chipotle ain't got nothin'! :)

yes. here are glorious pictures of the masterpiece created by the one and only karyn staats. now do you understand why i have her as a roommate? bam-son.

1st day of school!

Hooray! Today was the long-awaited first day of school. I was excited beyond belief, as I'm sure some of you can imagine, to see my students from last year, this year, and my young friends from 1st and 2nd grade.

Today definitely lived up to its expectation. The triplets were shy (except for Josue!) and the rest of my kids from last year gave me hugs. I got a good surprise as one of the students that I thought was going to the US, actually is back here again this year! Hooray! :)

I was so excited because this week I am teaching both 3rd and 4th grade. Our 3rd grade teacher (hopefully coming soon!!) is not here yet, so many of us are having to double up our first week. Thankfully my schedule works almost perfectly to be able to teach both without much overlap.

Having 18 kids this year (6 more desks than last year!) is certainly overwhelming and exciting at the same time. It makes my classroom seem so much smaller, but I'm really thankful to be able to have all of the kids that I do have. Hopefully we can keep everything running smoothly and in great order.

As far as recruiting stuff goes, we're still looking for a 2nd and 6th grade teacher. We have an "almost certain" 3rd grade teacher but awaiting final confirmation. Things have definitely settled down here a lot, as we had much turmoil at the beginning of the year. now we're just playing the waiting game...and planning for the weeks ahead! :)

Have I ever mentioned that I love teaching? because I do.

and to top it all off, my amazing amiga is making faux-Chipotle burritos for dinner. can life get any better?

Rabbits and Hot Dogs

The other day when I was walking home...after I walked in the gate, I looked at the tree across the fence and there was a hairless rabbit hanging from the tree. The only hair that was still on the rabbit was its head! :) Ay! After much deliberation, I decided to go ask the young man if I could take a picture of his nasty rabbit. Of course he agreed for the "Americana" so here it is...in all its glory! :) (sans head...and insides)

AND one of the best parts about being back in the Dominican Republic is the HOT DOGS! The first night after we were here, Karyn and I ordered yummy Moshe's hot dogs (our favorites!)...and maybe to you it may not look that appetizing, but for me...yummmmmmmmm!! :) Just imagine...hot dog, perfectly cooked, sliced open with mayonaise, ketchup, lettuce, cheese, and (new addition recently) beef delicately strewn upon the glory. The hot dog bun toasted to a golden brown warm and not too thick. Wow. Can life get better? :)

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.