Sometimes we get so caught up with the routines of life that it takes someone else to notice the beauty around us. This past week we got a new roommate and showing her around the city made me appreciate it all over again. I loved seeing the mountains, the waterfalls and the safety of the city through her eyes and realizing just how lucky I am to be here. Sometimes I think we get so caught up in the small negative things and they bleed into the blessings, so for this blog, I just want to share some of my favorite things about being here.
1. The views- I can never get over the views from Jarabacoa. Standing and overlooking the city and seeing the rivers far below and the purple mountains in the background always takes my breath away. There are few places more beautiful than this little mountain town.
2. The temperature- After a freezing couple of weeks in Michigan, it is nice to get back to the 60 and 70 degree days. The city of eternal spring is definitely living up to its name. I love that its chilly enough in the nights for a blanket, but not necessary to wear a sweatshirt, mittens and socks to bed to stay warm.
3. The church- I'm so thankful to have found and be involved in a church that I really love The people are kind and I appreciate the messages are applicable to my daily lives. I especially like the chance to worship in both English and Spanish and seeing that God is far above my little world of one language. I realize it is sometimes difficult to find a church you really love, especially one in another country and I am so glad for that.
4. The large group of Americans- I do appreciate that I am not the "solo gringa" in the whole city and that I don't stand out like a sore thumb. I am so thankful for the community of Americans to meet and greet and have a little piece of home far away. I love hear English on the streets and being able to relate with so many different people who are here for all different reasons.
5 Being able to learn more Spanish- On the flip side, I am also grateful to get to practice and learn more Spanish. It's difficult and there are definitely days when I'm doing really well and days when I'm doing not so well, but I love the patience of the Dominicans and the fact that I'm a lot farther than I used to be.
6. My Bible Study-I started a bible study this fall and I love love love the chance to go out on a weekday and have dinner and just do life with other American girls in the city. I love the chance to discuss God and have a group of people who you can cry and laugh with.
7. Skype and Internet- I am so thankful for internet and skype and the ability to keep in contact with my family. I keep thinking how awful it must have been for the people who traveled west in the earlier days and the only way to communicate was by letters and there was little chance of ever seeing your family again. I'm so grateful to be able to see my family and my little niece and nephew in one click of a button
8. Running Buddies- One of my favorite things about Jarabacoa is exploring the city on foot with two of the best running buddies. I appreciate we all share a passion for exploration and have probably trekked over 500 miles together all in the wee hours of the morning.
9. My School Community-I'm so thankful for my school family. I see those teachers every day and I'm so glad we get to meet for dinners and plan lessons together and just do life together.
10. My Students-Even though they drive me nuts a large portion of the time, I'm grateful for the chance to be with them and watch them progress this year. Students who refused to do work are now excited about their work and it makes me so proud as their teacher.
11. My boyfriend- I'm not going to get mushy, but I'm so thankful for him and the fact that he's been there for me in so many occasions and someone I completely trust and rely on. I think I would be a lot more stressed and overwhelmed if he wasn't in my life.
12. The opportunities to try new recipes and cook- I love trying and experimenting with food and at home I don't get much of a chance since my mom is a great cook and doesn't relinquish the kitchen without a fight, so it's nice to get to try new recipes and experiment a little in the kitchen.
13. School Breaks- I'm grateful for the days off we do get. The fact we get weekends to rejuvenate and refuel so that we can come back to school on Monday, refreshed and ready to go.
14. Relationship with God- These past two years have been so exciting and so big in a lot of ways for me and there have been a lot of firsts. I don't know how I could manage it without knowing that I wasn't alone and that no matter what God was in control and that I can turn to him no matter what. There's freedom in being able to fall at the throne of God. I have no idea where I would be today, but I couldn't be the person I am without the confidence that God is with me.
Sunday, January 22, 2017
Thursday, January 5, 2017
Goodbye to Snowy Michigan
There's many different ways this blog could have gone and many beginnings that were created depending on the day. For example, had I written this blog on my first day of travel, I would have spoken about the delayed and cancelled flights from Santiago to New York and the kind teachers who let us stay the night with them and gave us a ride to the airport the following morning. Had I written this blog when I arrived in Michigan, I would have talked about the joys of seeing my family again including my niece and nephew and the joy of seeing their smiling faces and their pleads to play with them or chase them around the house, or even sled down the hills with them. Had I written this blog throughout Christmas break, I could have written about visiting my grandparents in Illinois, or the excitement of Christmas day with my family or even the freezing cold snow that I was blissfully unaware of in the Dominican Republic. A las, I write this blog on the eve of my departure, so my thoughts are more focused on goodbyes, the happy goodbyes such as to the cold weather and the sadder goodbyes to my family and friends.
It has been a great Christmas break and I am very much looking forward getting back to warm Jarabacoa and seeing friends there again, but to get there you have to travel the road of goodbyes and sometimes the hardest goodbyes are the ones you don't see coming. It strikes me as odd, but a hard goodbye for me this winter break is saying goodbye to my students, not my current students, but my ones I had two to three years ago. It's amazing how all it takes is one year for students to imprint themselves on your heart forever.
One of the hardest parts of coming to JCS in the beginning was leaving my students behind and even though it's been two years, I'm still humbled by how much we still mean to each other. I enter the school and I hear my name being echoed down the hallways first in whispers and then louder and louder almost as a chant. Then come the hugs because even though we've grown in so many ways, we're still a family as well. Even though they've grown taller and their voices have dropped and they now know how to tie their shoes, to me they're still mine.
I understand now why students have the same reaction to seeing their teacher year after year even though they are no longer the children they once were. During our year together they changed me, I changed them and together we became a family.
So, to all the teachers out there, wherever you are . Thank you, you are making a difference and your work means something because there are students who perhaps are now adults themselves who still think of you fondly for how you changed a little piece of their life forever.
It has been a great Christmas break and I am very much looking forward getting back to warm Jarabacoa and seeing friends there again, but to get there you have to travel the road of goodbyes and sometimes the hardest goodbyes are the ones you don't see coming. It strikes me as odd, but a hard goodbye for me this winter break is saying goodbye to my students, not my current students, but my ones I had two to three years ago. It's amazing how all it takes is one year for students to imprint themselves on your heart forever.
One of the hardest parts of coming to JCS in the beginning was leaving my students behind and even though it's been two years, I'm still humbled by how much we still mean to each other. I enter the school and I hear my name being echoed down the hallways first in whispers and then louder and louder almost as a chant. Then come the hugs because even though we've grown in so many ways, we're still a family as well. Even though they've grown taller and their voices have dropped and they now know how to tie their shoes, to me they're still mine.
I understand now why students have the same reaction to seeing their teacher year after year even though they are no longer the children they once were. During our year together they changed me, I changed them and together we became a family.
So, to all the teachers out there, wherever you are . Thank you, you are making a difference and your work means something because there are students who perhaps are now adults themselves who still think of you fondly for how you changed a little piece of their life forever.
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