I blame this post on an evening coffee

Drinking coffee in the evening is not a good idea, take it from someone who is writing a blog at 3 am.

Anyways, since I am wide awake and there is no one to talk to...funny how everyone else had the nerve to sleep...I decided to write my blog.

First off we have entered the time when the Christmas break countdown is no longer depressing. I mean when you say we have 37 days until Christmas vacation , it is hard to be excited, but a week and a half...now that is definitely doable....even on a lack of sleep.

School has been busy as we enter review and finals week. Even my fourth graders have finals, though unlike their high school counterparts, they try to avoid their homework by throwing their pencils out the window and dragging each other around the classroom by the foot. Also, the water bottle challenge is running rampant. I wouldn't be surprised if there was a pile of water bottles outside from teachers throwing them out windows. If you haven't been introduced to the water bottle challenge then you haven't been around a kid in the past 4 months. Sometimes I think my students think that learning is just the commercials between their competitions, but I have the last laugh by disposing of their bottles, so many of them only get one flip in class before Miss Nussbaum swoops.

Even though they drive me absolutely crazy some days, my students have wormed, scooted and danced their ways into my heart. It's hard not to love people who greet you every morning with a hug and a smile....insist on writing your name in hearts on the board and are determined to impress you during breaks. I had even one student demonstrate how she could bite a leaf...after which we had a discussion on things you should eat and things you shouldn't.

I'm also excited about our Christmas show and my students are super excited about dancing to Justin Bieber. Not a real Christmas classic, but it is extremely difficult to come up with dance moves to a famous carol. Hopefully all goes well.

Speaking of carols, there really aren't that many sung here in the Dominican Republic. On the radio at cafes, I usually only hear Justin Bieber on repeat. I guess songs such as "Let it Snow," "Baby it's cold outside" and "frosty the snowman" are hard to relate to on a tropical island. There is a plethera of Christmas lights though and since there are no resident Christmas trees, people have gotten creative by stringing lights on tree trunks and bushes. There is also a blow up snowman outside a store downtown dressed in cheerleader gear with writing on it that says "Let's Sno" It doesn't work in so many ways which makes it that more hilarious.

Well I wish you all a good night/ good day as we prepare for our sixth day of December. For anyone who is feeling stressed out, only 19 days until Christmas...now you can't be sad about that!

A Weekend to Remember

Today was the big day!  It was the day of the half marathon in Santo Domingo.  Last year the race was held at 5 in the afternoon, which is an awful time since you spend the whole day with butterflies in your stomach worried about what to eat and drinking so much water, you have to run to the bathroom every half hour. Also, it is very difficult to work up the energy to run when the day is more than half over. So, suffice it to say, I was very grateful, that the organizers realized their flaw and changed the time to be 6:20 in the morning.

Anyways, a 6:20 race time means that it is near impossible to drive up the day of, so we decided to head down Saturday afternoon and make a weekend of it. First off, I have to give all driving and navigating props to the amazing Allison. She not only maneuvered the labyrinth of the Santo Domingo streets with an incredible calm, but also worked her horn like a pro. I would compare Santo Domingo to any big city in the United States, except the difference is that traffic laws are taken merely as suggestions. Three lane highways are conveniently assumed to fit four or five cars across and no turn left signs are only for amateurs as people are turning left at these intersections from the farthest right lane.  

We arrived in Santo Domingo late afternoon and had a chance to meet up with Rovian at the botanical gardens. It was much too difficult to try to find his apartment without Siri or any other GPS to guide us. We then headed to the first mall (of the day) to pick up our racing packets. After taking our photo with the mannequins who have much more balance standing on one foot than we do, we headed to the second mall to walk around.

Visiting the malls in Santo Domingo, felt like stepping into the future from Jarabacoa. I mean, they had actual elevators there! The mall was decorated with angels and elves and even false promises of "let it snow."  After a very unusual rendition of the Nutcracker performed by employees at a makeup store, we headed to Bath and Body Works, where we might have gotten a little carried away with the "try me" bottles. I felt a little like Alice in Wonderland and by the time I left the store I smelled like an entire garden. It took about an hour before I began to smell like a normal human being again.

We ate at the food court and even had the time to watch a movie in a theater which is something I haven't done for at least a year. The movie screen is much bigger than my computer screen, believe it or not. After the movie, we took Rovian back to his apartment and headed to our hotel which was definitely one of the highlights of the trip

We stayed at one of the fanciest hotels in the city, and even had a room on the executive floor which you had to have a specific room key to access.

 Our room was quite extravagant with a great view of the city and even a full bathtub with pocket doors. Also there was a television in our bathroom mirror!










I definitely felt like we were living the high life, especially after enjoying the complimentary executive breakfast after the race. There were at least 7 different types of cheese, a whole assortment of meat including salmon and even watermelon juice. Now, you know some place is really fancy when they start making new fruit drinks that few have heard of.

Our race began at 6:20, so we headed to the park at 5:30 to make sure we arrived on time. The city of Santo Domingo was so very different in the morning and the roads were much easier to traverse when they were not jampacked with cars and motos and people. We arrived at the park with plenty of time to get ready for the race. After putting on our bibs and lacing up our shoes, we headed to the starting line and started the race before the sun had even woken up for the day.

The half marathon course was definitely not designed by a runner. You make two loops. One loop involves seeing the streets of Santo Domingo and running by many buildings in the business district before heading back. That loop is pretty nice, because you are distracted by the changing scenery and it is very much like a running tour of the city. The second loop is like a never ending treadmill. You cross the start line with 7.5 miles to go, and run one flat street that goes on and on and on. You run on this street with nothing to distract you, but kilometer signs and the discouraging thought that you are getting further and further away from the finish line and you'll have to turn around and run back every step you run out. Needless to say by the time you make the turn and start heading back, you're mentally broke and it takes everything that is in you to refuse to lay down on the street and make tar angels.

My goal for the race was to run no mile over 9 minutes and with my last mile of 8:59, I succeeded my goal with one second to spare. I was even able to beat my previous half by six minutes, so the race was a success over all. After returning to the hotel and taking much needed showers, we packed up our tired selves and headed back to Jarabacoa.

I'm so grateful for this weekend and the chance to break up the normal routine. Weekends like this, also make me aware of how blessed I am to surrounded by so many amazing people. I think I will end with the following quote by C.S. Lewis. I'm so thankful for the friends who give so much value to my life.

"Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy and art. It has no survival value. rather it is one of those things that give value to survival." -C.S. Lewis 

Rainy with a chance of christmas lights

It is hard to believe it is already November, mostly because the weather outside is static.  While in Michigan the trees are shedding their summer leaves and preparing for their snowy overcoats, here the flowers still bloom as adamantly as they did when I arrived in July. It almost feels like we are reliving the same month over and over again and each day is different, yet somehow so much the same.

Christmas decorations have already been put up around Jarabacoa, so those who hate seeing giant snowmen before Thanksgiving should never come to the Dominican Republic where the lights are strung before Halloween. Being a Michigander, it's weird seeing lights hung on trees still in full bloom, but at least decorations mark a litte bit of the passing of time and break the normalcy of the seasons.

The onbeat of time has definitely brought on thoughts of the future. As a teacher, I am a constant planner and like to always know what's next or at least pretend that I have all the answers. I have no idea where I'll be next year at this time and that thought definitely terrifies me. Will I stay in the country or will I return to Michigan? I've had a lot of advice about waiting patiently, but not knowing what you're waiting for makes the waiting much more difficult. It's like standing in line at a theme park and not knowing whether you're waiting  for the kiddie train or the world's largest drop...if you knew what was at the end of the line, it would be easier to wait for it. Anyways, I'm definitely learning a lesson on patience whether I like it or not.

Today was our fourth "rain" day of the school year and it was a beautiful surprise to find out late last night, I had one more day of the weekend. Rain had flooded parts in the towns below us, so the entire community had the day off school. It was nice to meet up with friends I hadn't seen in a while and of course make bread, which rose for 5 hours after being forgotten.

One of my highlights of  my day was getting a moto concho driver who actually gave me change back and welcomed me to the country after I announced I had lived here for almost two years.... Also, he shocked me with his vast knowledge of the United States while proudly informing me that he was very much aware that Pennsylvania was very close to Michigan. It's in the right general direction, so I definitely gave it to him.

 School begins again tomorrow,  and I need to figure out how to choreograph a dance to Justin Bieber's Santa Claus is coming to town for our school Christmas show, but I wish everyone a very happy Dominican rain day and as we enter into the Christmas season, may the odds be ever in your favor.  

Life as I know it

If September was a slow moving snail, then October was the flash, I feel like last week we were just starting October and tomorrow is already Halloween. I just realized we have three weeks until Thanksgiving and then three more weeks after that until Christmas break, so for all those people who are burnt out, there is hope.

Life has been good here in the Dominican Republic and I realized I have learned a lot about myself and have grown in my time away from the "comforts of home."  I joined a Bible study this fall with other Americans down here and it has been a huge blessing to have a group of girls to cook dinner with once a week and do life together. Our Beth Moore bible study has inspired me and I enjoy getting up early in the morning and getting the chance to be a student again instead of the teacher.  

For school, my class and I are taking baby steps. This month is definitely improvement on last month. I don't come home every night exhausted and ready to cry, so either my class is getting better or I am more used to the drama, but I think the hardest days are behind me. My favorite story has been a girl who wasn't turning in her homework and getting D's and F's and writing on the board: "I am the worst person in the world." I had a conference with her and her mom and after that talk, her mom and her worked together to complete all her missing work. She now has all As and Bs and during an assignment on writing things we love, she listed more things than all the other students and she even included herself. So there are definitely moments where I feel I get to make a difference.

The biggest change this coming month will be Rovian moving to the capital to start med school. It will be hard not to see him every day, but I've come to realize that this his life's dream, so it's selfish to be sad when someone who has been waiting so long for something, gets the chance to actually do it. He has definitely been a huge comfort after hard days, so I think I'll be investing more in the ice cream industry with these upcoming months without him, so if anyone needs to find me, that's where I'll be.

I recently found out that  a church member has cancer and after the shock at this revelation, I went to type "that is so sad," but I never sent the words because my next thought was: he gets to go home. I don't want to sound callous and I will grieve for his family and for the absence of his presence at church, but after seeing the way he has lived his life over the past 20 years of mine, I cannot be sad for something that has been his life's dream: the chance to see God and be with Him. I love the following quote by C.S. Lewis and I will leave you with it. 

It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.

I hope you all have a blessed day and as we begin November, we remember to be thankful for the blessings in our lives.

From Snow Days to Hurricane Days

Hurricane Matthew has arrived just in time to ring in October with presents of rain and no school days.  I've had many questions about the weather conditions here in Jarabacoa and I wish I had more to offer. It has been extremely mild, with trickles of rain sprinkled throughout the day but mostly sunny. Jarabacoa is protected by the mountains around it and so receives little of the storms that plague other areas.

We've had school cancelled for the past couple days which has been nice, though after a five day break I know that I will be ready to return. You can only "buttprint" (sit on a couch all day) for so long before you begin going a little stir crazy.

Please continue to pray for areas of Haiti and the Dominican Republic which are being hit by fiercer weather and that strong shelters are provided for everyone there who needs them.

The Children who need the most love often ask for it in the most unloving ways.

This year has definitely challenged me in ways other years haven't. There are only ten of them and yet at the end of each day, I feel more exhausted  than teaching double that amount.

 The students remind me of angry bees, constantly up and buzzing around each other, stinging each other with words I would never dare say out loud. Learning seems to be simply the secondary reason to go to school, the commercial break so to speak between amusing themselves in other ways from ruler fights, to cutting paper to even flipping a water bottle and making it land on its base...over and over and over and over again.  Like Dominican traffic laws, they take directions as a mere suggestion and not until the threat of a "fine" or an "infraction" will they finally find their seat. Sometimes I feel like the teacher in Charlie Brown who talks in a garbled fashion where no one is really listening.

Today started out similarly. and after Spanish class two of my girls were in tears and mad at the world because they had lost a game and my boys being the great gentlemen that they are, had insulted them. During spelling, they seemed to exaggerate their sadness/anger and tried to form a little pity party where they would look at each other and cry and refuse to do any work...throwing anything off their desk. When the other students went to break, I held them back to talk to them about their behavior. That it is okay to be angry and sad and upset, but to keep fueling it, is not healthy.

I talked with them and it actually humbled me.... One girl began "I became bad when my parents started fighting...everyone is fighting at my house." The other one said "I became bad when I lost my mom."   Their responses floored me....that they thought somehow they were bad people and that they had suffered great losses in their early lives that I still haven't experienced. Instead of reprimanding them, I held them while they cried and told them I loved them and that God loved them and that they were beautiful people who made mistakes.

I love how God keeps humbling me. When I get frustrated and angry, he reminds me in quiet ways that the surface issue, isn't always the real issue. That hurting people hurt others and that even though our basic response is to punish and reprimand, the best response is to be vulnerable, to love especially during the times we feel like hating. As Martin Luther said, "Hate cannot drive out hate....only love can do that." So if you feel inclined to pray...please pray for my students and also for me...that I learn to teach with God's wisdom and patience and that I open my arms and my heart more often than I open the discipline chart.

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.