends! Thanks, Mak staff, for sending us off with such love!

Some befores and afters

2010-11-24T12:37:00.000-08:00

Here are just a few pictures of some of the kids who grew up during my time in the DR:

Ruben, Tito and Popito at the beach with Constance, Phillip, Jennie and some of the kids

A few days before I left I got this picture of the Tamarindo kids. Popito is in the green on the left, Ruben is in the middle with a dark shirt with a light stripe sitting next to Tito in the green, yellow and blue shirt.

Sometime during our first semester with the school open I got this one of Franchesca eating a boiled egg during lunch.

I got to take her to the beach just before I left. Look at how big she got! She's so much taller and has lost her chubby cheeks! Her funny personality continually made me laugh! She is so smart (she can read!) and very observant. She was willing to help Ashley whenever she could. Oh how I miss this precious little Franny Fran Fran!

Look at how preciously small Ambiolix is!! He's grown up (though, to be honest, he's not too much taller). He is quite the jokester and loves to play in Chichigua with his neighbor and best friend Memo.

Our first day of school!!! Fransisco (lovingly called Franchicho), Ambiolix, Estiven, and Memo praying with Profe Katy!

Wilner! When I first met him, I only thought of him as a funny looking kid who was scared of gringos, baha!

And then he grew up into a bratty, mean and cute little kid! As much as he would annoy me, I just adore him and his smile!

Bernito! Do you see all the fungus on his head? Poor little B! In this picture he looks exactly like his little brother who is now this age.

He grew up to be one of the smartest and funniest kids in Ashley's class!

Marta la Loca (Marta Morena, Saco de Papas) on one of her first days at school. She charmed us with her giggle, sweet smile, and bossy attitude!

The beginning of her 3rd year at our school. She's so grown up and a bit more lady-like!

Little Lonni! The day I met him Connie Con Con was bandaging up a hole on his leg.

Ronal! He was my first friend in Chichigua and my first Creole teacher!

About a month before I left. Oh my sweet boys, how I miss y'all!!

I'll finish

2010-11-24T12:28:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I took a 50 year break from my blog; sorry! I am going to finish it (for all 1 of you who actually read this!). Here we go...

27 July

2010-07-30T10:09:00.000-07:00

A shower for Jessi and her baby boy (due in 3 months!)

We had a ton of snacks (cookies, brownies, guacamole, fruit) and a few games to play.

We had to take the letters of Jessi and Areil's names and make a new name. This was mine and surprisingly I didn't win.

Me and the mama-to-be!!

Top: Laura, Lauren, Ashley, Erika, Cara Jane, Kendall, Lauren Widman
Sitting: Emily, Jessi, me, Rachel (with her son Jonathan)

26 July

2010-07-30T09:52:00.000-07:00

Robin and Ashley's goodbye party in Chichigua

We made cookies and cake to give to everyone there. I only cried a little :) But it's definitely not my last time to see them before I leave.

BAHA!! Dido looks like a crazy lady!! She was feeding Ryner cake and eating it herself.

Oh my, I cannot believe how much these boys have grown up since I first came!

25 July

2010-07-29T09:18:00.000-07:00

After church I went over to Sandra and Amaury's house to eat lunch!

I french braided Darnier's crazy hair

Baha! And she even knew that I was going to take a picture

Amaury and Bernabe chatting

And then we went to the MAK house to finish watching season 5 of 24

It was crazy!! I love that show and I'm so going to miss watching it with Lauren, Erika, Chris and Riles. Thanks for watching with me, guys!

24 July

2010-07-29T05:33:00.000-07:00

I went to Caraballo to visit the Doña and Miguel's family! Look at how precious our little Doña is (the one on the right)!

And then we headed to Cabarete

To eat at Lax

For Angi's going away party! (Me with Rachel and Angi)

We already miss you, Angi Kang!

23 July

2010-07-28T11:15:00.000-07:00

We said goodbye to the interns at the airport (with Lily and Margaret is in the background). Les extraño mucho!

And then a lovely dinner in Cabarete with the Austin Stone group that was here!

Sarah comes to visit

2010-07-28T10:47:00.000-07:00

Ok, well she came to visit Riley... but she hangs out with us a lot!

she was doing a funny face

i was doing a funny face

not my favorite picture of me

BAHA i have no idea what happened here

finally!

we love having sarah join the MAK family!

22 July

2010-07-28T04:53:00.001-07:00

Going away party for the interns! I cannot believe that the summer is coming to an end. I don't think that I ever even introduced the interns...failing in my job!

The desserts...delish!

The entertainment! Daniel and Riley did a little dance.

We miss you guys!!

21 July

2010-07-23T08:34:00.000-07:00

See you later, Nettles! They loaded up all their stuff (in 8 bags....Gracias a Dios that we have groups to help us move home!) and headed back to Los EE. UU.

We miss you guys already!

20 July

2010-07-22T09:06:00.000-07:00

Spaghetti dinner at Edwin and Elianira's house!

Edwin and Alex (Tanya's son) picking out the perfect tunes

Las cocineras: Tanya, Gloria, and Elianira

Kenny and Cara with the feast!

Eating outside: Cara, Gloria, Kenny, Cami

It's a good thing Kenny brought her new dominioes set because they all wanted to play after dinner!

Kendall and Gloria vs. Camila and Elianira... intense

The gringas and the guys. We took a picture of the gringas and the girls, but not on my camera.

OH so much fun hanging out with our neighbors!

Eclipse!

2010-07-20T00:00:00.000-07:00

Wilson called me around 3:20 yesterday to see if I wanted to go with him, his girlfriend and a friend of theirs to see a movie in Santiago. Umm, yes! I want to see Eclipse! They were going to see Shrek 4. So we loaded up an hour later and drove the rainy road to the movie theater. They ended up watching about an hour of Eclipse with me and then went to see Shrek. The movie was WAY better than the first...which isn't saying much. However, I was sad to find out that it was in Spanish. I understood it all but miss the voice of Bella, Edward and Jacob that I'm used to.

Wilson, Brenda, Yoelfri

Heading home!

Ohh and as we were walking into the mall my shoes broke. I don't mean they just broke, I mean, they exploded. I don't know how, but they just fell completely apart. Both of them. At the same time. Well, that's embarrassing! Aaaand, since I didn't have a lot of money on me, Wilson took me to the first open clothing store with shoes and bought me shoes. OH man, I think my face was bright red for the rest of the night.

Also, while they were watching Shrek (after Eclipse had ended) I had 2 wonderful and short phone calls from ANNA and ANNE!!! It was a great night (minus the exploding shoes)

19 July

2010-07-19T16:46:00.000-07:00

I had a pounding headache all day, so I stayed in bed, reading and trying to sleep instead of working with the Stone group that's here. However, after spending all day in bed, I needed to get out of the apartment. Ashley kindly lent us Negrita, the car she and Cara own, and Kenny and I went in search of pizza!

We got the usual chicken pizza from San Jorge...delicious!

While standing around the kitchen eating pizza, we decided to look through some of our old People mags. And then, we had a great idea....let's find more pictures for....

our hall of hotness! At the beginning there were not just 4 pictures, but the humidity of this country caused all of the other ones to fall off. Needless to say, it looked kind of pathetic.

Not any more! We added pictures of Cristano Ronaldo, Zac Efron, Sam Worthington, James Dale Badge and a few others. Feel free to make suggestions for other people deserving to be on the wall!

Now we're going to make brownies!

18 July

2010-07-19T12:34:00.000-07:00

The Austin Stone group singing at church

17 July

2010-07-19T12:08:00.000-07:00

Gloria and Ada invited us to lunch so that we could see Ambiolix who's visiting for the weekend...

...and we showed up to 3 plates. Apparently Ambiolix had already eaten and left to go hang out with friends and Ada and Gloria were going to eat later. So much for eating with them!

It was, however, delicious! Soooo delicious!

Oooh, and then Edwin walked in with this shirt on! BAHA, I could not stop laughing!!! He didn't even know what it meant.

16 July

2010-07-18T12:05:00.000-07:00

I spent the day in Santiago and got to hang out with Carrie White! I haven't really spent any time with her at all and it was SO GOOD to just drive around and chat!

15 July

2010-07-18T11:47:00.000-07:00

See you later, Charlie and Kim!

We had a fun little going away partay for the Nettles. Kim celebrated with a Dr Pepper and a chocolate covered peanut butter ball!

We're going to miss Kim and Papa Charlie!

14 July

2010-07-15T11:38:00.000-07:00

It was a rainy, stormy day yesterday. We had only about half our students come, which made it super fun. We were all in the same classroom together, reviewing the vowels, listening to the story of Daniel and watching Profe Kim's exciting experiments! The final one was putting Mentos in a bottle of Coca Cola Light and watching it explode everywhere.

13 July

2010-07-13T15:39:00.000-07:00

La Sirena with Erika to have delicious yogurt!

There is apparently this Dominican named Marcos who will be swimming with others from around the world for peace, or something like that. Anyway, lots of people had signed a board with encouraging notes for him. Erika found her name has already been written...like 10 times. The name Erika is popular with Dominicans. Also, just to clarify, she's "swimming" in this photo, showing her support for the summer, Marcos.

12 July

2010-07-12T16:39:00.000-07:00

Welcome home, Anne Marie!!

The newest member of our Mak family moved in yesterday! I won't get to work with her very much but I am so excited to hear about her adventures while living in the DR!

11 July

2010-07-11T19:18:00.000-07:00

Last night, after having already posted my blog, Cami and I went to the Mak house to watch Alice in Wonderland. The movie was good but the stars from the 3rd floor roof were AMAZING!

Can you guess what I did today? It was a great game. I'm not going to lie, it was sometimes boring and I lost count of the yellow cards given. It was packed in José O'Shays, full of tourist from all around the world.

Génesis and I have watched quite a few games together. He's so animated. I'll miss watching games together. Also, self portraits are generally not so flattering...

Aaaand tonight was girl's night! Wine, popcorn, People Mag with Zac Efron's hot bod! Angi, Laura, Rachel, Jonathan (I know I said girl's night, but Jonathan is allowed in, being Rachel's son!) , and Kim came to join us at our apartment.

10 July

2010-07-10T16:16:00.000-07:00

Does this look familiar?? Of course it does. What else would I be doing but watching the "losers" game. Uruguay almost beat Germany.

The fun part about today was Mama Barb and Mike! Cara's parents are in town and I got to see them, finally! We spent a few hours by the pool in their hotel and then went to my favorite spot to watch the game.

The final is tomorrow and I am muy emocionada!!

9 July

2010-07-10T06:10:00.000-07:00

Another party with the neighbors. We told everyone to bring something small to share. Kenny made a fruit salad and no bake cookies. Some one brought juice, some one a liter of Coke, some on some candies. We told them that it would start between 7 and 8. So they started showed up around 9:30!

I made banana bread and oatmeal, M&M cookies!

The biggest entertainment of the evening with José Angel showing Ashley how to dance!

I know that the photo is blurry but he's just a dancing machine!

The peeps. People just kept coming in and out all evening

Here are the people that were here when we decided to take the photo. Some had already left and some hadn't shown up yet.

Almuerzo

2010-07-09T10:22:00.000-07:00

A cold Coke, rice, beans and an avocado (the season is just beginning. I fully plan on eating one a day until I leave!)

Catching up, por fin!

2010-07-08T10:33:00.000-07:00

Finally I can catch up on my photos of the day! Here's what you missed in my über exciting life:

July 3: Went to Cabarete to watch Argentina vs. Germany

José O'Shay's was full of German and Argentine tourists! There was much yelling going on in German, Spanish and English! SO FUN.

Then we took the Austin Ridge group to Pancho Mateo. I heart Marta!

Then after staff dinner at the Mak house with the group we went out to Cabarete to see BEN WHITE!!! That's right, he's back on the island with his lovely fiancee. He did a fire show and Ella did the best hula-hooping I've ever seen!

It was great to see Ben!!

July 4: We took the group to Chichigua, my favorite place

It was a sad day of beginning the process of saying goodbye. I cried at church and in Chichigua. Ronal and Ronni said to me, "You cry too much." It's true.

Oooh how I will miss these guys!

July 5: Dinner at Tropical Café with Camile and Leti! They put on the Celine Dion concert for us again!

July 6: Fried food feast with Jessi and her precious baby bump. Seriously, I don't think I'll be eating fried food for a while. But I LOVED getting to catch up with her!

July 7: Germany vs. Spain. Great game. I was the only girl watching, which brings me to a story that the world should know:

I have heard over the last 6 months comments that assure me that I'm not much of a girly girl For example, a couple of people have talked about how my legs (which are naturally muscular looking) look like big palos or sticks. Meaning, they look like tree trucks. Then Dido, one of the ones that said that about my legs, told me that from my thighs down I look like a man. Thanks, Dido! And then, as though I wasn't feeling manly enough, our neighbor and I were chatting one day and he asked me about my family. I told him that I have one brother and 3 step-brother; no sisters. He said, "That makes sense."
"What makes sense, Sandro?"
"You have a masculine personality."
WHAT? Really? Did you just say that to me?

All that to say, sitting there watching the World Cup game, being the only girl (as I have been for quite a few of the games) only reaffirms what everyone is saying about me! Mission #1 when I move home: Learning how to be a girl. Who's going to help me?

July 8: ESL worship service at the school with the people in the various ESL classes done by the lady interns.

Dido is one of my favorite people here. I went to meet her family over Semana Santa. I spend a lot of time with her when I'm in Chichigua. I love her entire family.

Dido with her youngest son, Ryner, and her youngest daughter, Rachel. Oh man, how I will miss sitting with her.

Then we had a DELICIOUS dinner over at Angi and Laura's!

Their friend Ara was visiting and they decided to make us dinner. Tortilla de Patata. Reminds me of the good ole days in Alcalá de Hernárez! And I got to meet their interns Jonathan and Dana.

Laura and Angi are here with the non-profit that they started, Health Horizons International! Check out their blog to read more about the medical care they are providing around MonteLlano.

Now you're caught up on my life! Tonight is a dessert party with the neighborhood. Should be yummy.

6 July

2010-07-05T17:20:00.000-07:00

I promise that I have been trying to upload photos but the internet hasn't been letting me. Sorry! I will upload all that I have taken whenever it decides to cooperate.

2 July

2010-07-02T18:17:00.000-07:00

Crystal moved back to the States today...sad! Also, it has been super HOT the past few days! The kind of hot that a fan barely helps. It's 85 degrees in my bedroom (my clock has a thermometer) AT NIGHT. Miserable.

Guess what I did today on my day off....claro, I watched World Cup! They were 2 REALLY great games. I cannot believe that Brazil lost. And I was hoping that Ghana would win. Alas! It was an intense game

I watched the second game with Riley, Charlie, Daniel, Gensis and a few others. Fun day at the beach not doing anything beachy.

I'm heading back tomorrow morning for the Argentina/Germany game! It's going to be a good one.

In the meantime, back to sweating and longing for the day when I will live in AC again.

1 July

2010-07-02T05:09:00.000-07:00

Watching Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights at the Mak house on the projector...with Jell-o and brownies!!

30 june

2010-06-30T18:38:00.000-07:00

Oops! I have failed, again! Here's Monday's:

Dinner with Rachel, Gideon and Jonathan! After eating our delicious food (see below), Gideon and Jonathan serenaded us with a lovely song of drums.

Gideon made GREAT meal of pasta and garlic bread. Rachel and I sat around drinking our sangria while Jonathan napped while there was an intense thunderstorm outside. Oh how I loved getting to spend time with them!

Tuesday I was a little under the weather. So I stayed in bed all day sleeping and watching Glee! Therefore, I have no photo.

Tonight we got home from Bible study and saw some lights strung across Calle El Silencio. If my life were a movie, this would have been the scene: we would have all be dressed up pretty with heels on and make-up and hair perfectly done. We would have walked up to the lovely lights and seen summer dance full of people in pretty outfits, sipping wine and laughing and just enjoying the general splendor of a summer evening.

However, I live in the Caribbean during the summer. So I was sweaty and in gross clothes and there was nothing romantic about it. One of the local churches was having mass in the middle of the street. I'm not saying that's not lovely, it's just not the fairytale that I was hoping for!

Tomorrow is July. J-U-L-Y...it's coming to an end, my living here. I'm having a hard time accepting it! July....who knew that it would be here so quickly.

27 June

2010-06-28T05:14:00.000-07:00

I started watching it yesterday...oh my gosh, it's so funny! I love it. I'm hooked.

I didn't get a picture of this but Camille and Leticia are here!! They arrived yesterday and will be staying at our place for a little DR vacation. Cannot wait to spend some quality time with these two.

26 June

2010-06-26T19:58:00.000-07:00

Great weekend at Crystal's!!

Crystal, Kim, and Ashley
We saw Letters to Juliet in the VIP salón...umm, it was SUPER nice! Reclining leather chairs? Yes, please! And the movie was utterly cheesy, which is exactly what I wanted!

World Cup game: America vs. Ghana
Truth be told, I was going to Ghana. I just don't think that Americans love soccer as much as other countries and therefore we have less right to win. Silly, I know. We played hard and I was semi-cheering U-S-A! But I was proud of Ghana. ¡Ghana ganó!

Saying "See you later" to Crystal. She moves back to the States next week! Buuut, she's moving back to Austin, so I'll see her soon!

Other than the movie and the world cup, I pretty much just relaxed, did crosswords and stared at the TV. I miss TV. I'm kind of scared to see how much I watch when I move home!

24 June

2010-06-24T11:39:00.000-07:00

Doing crafts and making friendship bracelets in Chichigua. Thanks, Laura Ingram, for sending down your bracelet making materials!

Off to Santiago with Ashley and Kim to see Letters to Juliet and stay with Crystal!

23 June

2010-06-23T05:06:00.000-07:00

I sat in church and listened as one of the Austin Stone group members practiced worship songs with two of the members of my Dominican church to prepare for an ESL worship service

22 June

2010-06-22T19:20:00.000-07:00

I didn't pull out my camera once today! Sooo the photo will have to be a mental image.

All morning playing in Chichigua, especially with Franchesca and Ambiolix

Lunch at El Campito with the Austin Stone group

An afternoon spent trying to translate an 11 page document from English to Spanish...only 3 left

Dinner and devos with the group on the roof of the Mak house

Now, listening to the rain fall and thinking about how lovely getting in bed and falling asleep to this sound will be

21 June

2010-06-21T19:58:00.000-07:00

We cooked for them and now they cook for us! We went across the street to Gloria's house where everyone who had eaten at our house now cooked for us.

The Ladies: Sandra, Tanya, Jesenia, Ashley, Gloria, and Kendall (Mami showed up late, so she's not in the photo)

The hombres: Ada, Lucrecio, Dariel, Henry, Brighton, Amaury, Dauri, Edwin

The food!! It was delicious (even if it was at 9pm when we started eating...)

And after eating, the story-telling! Oh man, they laughed a lot. I laughed some too but I don't really understand all that they say. Then we started talking about the differences between life in the DR and life in the US. They decided that since we live with lights all the time and don't have motoconchos (motorcycle taxis) that we are behind the times! They have decided to have a conference in Nueva York (which means the entire country of America to Dominicans) explaining to people how to live in the more advanced Dominican culture :). As I'm typing this, we don't have power. I think I might actually miss having the power go out. It makes you appreciate having power so much more.

I love our neighbors!

20 June

2010-06-20T16:38:00.000-07:00

Ambiorix, Gloria's son and our neighbor, moved away. He got a job yesterday on the other side of the island and left this morning. So sad! I mean, great that he got a job but we're going to miss him.

Skyping with JENNIE AND MIGUEL!! I LOVED getting to talk with them!

And then Miguel's whole family came over to see them. It was 2 hours full of laughter and swapping stories. I loved being able to watch it.

19 June

2010-06-19T20:02:00.000-07:00

Is it seriously already the 19th of June??

Odilcia!! Ahhh, I'm going to MISS her so much.

At the Mak house for dinner with the Austin Stone team

18 June

2010-06-18T20:13:00.000-07:00

Watching Germany vs. Serbia at Wilson's house

Watching USA vs. Slovenia at Sandra and Amaury's house

Watching England vs. Algeria at José O'Shays in Cabarete

Celebrating Andy's birthday at Cassanova

Watching Stomp the Yard on the Mak house roof while it rained

17 June

2010-06-17T19:54:00.000-07:00

No power means that Gloria's porch light is a beacon! Kendall's over there watching the final game and hoping the Celts win. Ambiorix and Ada, with whom she is watching the game, are going for Kobe. We'll see!

I had a lovely morning work at the school while the rest of the staff took the kids to the beach. Odilcia and I listened to worship songs in French. She explained to me what I didn't understand and then we sang together. It was lovely to worship together!

Aaaand then, as I'm sure you know by now, I watched the game. I went to work some more on the computer (I'm translating a 12 page document! And I actually think it's fun!) at Tropi Cafe in Puerto Plata and watch Mexico vs. France. ¡Viva México!

Wilson was there with me, rooting for the hispano-hablantes. He checked some of my translating and after one of the paragraphs told me that it was perfect. If someone had merely read it without knowing it was translated they would have never thought that it was typed by a English speaker. THAT is a compliment!! Oh man it was good to hear! I felt so proud of me and my dictionary and the hours we spent trying to translate the document.

Tomorrow we have off, sooo I get to watch all 3 World Cup games! And celebrate Andy's birthday! And watch Stomp the Yard on the Mak house roof!

16 June

2010-06-16T18:26:00.000-07:00

Summer school. HOT. Exhausting. Fun. Rachel and Estiven eating breakfast before studying the letter I with me

Grey's season finale!!!!!! Watched it with Kim and Kendall and screamed and freaked out and felt my blood pressure rising. It was so gooooooood! I cannot wait for next season to start.

I also watched the end of the South Africa vs. Uruguay game. Whoa. Crazy!

15 June

2010-06-15T19:21:00.000-07:00

Oh dear, did I forget to post on the 14th? I did indeed! To recap yesterday: Summer camp at school started, I watched another World Cup game at Sandra and Amaury's house, did laundry when the power came back on at 9pm. That's about it. I'm really loving World Cup! I have to miss the morning games because of work, but I'm getting to watch the afternoon game at their house. They are so sweet for letting me take over their TV for an hour and a half! Today we had day 2 of summer camp.

Aaaand I made about 48 cookies! That's something that's changed about me since moving here: I love baking. And I make some edible and sometimes tasty things. Today it was peanut butter oatmeal chocolate chip cookies with cinnamon. I made enough to share with our neighbors and to take to school tomorrow for the Mak staff.

As previously mentioned, KennyB loves basketball. A not previously mentioned fact is that she does not like Kobe Bryant and, by extension, the Lakers. So the finals have been big games to watch. We walked across the street to Gloria's and had her son, Edwin, find us the channel.

We left at halftime because (1) we're super tired and falling asleep on Gloria's bed and (2) the Lakers were up by 20 and the Celts we're playing very well.

More tomorrow!

12 and 13 June

2010-06-13T13:35:00.000-07:00

I didn't post one yesterday because I was in Santiago at Crystal's and didn't bring my computer. Sooo, here's my weekend post:

I am obsessed with the World Cup games!! I made Crystal watch 5 with me! It's sad coming home to a house without TV...luckily my neighbors love to share theirs

We went to see the movie Date Night. Dios mio, I haven't laughed that hard in a long time!!
Ashley, Crystal, Kim, Charlie, and a chin-a-lin-lin of Riley

Walking this morning to Bagel land where they somehow didn't have bagels. Fail.

About to head home when we notice a flat. Aaaand the Nettles' rental doesn't have anything we need to change a tire.

Luckily a nice Dominican stopped to help us!

FUN weekend in Santiago! We're going back in 2 weeks to see ECLIPSE!!! and Letters to Juiliet! I cannot wait!

A trip home

2010-06-13T05:32:00.000-07:00

When Mama became Dr. Mama, I had to take a trip home for the big ceremony. And it was perfect timing because we happened to have that entire week off of work. So I got to make a week-long trip to the States. Let's be honest, most of the time I watched TV or read in bed. I like being lazy in the States. The AC. The hot showers. The comfy beds. Etc. It all adds up to one laaaazzy Robin! I did, however, manage to be semi-social and see some people. Here are some pictures, though I wasn't too good at pulling out my camera.

Hanging out at HCCSA with the kids and their awesome teacher Señora. AKA Laurie or Machechi. I think that they are all SUPER!

I also got to see soon-to-be Dr Cathrine! I heart her. We've been friends since middle school, meaning we've seen each other through the good, the bad, and the awkward.

Lauren Widman made her first (hopefully of many) trips to Austin to meet with the interns! It was fun having her experience a bit of who half of the Makarios staff are!

Sharla and Audrey were there! I don't know about the faces they're making...

Aaaand I got to see Holly! Only for about 45 minutes. But it was great!

I also got to go to the Stone twice, have yummy tacos with Laura and Yimmie; eat Thai food with Beccy, have a lovely dinner catching up with Anne Laverty, spend plenty of time with the Melvin fam...the list keeps going. I had so much fun and caught up on some much needed alone time!

I also kind of had to come to the realization that the next time I fly home, I'm flying home. For good. Not that I'll never leave the country, visit the DR, or even move to another country. But this chapter is coming to an end. Kind of strange to realize and start processing. But good.

11 June

2010-06-11T14:05:00.000-07:00

My scratched up knee representing my scratched up legs reminding me to never walk through the cane fields with shorts on again!

Hanging out at the beach doing crosswords and napping!

It looked like a hula skirt when the truck was moving

10 June

2010-06-10T14:45:00.000-07:00

Yet again I'm having a hard time picking just one photo of the day

Isn't Estefani presh?? She's Franchesca's little sister and has recently decided that she likes me!

Ronni! I call him my son. I love his whole family

What does this even mean?! It was on my moto driver's helmet.

9 June

2010-06-09T18:34:00.001-07:00

2 pictures from today because I think both are kind of funny

Today was the first summer Bible study. The girls met on the roof and watched the sun set over Mt. Isabel. Also, Kim really wanted to be in the picture...not really, she was sitting directly in front of the mountain.

Also, let's celebrate that I have kept this up for 6 days now! I know that it might seem small, but it's baby steps towards the final goal of one everyday until I leave.

8 June; 3 years of Dominican living!

2010-06-08T20:44:00.000-07:00

To celebrate 3 years of living in the DR we had a little dinner party at our house

We invited our neighbors and friends to eat tacos, chips and queso and to try margaritas

It was SO much fun!! Full of laughing and chatting and eating!

Back row: Ambiorix, me, Kenny, Sandra, Dariel, Dauri, Ashley
Middle row: Mami, Edwin, Deyanira, Tanya, Jesenia
Front row: Jose Angel, Pricila, Tifany, Brayton, Gloria, Dariner

And then the kids played BINGO!

Oh how I LOVE all these people!!

See you later, Holly!

2010-06-07T17:13:00.000-07:00

Ahhh, my other half left!! Holly Crim is the other half of sponsorship. I have the sponsored kids half and she has the sponsoring adults (or kids) half. We have worked together via email for a year and then got to live in the same country for a year. She is a gem! One of the most patient, kind people I got to work with. Not to mention really funny and fun to spend time with.

She moved back to the States 2 weeks ago to become an aunt for the first time!

And it was sad to see her go. After working face-to-face for a year, it's going to be hard to go back to emailing.

Buuut, I'll be moving back myself in a few months, so saying "see you later" isn't even very accurate. I'll see you real soon, Holly Crim! Love you!

7 June

2010-06-07T14:15:00.000-07:00

A bumpy guagua ride back to Chichigua with some of my favorite Haitian kids here

Front row: Ernesto, Guivenson
Middle row: Martin, Susan
Back row: Ronni
(There are others but their faces are hidden behind the seats)

6/6/10

2010-06-06T13:59:00.000-07:00

My Bible, Bible study, frozen yogurt and La Sirena. A lovely way to spend a Sunday afternoon. I got to break fast with Sharla this morning on the beach and then went to church where they officially announced that I'm leaving. That was sad. I cried. But then I had a lovely time alone at my favorite Dominican grocery store.

Ice Cream, Again!

2010-06-06T11:49:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago Kendall, Holly and I wanted to take some of our favorite students to the beach. Desafortunadamente, Wilner, Holly's chosen was sick and it was a rainy day so we couldn't go to the beach. So we did the next best thing: La Sirena frozen yogurt.

Kenny and Memskies sharing an umbrella

Memo, Bernito, and Franchesca looking at all their options

Holly, Bernito, Memo, Kendall, Frannie, and me

KennyB and Mems. Soo cute!

Thanks for that one, Franchesca

Me and my girl!

We did get to sit outside and look at the beach, but the dark clouds rolled in and we had to get back.

I just love taking the kids on special trips. They have a such a good time and get to see something new. La Sirena is probably the biggest store they have ever been into. Gosh, I love our students!

June 5

2010-06-06T07:44:00.000-07:00

I am not failing at my job! I just didn't have internet connection in the evening to upload the photo of the day. Here it is (or here they are):

We took the group from the Austin Ridge to Chichigua yesterday and hung out for a few hours

Estefani and Elisabel sharing fruit

Rachel eating Dove chocolate...she loved it, obvi!

Basketball

2010-06-05T12:00:00.000-07:00

KennyB and I love basketball. We try to go to as many games as possible here and have gotten to go to quite a few (though not as many as we would have liked).

We invited our neighbors Ambiorix (standing in the back) and his brother Ada (sitting next to Kenny B) to come with us to a game. The only problem was that there wasn't a game that night. What a let down!! So we decided to go get some ice cream. It turns out that we were the only ones who thought there was a game because some of the people getting ice cream at the same time were talking about how they wanted to go to the game.

But we had fun anyway. After getting ice cream, we sat in the park and chatted. It was such a lovely park to sit in and the night was cool and not humid!

A few nights later we did actually get to go to the game! It was a crazy game that included a huge fight (read Kendall's blog below the ice cream story) and 3 different "bands" competing to see who could play the loudest (see the video below). Our team didn't win, sadly, but they played hard.

We got a photo with our favorite player, Oliver. He's the best on his team.

This guy was stretching on the floor and Kendall said she wanted a picture. He got up...and just kept going. Seriously, this dude is tall.

And this guy is from America! We like meeting the Americans who come down to play in the Dominican Republic. Johan and Caquito we so happy to be at the game.

It was so loud in there!

Little Red Bean

2010-06-05T11:53:00.000-07:00

Look at how preshcito Jemsy looks leaving with his mama on a rainy day. What a cute little button of a kid!

Dr. Mama

2010-06-05T05:59:00.001-07:00

My mama graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with her Ph.D. in educational psychology May 22. It took a lot of work and a lot of time, but she did it and we are all super proud of her!

We had a family dinner the night before the hooding ceremony at the Four Seasons Trio. It was delicious!

And here are all of the Jesters: myself, Erin (sister-in-law), Robert, Mama, Jay, Gramma, Garrett, Mason, Aunt MaryBeth, Uncle Dan and Bryan (who graduated high school!)

Me and my mama!

I just like posting pictures of myself that aren't flattering

Again, but without the fancy getup

Erin and Robert waiting at the ceremony. It took about 20 minutes to get all the graduates seated because there were 362 of them! That's a lot of really smart people sitting in one room.

The big, important people who hooded the graduates. I just liked all the different colors. What does that say about me? Some people were down there getting a Ph.D. in neuroscience (or educational psychology!). I just liked the colorful display.

My grandpa's ring from when he graduated from UT. Mama wanted her daddy to be present at the ceremony.

After she was hooded!

CONGRATULATIONS, Dr. MAMA!!! We are SO proud of you!!

Photo of the Day

2010-06-04T19:38:00.000-07:00

So I have decided to try to post a picture a day for the rest of my time here (about 2 months!!). Sooo I am starting today. Today we said, "See you later, Jody". This is a photo of us taking him to Caribe Tours for him to ride the bus to Santiago. He's flying back to the States tomorrow morning. We're going to miss you, Jody Chance!

Frannie and the beach!

2010-06-04T17:47:00.001-07:00

I just love Franchesca. She's sweet (at times), sassy (more frequently), intelligent, observant and loves to giggle. She's one I'm going to miss A LOT. Sometimes I think about her continuing to grow up without me being there to watch and I can't help but cry. She is dear to my heart.

Here we are at what was supposed to be a visit to the beach but turned into ice cream because of rain

Another time Holly wanted to take Wilner to the beach before she left. So I scooped up Frannie Fran Fran and Holly got Wilner and we headed to Puerto Plata. Wilner refused to get in (he was in a bratty mood) but Franchesca had a great time playing alone in the water.

Have I ever introduced Melon? He's the driver for the school. He picks up the kids from Chichigua and takes them to school and then back home again after the school day. He's the best, we couldn't ask for a better or more responsible driver. Photo by Franchesca.

Wilner before the bratty mood set in, sitting with Holly on the way to the beach. Photo by Franchesca

Me and my Frannie!

Oh man, how I will miss the laugh that I can hear coming from this picture!

Professional Basketball

2010-05-20T10:43:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went to the finals of the north coast teams. It was Batey 7 vs another teams whose name I cannot remember. The other team won. But we didn't actually go because we cared about the outcome. We went for the game. Though it was professional here, we would compare it to a good high school in addition to goal tending and a bit of traveling, all of which went uncalled.

Caquito (Francis, but they say that he has a small head. To break it down further: Casco (helmet and sometimes head) in Dominican equals Caco. The diminutive of Casco is casquito (making it small head or helmet) and in Dominican it turn to Caquito. Ok, done with that) and Johan. I just like how they are sitting the same way, intensely watching the game.

Caquito, Johan and Kenny B

Ashley and Taylor. Did I tell y'all that Taylor came to visit Ash? It was SO fun and we were glad that she came down, even if it was too short!

Perla and Jody came with us

And Brenda and Wilson

Aaaand, of course, the actual game. Actual might be a loose term

Ohh and the half time show. Normally it's girls in teeny outfits dancing like they need a pole, or 7 year old kids dressed up like Daddy Yankee and rapping for the audience. Not this time, noooo. We got some guy with a beer belly in a small leopard skirt making fire and sticking safety pins in his lips. Awesome. And I got chosen to be the lucky assistant. Meaning, I got to pull the safety pins out of his mouth...there's nothing safe about that.

Basically it was super fun and we cannot wait to go back to another!

Cajuil Tree

2010-05-19T10:49:00.000-07:00

We showed up at school one morning, greeted by the most fabulous color of pink scattered across our yard. It's a Cajuil or Cashew nut tree (Scroll down on this website to see it, after cocoa).

The fruit in bloom

The lovely petals on the ground...love the color

The sight we had!

Ice Cream!

2010-05-18T14:28:00.000-07:00

Thursdays after school are reserved for hanging out with our kids in the villages or taking a few to do fun things. So a few weeks ago, Kenny, Ashley, Kim, Johan and I took Marileidi, Regina, and Nelisa to go get ice cream at La Sirena.

They were so excited the whole car way there and just talked about all the trucks and the sugar cane fields, etc.

We walked into La Sirena and Marileidi said, "Dios mio...dios mio". I guess she's never been to a supermarket and didn't really know what to do with such a huge store!

They each got a yogurt with fruit and fruit loops mixed in (or oreos, which is a better choice, in my opinion) and then we walked around the store.

They were just in awe of all the stuff to be found there. There was so much fruit, other stuff, shirts, shoes, chairs, coloring books! It was exciting and fun to witness!

BINGO!

2010-05-18T12:07:00.000-07:00

Our neighbor across the street, Gloria, has become our good friend. We spend lots of time sitting on her porch chatting about life and politics and laughing at each other. We found out that she loves to play Bingo with some other ladies every Sunday night. Obviously we had to check that out. And so we invited ourselves to play Bingo with her.

We walked a few blocks down from our apartment to the house of a family. I still don't know any of the names of the people that we met but let me tell you that they were a lively crowd!

This is Gloria. I just love her. She and about 10 other women take Bingo seriously!

Kenny, Rachel, Ashley and I went to play and loved it! Aaand Ashely won one game; 250 pesos!!

Gloria is so hardcore that she plays 4 Bingo cards at once and each card has 6 boards. Meaning, for all of you who don't like mental math, she plays on 24 Bingo cards at once!!

What a fun night! After the game, we stopped in front of a Karaoke bar to watch some guy serenade the audience with a terrible rendition of an already terrible song!

ANTS!!!! and other critters

2010-05-17T11:16:00.000-07:00

A couple of Fridays ago, Ashley, Kendall and I were sitting at home just hanging out. And then, de una vez, the entire world of insects decided to join us. Within about 10 minutes, Ashley killed a cockroach in the kitchen and, after cleaning it up, proceeded to walk to her room where she found a HUGE centipede. Seriously, it was big. So, being girls, we run out of the apartment and scream for Johan to come over. We scream with such panic that one of our other neighbors, Ada, comes running. We show him the intruder and before doing anything about it, he tells us how dangerous it is. Obvi, Ada, that's why you're here. He takes his time deciding if he wants to kill it with a broom or sweet it out with a mop (yes, that's what I mean) and then kill it in the carport. He picks the mop and, with the help of Kenny, sweeps it out to the carport were he violently smashes it to death. Afterward he says, "Oh, that wasn't a big deal. I mean, that's nothing. That was easy. No worries." Really? I thought you said it was dangerous. Anyway, back to the critters. Right after killing it outside, Kendall walked back into the apartment where a SPIDER is waiting for her. Seriously?? Haven't we had enough bugs? Nope, not yet. So she kills the spider and then sits on the couch to ponder the craziness of the last few minutes. As she sits on the couch, looking out the window, she notices that the wall is moving. The wall is moving? Ohhh....

an entire ant COLONY is MOVING across our WALL!

No joke. They are leaving here and moving to the other plug in the photo above. OH MY GOSH! Could we have anything else living in our apartment? Why yes, in fact, we could. But not this night. Here's a video of the ants on the wall:

I know that the video is grainy and slight blurry but you get the point. It was a LOT of ants. Kendall sprayed them all dead, or so we thought. Until the next afternoon when they decided to move the part of the colony that was already safely in the plug when we sprayed the night before. So yet again we had a huge line of ants walking along our wall. They died too, by the hand of Ashley.

Yep, that's our apartment. Full of life.

Go, Mavs!

2010-05-16T06:40:00.000-07:00

Kenny B loves the Mavs. She grew up loving them and is still a faithful fan! Therefore, she had to find some way to watch the games here in this country. Here's the thing: we don't have a TV. Our neighbors do and wouldn't mind letting us use it but it's not the best place to watch an intense game of basketball. So we went to a really classy (let's be honest, it was kind of a seedy bar but it plays sports on 5 different TVs, so we'll take it) bar in Cabarete to watch the game. It's nice to feel semi American sometimes. Watching sports on TV helps.

Ashley and Kenny B

GO MAVS! or Spurs, depending on your taste. Me dan igual.

Happy Birthday, Rachel!

2010-05-16T06:39:00.000-07:00

Rachel turned a year older a few weeks ago and we got to celebrate this with her! First thing we did was go to Lax for dinner:

Laura, Ashley, Kendall, and the birthday girl!

Lauren, Erika, and Jessi (who's having a baby at the end of October!!!)

The food was delish and who, besides me, doesn't like sitting at a table in the sand watching the ocean roll while celebrating a friend. A bit cheesy? But true.

The everyone came back to our apartment for wine and cake! Rachel and her son Jonathan blow out the candles. It was so fun!

Oh and I made the cake and the icing. It was a first! The entire time I was making it I was thinking about Megan Sandoz and hoping that she would be proud of me and my first home-baked cake :)

Happy Birthday, Rachel! We love you!

Rainy May

2010-05-14T08:04:00.000-07:00

The month of May brings lots of showers and thunderstorms. It's been pouring for the last few days with intermittent sun.

Our school yard has progressed from this to a full lake

The roads that aren't paved are now muddy.

But everything is being washed clean and made green again. And the air temperature is cooling off. I even got to wear sweatpants without using a fan last night! It's been lovely. What makes it even more lovely is the idea of the blazing hot summer that is coming in a matter of weeks. How I will miss the rain when that happens.

Our school has a tin roof. So when it pours it gets very loud! You can't really teacher when this happens because no one can hear you even at a yell.

Politics

2010-05-14T06:42:00.000-07:00

It's almost over!! On May 16th the country will vote, each city for itself, for the senators, mayor, etc. And we could not be more excited for the campaigning to come to an end.

For the past 6 months, trucks with monster speaks have been roaming the streets playing, quite loudly, popular songs with candidates' names added in.

And then they will parade around for their specific party (PLD, PRD, White, Purple, Red, etc) and block roads or cause massive traffic jams.

But it's all coming to an end, gracias a Dios. Even the Dominicans are sick of it. I cannot wait for MonteLlano to go back to being a quieter place!

A Wedding

2010-05-12T05:53:00.000-07:00

The first thing that Laura did when she arrived was change clothes and head to a wedding in Los Algodones. 8 people were getting married! It's the biggest wedding that I have ever been to; also probably the longest which is why we left after an hour (it hadn't actually started yet).

Preaching, singing and praying before the actual ceremony began

Then the choir was up, including the lovely Odilsia! Close up below. Oh and someone else was at the wedding.....

CRISTINA!!!! And she also looked lovely! Seriously, that color blue is perfect for her!

Oh how I love this two ladies. They are pictures of joy, grace, beauty, love and light. How I miss Cristina at the school everyday.

It was a lovely (quick, for us) celebration in a language that neither of us understood. Fun Saturday!

A trip to Play Grande

2010-05-11T06:37:00.000-07:00

Laura and Jody flying a kite

The staff took a day to be together and hang out. It was decided (I only say that because you all know that I wouldn't have come to this decision) that we would spend the day at a beach. It's about an hour and a half away from MonteLlano and Juan, our faithful guagua driver, took us. It was a beautiful beach and a perfect day. Not too hot, a lovely breeze, with plenty of shade for me and plenty of sun for those who want skin cancer. Just kidding.

Also, the day before, my sweet friend Laura Ingram came to visit for a week!!! I was more than wonderful to have her here! We did a lot of fun things and spent quite a bit of time doing nothing (thanks to the gripe for attacking me again). I just LOVED having Laura visiting!

The River

2010-05-11T04:37:00.000-07:00

Over Semana Santa we took a trip to the river! Most Dominicans LOVE the river. And it's tradition that you make sancocho at the river. So we found a little spot next to another group of people and started cooking. Some other people show up with a HUGE sound system in the car and we spent the afternoon listening to music, swimming and eating. It was perfect!

Jody, Jefferson, Rubia and Wilson waiting for the food to be ready

Rubia was the official cook. So she slaved away while the rest of us relaxed.

OH aaaand Ashley's best friend Abbi came to visit! This is the only picture I have of her visit but it was wonderful to have her here!!

Negrita's Flat

2010-05-08T04:23:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, leaving Charlie and Kim's apartment, Negrita (Ashley and Cara's car) had a flat. Thankfully Chris and Erika were also just leaving and Chris was able to change the tire. Holly and I had nothing to do and so we took some pictures of Chris changing the tire with his head lamp.This post has no other purpose than to show the photos (and they're pretty terrible photos at that) I know, you can't even really tell what they are of but I kind of liked them!

And there you go, my pointless post!

Perseverance

2010-05-06T16:51:00.000-07:00

Can you tell what this is? I know, it's hard to see, so let me explain. It's a tree growing on a rock. Anna and I took a 'hike' through the greenbelt behind her house after the snow in February and we saw this tree....growing on a rock. I decided to name it Perseverance. It's cheesy, I know, but the imagery (or whatever that literary term is) speaks to me.

Life can be super hard here; living in another culture and bad students (or, shall we say, students who make poor decisions...) and cows/chickens/dogs/cats/people waking me up at night, and the general exhaustion that life brings to everyone, etc. And there are times when I just want to crawl under my bed and hide from the world (and, let's be honest, there are days when I probably should do that for the sake of everyone else around me). But God has not called me to shy away from tough situations. He has not called me to live in the DR to have a perfect/easy life. He has called me to walk where He leads. And that road is not always fun or easy. But He says that I must persevere, I must push onward, forward, even when the spot under my bed is looking nice.

And so I asked Anna to take a picture of this tree to remind me. This tree doesn't have it easy. He didn't just lay down some roots in soft ground, full of water and loveliness. He laid his roots down on a rock. And if he's going to survive he must persevere. He must push through. I want to learn to fight as hard as that tree. I want to learn perseverance.

Semana Santa in the Capital!

2010-05-06T10:25:00.000-07:00

For Semana Santa (our Spring Break, during the week between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday) I took a short trip with my friend Dido to meet her whole family. They live outside of the capital which is where...

Cristina lives! YES, I got to spend 30 wonderful minutes catching up with Cristina. I know that I look strange in the photo but it was super mama hot and the bus station was jam packed! But I got to see and hug Cristina!

I went for 4 days and stayed in Dido's parents house. But they live next to so many of their family that I pretty much lived with them all. It was wonderful and they were utterly hospitable. I ate so much (because you can't refuse) and didn't lift a finger to help (because they won't let you). I met a ton of people.

These are Dido's parents, Cristina and Juan. Every night Juan and I would watch a televised mass from the Catholic church in the next town over. It was one of my favorite parts of the trip. We sat in rocking chairs, peeling beans for the next day's lunch, watching mass.

This is most of the family that lives around her parents' house. Dido is the woman holding a baby on the very left.

Dido's youngest brother wasn't going to be able to be in the family photo so we had a little shoot the night before. Dido's in white and her youngest daughter is in pink in the front making the monkey face. She's one of our students.

One of her sisters, Chave, lives about a 20 minute bus ride away and so we spent a day lounging around her house.

This is Dido's parents' house. They love planting and growing flowers. Their entire yard is covered. Isn't it lovely?

This is one of her sisters' house just across the yard from her parents' house.

And this is the door to the back yard. There is a huge tamarind tree that provides shade all day. We just pulled chairs out underneath the tree and chatted.

It was a perfectly fun and relaxing trip! Mil gracias, Dido!

A Blood Transfusion

2010-05-05T09:26:00.000-07:00

Over a month ago (I know, I'm behind on blogs) one of my favorites in Chichigua, Wilner, needed a blood transfusion before he could get on some much needed medicine. Here's the story of the transfusion:

Holly, Wilner and I all got blood drawn to see if Holly and I matched his so that we could give him our blood. Alas, we couldn't. BUT Holly did have a lovely friend come down to visit who did have his type of blood and she was willing to donate! So, the hospital sucked the blood out of her (seriously, fastest I've seen anyone have blood taken out of them) and we were ready for the transfusion.

BUUUUT nothing goes as easily as it should here, so we ran into a few problems. The major one was that we had the blood drawn in one hospital (we were advised to have it done there and so we thought that we would have the transfusion there as well) but the transfusion was to take place at a hospital a few blocks away. "So what do we do about the blood that's at the other hospital?" "You go get it." Wait, really? You want us to walk into a hospital, ask for the bag of blood that was given by that gringa a few days ago and expect that they will??? Well, they did. And Lauren and I walked out of the hospital carrying the bag of blood in a lunch bags. We walked into the other hospital with the blood and they took it for the transfusion. Seriously?

And then it was time for all the sticking to begin. It took 5 TIMES for them to get the IV in. Wilner is only 3 years old, meaning that he was TERRIFIED! And in between the 5 different tries to get the IV in, there was a stick to draw some blood. 6 TIMES IN ONE DAY!! Which brings the grand total to about 15 sticks in 3 weeks (trying to test blood and mix blood, etc). This poor child should run away from me the next time I come walking up. And yet I just saw him today and he had a huge smile on his face and give me a big hug. I just love him!

Back to the story. He gets a bag of fluids before the blood. By this time we have been at the hospital for 6 hours. He's such a trooper! He finally falls asleep while receiving blood and has a good hour nap or so. Then he wakes up grouchy and hungry. Lovely. And then about half an hour later he starts getting really itchy and we notice welts breaking out all over his body. NURSE!? He has an allergic reaction to something (either the blood or the anticoagulant ). Gracias a Dios, the doctor says that he's taken in enough blood and won't need any more!

So they put him on fluids and kept him in the hospital for a while longer to make sure that his reaction didn't get any worse. Again, mèsi Bondye, he was fine and we were cleared to leave. The leaving process was supposed to take a while (going to get the receipt and then going to another place to pay and then showing the nurse that we paid and then having her remove the IV) except that the doctor apparently told the receptionist that we didn't have to pay. ANYTHING! We were in the hospital for 9 hours...FREE! Thank you, Jesus! Amazing!

Obviously we had to treat him to something after behaving so well for so long. So we walked down the street and got him some soft serve at the grocery store. He was so happy and fell fast asleep a few minutes later on the drive home.

Another thing to check off on my list of things done here: watching a blood transfusion!

Anna and Missy

2010-04-24T09:12:00.000-07:00

Back in February Anna came to help with some of the relief efforts after the earthquake in Haiti. The group flew in and out of Santiago, DR, meaning that I got to see her! On the tail end of her trip, I met up with Anna and her best friend, Missy. Go see what Missy and her husband Dave are doing with Seed Effect! It's an amazing work!

It was so good to see them. I cannot tell you how much I love getting to see good friends in this country!

Quack

2010-04-23T17:00:00.001-07:00

The other day we look out on our patio and see:

ducks? What are they doing there? Who knows. Welcome to MonteLlano!

An afternoon in Chichigua

2010-04-23T17:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday most of the Mak staff went to Chichigua to hang out for the afternoon. Here's what most of the time consisted of:

Watching Chris and Kendall play pool with Dido and Ronal (whose birthday it was! He turned 16)!

I love Chichigua!

A weekend in Santiago

2010-04-23T09:39:00.000-07:00

The other weekend Ashley, Holly and I went to Santiago for 2 purposes:
1) to see movies (seriously)
2) to see Crystal

The movie theater in Puerto Plata was closed for remodeling but now seems to be closed for good. Sad day. Anyway, 2 movies that we really have been wanting to see where out and we hadn't see Crystal in a while. Perf!

The first night we saw Dear John. Holly, Crystal and I balled our eyes out. I probably would have been reduced to sobs had I not been in a public place. Also (can I say this on a blog) Channing is quite good looking...especially without his shirt on!

Saturday afternoon Jessi came up to Santiago (for 2 purposes: 1) to eat Taco Bell 2) to see a movie) and we saw Valentine's Day. We have been so excited for this movie to make it here! We liked it!

Basically we spent 2 days watching movies, eating, eating popcorn, eating, and hanging out with Crystal! Thanks for hosting us, Teacher Crystal!

Isn't he presh?

2010-04-13T10:18:00.000-07:00

Neifi and Wilner sitting in front of the pharmacy. Gosh, he brings a smile to my heart!

Semana Santa Braids

2010-04-13T09:50:00.000-07:00

We on the north shore have noticed a great tradition: getting braids during Samana Santa. Samana Santa is the week between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday and it's when the DR gets their version of "Spring Break". Our girls come back with all sort of fun colors and beads. Here are some pictures:

Mercedes with her braids

Lisela got some fun colored beads along with braids

Benllina had fun corn-row/braids with beads

Marileidi, without a doubt, wins for the most fun/long/colorful braids. Last year she came back with more yellow braids than orange. This year she did not disappoint. Her mom also has some fun colors.

And Wildania also showed up with some longer hair

So fun!

My Weekend!

2010-02-15T22:45:00.000-08:00

We live quite an exciting life here on the north shore of the DR. I mean, sometimes we really do. But there are times when our lives are just kind of....normal. I mean, really normal.

For example, Friday night we hit the town! And by that I mean we went to La Sirena, bought groceries, ate frozen yogurt and went home. Kenny and I then watched Harry Potter 6 (she's been reading through all the books and just finished 6). After that I finished reading Breaking Dawn at around 2am. Yep, it's a really exciting life I have down here!

(Cara Jane, Crystal and Holly)
But then there are times when life really is exciting! Saturday was Crystal's birthday and she wanted all of her friends to go to her favorite beach, Playa Ensenada. It was 2 hour drive there from Puerto Plata. Once there we just laid around, reading, eating, and chatting. It was so much fun and such a beautiful beach. The drive back was even more fun because Negrita (Ashley and Cara's car) overheated and we took the wrong road back. It was about 3 or 4 hours. Happy Birthday, Teacher Crystal! We love you!!

See you later, Cristina!

2010-02-15T10:10:00.001-08:00

Sad but true. Cristina, the backbone of our school, has recently moved to the capital (Santo Domingo) with her husband and family. We are going to miss her terribly. We are going to miss her strength, beauty, knowledge, faith and calm, gentle spirit. The school will not be the same without her. She was always there to translate (whether from Creole to Spanish or Dominican Spanish to something that I could understand). She was always there to pray for us. She was the voice of wisdom in so many cases. I suppose, in truth, that all that she is and means to us cannot be comprehended in words. A Dios sea la gloria. Te extrañamos.

The going away party for her.

With lots of delicious food.

Lots of smiles.

and lots of tears.

¡Cuídate, amgia!

Ronal and Luis

2010-02-15T08:30:00.000-08:00

Ronal had surgery a few months ago and has been recovering well! Last week Charlie and I took him to his final check up and the doctor gave the thumbs-ups! To be honest, I think the only reason he has put up with going to so many appointments is what comes after we leave the doctor's office....

BURGER KING! He loves him a good burger, fries, and milk shake combo!

Sweet kid! He's going to miss his favorite fast food now that he's not going back to visit Dr. Lagrange.

Aaaand, our kids are loosing teeth left and right! On Thursday, Luis Fernando pulled out 2 of his own teeth! Brave kid, wouldn't you say? He walked up to me and said, "Rubi, my tooth is loose. It's ready to come out." Excellent. Well, buddy, I don't pull teeth so you're going to have to figure this one out on your own. And he did. Twice.

Here he is with Johan after pulling the first one.

According to American culture, you put the tooth under your pillow. Johan thought that the tooth should be thrown under the bed. But Luis Fernando thought that the tooth should be thrown on the roof.

And so it was! After throwing that tooth you have to say a prayer for the next tooth to fall out. Apparently the prayer worked for this little guy and within a few hours a new hole had been made in his mouth. Way to go, Luis!

¡Feliz Día de San Valentín!

2010-02-15T07:51:00.000-08:00

Profe Ashely's class had a fun little Valentine's Day party on Friday. It's not as big of a deal here as in the States but everyone knows what it is and you can find pink and red clothes all over the stores. Here are a few pictures:

Ashley made fun little gift bags that included pink Dinos (kind of like Oreo's)!

The kids worked on a making Valentine's Day cards.

They all made 2 cards. One for a staff member at the school and one for someone in their family!

And the most fun surprise is that Cara came to school and read them a Dora book! They love seeing Cara!

Happy Valentine's Day from Colegio Makarios!

2nd Trip to Jimaní

2010-01-29T05:27:00.000-08:00

Last Wednesday morning the Snapps and I loaded up with another team to make the drive back to Jimaní. Andy and Lauren Upton are the newest addition to our Makarios family and they moved down here Tuesday afternoon. She's a PA which means that she was perfect for our trip! Also Nurse Laura and Darren, from the October/November medical team, came down, ready to serve in whatever capacity they could. Here are some pictures from our trip:

The group (back to front, left to right)
Chris, Darren, Andy
Erika, Robin, Nurse Laura, Lauren

Darren, Laura and Lauren had all brought supplies from the States and we bought $500 worth of medical supplies. We loaded up the guagua (van) and started the 9 hour drive.

We arrived at the public hospital that our team went to the first time. It took us a while to figure out with whom we needed coordinate but we talked to the right people and delivered some of our supplies. They weren't sure if they needed us that day, so we decided to find a hotel and get some dinner.

After a not so great night of sleep and no plan of what we were going to be doing that day, we loaded all our stuff back in the guagua and drove, looking for an orphanage where we might be useful. We just kept praying that the Lord would direct us to where we were supposed to serve.

And just when we were considering turning around we found what we were meant to do in a make-shift hospital in the middle of nowhere. They said that they needed with medical stuff, translating and having runners. We all had a job and a specific need to fill. Thank you, Jesus, for directing us!

This was the building where the OR was. They were doing more amputations than they wanted too but in the area we were in, it was better than trying to battle the serious infections that were showing up.

The directed us (Darren, a PA; Nurse Laura, a nurse, obviously; Lauren, a PA; and myself, translator) to the hospital. We all quickly fell into our specific places. Nurse Laura was in the ER ward, helping our newly arrived patients and taking care of those in the most critical need. Darren was in ward D taking care of patients and sort of directing his ward. Lauren was a pharmacist, passing out medicine and organizing the medical supply room. I was sent to ward A to find a doctor in need of translation. I met up with Dr. Jeff Day (from Texas!) and his assistant Tim. They were doing pediatrics in wards A and B. Let's get something straight here, I don't really speak Creole and most of the patients didn't speak Spanish. I would say things like, "He look you now. You hurt? Where? When cleaned you last?" And you know what? In spite of the laughter I got from many people, they got what I was saying! Or I would ask who in the room spoke Spanish and have them translate.

Here are 2 sweet boys I got to know. Luisano (on the left) has his right arm amputated at the shoulder; his brother, Mobobaly, had 3 profound wounds on his right leg. They were all smiles!

Through out the day ambulances would come from the main building to take and bring patients from the OR. There was a constant moving of people to get minor or major procedures done.

This is the view looking from ward B. Ward A is on top, ward C is on the bottom. In the background you can see the OR area. The yellow school bus was used to take patients who didn't have as severe of injuries to a places across the border (Fonds Parisiens) where the UN was setting up a outside medical center.

I did something that I never thought I would do: cast a broken bone. The look on my face is: oh man, I hope the bone doesn't move or make any noises. I helped Dr. Ed put on the first layer and then I got to put on the second layer. It was pretty awesome!

Here's Chris being useful. Seriously, though, he had the VERY important job of protecting the crutches. Apparently when he was bringing them down from the OR area people were running after him, trying to take them out of his hands. And so he was told to leave them in the bus and guard the bus. It might not look much like work, but, trust me, it was!

Erika had the job of holding this precious kid for about half an hour while all the doctors consulted to see if he was ok to go back into Haiti. She just fell in love with him while he slept the day away.

Here they are loading up the bus to go to Fonds Parisiens. There were quite a few people who were ready to go back to Haiti but there were plenty who didn't want to leave yet.

After almost an 11 hour day, we were all hungry and ready for a good night of sleep. We stopped at a restaurant and then found our hotel.

The next morning we were ready for the day! We felt like we knew what was going on and where we fit in.

As you can see, there were still vans and ambulances going back and forth between the 2 buildings and bringing new people in from Haiti. It was amazing how many injured there were and they just kept coming.

Again on this day a bus took people to Fonds Parisiens.

We all worked quite hard this day. I was feeling more confident in my Creole ability, though people still laughed at me. My thoughts are people laughing at my Creole are the following: if I can make a whole room of people suffering from pretty bad injuries and infections just because I have no Creole skills, I accept! At least they are laughing and getting relief, even if just for a moment, from laying in a bed in a room full of pain.

We were just about to leave around 7PM when the strangest thing happened. All of the sudden, there was yelling and mass chaos. Within 5 minutes the parking lot went from looking like this:

to looking like this:

There had been an aftershock of 4.4. Hardly any of us felt it but they sure did. And they were out of there. It was heartbreaking to see the fear they have. One guy jumped off the 2nd story balcony and broke his back. They were terrified. I would have been, too.

At one point, while we are trying to figure out how to bring some order to the mass of beds and people outside, a Haitian guy comes up and starts telling us, "You just don't understand. You're not Haitian. We feel these earthquakes, even if you don't." It took a few minutes for us to convince him that none of us were made, upset or anything like it. We understood their fear. We have no choice but to understand what they have been through and that this is a completely normal reaction. I finally, in my broken Creole said, "We are not mad. We are not mad. We do not have a problem (with this)."

We then tried to arrange beds somewhat into lines so that the night shift could go back and check all of the patients again to see if they suffered any from the mass exodus. We also tried to identify in which ward all of the patients had been. Most had brought their charts out and could tell us where they had been. We stayed there until 9 or so, until the night crew felt that they could handle the rest. We left sad to say goodbye, sad to see the fear they now live with, exhausted but overjoyed that the Lord had given us 2 days to help.

Home we go! After arriving at a hotel in Barahona at 2AM, we slept for until about 9AM and left for home. We were all exhausted. And yet wishing that we didn't have to leave so soon. Hopefully we'll be able to go back sometime in the near future to continue helping out there.

Thank you for all of the support you have sent in to Makarios. We could not have made this trip without it! Thank you for allowing us to go and allowing us to buy supplies to help in a time of need.

Nurse Laura's Blog

The Trip to Jimani

2010-01-19T10:07:00.000-08:00

Jimani is a town on the Domincan side of the border. Chris, Erika, Cara Jane, Rachel and myself took a trip there with supplies over the weekend. Here are pictures and the story:

Holly and I spent all of Friday running around trying to plan things, get medical supplies, etc. It was a long day in the car and on our phones. But things fell together well and Saturday morning we were ready to leave.

Cara Jane and I went to PriceSmart Friday night to get more water and some food to take to the hospital.

These are all of the supplies that we loaded up into 2 trucks. We had bottled water, food and medicine.

At 6am on Saturday morning we began to load up the trucks. Holly, Kim and Charlie woke up early to help us load up. It took awhile to get everything in a situated.

Here's the Mak truck full of stuff, minus a little nook for me to sit in!

Rachel's truck was completely full inside. The beds were full of the water and other things that could get wet. We put a tarp over the beds but we still didn't want to risk getting the medicine wet.

Around 7:20 we pulled out of the apartment complex to begin our 8+ hour journey to the border. This was my view of Chris and Erika.

And here's our bed with Rachel's truck following us.

About half an hour into the journey we had to stop to fix the tarps. We were glad that we had them because of how wet it was.

Once we were nearing the capital the sun came out and the driving was better. We were kind of worried about finding the correct highway to turn off of to avoid driving in the capital. But God provided us a guide in a random Dominican who happened to be stopped next to us at a traffic light. He showed us where to turn off, driving several miles out of his way. And we made it easily around the capital and on our way west.

We stopped to fill up on a gas and Rachel's car needed coolant and some air in the tires. The cap of one of her tires wouldn't come off so we stopped at a tire shop to get it fixed. Once that was done, we were on our way to the border.

We all saw much of the island that we had never seen before. It was beautiful! We drove through some mountains...

And saw the lovely and blue Caribbean Sea!

Yet again we were nervous about finding the next turn off that would take us to the border and yet again God provided a guide. This man was taking supplies into Haiti and would going through Jimani. He showed us the way. Again, thank you, Jesus!!

We finally, 9 hours later, made it to the hospital to drop off our supplies. It was very disorganized. We easily found where to put the water and the milk. Finding a place to put the medicine was a little more difficult. We didn't want to just to leave supplies in boxes in a room full of stuff where no one would find them.

So we unloaded what we could and saved the rest of later.

I only took a few photos inside because I just wasn't ready to bust out my camera and invade people's very limited privacy just to show other people what suffering looks like. Sorry, I just couldn't do it. Here's a picture of Cara Jane passing out food to the injured and their families.

And here's Rachel trying to do the same.

The scene inside is just what you thought it would be. People laying on mats everywhere. Bandages soaked through with blood and pus. Nurses and doctors running around everywhere. There were lots of people asking us to change IV bags or bandage their wounds or find a doctor to help them. The nurses looked tired. We tried, with our very limited knowledge of Haitian Creole to talk to people. But all I can really say is, "Do you want food?". The rest of my Creole knowledge is conversational and I didn't think that they really wanted to chat.

After a few hours we were able to talk to the nurses and they asked us to bring out medical supplies directly to them. They searched through everything and picked out what they needed then and put the to side to use later.

Chris and I helped them unload and asked what to bring for the next time. We got a list and then got ready to leave. We still didn't have a place to sleep for the night and we weren't sure how close the first hotel would be.

Chris loaded up the boxes and we drove for 2 hours to Barahona. We found a hotel around 10pm and finally fell asleep, tired from the early morning and the long day of driving and yet somehow saddened that we were complaining about being uncomfortable for one day when the people we left at the hospital had been uncomfortable for 5 days and were likely to be there some time.

The next morning we woke up and went shopping at a grocery store in Barahona to take back to the hospital. We had a much better idea of what to take the second time. Diapers, feminine products, baby food, etc. We had taken granola bars but realized that for some of the patients it was too hard for them to open the bars and they couldn't chew anything that hard because of bruises, etc. So we got some Fig Newtons and other softer things to eat.

I know that it doesn't look that red, but trust me it was! Also, on another note, Chris ended up driving for about 24 hours over a 3 day period.

We got supplies at the pharmacy that the nurses specifically asked for (plaster for casts, IV solutions, antibiotic medicines, etc).

And then we checked out. We kept adding food and other things because we had more money. It was seriously like the story of the loaves and fishes in the Bible. Nothing seemed to cost a lot and so we were able to buy more and more. Thank you, Jesus!

We loaded up what we had bought at the grocery store and what Cara Jane and Rachel had bought at some other stores (they bought baby bottles, baby clothes, etc).

This is from the last pharmacy that we stopped at. We bought more solutions and antibiotic cream. Actually, you bought solutions and antibiotics. It's because of your donations that we were able to do any of this!

The border. It's about 10 minutes from the hospital and we wanted to see it. This is what it looks like. There were no lines, no hordes of people. The gas station closest to the border was packed with cars waiting to fill up. But other then that, it was tranquilo.

Clearly this is a reenactment of what happened, but it looked something like this. On our way back to Barahona we all had people we needed to call to update or we had people call us for an update. Therefore, all of us (excluding Chris) we talking on our phones at the same time. It drove Chris a little crazy.

One last stop before we travel the last 3 hours home. Rachel's car decided that it didn't want to work, once again, but we (meaning Rachel and Chris while the rest watched) got it working and we hit the road.

We arrived at Holly's and Sharla's apartment around 1:30am.

Thank you (those words don't even convey the depth of our appreciation) to everyone who donated money or supplies. Thank you to those who prayed for us and for those we got to meet. Keep praying. There is so much left to do over the next months/years.

Click to read Rachel's blog

Click to read The Snapp's blog

Click to read Cara Jane's blog

Where have I been??

2010-01-08T14:04:00.000-08:00

It has been over 6 weeks since I last posted! I'm so sorry. I'll have to update you on life slowly. I don't have a ton of pictures but I'll post a few. Enjoy:

First things first: MY MAMA CAME TO VISIT!!!! Annnd I don't have any pictures with her. But she was here! And it was great! I loved having her visit!! It was a great Thanksgiving having my mama here!

Then we went to Jarabacoa, a mountain town outside of Santiago. I loved hanging out with the staff outside of our normal Puerto Plata/MonteLlano area.

While in Jarabacoa I got to go horse back riding with the Megilligan Family! Jakob and Isaak LOVED it! Sharla and I liked it. We've been on more healthy horses before. But it wasn't about us, therefore it was perfect!

The newest addition to one of my favorite families arrived in early December. Meet Ryner Daniel! Dido, mom of Ronni and Rachel (and a few others) gave birth to her youngest baby boy. He's presh!

Here's another one of Wilner...I just love him!!

We took the kids to the park for the first day of our Christmas party! They loved it!

And then we had a cookie party. Can you tell that they LOVED the decorated cookies?

Then I was at home in the States for 2 weeks. Too many people seen/things done to write about. I'll just say that I loved it! The only thing that I took pictures of was.....KATY'S WEDDING!!! Our sweet Profe Katy (intern for 6 months last spring semester) married Dave!! It was beautiful!!

The Boons came!!!!!!! Oh how I miss and love them. It was WONDERFUL to get to see them!!!!

Aaaaaand I got to see Cara Jane!!! She's been in the States for almost 2 months. We missed her! But she came back yesterday, gracias a Dios!

You can barely see Katy (the one in white...) dancing with Dave while Anne and Garrett dance next to them.

Ok, now you are all sort of caught up on my last 6 weeks. I'm going to try to be better at updating in the future!

First Days of School

2010-01-08T13:04:00.000-08:00

We started school on Thursday and we had 15 student show up. It rained all day, making it impossible for Odilsia to make it to the school. Because of that we had a half day. Friday was much the same. It didn't rain but it looked very threatening. We had 16 kids and Odilsia made it in, but we still had a half day. We are so excited to be back! We have missed our kids and, by the hugs we've gotten, I think they missed us too! Here are some pictures:

Odilsia waiting for the kids to show up. Notice the sweater and hat? The rain has brought cooler temperatures and we are so thankful for it!

Our first two showed up around 8:45, Neifi and Regina

We sang under the cover of the patio. Check out the video on the facebook page for a short video of them singing.

We decided that with 16 kids it's much more fun to combine classes! So we had them all in Profe Ashley's room and they loved it! They got to sit anywhere, with anyone and chat and laugh and play.

After reading about Jesus' birth, we acted out a drama. Neifi, as you can see, is a very pregnant Maria.

Ambiolix and Neifi (Joseph and Maria) and their donkeys (Gustavo and Wilidania) walked to Bethlehem.

They knocked on the door and were told that there was no room. It was cute!

Then Johan read them a story. They love it when Johan reads to them!

Then, to end the day, they got to color while we watched Planet Earth's Mountains.

It was a slow beginning to our second semester but it's nice to ease into work. Monday we're hoping to have the majority of our kids back. We've missed them and can't wait to give them big hugs!

Horseback riding!

2009-11-23T20:32:00.000-08:00

Anne and I love horses! So we decided to go horseback riding before she left. There's a stable not far from the Mak house and the owner gave us a discount. So away we went! It was so much fun. Possibly the most fun I've had! The horses were well trained and because Anne and I are "experienced" riders, we got to do some running! Oh man, the feeling of running on a horse!! Of course, my legs were jello for the next few days because I haven't ridden a horse in a long time. Here are some pictures:

Anne with Simba. He has one blue eye and one black eye

This is my horse, Felipe.

Jungle riding! Just kidding, we were in the sugarcane fields.

We had a break and ate the most delicious fried plantains and fried sweet potato ever!! Oh my, it was so good.

Photo-op!

In conclusion, I'll leave you with this: Anne decided that I look like a ballerina when I ride (English training) and I decided that she looks like a cowboy (all those years at the rodeo, roping cattle!!). Thanks, Anne Laverty, for a wonderful afternoon!

Monday Night: See you later, Boons!

2009-11-23T08:09:00.000-08:00

Monday night we had our going away party for Anne and Garrett. There was DELICIOUS food, a slideshow of photos from their time here and a many questions asked (a funny memory, scripture about your time here, something you'll miss, something you won't miss, etc)! It was a wonderful night with laughter and tears. Here are some pictures:

It's true! We do love the Boons. And we miss them terribly!

Lots of friends were there to celebrate Garrett's and Anne's time with us! Sorry we didn't take a picture with the guys!
(L-R) Back Row: Holly, Lauren, Anne, Kendall, Emily, Ashley, Erika
Front Row: Robin, Kim, Cara

Big D, the chef himself! Oh my goodness, his food is amazing. He has a restaurant on the beach in Sosua (Big D's BBQ) and he also does catering. There is a picture of the salad below. What I didn't get pictures of was: the guacamole with homemade tortilla chips, the beer chicken, the ribs, the potato salad, sliders and a few other mouth-watering things!

Anne and Holly

Anne and Lauren

Ahh, yes, the salad! We had leftovers for a week!

We love you, Garrett and Anne!! A whole whole whole lot. And we miss you!!

Our Cute Kids!

2009-11-23T06:28:00.000-08:00

A few of our students:

I love how short Elijio looks between Memo and Anidelis

Antony and Leury put chalk on their faces

Marta la Loca

Alturo drawing

Wilson making a creation

Wildania and Yunairi

Leury eating his breakfast; he really enjoys it!

Antony showing Profe Lauren that he ate his vitamin!

To the PARK!!

2009-11-19T10:29:00.000-08:00

Last week we piled (seriously!) all the kids into the Mak truck and took them to a park in MonteLlano. Here are a few (or a lot) of photos of the trip:

Piled in with Profe Lorena

In the back of the truck with Johan

Racing up the stairs to the slide!

Bienvenido sliding down

Marileidi, Gustavo and Davidson

Ambiolix

Profe Ashley and Anne spinning the kids around

The kids spinning themselves

Wili and David pushing Nicol Cristal and others

Profe Cristina

Ariela and Wilsenci

Such determination

Yuneci sliding

Again Wilsenci with a look of determination

Gustavo with Escarlet

Leury with the See-Saw

Bianca Nicol

Lisela

Antony

Carlos Alfredo

Ariela and Nicol Cristal

Ana Wendy

Yunairi

Ambiolix

They had such a great time that we're thinking about making it a regular event at Colegio Makarios!

Monday Morning

2009-11-12T19:16:00.000-08:00

Monday morning we all woke up very early (5:30, to be exact) in order to worship as the sun came up. The ideal plan was to drive up to the top of Mt. Isabela and sing from there. But God has a different plan and sent the rain to keep us inside. It was a lovely time of singing hymns and contemporary Christian songs. Here's a short video:

After praise and worship we watched the Lion King, ate pancakes (compliments of the guys)...

...and played a few rounds of Bananagrams. All before 10Am! It did make for a longer day, by the time evening came, but it was worth it!

Sunday

2009-11-12T18:54:00.000-08:00

Sunday was a wonderful day of rest and community. We went to church in the morning for Anne and Garrett's last Sunday at Templo Bíblico. Then out to Maimon to eat delicious fish. La Sirena for frozen yogurt. Played Bananagrams (soo fun!) and watched a few episodes of 24 Season 4! Such a great day! Here are the girls at La Sirena:

Anne, myself, Erika, Emily, Lauren, Kim