We had Thanksgiving at the Trautwein's (a missionary family here) house in Jarabacoa. A team came down from California and prepared all the Kids Alive staff a huge Thanksgiving dinner! And Anne Marie was here :)
Friday, December 5, 2008
giving thanks
We had Thanksgiving at the Trautwein's (a missionary family here) house in Jarabacoa. A team came down from California and prepared all the Kids Alive staff a huge Thanksgiving dinner! And Anne Marie was here :)
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Pictures
me, manuzca, & estefani
manuzquita (showing off her teeth)
after several days of rain, this is what happens in montellano
cutest two year old i know- jonathan, rachel's babyMonday, December 1, 2008
Manuzca
If I could adopt one child from the village, it would be Manuzca. I don't have a picture to show you. Hopefully, I will get one soon. Manuzca is Carlitos' youngest sister. She is funny and quirky. Manuzca is either 4 or 5. I can't be sure and neither can she. She speaks Creole much better than Spanish. Manuzca will sing and dance on command. Her favorite song is "La cucaracha." When she sings it she swings her tiny hips side to side and always end the song with a solid CHA-CHA-CHA. Manuzca loves devotions mainly because she gets to sing songs and clap her hands a lot.
Manuzca will also act surprised and raise her eyebrows if you tickle her suddenly. The funny part is that she will act surprised over and over again during the same tickle attack. Manuzca is also the only little kid at school that can say my name correctly. I was shocked that she even remembered my name, but she said it perfectly (most of the kids say Yorya or Jorda and sometimes I am even called Juian.)
I love all of these things about little Manuzca, but my favorite thing about Manuzca is that she is always happy. She walks around the playground smiling. Sometimes she just stares into space with the most contented expression on her little face. I often wonder what she is thinking or dreaming about....
I love this little girl so much!
Manuzca will also act surprised and raise her eyebrows if you tickle her suddenly. The funny part is that she will act surprised over and over again during the same tickle attack. Manuzca is also the only little kid at school that can say my name correctly. I was shocked that she even remembered my name, but she said it perfectly (most of the kids say Yorya or Jorda and sometimes I am even called Juian.)
I love all of these things about little Manuzca, but my favorite thing about Manuzca is that she is always happy. She walks around the playground smiling. Sometimes she just stares into space with the most contented expression on her little face. I often wonder what she is thinking or dreaming about....
I love this little girl so much!
"Think of every day as a Sunday"
Sunday was a perfect day. The sky was a beautiful clear blue. The cane fields were blooming (I didn't know it either, but sugar cane does actually bloom) their golden "flores de la cana." There was no trace of any rain clouds and the temperature was just right.
I mustered up the courage to take a moto by myself out to the village to go to the Creole speaking church. A lot of our kids attend church there. I missed Thursday because of Thanksgiving, so I was missing the kids. I sat with Ramona. Romona didn't like me for a long time, but she has finally come around. She whispered to me in church, "¿Quieres ir al acueducto, Georgia?" I had talked to Ramona several days before about hiking up to the aqueduct high up on the cane fields above the village. I hadn't really planned on doing any hiking that day as I was dressed in a skirt and sandals, but I coulnd't say no.
So, after church Ramona and I started up the hill. We picked up Yermena (one of my 6th graders,) her brother Jorje and Pamela (a headstrong 8th grader that still scares me sometimes.) We hiked high into the cane fields and explored the aqueduct and passed by a fancy house where a Cuban family lives (according to my kids.) Once we had done that, I was ready to head back to the village. It was getting hot and I was hungry and thirsty. The girls wanted to walk all the way back to the highway and then to Montellano and back to the village. Essentially, we would be making a huge loop. I agreed.
Forunately, an elderly Canadian man offered us a ride to the highway. I hopped in the cab with him and my four little buddies jumped in the back. The Canadian man, Leonard Murphy, owns a farm and he and his wife spend 6 months per year in the Dominican. Leonard was nice enough to take us all the way to Montellano.
When we arrived at my house, I gave the Pamela 50 pesos and told her to buy water for everyone. I went into my house to get some more money to pick up some lunch for us. When I got back, the kids had purchased one sprite and a bag a chips. I was a little miffed that they didn't listen, but what can you do? I took them to get a tostada and water in a bag and walked them part of the way back towards the village.
It was a fun little adventure, but the best part happened today. Pamela, Jermena and Ramona were really excited to see me at school. I feel like I am starting to build relationships with these young girls. I am so excited about getting to know them better! A few teenage girls that usually don't pay much attention to me asked me today when I was planning to go hiking again. They asked me to come and find them next time :) I can't wait until Sunday to spend more time in the village with these young women.
I mustered up the courage to take a moto by myself out to the village to go to the Creole speaking church. A lot of our kids attend church there. I missed Thursday because of Thanksgiving, so I was missing the kids. I sat with Ramona. Romona didn't like me for a long time, but she has finally come around. She whispered to me in church, "¿Quieres ir al acueducto, Georgia?" I had talked to Ramona several days before about hiking up to the aqueduct high up on the cane fields above the village. I hadn't really planned on doing any hiking that day as I was dressed in a skirt and sandals, but I coulnd't say no.
So, after church Ramona and I started up the hill. We picked up Yermena (one of my 6th graders,) her brother Jorje and Pamela (a headstrong 8th grader that still scares me sometimes.) We hiked high into the cane fields and explored the aqueduct and passed by a fancy house where a Cuban family lives (according to my kids.) Once we had done that, I was ready to head back to the village. It was getting hot and I was hungry and thirsty. The girls wanted to walk all the way back to the highway and then to Montellano and back to the village. Essentially, we would be making a huge loop. I agreed.
Forunately, an elderly Canadian man offered us a ride to the highway. I hopped in the cab with him and my four little buddies jumped in the back. The Canadian man, Leonard Murphy, owns a farm and he and his wife spend 6 months per year in the Dominican. Leonard was nice enough to take us all the way to Montellano.
When we arrived at my house, I gave the Pamela 50 pesos and told her to buy water for everyone. I went into my house to get some more money to pick up some lunch for us. When I got back, the kids had purchased one sprite and a bag a chips. I was a little miffed that they didn't listen, but what can you do? I took them to get a tostada and water in a bag and walked them part of the way back towards the village.
It was a fun little adventure, but the best part happened today. Pamela, Jermena and Ramona were really excited to see me at school. I feel like I am starting to build relationships with these young girls. I am so excited about getting to know them better! A few teenage girls that usually don't pay much attention to me asked me today when I was planning to go hiking again. They asked me to come and find them next time :) I can't wait until Sunday to spend more time in the village with these young women.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Anne Marie is here (it's still raining part ii)
Anne Marie arrived yesterday! It's so great to have her here. Luckily, the clouds parted long enough yesterday for it to be warm and sunny upon her arrival. We woke up this morning to gray skies and more rain and no school. I think its freezing and I am sitting here typing this in long pants, socks, three shirts and a blanket thrown over my legs...Anne Marie informed me this morning that it was only 70 degrees and I needed to stop whining. I guess my body just likes to be hot and sweaty.
We still went out to the village this morning to see the kids and to walk around a little. It was fun to hear some of Anne Marie's stories about living here. A lot of the kids remembered her from when she worked here two summers ago. We had a really nice time. Anne Marie wanted to buy food for a family and let them cook it for us. Then we would eat with them. The family would have a decent meal and some leftovers as well. And we would get to visit with them and share a meal. We decided on a family with seven children. The oldest girl, Johana, is in my sixth grade class, so I was really excited to eat with her family.
Anne Marie and I went into town and Anne Marie purchased rice, black beans, onions, garlic, a pepper, sazon (a dominican all spice), salami, and vegetable oil. We went back into the village via motorcycle through the cold rain and mud puddles. It was a miserable ride and halfway there, I wished we had stayed home. When we finally arrive back at Johana's house, all of her little brothers and sisters were so excited to see us. I immediately regretted wishing I had stayed home!!
We hung out with the kids while their mom, Yani, cooked away in the kitchen. Six of the seven children were quite calm and enjoyable. Most of them just enjoyed being cuddled and hugged since it was so nasty outside. The seventh and smallest bit Anne Marie's fingers a few times and insisted on screaming at the top of his lungs most of the time we were there. We didn't really try to cuddle with him too much...
Although we thought we had purchased all ingredients needed for a Haitian Dominican feast, Yani complained that we forgot to buy salt, bouillon cubes, and "salsa." Yani also decided to treat us to fried yuca which, while inexpensive to make, takes a lot of hard work. We made a couple runs to the local colmado to pick up the ingredients we forgot and yuca and butter. Poor Johana slaved away grating the yuca into a fine mush that would eventually be combined with butter and fried. I offered to help and ended up cutting my finger. Yani found me some gauze and told me to get out of the kitchen.
When we finally sat down to our meal, we were all hungry. Natanail, the second oldest girl that also attends our care center, prayed for us. The food was delicious! There was plenty of rice, beans and salami left over for another meal for the kids (although the next day, Natanail and Johana assured me that all of the food was consumed later that night.)
Anne Marie and I left shortly after we finished eating. We were afraid the the river might rise too much for us to get out of the village safely! We made it home semi-dry, safe, and excited about the time we spend with Yani's family.
It was a perfect way to spend a rainy Monday.
More soon. Love to all.
We still went out to the village this morning to see the kids and to walk around a little. It was fun to hear some of Anne Marie's stories about living here. A lot of the kids remembered her from when she worked here two summers ago. We had a really nice time. Anne Marie wanted to buy food for a family and let them cook it for us. Then we would eat with them. The family would have a decent meal and some leftovers as well. And we would get to visit with them and share a meal. We decided on a family with seven children. The oldest girl, Johana, is in my sixth grade class, so I was really excited to eat with her family.
Anne Marie and I went into town and Anne Marie purchased rice, black beans, onions, garlic, a pepper, sazon (a dominican all spice), salami, and vegetable oil. We went back into the village via motorcycle through the cold rain and mud puddles. It was a miserable ride and halfway there, I wished we had stayed home. When we finally arrive back at Johana's house, all of her little brothers and sisters were so excited to see us. I immediately regretted wishing I had stayed home!!
We hung out with the kids while their mom, Yani, cooked away in the kitchen. Six of the seven children were quite calm and enjoyable. Most of them just enjoyed being cuddled and hugged since it was so nasty outside. The seventh and smallest bit Anne Marie's fingers a few times and insisted on screaming at the top of his lungs most of the time we were there. We didn't really try to cuddle with him too much...
Although we thought we had purchased all ingredients needed for a Haitian Dominican feast, Yani complained that we forgot to buy salt, bouillon cubes, and "salsa." Yani also decided to treat us to fried yuca which, while inexpensive to make, takes a lot of hard work. We made a couple runs to the local colmado to pick up the ingredients we forgot and yuca and butter. Poor Johana slaved away grating the yuca into a fine mush that would eventually be combined with butter and fried. I offered to help and ended up cutting my finger. Yani found me some gauze and told me to get out of the kitchen.
When we finally sat down to our meal, we were all hungry. Natanail, the second oldest girl that also attends our care center, prayed for us. The food was delicious! There was plenty of rice, beans and salami left over for another meal for the kids (although the next day, Natanail and Johana assured me that all of the food was consumed later that night.)
Anne Marie and I left shortly after we finished eating. We were afraid the the river might rise too much for us to get out of the village safely! We made it home semi-dry, safe, and excited about the time we spend with Yani's family.
It was a perfect way to spend a rainy Monday.
More soon. Love to all.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
'ta lloviendo...todavia
The sky became really cloudy and gray on Wednesday morning. Wednesday afternoon brought rain and school let out early. It was still raining on Thursday- school was cancelled completely. It rained all day yesterday and continued through the night. I woke up this morning to a foot of water in our neighbors yard! I am so thankful that I live on the second floor!
The weather forecast for the next 10 days is rain. Please pray that it lets up or we may not have school until January (School gets out for Christmas December 10.) Pray for the people living in Montellano and in Caraballo that are cold and wet this morning! I'm going to wade around outside for a little bit. Hopefully, I can post some flood pictures later today...
The weather forecast for the next 10 days is rain. Please pray that it lets up or we may not have school until January (School gets out for Christmas December 10.) Pray for the people living in Montellano and in Caraballo that are cold and wet this morning! I'm going to wade around outside for a little bit. Hopefully, I can post some flood pictures later today...
Monday, November 17, 2008
cositas
I hope you can appreciate these "little things" as much as I did today...
Abdiel: Mi mamá no vive en la casa. Mi mamá vive en la selva.
My mom doesn't live in our house, she lives in the jungle.
Diana: [very angrily although she had already eaten breakfast with the other kids]
GEORGIA! ¿Porque no me traes queso a comer? ¿Porque no me traes queso en una funda?
Georgia! Why don't you bring me cheese to eat? Why don’t you bring me cheese in a bag?
I guess she likes cheese as much as I do, but cheese in a bag?
More grammatical errors...
Limate: Yo no va a escuela. [Threatening to stop coming to school]
Georgia: Limate, yo no VOY a escuela. Dime- yo no VOY a escuela.
Limate: Georgia, yo no voy a escuela.
Georgia: Limate, por favor, que vengas a escuela.
Abdiel: Mi mamá no vive en la casa. Mi mamá vive en la selva.
My mom doesn't live in our house, she lives in the jungle.
Diana: [very angrily although she had already eaten breakfast with the other kids]
GEORGIA! ¿Porque no me traes queso a comer? ¿Porque no me traes queso en una funda?
Georgia! Why don't you bring me cheese to eat? Why don’t you bring me cheese in a bag?
I guess she likes cheese as much as I do, but cheese in a bag?
More grammatical errors...
Limate: Yo no va a escuela. [Threatening to stop coming to school]
Georgia: Limate, yo no VOY a escuela. Dime- yo no VOY a escuela.
Limate: Georgia, yo no voy a escuela.
Georgia: Limate, por favor, que vengas a escuela.
Little ladies
The little girl on the left bit my finger the other day because I wasnt paying her enough attention. Estafani, on the right, loves the camera. She is always posed for a picture.
I'm excited to go to school today to see them both! :)
I'm excited to go to school today to see them both! :)
Saturday, November 15, 2008
giant lizard living behind of the tiles of my shower!!!!
I was up late last night because the power came on at about 11:45 p.m. I got up to utilize the light for an hour or so. Right before I went back to bed, I went in the bathroom. And there was at 6 inch (no joke) lizard on the wall. Luckily, it was pretty shy. It quickly slithered (more like a snake with legs) back behind the shower tiles. I suppose I have two options: caulk the top of the shower or live with the monster of another 5 months... My other thought it that if I stop up his escape route, he might freak out and slither in my direction. There is a similar lizard living (about an inch long) in my kitchen. My concern is that he will continue to grow...
Eeeek! Thank the Lord for mosquito nets to keep these creepy crawlies away from me while I sleep!
Eeeek! Thank the Lord for mosquito nets to keep these creepy crawlies away from me while I sleep!
Thursday, November 13, 2008
cranglish
yo no tiene lapiz.
yo no sabe.
If you've ever studied Spanish, the above mistakes probably make you cringe. This is what happens when you grow up in a Haitian village and attend a spanish speaking grade school. I have enough trouble making sure that I am speaking spanish correctly! Today, I had to correct my little Diana when she said, "Yo no sabe, Yorda (this is what they call me a lot of time- pronounced Jorda.) It's "yo no se, Diana."
All of the kids speak a little English here and there. Most of them can communicate just fine in Spanish, but the majority of them are most comfortable with Creole. This makes for interesting mixture of languages in class. I can only say a few things in Creole at this point. "Pah too shay zabokah" means "don't touch the avocado." And "booflah" means loco. Diana refers to everything as booflah. Luckily, I took French in highschool, so when the kids start cheating in math class in Creole, I can understand them (numbers in Creole are very similar to French.) They are usually pretty impressed :)
Today, we were all stuck in the lunchroom for about 30 minutes longer than normal due to a downpour. It was pretty fun to be all together and listen to the rain- all 200 of us. However, a fight eventually broke out between a sixth grade girl and a seventh grade girl. There were pieces of hair on the floor after their fight. It was pretty intense. Our mild mannered head teacher finally lost his cool. I had never witnessed a fight between two middle school girls. It was just like the movies. All of the kids ran over to watch and were cheering. Luckily, Junior (one of the teachers) was able to pry them apart. Shortly after, school was dismissed due to the weather.
School is going well in general. I love my kids more everyday. We are starting a new program on Monday for the third grade. Please keep this in your prayers. I put together the program using a model from a care center in Jarabacoa. It could be a great change for the third graders. If it works, the other classes can follow suit. I am really excited about it and hope it works out. If its successful, I'll tell you more about it.
Emily Cockerham (former coworker from WF) and her college friends are coming down to Playa Confresi this weekend. I am going to go out for a visit on Sunday. It will be great to see them!
Thats all for now.
Love love love,
Georgia
yo no sabe.
If you've ever studied Spanish, the above mistakes probably make you cringe. This is what happens when you grow up in a Haitian village and attend a spanish speaking grade school. I have enough trouble making sure that I am speaking spanish correctly! Today, I had to correct my little Diana when she said, "Yo no sabe, Yorda (this is what they call me a lot of time- pronounced Jorda.) It's "yo no se, Diana."
All of the kids speak a little English here and there. Most of them can communicate just fine in Spanish, but the majority of them are most comfortable with Creole. This makes for interesting mixture of languages in class. I can only say a few things in Creole at this point. "Pah too shay zabokah" means "don't touch the avocado." And "booflah" means loco. Diana refers to everything as booflah. Luckily, I took French in highschool, so when the kids start cheating in math class in Creole, I can understand them (numbers in Creole are very similar to French.) They are usually pretty impressed :)
Today, we were all stuck in the lunchroom for about 30 minutes longer than normal due to a downpour. It was pretty fun to be all together and listen to the rain- all 200 of us. However, a fight eventually broke out between a sixth grade girl and a seventh grade girl. There were pieces of hair on the floor after their fight. It was pretty intense. Our mild mannered head teacher finally lost his cool. I had never witnessed a fight between two middle school girls. It was just like the movies. All of the kids ran over to watch and were cheering. Luckily, Junior (one of the teachers) was able to pry them apart. Shortly after, school was dismissed due to the weather.
School is going well in general. I love my kids more everyday. We are starting a new program on Monday for the third grade. Please keep this in your prayers. I put together the program using a model from a care center in Jarabacoa. It could be a great change for the third graders. If it works, the other classes can follow suit. I am really excited about it and hope it works out. If its successful, I'll tell you more about it.
Emily Cockerham (former coworker from WF) and her college friends are coming down to Playa Confresi this weekend. I am going to go out for a visit on Sunday. It will be great to see them!
Thats all for now.
Love love love,
Georgia
Saturday, October 25, 2008
jarabacoa
Someone asked me what my favorite thing about the Dominican Republic was. My quick answer was- the children. Then they asked, what is your second favorite thing? I didn't have to think very hard about this one either. I love the mountains in the DR. They remind me of the Cinco Muertes (if you catch that reference, I will be very proud). The mountains are lush and green, rising high above the pueblos. Every time I think about the Dominican Republic, I think about the children that I love so dearly and how in awe I am of the mountains....
I was able to enjoy both of these things when I traveled to Jarabacoa on Wednesday. I spent some time on Thursday and Friday observing classes at a care center called Palo Blanco. Palo Blanco serves about 200 kids (almost all Dominican- I only saw one Haitian little girl) and sit at the base of the mountains outside of the town of Jarabacoa. I was able to work with the the co-directors of the Palo Blanco program, Jan Berkey. Jan has been a missionary in the DR for 19 years! She has built an impressive program. The classrooms at Palo Blanco looked much like the classrooms where I grew up learning in the States. The resources that they have are incredible. The Dominican teachers are well trained and very passionate about teaching. And the children were eerily well behaved compared to my little terrors in Caraballo.
I was also able to have a lunch meeting with Jan and Ann Van der Molen, another missionary that has done amazing things with curriculum and teacher's training at other Kids Alive sites. We discussed some schedule changes, the implementation of curriculum, and teacher's training for Caraballo. I am really excited about having their support and help in the process of bringing some changes to our program. It's a very important time for our care center! Please pray for the work that will happen in the next several months!
Being in Jarabacoa was wonderful as usual. I am heading back down that way on Thursday evening (si Dios quiere) to help with a kids camp that will take place during the Kids Alive directors meeting. It’s always nice to be in Jarabacoa- there is amazing community of people there. Things can be a bit lonely in Montellano, but I feel very blessed to have support from so many people in Jarabacoa!
Please keep me in your prayers!
love,
GA
Monday, October 20, 2008
bienvendio a miami
Luckily, I am no longer in Miami. After two days of traveling, a bird stuck in our landing gear, a night in the Crowne Plaza Miami (compliments of American Airlines), lost luggage, and several very rude American Airlines agents, I am back in Montellano. It's great to be back here... I even had pico pollo and yuca for lunch. This wouldn't be strange, but I have a stock pile of cheese and tortillas that I bought in Austin. It's pretty amazing that I passed up my cheese stash for Dominican food!
I had plans to travel to Jarabacoa to observe in a care center called Palo Blanco today and tomorrow. Unfortuantely, the delay in my arrival nixed these plans. Instead, I will spend Tuesday and Wednesday here at our care center, then will travel by bus to Jarabacoa on Wednesday evening to observe Thursday and Friday. I'm trying to trust that God has a reason for the change in travel plans! I am so excited about being able to observe at Palo Blanco. Please pray that this is really productive time for me and for the teachers there.
Also, my luggage is lost! It should arrive tomorrow. I am trying not to be too optimistic in case it is actually lost forever. Please pray that its simply sitting in Miami and that it will arrive here tomorrow afternoon!
I had a fabulous time in the States. My best friend from home, Meghan, got married to a amazing guy. I couldn't be happier for the two of them. And the wedding, of course, was a blast. I also had some good family time in Murrells Inlet with my parents and brother. And I squeezed in a trip out to Texas to see Ryan and to attend some of his friends' wedding. We had a blast and my trip was over all too soon... It was so awesome to see everyone! It just went by too quickly!
Love to all. Please keep in touch.
Georgia
I had plans to travel to Jarabacoa to observe in a care center called Palo Blanco today and tomorrow. Unfortuantely, the delay in my arrival nixed these plans. Instead, I will spend Tuesday and Wednesday here at our care center, then will travel by bus to Jarabacoa on Wednesday evening to observe Thursday and Friday. I'm trying to trust that God has a reason for the change in travel plans! I am so excited about being able to observe at Palo Blanco. Please pray that this is really productive time for me and for the teachers there.
Also, my luggage is lost! It should arrive tomorrow. I am trying not to be too optimistic in case it is actually lost forever. Please pray that its simply sitting in Miami and that it will arrive here tomorrow afternoon!
I had a fabulous time in the States. My best friend from home, Meghan, got married to a amazing guy. I couldn't be happier for the two of them. And the wedding, of course, was a blast. I also had some good family time in Murrells Inlet with my parents and brother. And I squeezed in a trip out to Texas to see Ryan and to attend some of his friends' wedding. We had a blast and my trip was over all too soon... It was so awesome to see everyone! It just went by too quickly!
Love to all. Please keep in touch.
Georgia
Monday, October 6, 2008
octubre
I cannot believe how quickly October has arrived! I have been here for a month and it finally feels like home! Many things are still very challenging, but I feel like I have assimilated to some extent. More importantly, I am happy and feel like I am going to be able to do good work here.
I had an excellent weekend. The highlight was travelling down to Jarabacoa to visit Vic and Leslie Trautwein and their kids. They have been working in the DR for several years and I have had the pleasure of getting to know them during my visits here. All of the members of the Trautwein family have been blessed with the gift of hospitality. I always feel so welcome with with them. Vic and Leslie have four very intelligent and spunky little kids. It was so nice being around a family and visiting old friends. I feel very renewed and feel so blessed that they live on the same island as me! I look forward to spending more time with them.
Jarabacoa is in the mountains (which is my second favorite thing about the DR- the kids are the first). The air was much cooler and thinner there. I actually got to sleep under a blanket!! I also was able to go tubing in one of the rivers down there with the Trautwein's and another missionary, Erica. We had a blast. I got banged up a bit, and sitting is a bit painful at the moment, but we had a great time.
Luckily, it was much cooler in Montellano when I returned last night. Usually, when we don't have power at night, its difficult to sleep because its so hot (without a fan). Last night was great! When the power came back on in the middle of the night, I actually hhad to turn my fan off because it was too cold. Praise the Lord!!
More news... I found a roommate! She is from Austin (Georgetown), Texas. Its a little ironic that she is from the Austin area. It has given us a lot of common ground though. I feel like we have a lot in common. She will be moving in November. I am so excited to not live alone!!
I return to the United States (only for about 11 days) on Wednesday. I'll be attending Meghan's (my best friend from highschool) wedding in Charleston, spending some time with my parents and brother in Murrells Inlet, then heading out to Austin to visit Ryan and go to two of his friends' wedding. I am so excited to see everyone! I know its going to go by too fast, but I am thankful to be able see people that I love and miss so much!
Love & Blessings,
Georgia
I had an excellent weekend. The highlight was travelling down to Jarabacoa to visit Vic and Leslie Trautwein and their kids. They have been working in the DR for several years and I have had the pleasure of getting to know them during my visits here. All of the members of the Trautwein family have been blessed with the gift of hospitality. I always feel so welcome with with them. Vic and Leslie have four very intelligent and spunky little kids. It was so nice being around a family and visiting old friends. I feel very renewed and feel so blessed that they live on the same island as me! I look forward to spending more time with them.
Jarabacoa is in the mountains (which is my second favorite thing about the DR- the kids are the first). The air was much cooler and thinner there. I actually got to sleep under a blanket!! I also was able to go tubing in one of the rivers down there with the Trautwein's and another missionary, Erica. We had a blast. I got banged up a bit, and sitting is a bit painful at the moment, but we had a great time.
Luckily, it was much cooler in Montellano when I returned last night. Usually, when we don't have power at night, its difficult to sleep because its so hot (without a fan). Last night was great! When the power came back on in the middle of the night, I actually hhad to turn my fan off because it was too cold. Praise the Lord!!
More news... I found a roommate! She is from Austin (Georgetown), Texas. Its a little ironic that she is from the Austin area. It has given us a lot of common ground though. I feel like we have a lot in common. She will be moving in November. I am so excited to not live alone!!
I return to the United States (only for about 11 days) on Wednesday. I'll be attending Meghan's (my best friend from highschool) wedding in Charleston, spending some time with my parents and brother in Murrells Inlet, then heading out to Austin to visit Ryan and go to two of his friends' wedding. I am so excited to see everyone! I know its going to go by too fast, but I am thankful to be able see people that I love and miss so much!
Love & Blessings,
Georgia
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Carlitos
This is Carlitos. He causes more trouble in school, in my opinion, than all the other kids combined. Usually, if there is a kid in the third grade class crying, Carlitos had a hand in it. Carlitos is best friends with a few other little kids named Yesni and Franklin. All three of them are trouble makers. They are also really intelligent and spunky little people that are able to make me smile more than anyone or anything else in the Dominican Republic.
During my second week here, I was walking around during lunchtime looking for the puppy that wanders around the school yard. She hadn't been doing well with all the kids around, so I decided to go check on her. I found her with Carlitos. And although Carlitos had punched someone in the breakfast line just that morning, he was taking great care with the puppy. He was gentle and patient with her as he tried to teach her how to drink water from an overturned bucket.
A few days later, the puppy, whose name I found out is "Chocolate," was missing. Carlitos found her wandering around Villa Ascension, the Haitian village where many of the children live. He brought her safely back to the Care Center and has been looking out for her ever since. It's
funny how a little kid can cause such disasters for his classmates, but can take care of a helpless little puppy so tenderly.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Coast & Class
This week has been full! I've been doing quite a bit of exploring. I've visited three nearby towns multiple times- Puerto Plata, Sosua, and Cabarete. Each are unique and charming in their own way. Puerto Plata is the largest town on the North Coast. It's dirty and crowded, but in that colorful and exciting Latin American way. It also has a really long boardwalk along the ocean. I walked from one end to the other yesterday, hoping to see some pretty views and find some good eats, but ended up with some pineapple from a street vendor. It was a beautiful walk, but I was hungry for most of it.
Sosua is touristy and busy. It has a nice beach, but most of it is lined with shops and bars. I walked the length of it and was harassed about buying painting and food the entire way. I ended up walking a little too far it turns out, because I ended up in Sosua Abajo, which is a small town beside of Sosua. This was ok, but it ended up being really difficult to find a taxi back to Montellano. The taxi driver I did find tried to convince me that I needed a Dominican boyfriend in addition to my American boyfriend (No importa- puedes tener dos y los dominicanos son mejores). The funny part is that this guy was married- I guess he was looking out for his friends. Who knows? I assured him that I was very happy with the one boyfriend that I have!
Sosua also has a serious problem with sexual tourism (prostitution). It is very common to see beautiful young Dominican and Haitian girls (sometimes midteens) with older European or American men. I remember studying this in some of my Latin American Studies classes at Wake, and I also saw quite a bit of it when I studied abroad in Cuba. It's hard to see it. I worry about all the beautiful little girls, many already living in deparate situations, that attend school at The Care Center and pray that this is something they will never have to face.
Sosua is touristy and busy. It has a nice beach, but most of it is lined with shops and bars. I walked the length of it and was harassed about buying painting and food the entire way. I ended up walking a little too far it turns out, because I ended up in Sosua Abajo, which is a small town beside of Sosua. This was ok, but it ended up being really difficult to find a taxi back to Montellano. The taxi driver I did find tried to convince me that I needed a Dominican boyfriend in addition to my American boyfriend (No importa- puedes tener dos y los dominicanos son mejores). The funny part is that this guy was married- I guess he was looking out for his friends. Who knows? I assured him that I was very happy with the one boyfriend that I have!
Sosua also has a serious problem with sexual tourism (prostitution). It is very common to see beautiful young Dominican and Haitian girls (sometimes midteens) with older European or American men. I remember studying this in some of my Latin American Studies classes at Wake, and I also saw quite a bit of it when I studied abroad in Cuba. It's hard to see it. I worry about all the beautiful little girls, many already living in deparate situations, that attend school at The Care Center and pray that this is something they will never have to face.The third town that I have explored is Cabarete. Cabarete is a beach town east of Sosua. It boasts some of the best windsurfing and kiteboarding conditions in the world. It was also really touristy- more so than Sosua. I enjoyed walking around and had a really good dinner there, but I'm not sure if it's somewhere I will hang out too much. There is another beach nearby called Playa Encuentro, that is supposed to be good for surfing. I have yet to check it out though. I am interested in traveling to some of the less touristy towns along the North Coast (apparently, there aren't that many)...
The best news I have is that I will have my own classes in the mornings next week! I am working on providing some classes for students that need extra help. The problem is that most of the children at The Care Center need extra help. All of the children that attend class at The Care Center also attend public Dominican school. The problem is that the public school in Caraballo (the village where I work) has at least 60 children in each class!! The kids aren't learning anything! The Care Center has around 20-25 kids in each class and it is still difficult to help all of them. So, in most grades, about half of the kids are behind at least a grade level. I have one child in my third grade group that performs at about a 1st grade level.
So, I will have some smaller classes starting on Monday. Unfortunately, I can't see all of the kids (there aren't enough hours in the day), so I am having to choose which ones I think need the most help. Please pray that I am able to be effective. I expect that there will be plenty of kinks to work out, but I am very hopeful about working with the kids.
Thanks for all of your prayers- they have definitely been needed and have been very helpful to me. I have felt a sense of encouragement since I arrived here. Even when bad things have happened, I have felt content. I am very thankful that I have this opportunity and am excited to share more with you.
Love & God Bless,
GA
The best news I have is that I will have my own classes in the mornings next week! I am working on providing some classes for students that need extra help. The problem is that most of the children at The Care Center need extra help. All of the children that attend class at The Care Center also attend public Dominican school. The problem is that the public school in Caraballo (the village where I work) has at least 60 children in each class!! The kids aren't learning anything! The Care Center has around 20-25 kids in each class and it is still difficult to help all of them. So, in most grades, about half of the kids are behind at least a grade level. I have one child in my third grade group that performs at about a 1st grade level.
So, I will have some smaller classes starting on Monday. Unfortunately, I can't see all of the kids (there aren't enough hours in the day), so I am having to choose which ones I think need the most help. Please pray that I am able to be effective. I expect that there will be plenty of kinks to work out, but I am very hopeful about working with the kids.
Thanks for all of your prayers- they have definitely been needed and have been very helpful to me. I have felt a sense of encouragement since I arrived here. Even when bad things have happened, I have felt content. I am very thankful that I have this opportunity and am excited to share more with you.
Love & God Bless,
GA
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
La autopista y el apartamento mio
This is the view from my apartment. Well, that's not completely true. This would be the view if there weren't two giant trees and a highway in front of my apartment. If I walk downstairs and stand in front of the neighbors house, this is the view... Montellano is truly a beautiful place.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
My first lunch...
I wanted to make sure y'all got to see a picture of our lunches the first day of school. Luckily, mine did not include the chicken foot! (The chickens were actually raised in a hen house behind the school...yum.)At least this little girls looks excited...
Friday, September 12, 2008
Caraballo: A Day in the Life (written September 10, 2008)
I wake up about 7:00 a.m. and get myself as presentable looking as possible with a freezing cold trickle of water. It’s usually a chilly morning. Then I leave the apartment with Jessi and Candace and head towards the team house where the gua-gua (think: mini van developing country style) lives. We leave the team house and pick up several other Dominican teachers in town and then head through the sugar cane fields to Via Ascension.
(Via Ascension is a settlement that was created by missionaries. It is located near the village of Caraballo, which exists becuase sugar companies came in many years ago and built houses for the sugarcane workers. Shanty towns (made mostly of wood and tin) have sprouted up around the structures built by the sugar cane companies. And I found out that no one has harvested the sugarcane for several years now, because te industry has moved to the south. Most people that live in Caraballo don't have any work at the moment.)
As we drive further into the sugarcame fields, motorcycles carrying people and other miscellaneous objects pass on the left and right down a dirt road that doesn’t even have invisible lanes. Some of the kids we pass attend the Care Center in Via Ascension and others are on their way to the highschool in Montellano. Only one high school, which is public, exists. So, all the highschool age children living among the sugarcane fields either walk or ride on a moto to Montellano for school. Many kids stop attending school once they reach high school age.
When we arrive at school at 8:00 a.m., there are already some children waiting outside the gate. School starts at 9:00 a.m. The teachers have a short devotion and then we go about preparing for the school day.
If you walk around the Care Center, you will see a mess hall, several classrooms, and an office/ clinic/ storage area combination. There are construction projects that include an addition to the building. This will allow the Care Center to have at least two more classrooms.
You will also see a few mangy dogs and one very cute puppy (the only survivor of a full litter) moseying around the grounds of the Center. The grounds also hold a gazebo and plenty of room for the kids to play wiffle ball and tag.
When class starts, the kids come in and have prayer and hand sanitizing time (I’ve used more hand sanitizer in the last three days than in the last year). Then the kids push, kick and fight (anything but walk in a quiet, straight line) over to the mess hall. Once seated, we pray as a large group and then have breakfast together. Breakfast is a roll (which resembles a dinner roll) and a cup of either hot chocolate, sugary, milky coffee, or oatmeal. (All of these hot drinks/ foods are made with cinnamon and cloves which is a Dominican speciality). This may not be the healthiest, but when would I ever complain about hot chocolate.
After breakfast, there is a very brief “recreo.” The thing about recreo is that you never know when or if its going to happen. Sometimes we go into class and spend 5-10 minutes trying to calm everyone down. Once I think we are set and ready to learn, someone will inform us that its time for recreo. And today no one had recreo because apparently the kids were more misbehaved on Wednesday than Tuesday (In my opinion, they were bad enough to miss recreo both days). So, I am getting used to this and hopefully soon I will have it figured out.
The morning recreo ends about 10:00 a.m. and we start our morning session. The younger kids come to school in the morning. I am helping in the third grade class until I get my feet wet enough to have a class of my own. I love the third graders. The little girls are super sweet and quiet. Most of the boys are really bad, but they have their moments and for some reason I am drawn more to the ones that have behavior problems than the ones that seem to have it together. I’ll write more on individual kids later- there’s a lot to tell!
The morning group finishes at 11:30 a.m. and we have another recreo. After recreo ends, it’s lunch time. The older kids come for lunch as well, so we have about 200 kids in the mess hall at one time. One word: Mayhem.
We’ve had some really interesting lunches and I’ve only been here three days. On Monday we had a mixture of rice and black beans (mostly rice) with assorted chicken parts on top. Fortunately, I was lucky enough to have a entire chicken foot on top of my rice and beans. The Care Center raises their own chickens so I don’t really need to describe to you just how fresh the chicken is… Tuesday, we had rice, beans and induveca salami cooked together with some sort of salad on the side.. Induveca is a salami brand down here. It’s not my favorite, but lunch turned out ok. And today, we had spaghetti (strangely, is tastes a lot like chef boyrdee…spelling?) with rice and soupy red beans. I’ve never had rice and spaghetti in one meal, but it was surprisingly satisfying.
After lunch, all the kids have devotions together in the mess hall, then each class has bible study After this, we have recreo...again. About 2:30 or so, the afternoon session starts. The older kids attend the Center in the afternoon and I work with the 7th graders. I’ve never worked with middle schoolers before. At the moment, I am helping with this class because it’s a pretty wild bunch of kids and they need an estra set of hands. The older girls here are really aggressive and violent with each other. The boys are aggressive too, but mean little girls are a lot meaner than mean little boys. Or at least this is my experience. I'm still getting used to this age group...
The first few days, we didn’t have materials for the 7th grade class. This was difficult, because the first day of school of so important. If you want to pray for something specific for me, pray for the 7th grade kids (specifically Pamela) in Caraballo. They are dealing with a lot of crap at home and they definitely bring it to school with them. They are so bright and eager. They just need some encouragement and direction AND DISCIPLINE.
Between 3:30 p.m. and 4:00 p.m., school is over. It has been at a different time each day. We leave school and head back to Montellano…
That’s all for now. I’ll try to keep things a little more brief in the future, but I wanted you to have an idea of what I typical day is like...
Much love,
GA
(Via Ascension is a settlement that was created by missionaries. It is located near the village of Caraballo, which exists becuase sugar companies came in many years ago and built houses for the sugarcane workers. Shanty towns (made mostly of wood and tin) have sprouted up around the structures built by the sugar cane companies. And I found out that no one has harvested the sugarcane for several years now, because te industry has moved to the south. Most people that live in Caraballo don't have any work at the moment.)
As we drive further into the sugarcame fields, motorcycles carrying people and other miscellaneous objects pass on the left and right down a dirt road that doesn’t even have invisible lanes. Some of the kids we pass attend the Care Center in Via Ascension and others are on their way to the highschool in Montellano. Only one high school, which is public, exists. So, all the highschool age children living among the sugarcane fields either walk or ride on a moto to Montellano for school. Many kids stop attending school once they reach high school age.
When we arrive at school at 8:00 a.m., there are already some children waiting outside the gate. School starts at 9:00 a.m. The teachers have a short devotion and then we go about preparing for the school day.
If you walk around the Care Center, you will see a mess hall, several classrooms, and an office/ clinic/ storage area combination. There are construction projects that include an addition to the building. This will allow the Care Center to have at least two more classrooms.
You will also see a few mangy dogs and one very cute puppy (the only survivor of a full litter) moseying around the grounds of the Center. The grounds also hold a gazebo and plenty of room for the kids to play wiffle ball and tag.
When class starts, the kids come in and have prayer and hand sanitizing time (I’ve used more hand sanitizer in the last three days than in the last year). Then the kids push, kick and fight (anything but walk in a quiet, straight line) over to the mess hall. Once seated, we pray as a large group and then have breakfast together. Breakfast is a roll (which resembles a dinner roll) and a cup of either hot chocolate, sugary, milky coffee, or oatmeal. (All of these hot drinks/ foods are made with cinnamon and cloves which is a Dominican speciality). This may not be the healthiest, but when would I ever complain about hot chocolate.
After breakfast, there is a very brief “recreo.” The thing about recreo is that you never know when or if its going to happen. Sometimes we go into class and spend 5-10 minutes trying to calm everyone down. Once I think we are set and ready to learn, someone will inform us that its time for recreo. And today no one had recreo because apparently the kids were more misbehaved on Wednesday than Tuesday (In my opinion, they were bad enough to miss recreo both days). So, I am getting used to this and hopefully soon I will have it figured out.
The morning recreo ends about 10:00 a.m. and we start our morning session. The younger kids come to school in the morning. I am helping in the third grade class until I get my feet wet enough to have a class of my own. I love the third graders. The little girls are super sweet and quiet. Most of the boys are really bad, but they have their moments and for some reason I am drawn more to the ones that have behavior problems than the ones that seem to have it together. I’ll write more on individual kids later- there’s a lot to tell!
The morning group finishes at 11:30 a.m. and we have another recreo. After recreo ends, it’s lunch time. The older kids come for lunch as well, so we have about 200 kids in the mess hall at one time. One word: Mayhem.
We’ve had some really interesting lunches and I’ve only been here three days. On Monday we had a mixture of rice and black beans (mostly rice) with assorted chicken parts on top. Fortunately, I was lucky enough to have a entire chicken foot on top of my rice and beans. The Care Center raises their own chickens so I don’t really need to describe to you just how fresh the chicken is… Tuesday, we had rice, beans and induveca salami cooked together with some sort of salad on the side.. Induveca is a salami brand down here. It’s not my favorite, but lunch turned out ok. And today, we had spaghetti (strangely, is tastes a lot like chef boyrdee…spelling?) with rice and soupy red beans. I’ve never had rice and spaghetti in one meal, but it was surprisingly satisfying.
After lunch, all the kids have devotions together in the mess hall, then each class has bible study After this, we have recreo...again. About 2:30 or so, the afternoon session starts. The older kids attend the Center in the afternoon and I work with the 7th graders. I’ve never worked with middle schoolers before. At the moment, I am helping with this class because it’s a pretty wild bunch of kids and they need an estra set of hands. The older girls here are really aggressive and violent with each other. The boys are aggressive too, but mean little girls are a lot meaner than mean little boys. Or at least this is my experience. I'm still getting used to this age group...
The first few days, we didn’t have materials for the 7th grade class. This was difficult, because the first day of school of so important. If you want to pray for something specific for me, pray for the 7th grade kids (specifically Pamela) in Caraballo. They are dealing with a lot of crap at home and they definitely bring it to school with them. They are so bright and eager. They just need some encouragement and direction AND DISCIPLINE.
Between 3:30 p.m. and 4:00 p.m., school is over. It has been at a different time each day. We leave school and head back to Montellano…
That’s all for now. I’ll try to keep things a little more brief in the future, but I wanted you to have an idea of what I typical day is like...
Much love,
GA
First 24 Hours (written September 7, 2008)
I am a little behind updating my blog. For those of you that have been anxiously awaiting my next entry, I apologize. Though I have been in the Dominican Republic for much longer than 24 hours at this point, I think my first 24 deserve an entry of their own.
I arrived to the island of Hispaniola about the same time as Hurricane Ike. After flying around Hurricane Gustav on my way back from Austin and leaving Murrells Inlet a day early to avoid Hurricane Hanna, I was ready to be finished with cyclones. I had a somewhat bumpy plane ride into Santiago before the outer bands of Ike hit the northern part of the DR with full force. Despite my nervouseness from the threatening storm clouds and turbulence, I was elated to see the sugarcane fields, banana trees, and tiny houses that sprinkle the north coast. I was also bless with a gorgeous sunset that made the mountains in the distance all the more beautiful.
After arriving in Santiago, I met up with Jessi and Candace, the two other Kids Alive missionaries living in Montellano. They were kind enough to pick me up from the airport at the beginning of a monsoon. Rain fell in sheets the entire way to Montellano (where I now live). Meeting traffic on a two lane road was a little unnerving, but we made it.
Arriving to Montellano was also a little unsettling. My apartment, where I will be living alone (although there has been talk of adopting a street puppy), was completely empty. I slept on a mattress on the floor my first night here and I spent the morning after trying to clean every nook and cranny of the house. Seriously, I think I killed close to 50 spiders that had taken up residence in the apartment since the last tenant. There are also ants, but I find them a lot friendlier than the spiders…
I was able to pick up a few things for the apartment on my first full day here (Sunday). Jessi and Candace took me into Sosua, which is a touristy beach town, for lunch and to a grocery store that made me feel like I was still in that States. I bought the essentials: a coffee maker, coffee, candles, some mugs, avocados, tomatoes, and a few others things (I brought chocolate with me from home in case you were wondering why that didn’t make the essentials list).
I came back from the store and tried to figure out if internet was possible from my apartment (so far, it’s not). The other girls have internet for work so I’ve been able to skirt paying for internet use thus far (there are internet cafes around town). I also took a walk into Montellano (which is more of a Dominican town than a tourist trap like Sosua). I was having a really nice day settling in and getting to know the area, until about 6:45 p.m….
I went into the bathroom to get ready for church that evening. I was in the bathroom long enough to put on make up (quickly) and tidy up my hair for church. While I was in the bathroom, I heard something fall on the ground. It sounded like a curtain rod falling and bouncing a few times. Then it sounded like someone picked it up and maybe dropped it again, but a little more softly the second time. I didn’t think anything about it, because I figured Jessi or Candace had dropped something next door (my apt. is adjacent to theirs). I was about to walk out the door and stopped by my table (my only real piece of furniture) to pick up my wallet. Not there.
At first, I didn’t panic, because if you know me well, you know that I am prone to misplacing things: keys, wallets, cell phone, articles of clothing- you name it. So, I spent about 15 minutes turning my apartment upside down looking for my missing wallet. My wallet was also orange (Annie, if you are reading this, it’s the wallet you gave me!) so it should be a hard one to lose. I couldn’t find it anywhere. Distraught, I went next door to talk to Jessi and Candace in order to seek advice. They didn’t seem too worried which helped. We discussed possible scenarios (at this point, I still has not connected the noises and my missing wallet). I retraced my steps from my walk earlier in the day with no success and then Candace made me a cup of vanilla tea to calm me down.
After talking to Candace for quite a while over tea, I went back to my apartment feeling much better. After all, the only things I had lost were my license, my check card, some cash and my actual wallet. I was very sad to lose these things, but I didn’t lose my passport or a huge sum of money. It could have been so much worse.
So, I got back to my apartment and to my dismay, my cell phone was gone, too. The charger was still plugged into the wall, but the phone was gone. I had not noticed this before. My first thought was that I probably picked it up in a panic after I realized my wallet was gone and stuck in a weird spot. Not the case. My cell was no where to be found. This is when I really started to worry.
Candace tried calling my cell phone number and someone answered in Spanish, confirming that someone has taken my phone (I never had any reason to take my phone out of the apartment, so there’s no way I left it somewhere). The mysterious person on the other end of the line realized they should have answered a stolen cell phone and hung up on Candace. We called back several times and got a busy signal and finally got a recording that said my number had been disconnected (which could happen if the sim card is removed- this is just my guess). At this point, I called my bank and put a hold on my check card (which had been suspended anyway since I was in the DR and failed to tell my bank.)
To make what would be an even longer story a little bit shorter, we think some little kid or teenager probably wandered in or climed up my balcony while I was in the bathroom, grabbed a few small items and ran out (my computer and digital camera were on the same table as my wallet and cell). This would explain the noises I heard from the bathroom. While really annoying, it makes me feel a lot better to believe that a child or teenager took my things instead of someone that might do harm to me! But, it is a little frightening to know that someone, most likely, was in my home at the same time as me. I learned the hard way that my door needs to be locked at all times- even when I am home.
And that concludes my fist 24 hours here. It was pretty disheartening to have my things stolen, but as I said, it could have been so much worse.
I would still love to have a roommate. Living alone is ok, especially since Jessi and Candace live right next door, but it would be nice to have a roommate just to feel a little more secure. So please pray that God would provide a solution to me feeling uncomfortable in my apartment here.
I start work tomorrow (Monday). I have not yet been to the Haitian village where I will be working. My guess is that it will be very different from the Dominican town where I am living. I am really excited about work and can't wait to share more with you.
Love,
GA
I arrived to the island of Hispaniola about the same time as Hurricane Ike. After flying around Hurricane Gustav on my way back from Austin and leaving Murrells Inlet a day early to avoid Hurricane Hanna, I was ready to be finished with cyclones. I had a somewhat bumpy plane ride into Santiago before the outer bands of Ike hit the northern part of the DR with full force. Despite my nervouseness from the threatening storm clouds and turbulence, I was elated to see the sugarcane fields, banana trees, and tiny houses that sprinkle the north coast. I was also bless with a gorgeous sunset that made the mountains in the distance all the more beautiful.
After arriving in Santiago, I met up with Jessi and Candace, the two other Kids Alive missionaries living in Montellano. They were kind enough to pick me up from the airport at the beginning of a monsoon. Rain fell in sheets the entire way to Montellano (where I now live). Meeting traffic on a two lane road was a little unnerving, but we made it.
Arriving to Montellano was also a little unsettling. My apartment, where I will be living alone (although there has been talk of adopting a street puppy), was completely empty. I slept on a mattress on the floor my first night here and I spent the morning after trying to clean every nook and cranny of the house. Seriously, I think I killed close to 50 spiders that had taken up residence in the apartment since the last tenant. There are also ants, but I find them a lot friendlier than the spiders…
I was able to pick up a few things for the apartment on my first full day here (Sunday). Jessi and Candace took me into Sosua, which is a touristy beach town, for lunch and to a grocery store that made me feel like I was still in that States. I bought the essentials: a coffee maker, coffee, candles, some mugs, avocados, tomatoes, and a few others things (I brought chocolate with me from home in case you were wondering why that didn’t make the essentials list).
I came back from the store and tried to figure out if internet was possible from my apartment (so far, it’s not). The other girls have internet for work so I’ve been able to skirt paying for internet use thus far (there are internet cafes around town). I also took a walk into Montellano (which is more of a Dominican town than a tourist trap like Sosua). I was having a really nice day settling in and getting to know the area, until about 6:45 p.m….
I went into the bathroom to get ready for church that evening. I was in the bathroom long enough to put on make up (quickly) and tidy up my hair for church. While I was in the bathroom, I heard something fall on the ground. It sounded like a curtain rod falling and bouncing a few times. Then it sounded like someone picked it up and maybe dropped it again, but a little more softly the second time. I didn’t think anything about it, because I figured Jessi or Candace had dropped something next door (my apt. is adjacent to theirs). I was about to walk out the door and stopped by my table (my only real piece of furniture) to pick up my wallet. Not there.
At first, I didn’t panic, because if you know me well, you know that I am prone to misplacing things: keys, wallets, cell phone, articles of clothing- you name it. So, I spent about 15 minutes turning my apartment upside down looking for my missing wallet. My wallet was also orange (Annie, if you are reading this, it’s the wallet you gave me!) so it should be a hard one to lose. I couldn’t find it anywhere. Distraught, I went next door to talk to Jessi and Candace in order to seek advice. They didn’t seem too worried which helped. We discussed possible scenarios (at this point, I still has not connected the noises and my missing wallet). I retraced my steps from my walk earlier in the day with no success and then Candace made me a cup of vanilla tea to calm me down.
After talking to Candace for quite a while over tea, I went back to my apartment feeling much better. After all, the only things I had lost were my license, my check card, some cash and my actual wallet. I was very sad to lose these things, but I didn’t lose my passport or a huge sum of money. It could have been so much worse.
So, I got back to my apartment and to my dismay, my cell phone was gone, too. The charger was still plugged into the wall, but the phone was gone. I had not noticed this before. My first thought was that I probably picked it up in a panic after I realized my wallet was gone and stuck in a weird spot. Not the case. My cell was no where to be found. This is when I really started to worry.
Candace tried calling my cell phone number and someone answered in Spanish, confirming that someone has taken my phone (I never had any reason to take my phone out of the apartment, so there’s no way I left it somewhere). The mysterious person on the other end of the line realized they should have answered a stolen cell phone and hung up on Candace. We called back several times and got a busy signal and finally got a recording that said my number had been disconnected (which could happen if the sim card is removed- this is just my guess). At this point, I called my bank and put a hold on my check card (which had been suspended anyway since I was in the DR and failed to tell my bank.)
To make what would be an even longer story a little bit shorter, we think some little kid or teenager probably wandered in or climed up my balcony while I was in the bathroom, grabbed a few small items and ran out (my computer and digital camera were on the same table as my wallet and cell). This would explain the noises I heard from the bathroom. While really annoying, it makes me feel a lot better to believe that a child or teenager took my things instead of someone that might do harm to me! But, it is a little frightening to know that someone, most likely, was in my home at the same time as me. I learned the hard way that my door needs to be locked at all times- even when I am home.
And that concludes my fist 24 hours here. It was pretty disheartening to have my things stolen, but as I said, it could have been so much worse.
I would still love to have a roommate. Living alone is ok, especially since Jessi and Candace live right next door, but it would be nice to have a roommate just to feel a little more secure. So please pray that God would provide a solution to me feeling uncomfortable in my apartment here.
I start work tomorrow (Monday). I have not yet been to the Haitian village where I will be working. My guess is that it will be very different from the Dominican town where I am living. I am really excited about work and can't wait to share more with you.
Love,
GA
Sunday, July 27, 2008
murrells inlet
I am finally home in Murrells Inlet, SC! My last month in Winston Salem went by quickly. I tried to pack in as much excitement and time with friends as possible. I'll miss a lot of things about living in Winston- mainly my front porch, my coworkers at Wake, and of course, my roommate. My coworkers in University Advancement gave me quite the send-off (thanks guys!) There are so many wonderful people at Wake Forest. I feel very fortunate to have gotten to know many of them.
My mom drove up to Winston on Wednesday and helped my pack, fed me breakfast, lunch and dinner everyday, and encouraged me to get up earlier than usual in order to get more packing done (I just love getting up early!) We brought everything down to South Carolina in my car and my dad's truck on Sunday. Most of my life will be packed up in boxes and distributed amongst my brother's old closet, my closet and a few other random closets in my parents house for the next 9 months. Thank you, Mom and Dad, for keeping things safe for the next several months. And most of the furniture that I own is being stored in a friend's basement in Winston-Salem. This was a huge blessing, because renting a moving van and/or storage unit would have been costly. So, I need to thank Jake McConnico for offering up his space! I also had several people help me pack and move things. You know who you are. Thank you so much! I couldn't have done it without your help.
I am continuing to raise support for my time in the Dominican Republic. I have beem humbled and amazed by the level 0f support I already have. Thank you to all of you that have already committed to pray for me and that have been so very generous with your finances. I may have been lacking in faith, but for the first time, I feel like this is really going to happen. And that's exciting!
I will be home in Murrells Inlet for the next two weeks, then I am off to Colorado, Maine and Texas to spend a some time with family, friends, and my boyfriend before I leave the country for a while. I'd love to see you, as well, before I leave, so please give me a call if you are in the MI area over the next few weeks.
My mom drove up to Winston on Wednesday and helped my pack, fed me breakfast, lunch and dinner everyday, and encouraged me to get up earlier than usual in order to get more packing done (I just love getting up early!) We brought everything down to South Carolina in my car and my dad's truck on Sunday. Most of my life will be packed up in boxes and distributed amongst my brother's old closet, my closet and a few other random closets in my parents house for the next 9 months. Thank you, Mom and Dad, for keeping things safe for the next several months. And most of the furniture that I own is being stored in a friend's basement in Winston-Salem. This was a huge blessing, because renting a moving van and/or storage unit would have been costly. So, I need to thank Jake McConnico for offering up his space! I also had several people help me pack and move things. You know who you are. Thank you so much! I couldn't have done it without your help.
I am continuing to raise support for my time in the Dominican Republic. I have beem humbled and amazed by the level 0f support I already have. Thank you to all of you that have already committed to pray for me and that have been so very generous with your finances. I may have been lacking in faith, but for the first time, I feel like this is really going to happen. And that's exciting!
I will be home in Murrells Inlet for the next two weeks, then I am off to Colorado, Maine and Texas to spend a some time with family, friends, and my boyfriend before I leave the country for a while. I'd love to see you, as well, before I leave, so please give me a call if you are in the MI area over the next few weeks.
Friday, June 27, 2008
support
I leave for the Dominican Republic in early September! I am going to attempt to keep a blog while I am there to keep you updated on my day to day life. I'll try to send out lots of emails as well, but this may be your best bet if you want to check in on me.
My hope is to spend 6-7 months working as a teacher/ after school program coordinator on the northern coast of the Dominican Republic. The area where I will be working is really close to the Hatian border. I will be working in a care center that provides education and meals to a group of over 100 children. Seventy percent of these kids are Haitian and the children of immigrants that have moved to the DR to work in sugarcane fields. Though I have lived in the Dominican before, working so close to the Haitian border will be a completely different experience. I know my time there will be challenging and will be an amazing opporunity to learn about other peoples and cultures.
On Monday, I will start raising support, prayer and financial, for my trip. It would be wonderful to have your participation in either of these! I will be raising a total of $6,400. I have been assured that this is a doable goal, though it seems like quite a bit of money! I am confident that if the Lord wants me to be in the Dominican Republic by September, the support will come in a timely manner.
If you are interested in getting involved, please let me know. You may send me your mailing address or email, and I will send you a support letter with more information. Also, if you are interested in talking to me in person or on the phone, I would love to make that happen! I will be in Winston-Salem until July 24th. Then, I will be in Murrells Inlet, SC from July 25th until August 8th. I will also be making a few trips down to the Charleston area during the next few months.
Please contact me at georgia.a.thompson@gmail.com or 843.902.8778. Thanks for taking the time to visit my blog! I look forward to seeing many of you soon!
Also, I've added some pictures to show you some of the kids of I worked with in the Dominican in the past. Enjoy!
I thank you my God everytime I remember you.
Phil 1:3
My hope is to spend 6-7 months working as a teacher/ after school program coordinator on the northern coast of the Dominican Republic. The area where I will be working is really close to the Hatian border. I will be working in a care center that provides education and meals to a group of over 100 children. Seventy percent of these kids are Haitian and the children of immigrants that have moved to the DR to work in sugarcane fields. Though I have lived in the Dominican before, working so close to the Haitian border will be a completely different experience. I know my time there will be challenging and will be an amazing opporunity to learn about other peoples and cultures.
On Monday, I will start raising support, prayer and financial, for my trip. It would be wonderful to have your participation in either of these! I will be raising a total of $6,400. I have been assured that this is a doable goal, though it seems like quite a bit of money! I am confident that if the Lord wants me to be in the Dominican Republic by September, the support will come in a timely manner.
If you are interested in getting involved, please let me know. You may send me your mailing address or email, and I will send you a support letter with more information. Also, if you are interested in talking to me in person or on the phone, I would love to make that happen! I will be in Winston-Salem until July 24th. Then, I will be in Murrells Inlet, SC from July 25th until August 8th. I will also be making a few trips down to the Charleston area during the next few months.
Please contact me at georgia.a.thompson@gmail.com or 843.902.8778. Thanks for taking the time to visit my blog! I look forward to seeing many of you soon!
Also, I've added some pictures to show you some of the kids of I worked with in the Dominican in the past. Enjoy!
I thank you my God everytime I remember you.
Phil 1:3
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