Trends

this is a blog I wrote last night and forgot to put up hehehe my bad!

Banica is a very poor town by American standards and the surrounding “campos” are even more poor. One thing that continues to strike me as odd is how trends in the US seems to make their way down here. Just go get here I had to take two plans and drive for hours…so how does a trend get to a town that does not have constant electricity let alone internet access? It’s strange! Girls with skinny jeans or Hollister shirts and guys with converse sneakers…maybe they do not know about the brands that they wear but it is odd to see nonetheless.

For example, the other day I saw a girl at church with an arm full of silly bands. Remember silly bands? Those ridiculous rubber bands in the shapes of palm trees, shoes, or Justin Beiber that teenyboppers have billions of – ring a bell? How on earth does a little girl who has never left her little town in the Dominican Republic, who does not have a fan in her house left alone internet or cable TV, and who has no idea who Just Bieber is has an arm full of silly bands? If trends like that make it down here I find them sad! They are bad in the US and even worse in a third world country!

Another example happened last night as I was preparing dinner with one of the college students here. I got sick of rice and beans so I decided to cook with a girl I work with. We made French fries and eggs…not too much foot variety down here when you have to rely on the weekly market and the corner store for your food. A little girl (about 8 years old) walked in and was telling a story. She was telling me that once she went on the internet and watched a video of Hannah Montana and went on to describe the episode. How on earth does a little girl down here know about Hannah Montana?!

Today, as I walked into the colegio (the school) I was looking at the backpacks and lunchboxes that the little kids I teach were carrying. Some of them are of iCarly, some of Batman, some of Marvel comics, some of the Jonas Brothers and some are the government backpacks that get handed out with some kind of propaganda on it…it makes you think! Do the kids carrying these backpacks know about the “super stars” on them? Probably not. It’s so strange how we grow up with so many things in the United States. I know that one thing that my time here in Banica has made me very grateful for is my education. I am more thankful than ever for the education I was given and I only hope that I help make someone else’s a little bit better.

Oh trends…you are so crazy!

PS - If you are one of the wonderful people that has sent me a care package or letter I have been told that the mailing address did not work. I am going to get that figured out ASAP. Max sent two packages and a letter than got returned :( let's hope I figure this out haha! I love you all!

Thank You

This is a little shout out to my angels who are helping me when I need it the most. You know who you are :) and I just wanted to thank you! I could not do this without your LOVE and support and I am SO beyond blessed to have you in my life.

Kids Are Crazy!

I cannot help but think that school in the Dominican Republic and and school in the United States are a little bit different. The kids are so wild here!! They are always screaming and running around - even in class! This is going to take some getting used to. However, there are some very beautiful moments that come out of this chaos. In my pre-k class there is a little boy who has cried every single day because he wants to be with his mommy. I really feel for the kid...and it kills me a little bit when I see him cry because I know what he is feeling. He might be separated from his mom for just a few hours and he hurts but I am separated from my loved ones back home as well. I know the pain he is feeling far too well. Today, he was standing (because he refused to take of his backpack or sit down) at the front of the class and was just crying. A little boy (the youngest in the class) who a little talk-a-holic named Daniel got up and held his hand and asked him to sit at his table. These kids are four years old! It was an absolutely adorable moment that I was so happy to have had the chance to see. The little bit continued to cry and did not accept Daniels offer to sit with him, but the moment was cute nonetheless. Too cute!

Also, if my mommy is reading this today I hope she knows just how much I love her and that I wish her a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Beauty

Who knew that a power outage could be so beautiful? Last night I went to mass and it was really what I needed.  The power was out and our generator was not working at the church, so Fr. O'Hare said mass by candle light in one of the little side chapels of the church. The church itself is 200 (I think?) years old and it so simple but beautiful. The mass was just Fr.O'Hare, Levis, and myself and it was just so incredibly beautiful. It's interesting how something so simple like a power outage could take an extraordinary thing and make it EVEN better.

Mornings

Up for my morning e-mails! I am not sure if I will be able to do that once I start teaching in the "campos" as well because I'll be driving around more...but I hope I can! Thank god for a 3G Kindle! I was told before coming that I should bring books because at night, during down time, there is not much to do. My parents bought me a Kindle and I am so thankful for it (and SO thankful for my wonderful Auntie Vicky who just sent me a gift card to buy more books). SO awesome! Nights are when homesickness hits the hardest so it's a good distraction to have.

Today I am working in the Youth House with the Peace Corps volunteer and her literacy team for a project in the parish school. We are hoping to eradicate the problem of illiteracy here with tutoring. Tutoring is a very foreign concept here so let's hope it works. After that I'll be working on stuff for the college aged group of guys and girls that help teach and lead youth groups here.

I hope all of you East Coast people are stocking up and staying safe and dry as hurricane Irene hits. Be careful! I am praying for you!

Market Day

Thursdays and Sundays in Banica are Market days. As you may know, the Dominicans and Haitians have a pretty hateful relationship towards each other, but market days are the two days a week that they are able to cross over and sell their goods together. The basketball court fills up with vendors selling everything from meat to a few veggies and fruits (yuka, tomatoes, potatoes, onions, etc.) and home goods. The quality of the things sold is no where near what we are used to in the states so it is a little shocking to see it all at first. Oddly enough, there are not as many fresh fruits and veggies as I thought there would be. The first thing I am going to do when I am back in the states is each a giant salad…I’ll probably even pay the ridiculous airport prices to get one while I wait for my connecting flight haha!

One of the girls I work with, Louisa, took me to the “colmado” or corner store to show me what they had. I bought myself a bottle of water and some chips before heading back to the Youth House to get some more lesson planning done. It’s a simple store (there are two in the entire town and they serve as our grocery stores aside from the market) and they sell soda, water, chips, candy, rice, oil, a few refrigerated items, and some personal items like tooth paste. They remind me of the sari-sari stores in the Philippines that pop up on every corner. At least I have a way of getting more snacks now! I had to get a bottle of water because I had been using the same plastic bottle I got in the airport for 6 days now. I forgot my water bottle at my house in the US (yes Kyle and Mike, the one I specifically bought when we were at the sporting good store in PA haha) but Maxwell and Mrs. Bennett bought me a Brita bottle and sent it to me in the mail a few days ago so I should have it by next month.

Today, I began my day by getting up at 6am (ouch!) to go to mass in the neighboring town to Sabaña Cruz where I will be teaching religious ed classes (like CCD classes in the US). I wanted to people to get used to me being there so that the kids are more comfortable when I am teaching them. After, we came back in time to see the market in full swing, but I went to the parish school to meet the classes I will be teaching. The kids were singing the national anthem (Dominican) and raising their flag – they are so cute in their little uniforms! I start teaching my pre-k, k, and first graders next week! As for the rest of the day…more lesson plans and meeting with the principals and the neighboring town to figure out teaching days!

I hope everyone back home is doing well : )

Ps – Today marks one week in the DR – wowzers – this is real.

Back To School

Today was the first day of classes here in Banica. Hurricane Irene delayed school by two days but everything here is alright - a few tree branches fell and there was a lot of rain but we are ok. The kids are absolutely adorable and there is a big blue school bus (one school bus for the entire town) that picks kids up and drops them off at the end of each day. I spent the better part of this afternoon working on more lessons and now I am off to spend some quiet time journaling. Journaling has always been a love of mine and I have no doubt that it will be a huge help while I am here. It's not as easy as I thought it would be to be away from your family and friend and loved ones but I am hanging in there. Prayers for homesickness would be awesome :) thanks guys!

Lesson Plans

Lesson planning is hard and I have a new found respect for all of my friends who are teachers! Today I worked on lesson plans because the first week of school is a week of observations for me. The teachers and administrators at the parish school here (the Colegio) recently attended a conference in the capital about education. One of the main themes of this conference was the importance of early childhood education. Knowing my love of young kids, I was given the opportunity to teach three grades (pre-k, k, and first) two to three times a week in the Colegio. School schedules are very different here than the block scheduling we are used to in the state, but I will get to be an assistant teacher for these three grades and for an hour each day, per grade, I will get to take over and teach a lesson of my choice. Today I started planning...OH MY! I think it's hard to begin with but the fact that you are planning without resources (thank you third world country haha) makes it a little bit harder. So teachers out there- thank you for all that you do! So far I plan to link up my two hours (per grade) each week by dividing them between creative hours and intellectual hours. For example, Wednesday would be an intellectual hour so I would begin by reading them a story (think first grade story time) and get them to about the story. The stories will be about virtous but easy themes like giving, thankfulness, kindness, and respect that will help them grow as an individual as well. The following day the hour will be a creative one, and I will lead the class in an hour of crafts or coloring or games  that has to do with the story theme of the day before. I'll also be leading girls youth groups here called "Magdelenas" and teaching catechism classes to the students who want to make their first communion in the "campos" outside of town with four Dominican college students who are helping out.

Keeton, the Peace Corps volunteer who is working here as well is working on lesson plans with me. She is working on a reading and writing program so we are putting our heads together to make the most of what we have here. It's great to be able to speak English every once in a while!

That's all for now! Go thank a teacher today (I am not a teacher haha I am just an assistant teacher - but there are tons of teachers around you)!

Ps - The hurricane did not hit us! We got a bit of rain and there is a nice breeze outside but that's about it...it's sad that the hurricane will touch down somewhere...but there are SO many people here that like in houses made of clay or sticks that it would be so devastating to see.

Prayers

As most of y'all know I am a pretty faithful person and I love God :) no secret there! I wanted to post this morning and ask for a few prayers:

1) For the hurricane that is apparently heading our way - make it stop! The people here are so financially poor that a hurricane would be so horrible for them. I have a generator at my house and should be fine and it may not even hit us. It's sunshine and blue skies right now!

2) For the mosquito's to go away because they are biting me like crazy :( I guess I have sweet blood (as my mom says).

3) For all of the school kids who were so excited about starting school today but got sent back home because of this possible hurricane.

I love you all and am so blessed to have so many wonderful people supporting me!

More photos are here: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150295340297240.354081.500892239&l=6d7b77517f&type=1

Poverty

Third world poverty is intense friends. I always felt like Banica was a poor town, and I had seen the Campos before in my three years of visiting, but this time it really hit. I went with one of the church workers to a small town, or "Campo" outside of Banica that I will be teaching in. He was going to hold a communion service there so I went with him to get to know the town and people I will be teaching. These people REALLY put on their sunday best for church - girls in pretty dresses that are missing zippers and walk without shoes and babies going in naked. It's really shocking and heart breaking at the same time.

I'm still digesting it all but it was a very interesting day to say the least - one of many adventures to come!

Here is the link to my Facebook page with more photos:  http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150295340297240.354081.500892239&l=6d7b77517f&type=1  

Love

Love is one thing that Banica is NOT lacking in. I woke up this morning to the church bells ringing (that's pretty cool) at 8am and went to mass. On my way to mass and in mass I was surrounded by little girls who all already knew my name and wanted to hold my hand and hug me - so cute! My homestay, Simona, is an older woman who has a nicer house in Banica than most. She made me breakfast of dominican hot chocolate (veryyy different than American...think spiced chai meets hot chocolate...but better) and coffee and eggs and bread. Then I met with Teresitas which is the young girls youth group (mostly elementary aged) and they were SO adorable. They sang songs and welcomed me and handed me a huge stack of cards from all of them. SO much love. I then spoke for a little bit about myself and tried to learn names. And now I am just waiting with the older girls (who are in charge of Teresitas) and we are going to tour Banica. Later tonight I will be meeting with the school principal and the priest here to talk about school plans and scheduling. I believe I get to help with the Pre-K and K classes (yay!) and I am really excited. I'll also be helping with the two girls youth groups here and with first communion preparation classes in the "campo" of Alto Viejo. The other American girl who is here, Keaton (they call her Keti because they cannot pronounce her name) is in the capital for a conference but gets back tomorrow, she is a PeaceCorps volunteer.

So far - So good!

These are the cards :) they brought a huge smile to my face!

Off to tour Banica!

I'm Here!

I made it to Santa Domingo safely :) we are at a hotel here for the night and then we head down to Banica tomorrow. I had a wonderful night last night at my going away party (thank you Kyle!) and Christy, Kyle, Mike, Alicia, and Max took me to the airport. Kyle and Max flew out the same day and brought me to security because we were in different terminals. We all cried haha.

I am feeling pretty homesick at the moment because this is the first time I have REALLY been away from loved ones. Prayers for this would be SO awesome. I know that it's a great thing and that this is where I am supposed to be right now - it's just hard to have the people I love the most so far away. However, I was given a pretty sweet gift as we flew into Miami. I opened the plane window with a couple tears rolling down and there was a huge rainbow right next to the plane. I'll post pics as soon as possible. That was a great gift :) I know that someone up above is looking out for me. So whoever my angel is - thank you!

Next post will be from Banica!

Banica on a Map?!

Even as a kid, my parents always made me research any gift that I wanted them to give me. Last night I was looking at the 3g service for Kindle's to send my parents in my wifi vs. 3g argument and I found a 3g Kindle map of the DR and Haiti on amazon.com. Right in the center is Banica (with 3g service I might add)! As you can see, I will be very far away from any of the DR's beautiful beaches!

KINDLE!

I currently have 7 books in my suitcase...yeah...

Today I asked my mom (and my dad too - but my mom makes all of those choices) for an early Christmas gift. Yes, the rumors are true, I asked for a Kindle. It's very practical in the long run and I am SO excited. Now all of my research books, Bible, personal reading, and notes will be all in the same [tiny] place! Next up? Amazon gift cards!

It's The Final Countdown!

T minus one week (and a few hours) until it's wheels up to Banica! I am so, so, so thankful that Maxwell and one of my best friends (Kyle) are coming into town to say "see ya later" before the trip. We all booked flight out of the same airport at the same time :) 7am on Thursday morning!

The Packing Has Begun!

So I am trying to pack in 1 duffle bag (full of bedding, toiletries, medicine, gluten free power bars, and towels), 1 suitcase (full of clothes and shoes) and 1 carry on suitcase (of clothes and shoes)...and my backpack (with laptop, camera, wallet, passport, important documents, teaching books). Call my crazy...but I think I can do it!

18 Days

I leave for Banica in 18 days - WOAH!