Carnaval 2/22/09

I am going to attempt to update you on many of the exciting things that have been going on here.

Carnaval is a big deal here in the DR.  La Vega (a town about 30 min. away from us) supposedly has the best Carnaval celebration outside of Brazil.  Cool, huh?

Brooke, Karyn, and I ventured down to the square in town to see what it had to offer.  I had heard of many bad things happening to people, so I was a little fearful.  Apparently they hold these plastic bludgeons that they hit people with.  If you're in the street then you get hit with them.  When we got there, we stayed high up on the square so that we wouldn't be close to the road.  

It was amazing to see the ornate costumes, the crazy music, and the people who were there.  

The video below is a "team" or a group of people who dress up in similar costumes.  These are "Los Lobos"

I believe there were 4 different teams of Carnaval-ers all with matching, ornate costumes.   

Carnaval wasn't as scary of an experience as I had imagined.   It was actually really neat.  We were there for about 4 hours, and I loved watching the people in their shiny, large costumes.  I loved watching the little kids in their costumes.  Some of the costumes were CRAZY scary looking and people were putting their babies and small children with them like they were Santa Claus at the mall.  I would be one terrified child if my mom or dad had put me with a scary, Satanic looking person.

A little kid in his costume all dressed up for Carnaval

One of the teams coming out

Los Lobos coming out

Parents forcing their child to sit with the scary creature

If you want to see more pictures and another video, check out this link:

http://picasaweb.google.com/dominicanatalie/Carnaval

SUPER exciting update! :)

Friends and Family,

I'm so excited to share with you some potentially big news. This week at school we received our Letters of Intent. I kindly told the director of our school that he could keep it because it makes me want to vomit looking at it and deciding whether or not to commit to another year of the Natalie's Life: Dominican Republic chapter. Although I have been praying about it for quite a while, thinking about it quite often, and just plain wondering what God wants me to do, I've been so scared of making a commitment either way about how I want to spend the next year.

BUT as of right now, I am planning on staying another year at JCS. There it is. Phew. It's like a load off my chest. As I continue to talk to the director about some of the "accommodations" that I request for next year, he has been very encouraging and willing to try to do everything he can for me. (These accommodations include actually having curriculum, and...well, that's about it.) It makes me excited to be settled in a job, having a year of experience, becoming a better teacher, and enjoying another year on this blissful tropical island. :) Although this year hasn't been all rainbows and sunshine, I can clearly see God working in my heart, in the hearts of the other staff, and in the hearts of our students.

I also want to share with you somewhat of a need or maybe more of a desire of my heart that you could potentially help out with. At our school, JCS, we are encouraged to build relationships with our students, the other staff, and the community members. It presents a problem when we're not "allowed" (recommended...strongly) to be out after dark by ourselves and many of my students don't live close to my house. I want to be able to take my students (or just students in general) on adventures, take them out for dinner, or just out to get ice cream. I think that this is one of the best ways to get involved in the community. So this is what I ask: I am going to try and raise money to buy a pasola (a scooter-type thing--think a Yamaha Jog scooter). I wouldn't be asking if I was only planning on staying for 3 and a half more months, but I think that it would be worth it for another year, another year of building relationships and fortifying already made relationships. A pasola in the Dominican Republic costs around 800-1000 dollars. I know that seemsThe easiest and quickest way to support me is by sending a check to my house in Indiana, but if you would like to do a tax-deductible donation, you can send it through New Horizons. One of the visions I have is taking some of the scholarship students whose families don't have a lot of money to go get ice cream or dinner, to share with them the gifts that God has blessed me with.

Natalie's Home Address
17522 McDuffee Rd.
Churubusco, IN 46723

New Horizons (make sure my name is somewhere on the check)
New Horizons Youth Foundation
Attn: Jarabacoa Christian School Staff Support Fund
701 S. Clinton St. Suite 112
Fort Wayne, IN 46802

I appreciate all of your continued support, whether through email, thoughts, prayers, or financial support. I feel so blessed by each and every person. Thank you in advance for helping me advance the ministry that God has placed me down here to do.

Natalie :)

Time flies!

Whoa.  how time flies!  I look up one day and a month has passed!  This has been a good month, sure it's been full of ups and downs, but overall God has been good.  School has been going so much better this semester.  I feel more confident as a teacher, feel like I know what I'm doing more, feel more confident as a member of the staff at school.  As I have been praying about things about next year, it has become more clear what it means to be a staff member, a part of a team, striving for better school, better students, and to be a better team.

Some awesome, significant things that have happened in the last week or two:

1.  Juan Luis Guerra concert

Last weekend 6 of us boarded Caribe Tours and headed to the Capitol (Santo Domingo) for a day of relaxing, enjoyment, and eating. :)  Our purpose for the trip was to go see Juan Luis Guerra in concert.  The bonus part of our trip was getting to stay in a beautiful house of one of our friends down here, Job.  We relaxed the afternoon away, sitting by the pool (some of us swimming...) and doing a crossword puzzle. :)  can life get any better?  then we saddled up, put on our Sunday best and headed downtown for a quick dinner and to the concert.

The concert was unlike anything I've ever been to before.  It was in a big soccer (I think?) stadium.  We were not in the cheap bleacher seats, oh absolutely not!  We were in the middle of the field, surrounded by the happy claps of many Dominicans surrounding us in the bleachers.  We were crammed tight, struggling to move forward to be as close to the legend himself as possible.  When we realized that this wasn't the best move, we decided to go stand near the back where it was less crowded, we would have more room to move around.

The concert was...AMAZING.  I cannot even describe how much fun it was.  I loved it so much.  Christie and I hoised Christy up on our shoulders.  Yeah, we got crazy.  :)  We did a lot of dancing, a lot of laughing, a lot of loving life.  It was so fun.  UNfortunately, I didn't take any pictures (only one, I think the whole weekend!  who am i?!) so I have no goodness to show you.  But let me just say, Juan Luis Guerra rocked my socks.  Yes indeed.  He did.   If you don't know who he is, look him up.  ASAP.  like now.  okay.  

Brooke, Karyn, and I went to Carnaval yesterday.  WHAT an experience.  I want to write about that later...

Adventuring!

This past weekend, 5 girls and I went on an adventure to the northeast corner of the Dominican Republic to the Samaná Peninsula.  We had an idea of what an adventure we wanted to have, but we had no idea what adventure we really would have!  Armed with a 3-day weekend, a rented Honda CRV, and 6 girls waiting to have a great adventure, we were bound to have one. :)

Day 1:  Saturday - Driving to Samaná, Playa Las Galeras.

Saturday was an adventure in itself.  with Christy at the wheel, we rolled out of Jarabacoa at around 7:30 am.  of course, being girls, we had to run back into the houses a few more times to collect things that were forgotten, but we were still outta here by that early!  Aren't you proud?  With Christy and Karyn in the front; Brooke, Anna, and I in the backseat; and Christie Collver snuggly fit in the trunk area, we were finally off.  We were all a little groggy, but the drive was fun.  It was good to get out of Jarabacoa, seeing the sights, wow.  Happy day it was.  Our first stop was in San Francisco de Macoris  (no golden gate bridge here...) at La Serena to grab groceries, a rest stop, and potty break.  After that, we were back in the car for another leg of our trip.  While driving through San Fancisco de Macoris and its surrounding areas, we saw many rice paddies (Christy wanted to stop and harvest some rice...okay.)  and then we saw combines and I saw 2 crop dusters!  My first glimpse of small airplanes since I've been here, and let me tell you what, it was a welcome sight. :)  After San Francisco, we lost the comfort (literally.) of kind, paved roads.  Unfortunately we hit something and a piece of plastic underneath our car started dragging, so we had to stop and immediately had 6 Dominican men there willing to help us fix it.  What can we say?  They can't resist our white skin and blond hair!  

After that, I had the chance to drive!   Wow!  What an experience driving in the Dominican.  It's a constant fear of hitting potholes (which I rocked the car on a few...) swerving to miss people on motorcycles, and trying to glimpse the amazing vistas that you are constantly driving by. 

 

It was so fun to have the experience driving, and although I wasn't too scared of it, I think my passengers had a small amount of fear.  :)  After a while, we finally arrived in Las Galeras, our stopping point.  After 6 hours, I was exhausted and ready to take a nap.  Others were off to the beach.  After a short nap, I was ready to hit the beach.  It was so nice to relax, to sit, and to feel the water (albeit, it was a bit chilly.)  Christy and Christie decided to swim to this island that was semi-far out in the ocean.  Afterwards, we ate dinner (pizza!), did backrubs, then went to bed.  Our hotel room was 3 full size beds, 1 bathroom, and a small kitchen area.  Perfect for us.  :)

Day 2:  Sunday-  Frontón.  oh wait.  nope!  Playa Rincón.

What a crazy day this turned out to be!  We woke up super early to be on the road to Frontón.  We ate breakfast, and went out to the car...to find that the car wasn't working.  It wouldn't start.  AWESOME.  So we went and asked the lady at the hotel to help us.  She found a guy named "Loco" and asked him to find someone to help us jump our car.  After that unsuccessful attempt, Christy and I went walking to see if we could find someone to help us.  She finally found someone who was willing to look at the car.  

Needless to say, after about 4 hours, the car was fixed, but our trip to Frontón was not going to happen.  ENTONCES We decided to venture off to Playa Rincón.  None of us had any idea what

 we were getting into, but we knew the road was crazy bumpy and it  came highly recommended by one of the other teachers from the school.

Christy braved the treacherous roads and we finally arrived.

What awaited us there, was almost enough to make us throw in the towel.  There was a large stretch of land that was knee-deep (we saw people walking through it...) in that was between us and the beach.  At this point, we were all exhausted, frustrated, and just wanted things to be easy!  Well, praise the Lord, look what rolled  up, an Estilo Tours bus.  Hallelujah.  After Christy flagged them down and asked them if we could pay them to ride across, we were on our way!  We drove through the crazy high water (see picture below) and were so thankful that we didn't have to walk through that.  

The beach was BEAUTIFUL.  I love living on a tropical island.  Have I mentioned that before?  It was great to sit on the beach, relax in the sand, frolic in the waves, and enjoy friends.  

Then it was back to the hotel, another nap, dinner, and sleep. 

Day 3:  Monday - FINALLY Frontón.

Our day began like the one before, although praise the Lord our car started!  We were off. 

 Christy and Christie dropped us off at the beginning of the trail, went back, and dropped the car off at Negrito's house then we were finally on our way.  Frontón is a secluded beach that you can

only get to by hiking for an hour and a half or by boat.  We chose to hike.  After a beautiful hike, many glimpses of the beautiful ocean, and beautiful music.  :)  I took my speakers that I had gotten from my aunt for Christmas, so we were entertained with some Spanish music and Enrique Iglesias.  

When we finally got to Frontón, we were marveled by the beauty.  On one side was the beautiful ocean and reef and on the other side was a high cliff.  BEAUTIFUL.  I loved relaxing on the beach and frolicking in the ocean, and walking on the beach.  Some of the girls enjoyed snorkeling!  It was so great.  

Happy day.

The scariest part of the trip:  Boca del Diablo.  HOLY COW.  This was the scariest thing I've ever seen.  "The aptly named Devil's Mouth is a blow hole gouged out of the rocks that roars when it spouts water, sometimes up to 150 feet."  SCARY is what I call it.  Basically it sounds like Satan roaring and then it blows stuff out of it.  like water.  or if you correctly time it, a huge palm branch.  I made Karyn hold my hand the whole time we were near it because it was so scary.  I tried to find a video on YouTube or something, but seriously nothing does the noise or the scariness justice! :)  (here is one link though...boca del diablo)

All in all, que buen adventure! :)

...more soon...

...good gifts!

As I've been praying about whether or not the Lord wants me to stay here in Jarabacoa for another year, I have had more peace about actually listening to what He has to say. What He wants me to do. I'm selfish and say, "well, I'll stay if so-and-so stays or if such-and-such changes." But I'm challenged to see if those statements are really honoring to God? Why am I putting conditions on God’s will for my life? …because it’s safe. because it would be more comfortable for me if friends stayed. if things at school changed. I know, though, that God doesn’t always want me to be comfortable. If He did, then He wouldn’t have brought me to the DR. I would be in North Carolina, living with my bff, teaching, and living the life. BUT He has different plans for me. Awesome plans, but not always comfortable.

God has blessed me with some pretty amazing gifts here. He's blessed me with good friends, beautiful scenery, and amazing students. I know that I’ve struggled with loving my students this year, but I truly believe that the Lord has opened my eyes in a new way how to love them.

I was talking to one of the girls, Christy, the other night. She is Estheisy’s teacher. Estheisy is the little joy in my life that I am blessed to see 5 days a week (when she comes to school…) Daily, Christy said, she prays for Mrs. Reposa (the aide in the classroom), Christy, and me. What an honor to be prayed for by this little girl. Now, here’s what Christy said about Estheisy (via Mrs. Reposa…) Mrs. Reposa and Christy were talking the other day because Estheisy isn’t doing well in school. She lives with her grandma, aunt, cousins, and who knows who else. I don’t understand why she doesn’t live with her parents, both of which live in the United States, but for some reason or another, they have chosen to live without their daughter. Anyways, Christy was frustrated that Estheisy isn’t performing at the level she should be, and it’s sometimes a struggle to see the “reasoning” behind decisions. Why is this little girl being torn away from her parents when that would be the “safest” thing for her. Mrs. Reposa gently reminded Christy who Estheisy prays for daily. Not her mom or dad, but Christy, Mrs. Reposa, and me. Who are the people who make her feel safe? Pretty big responsibility, eh? Showing these small people who Christ is. Showing them Christ’s love. and praying that they will decide to follow Him. I feel, almost, that if I were to leave, I would be abandoning my kids. these students that I’ve poured so much of myself, so much of Christ’s love, into that it would be so hard to leave them.
I feel like maybe God would want me here for a little while longer?
I feel like it may be easier to go home though?

I just pray for wisdom. pray for discernment. pray to listen. pray for clarity. praying for God to use me where He wants me. not where I want to be (because frankly, I'm not exactly sure where that is...).

Straight Up Joy!

Hello once again! I have survived exam week and am rearing to go for this new semester! This week was fairly low key...half days of school for my students, hour-long lunches, grading exams, finalizing report cards, preparing for next semester, copying like a mad woman. :) You get the gist. All in all, it was a good week.

Karyn and I have started our Bible study this semester. I'm pretty excited, as it has already been challenging and eye-opening to the ways that satan attacks us. I think that as a "missionary" (I use that term loosely because I feel like I am more of a teacher than a missionary, but in all honesty, this truly is my mission field, where I attest to Christ's love, where I am sharing the Gospel, so yes, I am sort of a missionary.) satan wants to attack even more. He wants to build up walls in our small community, he wants to lure people away from God, he wants us to believe lies that make us forget the Truth. It's good, so good, to be reminded that satan's attacks on us are real. They are hitting us hard and frequently. BUT it's okay. because God is bigger. God is so much more than satan could ever be. Anyways, maybe I'll share more about what I'm learning from Bible study in a later post...

Humorous story of the entry:
I called my mom, and she said she had important things to update me on! She said that one day at school she got a phone call, "Mrs. Brewer, there is a boy from the Dominican Republic on the phone for you." (my thoughts: WHAT?!) My mom is of course in "mom mode" thinking that something has happened to me or I am sick or I am hurt, you know, typical mom stuff. :) She goes to answer the phone. "Hi Mrs. Brewer, my name is Josue and I am in Miss Brewer's class." (my thoughts: OH MY GOODNESS! HOW FUNNY!) It turns out that Josue wanted my mom's home phone number (which he proudly gloats that he has...) and that was pretty much it. :) HOW did he get my mom's school phone number? well, my mom's class and my class have been video chatting back and forth, so my mom decided to give my students some pens and zipper-pulls. and the pens had the phone number for the school on them. I had received questions about whether or not this was the phone number to my mom's school in Indiana, but honestly had never even thought that they would call. How funny is my boy! :)


And today, off to school for another full day of getting ready for next semester, finishing up report cards, and getting life together...

It's a Christmas Miracle!

Hello friend and family,

After the prompting of 3 important women in my life (Mom, Julie White, and Mrs. Handy) to update my blog, I have decided to concede.

THANKSGIVING
For Thanksgiving, my roommate Kelsey and I headed to an all-inclusive resort for 4 days of sun, surf, pools, snorkeling, eating, tanning, American TV. Can life get any better? I submit that it cannot! :) I enjoyed relaxing, reading multiple books, wearing my bathing suit, eating so much food, watching American TV, and enjoying spending time with Kelsey! (you can check out pictures on my Picasa site...including pictures of the "Taino" dancing) The Taino people are the indingenous people of the Dominican. It was definitely an experience that I won't soon be forgetting!


CHRISTMAS PROGRAM
After many heated debates and deciding against singing Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer (I never realized how inappropriate that song is! especially at a Christan school!) my class and I decided to sing a medley of songs. Michael W. Smith's Prince of Peace and the boys sang N'Sync's Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and the girls sang Mariah Carey's Jesus, Oh What a Wonderful Child and then we ended with Prince of Peace. It was so great! My kids were nervous, which was super cute. :) They did a great job singing (kind of loud). Funny story: during the middle of the performance, one of my boys walked off stage. yep, just walked straight off. came and told me that his stomach hurt. I just said, "okay, just go sit down over there (on a bench)." Other than that, the performance went really well. Highlights: the 2-year olds "danced" to a song called Mi Burrito Sabanero (super cute!) and one first grace class sang "Mamacita, Donde Esta Santa Claus" and the other first grade sang "Jingle Bell Rock" very sassy, if I may say so! :) The fifth graders rapped an awesome song. Then the high schoolers danced to Rumba. All in all, it was definitely a successful program!! Brooke has some pictures that I will be commandeering soon, as well as a video of my kids. Hopefully I'll get that on my Picasa site soon!

DOOR DECORATION

Every year at JCS, they have a door decorating contest and then get judged based on Christ as the central theme and creativity. After MANY days of brainstorming, my class finally decided to split the door into two parts: Santa on a Four-Wheeler and Jesus being baptized (based on Luke 3:22) I must say, it was difficult not to give my input as my students were working (sometimes I did anyways...) I must say that the creation of our door turned out well. My students kept saying, "It looks so ugly. Why didn't you do it for us?" But I think they enjoyed being able to decorate their own door (for the first time). (see the pictures on my Picasa site!)



And now I'm back for semester 2 in the DR. the million dollar question right now is if I will be staying another year. And for all of you wondering, join the club. :) I have no idea what I want to do next year. I'm waiting for God to tell me where He wants me (as soon as I decide to listen to Him!). So there's where I'm at. We have to decide by February, so I've heard, so I will let you all know as soon as I figure it out myself! :)