DR Round 2!

Ahhhh being back in the DR has been such a relief and a blessing! I've enjoyed reconnecting with friends and coworkers and setting up my classroom!

a few things that I absolutely love about coming back to the DR:

1. in Jarabacoa (my village) I am completely surrounded by mountains

2. we can get vegetables and fruits for so cheap...and they taste so fresh

3. being bold in speaking a language that I am nowhere near fluent in

4. seeing the students again - the hugs especially

5. playing videogames and watching movies on the projector

6. MFI (our mail service) Tuesdays

7. the beach being SO close (although I have yet to visit in my week back....ha!)

8. talking daily to my landlord Guido who loves me so very much

9. gearing up for another awesome year of school

10. seeing wonderful sights on motorcycles -- many people, lawn mowers, washers, etc.

Teacher training starts today...pray for us! haha

Question Number 2 Addendum

I hope you have good, paved sidewalks and roads! What do you do when it rains? Does it rain a lot there?

Well, when it rains, it rains. We just have to walk into town or do whatever in the rain. That's why rain coats and umbrellas come in very handy! :)

And no, not all of our roads have good sidewalks and roads. The road that we live on is dirt (with a ton of potholes!) and the road to the school is dirt, so basically I don't walk on pavement when I walk to school.

I think it rains a lot. Especially during rainy season. and hurricane season. and winter season. and all of the other seasons that they make up that include rain. :) Generally it's nice in the morning and then in the afternoon it rains (which was unfortunate for my students who had PE in the afternoon!). The rain keeps it cool, which I enjoy. Although in the winter the rain is a little much when it is so cold already!

Question Number 3

Do you have electricity and running water? Is the water safe to drink?

The easy answer to that is: Sometimes, yes, and no.

Well, electricity in the DR is an interesting question. Sometimes it goes off for an entire afternoon, or in the evening, or overnight. It really varies, and especially when it is hurricane season our electricity is less consistent. The worst part is when it is so hot in the afternoons with the sun beating off of the tin roof without a fan when there is no electricity. Generally we just grin and bear it, drink lots of water, and continue on with the day...although all we want to do is lie around and sleep.

Yes we always have running water. We have a thing called a Tinako (whoa, don't know how to spell it but that's how you say it!) on top of our landlord's house that makes flows with gravity down to our house...as long as our power isn't out for a long time we'll have plenty of water. Generally our water runs with a pump (when there's electricity).

No! The water is not safe to drink! We buy 5 gallon bottles of water for our house (and that's what we have at school to drink) and we have a pump, so that's how we get our water for drinking. I, personally, use the tap water to brush my teeth, but many others don't. And, knock on wood, I haven't gotten any parasites yet! :)

Question Number Two

What kind of transportation do you have? How do you get to school, to the store, to church, or other places?

The easy answer to that is: Walking.

Whenever I go into town, it's generally on the two feet that God has blessed me with. :) It's about a 15 minute walk into town. When I'm going to school (just around the block--about 3 minutes) or to the store (about 15 minute walk) I have to walk. Then I have to carry back all the groceries in my backpack or just holding them. Needless to say it inhibits my desire to walk into town. That is also a reason why I am fundraising for a pasola. When I got to church, I get picked up by the pastor's wife who generously picks us up and takes us home. When I'm traveling throughout the country and to the beach, we generally ride public transportation (which is a charter bus) or rent a car. Renting a car is expensive but when split between many girls, it doesn't seem so expensive.

Question Number 1

Do I teach in English or in Spanish?

The easy answer to that is: English.

Our school is a bilingual school that is primarily taught in English, especially in pre-kindergarten and elementary school. I teach all in English and then throughout the day they have to classes that are taught in Spanish: their Spanish language class and their Dominican history class (Sociales). Their art/music and PE classes are also taught in Spanish.

Q & A with Natalie

Many people have questions about my life down in the Dominican Republic. I would love to spend time with each of you individually and tell you about my life, but I am realizing that it is not realistic. Therefore, if you have any questions you would like to ask, anything you would like to know about my life down in the D.R, then post a question as a 'comment' and I'll answer.

Lengthier Update

It's hard to believe that I've been home for over 2 weeks! It seems like just yesterday I was teaching my 12 kids, walking into town, and eating Gilberto's! I'm excited to go back and be a better teacher this year! I found out yeasterday that there is going to be only one 4th grade class with 19 students. I'm SO excited about it. There is a sweet place in my heart for those kids! I feel blessed that I am going to get to teach them all.

This year was a hard year but one of grace, forgiveness, and love. I learned a lot about myself as a teacher and as a person. God gave me some amazing friends. I'm so proud of the work that these men and women that I have come to know and love and their willingness to serve our Lord.

I hope that you read back through the amazing times that I've had over the past year...

I'll be updating my blog soon with updates about fundraising information and about my upcoming year in the Dominican Republic!