People

It’s 10 o clock at night.  The power has been out for the last 5 hours.  Which means I’ve been sitting in a dark house with no internet to keep me busy, no functioning kitchen appliance to cook dinner, and no fan to cool me down.  This is a typical night for many people here in the Dominican Republic, and for people all over the world…but for me it’s just something that I will never get used to.  As I sit here in the darkness, with my almost dying lap top as the only light I have, I have been able to look back at my time here in La Romana and assess how much I have grown over this past year.  

 As I relive the experiences that I have had, I can’t help but think about one thing that has affected me the most.

People.  I love people.  Old, young, American, Haitian, big, small, Christian, Jewish, black, white, I just love people.  When I think about a person, or a human being for that matter, my mind is always blown away.  We were all made in the image of God, but yet we are all unique.  We look different, we speak different languages, and we believe different things.  Sometimes I wonder why God  did it this way.  Why couldn't we all just speak the same language? Wouldn't that make life so much easier?  Or Why couldn't we all live in a place with the same opportunities?  The world would be better that way, right?  But as I look back at the people I have met here, I realize that God did this for a reason.  I am the person I am today, not because of the people that are like me, but because of the people in my life that are different.  The people that have influenced me the most are the ones that come from totally different ways of life.  It is my neighbor down the street, that always knows how to cheer me up. It is my students, that make it impossible for me not to smile when I’m around them. It is the missionary from New York, that inspires me to do what I love. It is my Haitian friend, that has been through so much pain and loss, yet still is full of life and love.  These are the people who have forever changed me.   The people that make me the person I am today. This is why God created us the way He did.  So we can learn from others and be challenged to use what we learn to better this world.

So as I sit here in the darkness, I continue to be astounded by God’s creation.  The bible says that Jesus is the light of the world.  We too, can be lights in this world, and help make this world a better place by letting our unique qualities and talents shine around us.   I have one more month here in the Dominican Republic, and my challenge for the rest of my time here is not only to be a light, but to find the lights around me.  To love the people around me, but also to find those people that love and appreciate me.  I challenge you to do the same thing.  We are all people.  We might be different, but one thing is for certain, we all have the ability to love.  

A New Perspective

Long time, no see.  I'm back and ready to share.  

Six months ago, I took a leap of faith and left all my family and friends at home to go live in the Dominican Republic.  There has been ups and downs, highs and lows, moments of extreme happiness and moments of absolute exhaustion.  However, I couldn’t be happier with how my time here in La Romana has gone.  God has challenged me in so many ways and I can honestly say that I have grown so much as a person. 

About a month ago, I was blessed to take a quick trip home to visit my family.  It was an unexpected trip, but something that I very much needed.  Before I left I had to say good-bye to all my friends here.  I knew I would be seeing them again in a few weeks, but I didn’t realize it would be so hard.  During this time it truly hit me how blessed I am.  I have people in two countries that love me in ways I never thought was possible.  No matter if I’m in California or the DR, I feel like I’m home.  Not many people can say that they feel like home in two different places, let alone just one…but I am so grateful that I can. 

My time at home was wonderful.  I spent some good quality time with my family, and just enjoyed the luxuries that I don’t have while I am in La Romana (hot showers, air conditioning, food, a car).  Being home gave me the chance to regroup and reflect on everything that I have been experiencing.  Sometimes when you are in a place for so long, it is easy to lose perspective on things.  My time at home allowed me to gather that perspective back so I could go back and serve the people in a more effective way.

I’m back in La Romana and I am absolutely loving it.  Despite the sometimes unbearable heat, I have been keeping busy and making the most of my summer here.  Just recently, the first graders who now know how to read,  graduated from the school.  It was a beautiful ceremony and all the kids wore traditional graduation gowns.  I sat there at the ceremony in tears, in awe of God’s work and faithfulness.  A few years ago an amazing Pastor had a vision of a school in this barrio, and a few years later children are attending the school and finding success.  This is something that will always affect me and I just hope that it impacts everyone that comes visits. 

Since school finished, I have been helping out with some of the other mission groups that are doing work at the school.  So much has been accomplished in the last few weeks.  The school was repainted and looks amazing.  Many items have been donated and the library organized.  Almost a hundred children participated in a week long VBS.  Like I always say, God is truly at work in La Romana.  I’ve also found time to have fun.  I have had friends visit, taken quite a few trips to the beach, and spent some quality time with my Dominican families. 

I will be back home in September, so my goal before I leave….make the most of my time here.  Dios es bueno!

A Moment of Clarity

What a week.

Tuesday morning I woke up feeling exhausted.  I wasn't feeling well and all I really wanted to do was get back in bed and sleep.  However, I got up and went to work anyway.  That morning, while I was teaching, I had a moment of clarity.  Twenty beautiful faces were staring back at me with huge, joyful smiles on their faces.  I was teaching them the different emotions (happy, sad, mad, excited).  Every single student was participating, which really showed me how motivated these children are to learn English.  In that moment, I was reminded again how greatly blessed I am.  I couldn't help but smile, just like all the children in front of me, and all my tiredness, worries, and pains went away.  I felt renewed and refreshed just by being with these children for 30 minutes.  I've learned over these past few months that no matter how I am feeling or what's on my mind, whenever I'm with children, my entire attitude changes and I can really appreciate all the blessings that I've been given.  Being with children can truly have a powerful impact in every person's life.

Although Tuesday morning was an enjoyable one, the rest of the day did not go so well.  That day my stomach sickness continued  (I had been having stomach problems for the previous 5 days).  So that night went to the emergency room.  I ended up staying in the hospital for 2 nights, stuck on an IV to rehydrate me and antibiotics to get rid of the bacterial infection that the doctor assumed I had.  I wouldn't say being in the hospital was enjoyable, but my time there really opened my eyes to how loved I am.  I had numerous visitors and several phone calls of people checking up on me.  On one of the mornings, my dear friend Isaura visited me at 6 in the morning before she went to work so she could bring me soup. It just made me feel so cared for.  Even though I'm living so far away from family, I have people here that look after me.  I couldn't be more grateful to the people that are in my life: both near and far.  I am home now and feeling a lot better.

Other than being sick, things around here have been going quite wonderful.  I have been working a lot.  Teaching at the school in the mornings and with adults in the afternoons.  I also began teaching a few of my friends English on a few evenings during the week.  It amazes me how many people here are motivated to learn English.  They really feel that knowing the language will provide them with better opportunities to succeed in life.  I definitely agree with them and I am so happy that I can help them through the process.

Last week there was a group doing construction at the school.  I love when people come to help out in this barrio.  God is truly at work here.  The second floor is underway, and in my opinion looking good.  I still have those moments when I can't believe that just a few years ago the school didn't even exist.  There was a man from the group who had experience teaching English abroad.  He did some activities with the kids and I learned so much just by watching him.  I love getting advice from other people because I really want to teach these children in the most effective way.

Life is good here.  I'm surrounded by beautiful people everyday: inside and out.  Everyone continues to be welcoming, and each day I'm able to find joy in what I do.  I've already grown so much as a person and I can't wait to see what is in store for me next.

Oh, and also, let the count down begin! 12 days until my church group gets here...and even better, I get to see my mom and sister!!! I couldn't be more excited!

Feeling Blessed

I have officially been living in the Dominican Republic for 2 months now.  Many people have told me that the two month mark is the point when it starts getting difficult being away from home.  I'm not going to lie, I definitely miss home, my family, and all the luxuries of living in the United States.  I had my first real shower yesterday.  For the past 2 months water had not been coming out of the shower head, so I used a cup and the water from the bath tub.  We really do take so many things for granted.  Being so far away from my family is something that will never be easy.  Some days I just want to walk over to my grandma's house and sing karaoke with my sister, or go to a movie with my parents and brother.  And  I could  really go for an In-n-out burger (my mouth is watering just thinking about it).  However, despite having my moments where I miss home, there is no place I'd rather be.

I am settling into my job well teaching English.  They have learned so much.  The last few weeks a lot of different American groups have stopped by the school, and of course I didn't hesitate to show off the English skills that the students have gained.  And you can tell how excited the kids are to share their knowledge with the Americans.  I came here to make an impacts in children's lives and I really feel like I'm doing that at in my English classes.  

Every week, I learn new things about the culture here and become more aware of how poor some of these children's lives are.  The other day a child came to school with a huge burn on his back.  It was a fresh burn and the skin was broken.  No one knows for sure how the burn got there.  The boy's mother may have done it to him as a form of punishment, or perhaps it was an accident with no parent around to take care of it.  Either way, it was a situation that was very hard to witness.  Moments like these, make it more clear to me how important this school and the teachers are.  This school can be a place where all children are cared for, where all children can feel the love that they may not get at home.  I have such a belief that this school can do amazing things, and I really think its on the way of doing that.  I just feel so blessed to be apart of it.

A Powerful Love

One month.  Time sure does fly by fast when you are doing something that you love.  As I sit down to write this I struggle to put the experiences I have had these last few weeks into words.  To say the very least, it has been a very eventful month.  Filled with highs, but also with some lows.

About a week ago, the Dominican Republic said good-bye to an amazing woman.  Martha (a member of the church I go to and a cook at the compound where mission groups stay) lost her life to an illness.  Her death affected everyone around here, including many people all over the United States.  If I could describe her in just one word, I would say that she was a woman of faith.  A faith so strong, that it's hard for most of us to understand.  I attended her funeral, and I have never experienced anything like it before.  People passing out because they were crying so much, people screaming at their top of their lungs with emotional pain.  Hundreds of people came, which just goes to show how much of an impact Martha had on the lives around her.  It was a difficult time watching my friends in so much pain, but it is such a good feeling to know that she is now at peace in heaven.

Despite these difficult times, I have been having a wonderful time teaching.  I am beginning to feel comfortable with the children and they seem to love learning English.  I am still amazed by how fast they are catching on.  Every child that attends this school is truly a blessing.  Every morning I receive little gifts from the children.  Whether it be a flower they picked on the way to school or a little note, these kids are always trying to give back with the little that they have and show their appreciation the people around them.   Every day the children have a break time when they can play and buy food at a little snack bar that a local neighbor sets up.  Usually children just have 5 or 10 pesos, which is enough to buy a small package of crackers, nothing more.  Just the other a day, one of my students came up to me and gave me a big hug before going out to buy food.  I have noticed that this little boy rarely ever has money to buy food and sometimes goes the day without eating.  But on this particular day he had 5 pesos.  He bought a piece of candy, but as he was heading back to his classroom he stopped by  me and gave it to me and said "Para ti."  This boy chose to give the only thing he had to eat to me.  If that's not love then I don't know what is is. It's moments like these that make me realize how amazing God is and how powerful love can be.  And I am so blessed to be a witness of this love everyday.  
Love is here. Love is now. Love is all around.
I am so excited as I continue to grow in faith and love as I work along side my brothers and sisters here in the Dominican.  

Am I really here?

On December 28th I arrived in a place that has a very special place in my heart, and I still can't believe that I am actually here.  The Dominican Republic. La Republica Dominicana.  The DR.  Some people know it as a beautiful island filled with flawless beaches; others wouldn't be able to locate it on a map.  And some people call it home.  Although California and my family will always be my home, the Dominican Republic isn't a bad place to be my second.

I have been here for almost three weeks now and my experiences here have been better than I could have ever imagined.  Here are some of the highlights:

1.  I moved into a beautiful house.  Despite not having a working toilet and good water pressure for a period of time (everything is good now), so far it has been a great place to live.  A local neighbor has been staying with me so I don't have to be here all alone.  It's nice having someone around to keep me company.

2.  I just finished my first week of work, teaching English at the school in Kilometer 6 (a local barrio just outside the city).  I'm still in disbelief and so amazed by the condition of the school now.  It feels like just yesterday the construction of the school wasn't even in existence, and now it's functioning with four classrooms; a total of 100 children ages 3-7.  I am so blessed to be a witness of the wonders of God's work here in La Romana.  My first week here at the school has truly been amazing.  I feel so welcomed by the director of the school and all the teachers.  It is like a family and I already feel so loved by each of them.  I have a period of time when I teach English in each classroom everyday.  The children are just so anxious to learn and always get excited when I walk into their class.  Although I love being around children, it has definitely been a challenge.  The children are so young, so I'm still trying to figure out the best way to teach a new language to a group of students who are just learning the basics in their native language.  I know with hard work and a lot of prayer I will be able to figure out a way to effectively reach out to each child.  When it comes down to it, seeing smiles on their faces is really all I could ever ask for.

3.  I have been practicing my Spanish a lot.  I have good days and bad days.  Sometimes I surprise myself with how much I know.  I'll be having a conversation with someone, and after I realize that the entire time we were speaking in Spanish.  Other days I draw a complete blank.  I can't think of the words and can't understand (especially when the person is speaking so fast).  It's definitely a work and progress.  I've also attempted to learn Creole.  I'm picking up a few words here and there, but I think it will take awhile before I master this language.

4.  These last few weeks I have visited many of my friends' homes and spent time with their families.  Although I have always been aware of the poverty here, it really stood out to me how poor some of these people really are.  Parents go with empty stomachs so they can feed their children.  Others don't even have parents that look after them.  In one house that I visited, a ten year old boy is responsible for looking after his three younger siblings, the youngest being only one years old.  Many of the children that attend the school I work at have almost nothing, yet they come to school everyday with huge smiles on their faces.  This is something that I still do not quite understand yet.  It boggles my mind that people who have nothing can be so joyful and appreciative, while people who are extremely rich are unable to find happiness with anything.  This is the reason why I love working with children.  No matter where a child lives or how much money they have, all children are the same.  They all can find joy even in the worst circumstances.

Poverty can be found all around the world.  The United States, England, Japan all have people struggling to find work and to provide for their families.  God has given me a heart for the Dominican Republic and I wouldn't change it for anything. I have truly been given an amazing opportunity and I feel so blessed to be living in a place where I can see people everyday praise God in everything that they do.  I can't wait to see what is in store for me next.  I feel so loved.  I feel so cared for.  I feel so appreciated.  Life is good.