First Day of First Grade

So Friday was my very first day teaching first grade. At first, I bemoaned the fact about starting on a Friday, but after coming home exhausted and barely able to keep my eyes open, I'm very thankful that I have a weekend to gain some of the energy back from the day.


I will have 14 little ones this year, 7 girls and 7 boys, but only 10 came on Friday. I guess some parents wanted to extend the summer a couple more days.  The students arrived, a little shy, but eager to see their classmates forgotten over the summer. I was very surprised how many of the students and parents spoke English flawlessly.  I hope my students will learn from me this year, but I believe that I will learn more from them this year. I will share a couple of things that I learned my first day of school.

1. 6-year-olds have a very short attention span-  I mean I guess I already knew this, but calling on a student as I'm in the middle of explaining directions and having them say "I'm hungry, or I'm thirsty." is not always the response you expect.

2. Directions aren't always as clear as you think- I was trying to explain to a little boy how to sit properly and I patted my legs and I said sit like this. He got up and sat on my lap...well that wasn't exactly what I was going for.

3. Unprepared for moments are much more common- The scariest moment of the first day was when a girl who was eating chips suddenly stood up w and started to hold her hands in the choking position and her face was getting redder and redder. To say I was scared would be an understatement. I was actually behind her, getting ready to attempt the Heimlich when she started speaking and crying. Hearing her speak was a relief since I knew she was getting air, so I let her know she wasn't choking and got her water, but still a scary moment.

4. Eating a super early lunch makes the day seem longer- our lunch is at 9:40! Can I repeat that again 9:40! So by the time 12 rolls around, it feels like the middle of the afternoon. I ended up buying snacks for my students the last period. You may think it's because I'm nice, but honestly it was just for self-protection against 14 little hangry 6 year olds.

5.  My assistant is amazing- I honestly don't know what I would do without her and it is only the first couple of days. She came up with many of the ideas for the classroom and did all of the artistic displays and stepped in many times to help out when I was feeling a little overwhelmed. She officially gets her teaching certificate in the spring and I know she will make one fantastic teacher!

A Tale of Two Cities: From Jarabacoa to Santo Domingo

A week ago I officially moved to Santo Domingo, well at least for the upcoming year. I always tell everyone who moves anywhere, that the hardest part is that first week, getting used to the newness, so my first week is behind me and proud to say none the worse for the wear. It has been a busy week and there is so much to tell, so I'll just give the brief highlights.

1. I am so very thankful for my welcoming committee, aka my roommate who made sure that we had power in our apartment for when I arrived and who has been introducing me to the 21st century aka things like Uber and Shazam..  She even convinced me that there is a possibility that I might need to have a smartphone. I've been holding out as long as I can, but there comes a point when directionally challenged people like me realize there is a benefit to having things with built in GPS. Also, it is near impossible to go anywhere without providing a phone number these days, but alas it's probably time to come out of my rock and join the real world. 

2. My apartment has also been a real blessing. It came to us furnished. We have a pretty large living area and my room itself has air conditioning, so that has definitely been a step up from Jarabacoa. I also live very close to the malls and nearby grocery stores, which is very beneficial as you lug home all your groceries. Speaking as a completely third party objectively with absolutely no personal interest in the matter.... full bags of groceries including two bags of flour get to feeling pretty heavy after a block, so that is a BIG PLUS!

3. I had the chance to go to my very first crossfit gym. We went to the training course, so supposedly not that difficult and it really wasn't...until two days later when going down the stairs in IKEA felt akin to Chinese water torture, who knew that 12 minutes of exercise would cause all the grunts and groans for 48 hours afterwards. Sadly, everyone at IKEA soon did.

4. For my first weekend back I got the opportunity to return to Jarabacoa. After spending time at my local cafe, it felt a little odd not walking back to my old house and I was feeling a little "nomad"ish, but I am definitely glad to have the opportunity to see people I knew, walk the familiar streets and feel a little bit more at home. 

5. We have just started teacher training meetings and I am definitely feeling a little overwhelmed about everything that will need to be accomplished before next Friday when the students come. I will be teaching first grade, for the first time and so the newness of that as well as trying to figure out how to decorate my classroom is a lot to do and be working on. My classroom is bigger than ones that I have taught in before, which is a benefit and a disadvantage, as now I need to figure out how to fill all the space. Anyways, I am feeling a mite bit stressed about the vastness of this project, so if you are a praying sort, please just pray for a little bit of peace and clarity as I prepare to teach these little ones.

6. Last and certainly not least, my very favorite part of living in Santo Domingo is being closer to this boy. He is still taking classes at INTEC but it's nice to know that he is only a couple of subway stops away versus 2 hours. My apartment might be a tad more extravagant than his, so I'm sure it's a more beneficial studying point as well. Anyways, I'm very grateful for having him close and being able to see him more than a couple of weekends a month.

7. I must end by giving the glory to where it belongs. I think that moving to a new place, makes you discover more about yourself and the thing that I discover every time I move is how lost I am without God. He is the great provider and the great caretaker and no matter how far we go, as long as we keep our eyes on Him, we will always be home.

"The Lord is near to all who call on him." -Psalm 145:18

The End of An Era

As I sit here packing up and preparing to say goodbye to this chapter of my life...I can't help but feel nostalgic over this time here. God has perfect timing and I have grown so much and in so many ways. I just want to share some of my favorite memories of Jarabacoa and this time that God has given me.

1. JARABACOA SMALL TOWN LIFE

 have loved my time in Jarabacoa.

I love the culture, where you get your vegetables at the local market, have to stop for the crossings of donkeys, horses and bulls and people have time to stop and say hi. With its beautiful mountain views and numerous waterfalls, Jarabacoa is its own little paradise.

 2. MY STUDENTS

Though they have driven me nuts on occasion I do love the job that I got to have and teaching my fourth graders made every day exciting. Together we learned a lot and I am very grateful for each one of them and cannot wait to see where they go in life. 

3. MY RUNNING BUDDIES

One of my very favorite parts of Jarabacoa has been these beautiful strong girls. I love the accountability we have given each other to get up every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday before the sun and go explore the mountains and trails of Jarabacoa. I've loved sharing my life with these girls and also I've loved how we've pushed each other to do more than we could ever imagine. I never would have guessed I would do not one, not two, but three half marathons in my time here and I'm so grateful to each one of these girls and know I'll never find a running group half as great as them.

4. MY BIBLE STUDY

These ladies have become more like family than friends over this year.  I'm thankful for every Wednesday, we got to gather and cook for each other and share in the laughter and in the heartbreaks. May God bless each one of you who have poured into my life and as you go off and follow God wherever he leads. 

5. SCHOOL FRIENDS

I'm so thankful for the teachers I got to work with at JCS, both the Dominicans and the Americans. We were blessed with a great group of people. We've rooted for each other and laughed at the antics of our children. We've met on the weekends for dinner and even go on adventures together. I've loved finding a family away from home in my friends and I will miss each and every one of them.

6. The Boy

 I'm going to do my best to not make this sappy,so we'll see how it goes. Rovian has been the greatest blessing of my time here in Jarabacoa. God knew I needed someone super special during this time away from my family and He delivered in a big way. I'm not going to try to describe Rovian in words, because I don't know anyone who could capture his character that way. But I'm grateful that I get to hang out with someone who makes me a better person every single day.

The Beginning of the Lasts

Today was our official last day of school for the students and I felt like I finally got the closure with my students I wanted. We spent the morning playing card games, sharing our favorite parts about fourth grade and what we learned.  We ended the day with a school wide water fight and the firefighters coming and hosing down everyone and everything as the last day of school tradition. It was fun to finally shed the teacher persona per say and piggy back some of the students and run through the hoses, squealing with laughter. 

As I'm beginning my seasons of lasts, last day of school, last long run, last shower (fortunately this one is still to come)  it brings my thoughts back to the beginning of my Jarabacoa adventure and how far I've come. One of the most vivid memories for me was on my knees on the floor of my room feeling overwhelmed and homesick and I just remember crying out to God that if He had led me here, He would lead me and He would help me because I felt like I was at the end of my rope. And let me tell you,  God SHOWED UP. 

God showed up in so many incredible ways during my two years here. I am so thankful for the friends I found in my fellow teachers, my bible study and even the surrounding Americans who have made this place feel more and more like a home. I am so thankful for the students I got to be with each and every day. Though, not every day was glamorous and there were definitely days I wanted to scream, yell, cry or throw them out the window, I feel incredibly blessed to have been a part of their lives. We've grown together and through the year together, we've left a part of ourselves in the other people and no matter what I truly believe a piece of each of my students has found a way into my heart.

I am apprehensive about my move to Santo Domingo. It is a much bigger city than Jarabacoa and with it comes big city life.  But after seeing what God has done here in Jarabacoa; the ways that He has answered prayers I hadn't even prayed for yet, I am confident that He will go before me and He will provide. I am so excited to see how God will show up in Santo Domingo. Happy Summer Everyone!

"The Lord himself goes before you and he will be with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." -Deuteronomy 31:8

To be a teacher

Compared to my previous three years as an upper elementary teacher, there was definitely something very different about this year. You'd think with 9 students, life would be a breeze, but surprisingly this year challenged me more than any of my others. With my small group of students, I often felt more of a mother than a teacher. Pencils and homework were thrown out windows, and they picked on each other in ways that only siblings could, knowing exactly what to say to get on the each other's nerves.

The first week was very exhausting and I think I went to bed before 8 most of the nights, dead on my feet and wondering how I would ever get through the year. Well, as the year is beginning to come to a close, I'm beginning to wonder how I'll say goodbye to these kids. 

I had a dream that it was June 18 and I was already home for the summer at my house in Michigan. It was relaxing and rejuvenating and yet I felt uncomfortable with the fact that I couldn't remember how the year ended. I didn't remember how finals went or how the final goodbyes were said and it made me sad that I couldn't remember the end of the year. When I woke up in my own bed in Jarabacoa, the first thing I felt was relief. Relief that I had the chance to finish the last three weeks with these students and send them off into the big world of fifth graders.

As teachers, there are so many hoops we need to jump through. So many grades to note, lessons to plan and behavior to manage. It's so easy to caught up in the daily struggles and grind of the school week and not realize that the things that take up the most time, are not really the most important things. With the influx technology, the passing on of knowledge and giving grades is becoming more and more arbitrary and it is no longer the most important thing teachers can do. I think the most important job  is to be able to look at a student and say, "I see you...I see your potential, now let's help you become all that you can be." 

It is our jobs are teachers, not to be the flame for the students, not to teach them to rely on us, but to ignite the flame for themselves. I had a parent once tell me that anyone could be a teacher, you just have to find worksheets online, print them out and pass them out. But he as well as other people are completely missing the point. Learning isn't about memorizing a teacher's words or phrases and spitting them back out on a worksheet. Anyone can do that, that's easy, but that's not teaching. Teaching is about truly seeing your students for who they are and teaching them the value of hard work, creating their own perspectives and inspiring a love of knowledge within them.  Teaching them how to get along with others, practicing how to respond when they're feeling overwhelmed or anxious, and learning how to be proud of a job well done. I have given a worksheet on occasion to just supplement a lesson taught or a skill learned, but a worksheet passer outer would be a sorry excuse for what it truly means to be a teacher.

Adventures of a Month's Time

April was definitely filled with many overwhelming and beautiful adventures.I'll stick to the main three for time's sake: climbing Pico Duarte, birthday adventures and a half marathon to cap off the month.

Climbing Pico Duarte

 During spring break we took on the highest mountain in the Caribbean (Pico Duarte) which is about 10,164 feet tall. There was a group of about 13 of us and we all carried a backpack with a sleeping bag, clothes as well as some of the food for the 3 day journey. We also traveled with 3 guides on mules and there was one mule to carry pots and pans for cooking at camp and also an "emergency mule" if anything were to happen. Day 1 was definitely the hardest, the trail winds up and up through mud and rocks without much respite for the first 5 hours of hiking.
There were times when it took all the mental power inside of you to put one foot in front of the other as you looked up and saw a path seeming to lead to the sky.  We stopped every hour to rest and make sure everyone was caught up and of course snag a few handfuls of trail mix. At about hour 6, the path started leveling out.

We got to the camp La Comportacion which is about 2 miles from the summit at around 4 in the afternoon. We threw on our sweatshirts, sweatpants and sat around a fire. At La Comportacion there was running water and a large cabin to sleep in, but no electricity. Without books, ipads or phones to entertain us, we sat around the fire and just talked. There is something very freeing about not having technology and just being present with those around us. It was nice to be able to talk without any distractions and enjoy the view. The downside of being up so high was the biting cold.  Even the sleeping bag didn't provide enough warmth and the hardest debate was between wearing my sweatshirt while in my sleeping bag, or using it as a pillow.

On Day 2, we summited Pico Duarte and had lunch at the top overlooking the valleys below. When you're up so high the surrounding nature of pine trees looks more like something you'd find in upper Michigan and not on a tropical island. There is a bust of Pablo Duarte at the top and a statue of him laying broken  a couple feet over the cliff. Some say the statue fell, others say he was pushed. It didn't take nearly as long to climb to the top and back down, so we spent the rest of the day at La Comportacion.

On Day 3, we headed down the mountain.. this time there were no breaks, just full steam ahead. I think after being in the wilderness for 3 days, everyone was looking forward to showers and beds and the Dominicans were looking forward to "no more gringa food." After eating peanut butter, trail mix and spaghetti for three days, they were ready for their pica pollo, rice and beans After leaving camp, I never saw the Dominicans the rest of the trip.  It was very nice to get back to level ground again and take off the layer of mud and dirt that had been caked on.

It was probably the first and last time that I climb Pico Duarte. It was an amazing experience with amazing views and I got to get to know people on a whole new level, but it's hard to erase those first five hours of that hike....perhaps next time I'd ride a mule.


Birthday Adventures

My 26th birthday also occurred during this month on April 27. I didn't know if I should plan something or if Rovian was going to plan something for me, so I asked my friend to figure it out. She told me sneakily to not make plans for Friday and so I didn't. On Wednesday is our traditional bible study night where we all meet to make dinner, share about our week and learn more about God, so I was confident nothing was happening on Wednesday. I was told that Suzanne, the host of Bible study that night, had already gotten all the ingredients for dinner and all I would need to bring would be 50 pesos.

Rovian came over after school and told me he could  take me to bible study since it was a little too far to walk. He said he was first going to get something to eat, I could come with or stay at my house. I decided to go with him and also that I needed to go to the supermarket. After eating a pastelito at my favorite restaurant, we drove over to Suzanne's house to discover the door locked. I decided to skip Bible study then and head on home.

Lo and Behold upon coming in to find everyone from bible study as well as people from school standing around my living room underneath birthday banners and decorations and a table lined with delicious breakfast foods. I was speechless for words since I never saw it coming. Everyone had played it very cool. Looking around the room...I just felt very blessed to see my friends who had become my family away from home.
In the pictures on the left are members of my bible study and on the right are the two sneaky party planners. 

 



Final Chapter of April: Adventure Half Marathon

So we found out there was going to be a half marathon in Jarabacoa, so all of my running buddies and I signed up for it way back in March. I never read the details, just thought a leisurely run through the roads of Jarabacoa would be super fun and beautiful, also we wouldn't have to travel anywhere for the race.

During one run, we decided that we'd run the course and see how it was. It was a trail run and at the very beginning there was a hill that wound up and up and up,very similar to Pico Duarte and after that the trail was an adventure trail that involved many steep hills and even river crossings. After about 3 miles of the trail, we actually couldn't figure out which way it could possibly go and ended up turning back. This "practice run" on the course definitely made me very apprehensive about the race. I had thought it would be a road race when it turned out to be a route similar to Pico Duarte.

On the night of the race we went together to get our race packets and we even made shirts to show that we were united with our names on the back. We were the "team traditionally built" coined by  "The Number one Ladies' Detective Agency books, but the Dominicans still called us the gringa team. We had pasta together and played games and of course took pictures in our new shirts.

The race administrators told us that the marathon started at 7:00 and the half marathon started at 7:30.  We ended up getting to the course around 6:55, a little earlier than expected and we were dallying around as the administrators called for the 3 minute warning, 2 minute warning for the race at 7:00. Allison went up to someone and asked if the marathon was started soon and the guy said, it wasn't just the marathon, but the half as well. With 30 seconds left we started trying to find our whole group of five and hurry to the starting line. We got a little extra running, because we basically got there as the person shouting "3, 2, 1...Go!"

The course was as imagined, though the first half was more downhill than I expected. Unfortunately that meant that the second half was going to be an uphill battle, literally. There were a few small hills, but majority of the hills were too steep and rocky to run up and so most of the hills were speed walking or in the second half, slowly walking. There was even a river crossing where you came down  a hill...splashed through the water which reached your lower calf and then started climbing the next hill.

One of the natural obstacles of the race was a group of bulls that emerged in front of us on the path. The drivers of the bull told us to keep back and it was too narrow to pass, so we ended up literally walking behind the bulls for a good mile as the drivers tried to urge the bulls forward. Only in the Dominican, would your race be interrupted by a group of bulls. Eventually though, they did take another way.

At the halfway mark, I unfortunately lost the other girls as I got stuck behind someone else on a very narrow part where it was impossible to see the path due to the weeds. The last 6.5 miles were torturous...there were hills that went up and up and even walking was painful. At mile 11, I ended up even walking the straight parts and only running the down hills. Finally after 2 hours and 45 minutes of running, almost an hour longer than my previous half, I made it to the end. I've never been more happy to see a finish line before in my life.

That was definitely one of the most physically exhausting things I've ever done in my life, but I'm proud of us and our accomplishments. If you never push forward and try new things, you'll never know what you're capable of. I'm very thankful for this strong,fierce ladies, who took on a mountain and are the very best running buddies.

Normalcy of the Dominican Republic

Spring Break has started out with a bang and a lot of puddles. The rain has definitely made itself present this week, and with the rain came the citywide blackouts. I went to a birthday party lit only by candles and well-placed headlamps and yet it was a success. Not having power, can definitely be an inconvenience, but it also can be a  blessing. No internet, forces people to be present. We were all there together eating food and enjoying company without feeling the need to check facebook messages or get online and there is something so freeing in that. 

Today is one of the first times we don't have running water, which is kind of ironic with the torrential rains we've had the past couple of days. Feels like we get to experience life as it were a hundred years with last night lit by candle light and today filling buckets of water to use to wash dishes.Not complaining, it just makes things like running water and light bulbs seem even more impressive.

My roommate has her family in town this week and with that comes the realization of things I've normalized over the past two years that really aren't normal for the United States standards. Here are a list 

1. Noisy Streets- I remember the first nights I came here and not being able to sleep because of the roosters, dogs and motos that were constantly driving up and down the street outside my window. I even had to play music on my headphones to try and block out the noise. Now, I no longer am aware of the constant noise until someone new comes and complains about not being able to sleep because of all the ruckus outside. It's amazing what you get used to.

2.  Dish Soap- Here in Jarabacoa, we use Axion as our dish soap and we wash our dishes in cold water. I forget how odd that is until someone comes and points it out.

3. Washer and Dryer-  A Dominican Washer and Dyer is definitely something that took some time to get used to. The old fashioned centrifuge definitely takes some balancing, but you always feel a little more successful when the motor finally kicks into gear. I forget that in America, you just have to click a button.

4. Traveling the streets by moto- It's weird to remember a world where the majority of people drive around in cars,where here there are probably at least three to four motos to every car you see. 

5. Dominican Pesos- Dominican Pesos have become more normal to me than U.S. dollars and after handling the heavy pesos coins, U.S. currency feels fake because it is so small and light.