First Week of School

Be firmer, be sterner, be stricter, be meaner! These thoughts were coursing through my mind as my students refused to sit down or do their work.This week has been exhausting as I've tried to corral 10 students who have been stigmatized as one of the worst classes in the school. It has been head butting head, pushing until one will bends to the other and I was determined to come out on top.

Many students had been causing me problems, but one student in particular I was very leery of. He was always chatting with his classmates and getting him to write a single word took constant redirection and supervision. I'd walk away and walk back and he'd still be at the exact spot I'd left him 10 minutes before.  I'd given him infractions and he'd refused to go down to the office until I'd started counting or threatened to write him more infractions. He'd yelled at me and it seemed that the more I pushed, the harder he pulled.

One of the first assignments I asked my students to do was write a letter to me about themselves, at least 10 sentences. This was for me to get a writing sample, but also to know what was important to them. As I walked around to make sure the students were writing or at least redirect them back to the task, I was hesitant to approach him. since writing was definitely not his forte. I was shocked when I approached him to see two sentences written on his paper. That was much less than anyone else, but those sentences floored me.
"I love fourth grade. This is the best grade ever and Miss Nussbaum is the best teacher ever."

I didn't deserve those praises especially not from him.It really gripped me and I realized that I was wrong. I was wrong with trying to add more discipline, more punishment when they weren't behaving. Maybe, instead of figuring out how to fix them, I needed to fix myself first, change my teaching styles to fit their needs instead of change their behaviors to fit my teaching style

Later on, I caught the same boy talking while he should have been writing. I approached him and decided instead of disciplining him to ask him if he'd be less distracted sitting at my desk to do his work. He looked at me strangely, then replied he didn't know. I moved him to the teacher's desk and he got started right away. Part of the problem was the distractions around him and by punishing him for his behavior, I really wasn't looking for the catalyst.

This weekend, my job is not to make my discipline system better, I believe that is fine the way it is. My goal is to revamp my lesson plans, change them in order to fit the needs of my students. No matter how much I love my powerpoints, they don't learn well that way. And the note the boy wrote. I'm going to keep it in my top desk drawer or perhaps frame it as a reminder that the students are the most important part and if they don't learn the way we teach, we need to teach the way they learn.

There's No Place Like Home

Life in another country is scary in theory. You are surrounded by people and a culture that is entirely foreign to what you are accustomed to. The "norms" have changed and the only people and places you've known your entire life can only be reached by plane. It's scary in theory.

The reality of it is much different. As I sit here and write this letter, its hard to put into words what it's like to live abroad, because after a period of time it no longer feels like "living abroad."  Humanity is humanity everywhere. Underneath it all, we are one and the same and its a beautiful thing, that even with language barriers and different family backgrounds, we can grab each other's hand at the end of the day and say "you're just like me."

Jarabacoa is no longer the "place I'm going to be for the next year, it has become the "place that I live." at least for the time being.  I remember at my family reunion this summer, someone asked me where I lived and I without hesitation I responded "the Dominican Republic.' She looked at me strangely before moving on. I realized that my mindset has changed. I'm no longer on the countdown to how many days until I go back home to Michigan, because for me Jarabacoa is already home.

I love this city with its mountain views and palm trees.

I love walking to church on Sundays.

I love worshipping God in a different language and realizing that my God cannot be contained within a language or a culture.

I love early morning runs while watching the sun rise, basking the mountains in purple.

 I love attempting to make new dishes for supper and settling in for a Hallmark movie at the end of a long day.

I love walking to get ice cream (with sprinkles of course)

I love bilingual game nights where Dominicans and Americans come together in a Spanglish fashion and laugh and joke and play Skipbo as the sun goes down,

And most of all I love the fact that I'm no longer living abroad, I'm just living.

Start of Year 2....Jarabacoa look out ;)

A 3:45 alarm is useless...if you are already up at 3:00. My flight from Detroit left at 7:30 in the morning on Saturday and I was ready to go. With two suitcases, weighing 46 and 48 pounds respectively, a backpack filled with cookies, oyster crackers, books and odds and ends that wouldn't fit in either suitcase, a laptop computer, and dear old Glitzy (a stuffed cat or bear, its never been decided either way) I was ready to go. 

In Detroit, I first went through security and getting an OK and not needing any sort of pat down made feel like I had aced some really challenging exam. After security, I found my way to my gate where the airplane had been overbooked and they were offering people travel vouchers in increasing amounts (up to $600) to change to a later flight. I think everyone who wanted one, had a seat at the end and we were on our way to Atlanta.

In Atlanta, I had about 35 minutes before my plane was boarding, so I hurried to the tram station as quick as I could and upon entering the tram, I ran into one of my running buddies from Jarabacoa. Now, to understand the full extent of this coincidence, Atlanta is the biggest airport in the United States and is enormous. The tram has multiple cars and runs every 2 minutes and I had barely missed the previous train. Neal, that's what we will call her since that's her name, isn't coming back to Jarabacoa, but was in Atlanta on her way on a different trip. So, it was so much fun to catch up with her on the 3 minutes 31 seconds trip to concourse E. Also, in Atlanta, I ran into another friend going to Jarabacoa and so were able to chat briefly  boarding.

After landing in Jarabacoa to the applause of the Dominicans, we got out and headed into the airport. (Please note the applause is for the landing, not for our disembarkment, but probably could have been for both) The airport was jam packed with people. The line wound back and forth and instead of a sea of people, it was more like an ocean. Apparently, the Dominicans decided it would be a good idea to have the records of every single traveler who enters country, so they had to fingerprint EVERY SINGLE PASSENGER! The line lasted a good hour and a half and I felt increasingly worse for the Rovian and my taxi driver who were waiting outside to pick me up. 

The ride back to Jarabacoa seemed short, I swear it gets shorter every time, and we were soon back into J-city as Rovian put it so poetically. The city was slightly different than I had remembered from July, there was a few more additions on buildings and my house had been reorganized and rearranged, so it took a while to find everything that I needed. I'm excited that I have a roommate and that she seems nice. We took her on her first moto ride, baptizing her in the culture, to my favorite restaurant for a celebratory welcome back feast.

I'm looking forward to seeing what year 2 will bring. I'm excited to see how God will move in my life. Please keep me in your prayers as I keep you in mine and let's pray not for a year without challenges and frustrations, but for a year where we grow and continue on that winding path that God has set before us. 

A year in the rearview mirror

300 days ago I was boarding a plane to come to the Dominican Republic for the first time, scared out of my whits. When I arrived and realized I was in a foreign land where I knew absolutely no one,  I prayed that the time would pass quickly. Unfortunately, my prayers came true and it feels like just yesterday that I said hello to the people I will soon say goodbye.

What is it like to live abroad for a year...I cannot quite put it into words, except that after a few months you stop living "abroad" and you're living at home. The city around you becomes as familiar as the back of your eyelids and the foreign strangers become people you love and cherish with all your being.

I've attempted for two days to put into words what this past year has been like, so since I failed with words...I thought maybe pictures would suffice.

In August I arrived at my house. Here is a a picture of me on my first full day in Jarabacoa. I was pretty scared and nervous,



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I got to meet some pretty amazing American and Dominican teachers.  Here is our first picture together. It is amazing how different we look.

On the first Friday we had a hurricane party since school was canceled due to rain. It was the only day that got canceled due to weather and we took full advantage with an impromptu party of dance lessons and movies.

I'm so thankful for the many adventures I've gotten to have. Where else can you go rappelling down waterfalls and whitewater rafting with your friends?

 Cooking lessons were also an integral part of my experience. From learning how to cut up an actual chicken (not something I necessarily want to do a lot) to cooking rice, I'm very thankful for my patient teachers.





Probably one of my favorite accomplishments was running the half marathon with these fabulous chicas. Conquering 21 km together in the capital was pretty beastly.  Also, I loved training with them. Waking up early before school to watch the sunrise on a run has been one of my favorite parts of the Dominican Republic.

 Jarabacoa is also known for its mountains. The first time I attempted to climb Mogote (the highest mountain in Jarabacoa) I ended up crawling most of the way up and have the mud marks to prove it. It was pretty steep, but the view at the top was worth it.

 Who can forget little Rufus? The little kitten I got to love for about a week before life became to hard for him. I remember waking up every two hours in the middle of the night and running home at lunch to give the little guy a bottle. He was a lot of work, but I'm glad I got to love the little guy while he was here.

And of course dinners with Juan and Kristin. Juan looves my singing voice and if he could would listen to me sing all day (please note the sarcasm) Kristin is a fabulous cook and when I grow up I want to be just like her. She is one of the kindest people you'll ever meet and someone anyone would want to emulate.

And any kind of end of year review would have to include this boy. Having him in my life is one of my favorite blessings that I have received here in the Dominican Republic and it would be impossible to think about Jarabacoa without thinking of him. He's been there for the cooking adventures and the geocache explorations. He's been there for the game nights and driving lessons. He's been there for the tears and the laughter. I'm so thankful for this goofy, intelligent man and so glad we got to have so many adventures together

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