Vacation

Tomorrow I am off to Cabarete for a long weekend! Pictures will be taken and many pina coladas will be had by all.

Q-T' S

There is only so much that dry shampoo can do

I go to the beach every single day. Sometimes twice a day. School was canceled yesterday for reasons that are still unclear and my day was well spent soaking up the sun (With plenty of sunscreen)

Snorkling

Teaching

Today was an especially hard day of teaching. My students did not wanted to listen to me they only wanted to fight each other and run around the classroom. I had to be the strict teacher that no student likes. I was definitely not any students favorite teacher today, but discipline and guidance is what these kids desperately need. These children need direction. My lesson had many road bumps because I had to repeatedly stop to calm them and gain control. These kids are not used to being told no. Violence is a game to them.

I want to be the fun teacher again, but I need respect before I can do that.

Teaching today made today the first day that I was officially home sick. I have been trying to deny it but I miss my family and friends. I am so lucky to have the people that I do in my life. I am lucky for the discipline and guidance that my parents provided me, even though I may not have realized it at the time. I am striving to channel my family's skills to help these kids. My mothers patience and strength. My fathers charm and creativity. And my brothers cleverness and wit.

It is going to get a lot harder before it gets better. I am going to get through to these kids. Everyday I will try something new, and every day I will make sure every child walks out of my classroom knowing that they are smart, important and loved.

Heres to tomorrow.

Its 5' o clock Somewhere...

Santa Barbra De Semana: Saturday 9: 56 AM
My first (virgin) Pina Colada! Sin alcohol por favor!
We went to Semana for a day trip on Saturday. 4 hour bus ride to the city and a 30 minute boat ride to the actual island. My day consisted of drinking my Pina on the beach, snorkeling for shells) and bartering for goods from the venders. I talked down the price of a painting I had my eye on to below half price.

4 Days Old: 5 pounds

Cutest Photobomber Ever

Great People, Great Experience

Went on an adventure yesterday to Santiago to meet Nicolasa's family with Emily. This was an amazing experience. We were introduced to a large amount of wonderful people and got to meet Nicolasa's 4 day old niece. Her family is open and welcomed us with open arms and A LOT of kisses. I enjoyed helping with dinner and the kiddos begged to be photographed. It was interesting to learn more about the dominican culture and was great to feel apart of it. Santiago is 2 hours away from Puerto Plata which includes 2 trips in separate Gaga's. (buses were you are very, very close to the people around you.) Navigating is an experience all on it's own and I am still learning how to get around.

I am honored that Nicolasa wanted me to meet here family. Experiences like this one are why I wanted to come to the Dominican Republic.

My Kiddos

Javillar Teaching Team

Every week day we walk to Javillar, have lunch in the cafeteria with our kiddos and then head to our classrooms to start teaching. We all teach 2nd and 3rd graders. They are oh so cute but they are also oh so naughty!

Rain, Rain

Rain showers here are unpredictable and strong.

Fresh Fruit for Days

If I could eat fruit for every meal I would. We have fresh fruit stands on every corner! One pineapple is about 1. 70 American Dollars.

Una Pina

The Sunsets are Incredible Here

Photo Cred: Kelley Simpson

Photo Cred: Ellie Thomas

Cooking with Tamaris

Papi

Meet Papi. Our beloved neighbor and taxi driver. Papi is 'siempre bien' and always has a smile on his face!

Kiddos at the Gate

Cute Faces All Around

Around Town

Un Cafe

 First coffee in the Dominican, it was greatly appreciated after a long first day of teaching.

First Day of School

First day of teaching! I was assigned to teach 2nd and 3rd grades. These kids are crazy. They all come from different difficult situations and they need a lot of attention. It was very hard to gain control of my students. These children are not used to being disciplined and they do not like being told what to do. Most of the time I wasn't even giving my lesson because I was breaking up fights between the children.

Nicolasa came to the house before school and gave me the woven flower that is in my hair in the picture. She said it was to bring me luck and peace of mind. The community is aware of the behavior problems that we are facing.

Today was hard but I learned a lot and I have ideas for a better tomorrow. These children need rules and a lot of love.

Everyday a New Adventure

What a great Sunday! Today we woke up early and walked about 20 minutes to our small local store. I purchased a pina colada yogurt drink and a mango for breakfast. Best. Breakfast. Ever. After we stretched our legs we headed over to the basketball courts to watch some of our students in pick up games. We made a few friends and cheered loudly for our kiddos! The little boy that is pictured above stared at me when we sat down in the stands to watch the game. He quickly approached and gave me a hug. He then climbed onto my lab and played with his little toy car. His mother smiled and then walked away. She came back when the game was over. That's a lot of trust in someone she had just met.
We worked on lesson plans for the majority of the day after that. I made dinner with Nicolasa to help give our cook the day off. We made an herb soup, ham and pasta. Talking with Nicolsasa is great for improving my Spanish. After dinner we walked to our coordinators house to give her some soup. She is in a lot of pain because she just had a surgery to remove a 7 pound tumor. After our visit we went to a neighbors house to purchase ice cream as a group. Nicolasa introduces me to her friends and tells them that I am a special kind girl and that we are great friends. The ice cream was AMAZING. And it was only 25 pesos. At the store ice cream is about 100 pesos, so we got a great deal.
I can't believe I start teaching tomorrow! Wish me luck! This week I am teaching arts and crafts as I work with my students on their English.

Part of the view from the balcony

Making friends

This is "Mi" who has been my little friend ever since I arrived. She is very demanding but nothing like Mouschi back home. I secretly give her bits of food when no one is looking and she appreciates it. She is very vocal and loves to be cuddled.

Who Needs Sleep?

I love it here. Today we soaked up the sun! Our neighbor Papi is a taxi driver and he took us to the big store today in the city. Papi is hilarious! He has been driving his taxi for 32 years. Traffic is very different in the Dominican. The roads are small and people swerve in, out and around each other. I went to the beach again today. The water is so warm here. A man approached mea and my group saying that we needed to pay 100 pesos to sit in some of the chairs. We decided to just sit on the ground to avoid paying and then later found out that he wasn't even an employee at the beach. We have to really be careful with our money.

Tamarillis (pictured above) is our chef. She is fantastic! She cooks us lunch and dinner everyday with a great variety. Our meals consist of rice, beans or plantains with some sort of meat. The pineapple is my favorite!

Getting settled in

I LOVE my neighborhood. The kids here are always wanting to play. We went to the beach today and the kids were in tears that they could not come. They were begging us to tell their parents to reconsider. The beach is a short 25 minute walk. Walking through town is really fun, except for some of the men that try to flirt with us. They yell about how beautiful we are and how much they love us.

I changed some money into RD pesos today which is very helpful! We went on a walk this morning and I purchased my first empanada. And let me tell you, it was amazing! Mine was filled with an egg and topped with ketchup. Only 25 pesos! I also bought a mango at our local market today and it was only 10 pesos. That is about 25 cents!

I love it here. The culture is very unique and exciting to learn about.

Ninas

These girls were happy to pose for a pictures when I walked by them in our neighborhood today.

Ninos!!

The kids wait for us at the gate to go out and play. They shout "Juego ahora, juego ahora, teacher mira, MIRA!" and reach for us. I am so excited to start teaching these kiddos. We got a brief tour of the schools today and got to meet more of our kids. They are very excited to have new teachers. Oh and they LOVE my hair. Red hair is very rare in the Dominican so the kids get very excited when they see me.

These children are beautiful!

In the Dominican

It's  official I am in the Dominican Republic. And it is beautiful! We arrived yesterday around two and got introduced to our house and our coordinator and cook. They made it clear to us that we are not strangers and that we are a part of there family.

I have been anxious for my arrival but once I saw the kids all of my fear if this was the right decision for me ran for the hills. These Dominican kiddos are ADORABLE. They are so sweet and full of joy. They were very happy to meet there new teachers and are addressing me in Spanish as "white girl" no matter how many times I confirm my real name.

Our house is wonderful. It is very large to fit 30 girls. I am on the top floor. My window is right by the balcony so my view is pretty incredible. We haven't figured out the whole running water thing but we all are content regardless.

Today is a rainy tropical day. I walked outside today and met someone from the community who is making it her job to make sure we are happy and healthy. Her name translates to Nicole in English. We spoke in Spanish and she tells me I am fluent, although I know that I have a lot to improve on. She says she understands me perfectly and welcomed me to her home. This was my first humbling experience. Nicolasa was very excited to show me around her home and garden. She is very proud of her plants. When she has free time she enjoys to knit and gifted me with a beautiful mariposa (butterfly) that she had made. Nicolasa says that she can tell that I have a kind heart and wants to be friends.

Life is wonderful! We have meetings today and then a brief tour of the city! Pictures will follow soon!

Here we go!

I'm here in New York City preparing to board my next flight to the DR! So far so good, I was entertained on the plane with Obama's final speech as president, while enjoying a complimentary orange juice. After arriving to New York I  enjoyed an authentic New York bagel which was everything I hoped and dreamed it would be. I'm happy and healthy... just a wee bit sleep deprived.  Next stop DOMINICAN REPUBLIC!

Arches

I got to squeeze in one last trip to Arches with my Mom today. I definitely won't be needing my hat and gloves come next week. Two days until Dominican!

10 days

This picture was taken a year ago when I found out I would be going to the Dominican Republic to teach children English. So much has changed, but not my excitement for this opportunity. I will be flying out in 10 days which feels unreal to me. This will be my first trip alone to a foreign country. I know there will be a learning curve, and I am thrilled to have a chance to make a difference.