Birthday Surprises

Turning quarter of a century old couldn't have been more jam packed with surprises and fun than what it was. I was told that I would have a busy day, but I never expected the birthday I got.

It started out on Monday when my students told me there was "something they weren't supposed to tell me." After the many indiscreet whispered huddles that stopped and started based off my proximity and  of course the kid who told me "I'm bringing cups," I was pretty confident by Wednesday that something was going down. It's hard to be discreet when you're ten, it's not who gets to keep the surprise the longest, but who gets to tell the teacher that matters. Anyways, even though I did know or was aware of something going down at lunch, I still was surprised and overwhelmed by the amount of love and of course the "confetti" that ended up being hole punch circles that I still am finding in my hair. Also, the size of this gigantic pink chocolate cake!!

After school, I was told to not make plans, but that my afternoon was already planned out. Since no one seemed to know what I was doing (yes I admit to talking to several people to see if they just knew) I figured it was going to be something simple. I was told that my night would involve my three favorite things: food , family and friends and unfortunately sometimes it probably really does go in that order, especially if ice cream or pastelitos or oyster crackers are involved. First stop was my favorite restaurant where I got to eat pastelitos and empanadas. DELICIOUS!!

The second place we went was the Rosalias and got the most delicious orange popsicle ever and found out that Rovian had gone to the grocery store and purchased all of my favorite foods. YUM!! Then of course, game night which involved me losing three straight games of Rummikub. So, I suppose ever since turning 25 I haven't won a single game...that's unfortunate. Anyways, it was still very nice. 

Then for the final stage I was blindfolded, so I didn't know where I was going and anyone who knows anything about me, knows that I am directionally challenged, so I had absolutely no sense of where I was. All I knew was that I was climbing a lot of stairs and then I was left standing somewhere with a hard edge to the left of me. At the time, I was convinced I was outside in a park somewhere at the start of some maze and that I would have to wind my way through things or that one step would send me down a hill. I was very chatty and I found out after the blindfold was removed that I was standing in a doorway, surrounded by people.....laughing. There was food, and the highlight of the night was definitely Karaoke and the  performance by all of us on "My Heart will Go ON" in spanish. especially belting out the chorus with everything we got.
Titanic Spanish Version

THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR MAKING MY DAY SO SPECIAL!!

Thursday Thoughts

I tutor a student who is low in math and every single day, there is a moment when he gives up, he throws his pencil down, tears come to his eyelids and he sits listless. Everytime I try to coax him, it doesn't work.

"Don't look at the whole problem, just look at the part we are doing. I don't care about the problem, just do 72 +7, you can do 72+7." Too often though he gets so caught up in the whole picture, he cannot break it down into steps. I keep reminding him that I know how to do it and I am helping him, but when he is lost in his frustration, he cannot see that I know where we need to go.

I'm frustrated with this situation, but also its eye opening for me. How often do I throw up my hands in frustration and say, "God I can't do this, are you crazy? What you're asking me to do is simply impossible, I'll never make it." God reminds us that we don't have to look at the big picture; the end product, just the first step. He also reminds us that he is there with us through our problem and he knows exactly how to solve it and he will help us get to the "big picture"

My next step is to stay at Jarabacoa Christian School for another year. I don't know where I'll be after that, but I just feel like I'm not done with Jarabacoa yet. I feel as if I left now and returned home I'd be filled with regrets and questions of what might have been. There is more for me to learn here. There is more for me to do.

 I've learned so much about myself too. I want to see what God has in store for me for another year. 

Spring Break and All That JAZZ!!

First official day of spring break!! And isn't it a beauty. After a very long taxing break of trying to argue with my students of why they can't run and slide across the floor or take the entire day off to play games....spring break could not have come at a better time. Of course, the most exciting news is the fact that my parents decided to finally see the beautiful place where I live. It does feel strange though, like my two worlds have collided. It's weird to remember I'm still in the Dominican Republic after seeing their familiar faces.

They arrived safe and sound on Sunday and trust me I was ready to see them. I think I actually introduced myself on several occasions as "Hi I'm Kara...nice to meet you...I'm excited because my parents are coming in ______ days."

Today, we had the opportunity to go to the waterfall! It was a beautiful, sunshiny day, though of course that means us gringos got sun burnt.. We got bread for sandwiches and got to picnic by the water. Only 7 months of living here and I finally realized how to order deli meat from the supermarket! Oh, the small victories! Then of course there was getting to play all the card games I missed and of course all the smack talk with my parents. By the way, if anyone asks...I won a few times ;)

I am excited for the next couple of days of spring break and having the opportunity to show my parents more of my city.

"The heavens declare the glory of the Lord. The skies proclaim the work of his hands." -Psalm 19:1

The whole kitten and caboodle!

This blog is dedicated to a little ugly white ball of fur which we called little Rufus and the brief time our lives intersected. 

On Sunday during a run Rovian and I almost stepped on two newborn baby kittens, no more than a couple of days,  laying on the middle of the sidewalk. I would have walked past them and never looked back, but one of us, being Rovian, had a bigger heart and scooped them up so they wouldn't be stepped on and carried them home. The first thing was trying to figure out how to feed them. We ended up dipping an old sports bra pad in cow's milk and trying to get them to drink off that. Miraculously , despite our lack of experiences, the two kittens survived the night. The new problem was what to do with them with school and other things. Ended up spending my breaks coming home to feed them and after school running to the local pet store to pick up a baby pet feeder and also figure out what they were actually supposed to eat since the cow's milk we were giving them was probably not the greatest idea. After school, one of my students and his family agreed to take one of the little kittens so I was left with one....the ugly one. He received the name Rufus since he resembled the naked mole rat off Kim Possible. 

I lost sleep a lot of sleep, getting up to feed him every couple of hours and of course worrying constantly about my new helpless dependent. 4 a.m. bottle feeding and cuddling my little companion was not how I pictured a day in the D.R.  He kept defeating the odds despite my noviceness and what an experience I got to have caring for something so small. 

Rufus died in the night. I'm not sure when, after not hearing him cry for milk for over 7 hours, I got up to find his limp body huddled in the towel. I'm going to miss the little buddy, but at least I hope that by prolonging his life by a couple of days, he got to see that the world isn't so cruel and heartless as the abandoned kitten on the sidewalk was led to believe. 

Life is precious. I guess that's the lesson for us. To live is an awfully grand adventure. You are alive today....now what are you going to do with that gift? 

Valentine's Day Thoughts

Happy Valentine's Day World! Today was a great day to appreciate the beautiful country I get to be in. I had the opportunity to go on a long run with my running buddies this morning and watching the sun peek over the mountains is one of the most beautiful sights I can see. I feel like it is so hard to look at nature and everything it entails and not see the hand of God all over it. It is His own love letter to us, and there definitely couldn't be a better valentine.

Valentine's day really got me thinking about what love truly is. We of course have our Hollywood version, myself being a sucker for the cheesy Hallmark movie, but I feel like God's version of love is so vastly different.  I think that one of the reasons there are so many divorces is that we have lost track of what love is, We are so caught up with emotions and feelings and feeling special, that we don't realize that all the hype we think is love, is really something else entirely. Love isn't about butterflies in the stomach and gazing into each other's eyes, love is messy. Love isn't fairy tales and happily ever after...it is the hardest thing we are called to do.  In the Bible, 1 Corinthians 13 talks a lot about what love is and at the end of this description it states that love never fails. Love never fails.....

I think a lot of us don't want to love because it makes us vulnerable. To love anything or anyone gives them power over us...the power to hurt us worse than we ever thought we could be hurt.  We'd rather stick to emotions and when they are gone pack up and head out, than to love someone so much we'd be willing to give up our own happiness to ensure that they are well cared for.

 I am praying that this year, God breaks open my heart a little at a time and continues to teach me what love truly is. I pray that he fills me with the love that has nothing to do with feelings, but with the love that is all encompassing and determined to fulfill the needs of others. I pray that when my students ask for directions after I've explained fourteen times or for the student who decides to wander around the room, He gives me patience and kindness and helps me to show my students that no matter what they do, I will always care and support them. I pray that when I think about love, I don't picture my cheesy Hallmark movies, but I see Jesus choosing to die the worst death imaginable to save the very people who had nailed him to the cross. 

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrong. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices in the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." -1 Corinthias 13:4-7

New Year Resolutions.

I believe that every month has a theme. July has independence, December has Christmas and of course January is the month of resolutions. The month to decide how you will make 2016 a better year. I've been thinking a lot about what I want to change about this year and I think I finally hit on it. I want to stop always looking ahead to events and appreciate the small moments we are in today. I've realized that too often I begin to countdown to Friday, or the end of the school day or sometimes even until bed and when I do this, I miss out on the moment we are in. I've decided to  start appreciating the good times, but also the frustrating times for what they are.

1. I'm going to appreciate the tears and frustrations of my students because I understand that they trust me enough to help them with their problems and they feel free to be vulnerable in front of me. 

2. I'm going to appreciate parent concerns  because I understand that means that they love their children and care so much about them that they will fight for them. 

3. I'm going to appreciate disagreements with friends because it means that those relationships are strong enough that we don't need to rely on always try to please the other person.

4. I'm going to appreciate feeling physically and mentally exhausted because it will mean I accomplished something that day.

5. I'm going to appreciate making mistakes and failing because it means that I tried something new and different.

6. I'm going to appreciate my students messing up, making wrong choices because it will give me the opportunity to teach them a lesson about life and that we aren't perfect.

7. I'm going to appreciate the dirty dishes in the sink because it means that we have food to eat and the opportunity to eat together.

8. I'm going to appreciate waking up before the sun because it means I have someplace to be and that my day has a purpose

9.  I'm going to appreciate long walks to the grocery store because it will give me a chance to be outside and enjoy the beautiful landscape

10. Most of all I'm going to appreciate the moments when I feel that I'm not good enough or strong enough or capable of the task at hand because it will humble me and remind me of my continued dependence on God.

Not Quite Deja Vu

Coming to Jarabacoa again from the United States brings back memories of my first journey here in August. It was the same and yet everything was so different and I am so thankful for that. The first time I arrived...I was terrified. I was nervous about going through customs, finding my luggage and of course getting picked up by complete strangers. I was nervous about attempting to talk Spanish and not being able to see my family for four months in a row.

I remember entering the house and being overwhelmed at times by homesickness. I remember one day in particular, sitting down on the floor in my room, tears rolling down my cheeks and saying. "God I cannot do this on my own strength.  I'm alone except for you. You have to help me, because you're all I got right now." I love and appreciate that moment because it made me not only aware of my own weaknesses, but also of God's presence. I don't feel that homesickness anymore. God not only gave me strength but also friends like family here and a love for this country.

Coming to Jarabacoa a few days ago was a lot different than my arrival in August. I was eager to see friends and recollect the piece of my heart I had left here. Walking around the city, it was nice to be back in the warm culture.  Seeing the familiar faces of my friends and being able to hug my little students made me so happy and feel like I got back something I didn't know I was missing.

There is no longer that ache in my heart because even though I love and miss my family dearly, I'm home here too and that is the greatest gift I could ever receive.

"And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." -Matthew 28:20