Holiday Weekend

This week went so fast! It was wonderful! Monday was a holiday celebrating Saint Mercedes, so there was no school. The Catholic churches celebrated by having services in the evening for nine straight nights, then ended it with a big party. My family is not Catholic so we didn’t actually partake in any of that, but we did go to “La Confluencia,” it is kind of like a strip mall, on Sunday night. Originally we went just to get ice cream and let my little brother Darrell (who is full of energy) play on the playground, but when we got there it was packed with people and tons of horses, there to celebrate the holiday, I guess. Darrell LOVES horses, so naturally this was very exciting for him. He just sat on one horse, not even riding it, for probably fifteen minutes and was very content.  After, we got ice cream and Darrell got to play.

 

For dinner, we went into town and ate at the “Dominican McDonalds” Picca Pollo. They serve deep fried chicken and fried green bananas (very healthy J). After, we visited our grandma, Anna and aunt, Elizabeth. We got to sit on a couch. This may seem like a very trivial fact, but our house doesn’t have a couch, so Edith and I have come to really appreciate couches.  This time out was our first time going anywhere with our family, other than t church, so it was a big deal for us.

 

There is some speculation as to why we went out with our family that night, but one theory is we were being bribed to work the next day.  When Edith and I were first told about this, I misinterpreted that we were going to be have a family party on Monday and I was quick to agree because I was excited, but later in the night when I asked Edith about the arrangements I realized it was a work project. I won’t lie and pretend I was excited about this at all! It was going to be my one day off and I had to work; I had a terrible attitude about it. But Monday morning, as I was doing my devotions, I decided that I was going to chose to have a good attitude about it.  After all, my family is sacrificing so much for us by housing us this semester; the least I can do is help them. So I went down to breakfast and devotions with the small work team including Daniel’s boss, Paul and a couple from the states that was here to celebrate their first anniversary. We painted the front of the house and dug some holes to put beams in to start a “galleria” (porch) on the front of the house. We had a great time, and I even had fun! They worked the rest of the week to complete the project.

 

I haven’t really mentioned any aspects of life in the DR that I’ve experienced this far, but there are a few different things I would like to share.  First, it has taken some time to get used to not flushing toilet paper, but instead throwing it in a trash can (this is common in other countries). There have been times when I accidently throw it in the toilet and get mad at myself, then I realize it’s not that big of a deal they just don’t have the water pressure that we do in the US and they don’t want the toilet to get clogged. Second, “motos” (motorcycles or mopeds) are very common. Because cars are expensive, a lot of people use motos to get around. We found out one morning that they also use them to transport and move their things. For instance, we saw a moto with a guy holding onto and balancing a love seat behind him on the seat.  Another time, we thought there was a piano on the back of one, but then realized it was a big wooden box that is used for bread. We have a competition to see who can find the biggest, longest, widest, or tallest thing on the back of a moto. The reward is a mango smoothie from Brent. Lastly, it is not unusual to see life stock out in the road or out in the open. One morning, Edith and I were on our way to Josh and Vickie’s house and we found a huge cow in our path. We were surprised and freaked out! When we felt it was safe, we speed walked past it. When we rounded the corner, we found another lying on the ground under a tree like a dog would. It was so bazaar!
 

 

(This is actually the second guy we saw with a love seat; the first time no one had a camera, but we kept talking about it.  So when I saw this I was SOOO excited!)

                I hope from my stories you can tell I’m having a wonderful time here! It’s been a great time of learning, team building, and fun. One more fun story! On Tuesday night we were walking out of the base. About to get in Brent’s SUV, I said I missed his truck because we could ride in the back out in the open. Brent told me the SUV had a sun roof so I could ride with my head sticking out if I wanted to. So I decided I would just do it to experience it while we were driving in the parking lot of the base. I stuck my head out, doing the princess wave. He saw that I was taking this pretty seriously so he told me if I did this all the way to Josh and Vickie’s house and said, “Hola!” to everyone I saw he would buy me a chocolate bar. Well, I saw this as a dare and really wanted chocolate so I took the challenge. Now, we get enough looks anytime we go anywhere because we’re American so it was hilarious to see people’s reactions to a white girl sticking her head through a sun roof, saying hola in a really weird way, and waving like she was royalty. By the time we stopped at the colmado (a very tiny store), I had tears running down my face from laughing so hard and having wind hitting me in the face! These are the kind of things that make a great trip, awesome!

-Brittini

Saturday in Santiago

Another week has come and gone. This week went super fast! Spanish classes were hard; we almost “conquerored” pronouns! Who knew they could be so frustrating, but I think I’ve finally got it!

Today we went into Santiago and visited one museum and a monument. The museum, Centro Leon, was showed us a lot of the history behind the Dominican culture. I really enjoyed it (I’m usually not really a museum person, so this surprised me). But the best part of the day by far was lunch at McDonalds!! All week I have been asking about a McDonalds and there isn’t one in Jarabacoa, but there is one in Santiago. So with my persistence, we got to enjoy it for lunch today! Aside from the burger meet tasting a little different and having mayo, lettuce, and tomato, the meal was just like the states, except that my fries were actually HOT!! This made me very happy!

We also got to go to a “Dominican Walmart” called La Sirena and get some essentials such as peanut butter, a Spanish-English dictionary, and shaving cream.  Altogether it was a great day in Santiago!

-Brittini

Life in the Beautiful DR!

This week, we started our “new schedule” including school, homework, and team Bible studies.  We moved in with our families last Saturday and spent the first two days only with them (no “team” time). For Edith (my roommate) and I, it was a great first weekend. We didn’t really do a lot, but it was nice to just get to know our family and the area we are living in. We are very fortunate with our house; we have our own room and a bathroom that is only used by us. These rooms are separate from the house (about it like a second floor) and are only accessible by an outdoor staircase.

Sunday we went to church at 3pm. It was quite a different experience than church is usually primarily because I didn’t understand any of the message. The pastor spoke very fast and had a Puerto Rican accent which is different than what I’m used to, but by following the screen and looking up the verses in my Spanish-English Bible I got the jist of it, and I really enjoyed the music.

Monday we started Spanish classes, and they are difficult. We have about two to three hours of homework every night. So we spend our mornings doing our homework while everyone is at work or school. Then we have lunch with our family, take a quick “siesta” (and I will say this is great!), then head to the Student’s International Base for a little bit of internet/team time before class starts at three. We get done with class around six then head home if it’s a Monday, Wednesday, Friday or go to Josh and Vickie (our team leaders) house for Bible study. One change I’m trying to get used to is eating dinner around eight or nine rather than at six; it’s difficult!

On Saturdays we go on excursions with our team. Today was our first; we went to the river to go “creeking” (hiking in the creek). Our short trip of walking down river to a stop where a woman was going to prepare lunch for us, eating lunch, and walking back was slightly longer. We got to the spot at Los Higos and floated in the river and jumped off rocks (I only did this once because I was totally freaked out! lol). Then we just chilled in the sand until 12pm when we were supposed to eat. But the woman never showed up. We called her and were told to meet her at the bridge. The problem was we didn’t know where the bridge was. So we continued to walk in the river for another hour until we came to some Dominicans. We found out from them that the bridge we were going to was in the opposite direction that we were going. We realized we would have to go all the way back to the spot we had started from in the morning (probably two hours) to get to her. We decided instead to just go back to Los Higos and have someone pick us up and drive us to go get lunch. But when we got into the town of Los Higos we found the woman who had cooked our food so we ate that food!

This week has been great and I can’t wait to see what other adventures I will encounter this semester!

-Brittini

It's Becoming VERY Real!

Today is our second full day in the Dominican Republic. It is BEAUTIFUL! Since being dropped off for orientation on Monday, there has been a range of emotions I have encountered- ranging from fear to nervousness to excitement.

Two of us lost our carry-ons that we had checked as we were boarding our plane on Wednesday.  Luckily they were carry-ons and there was not really anything super important, except Paige had her computer in her’s. The mistake was pretty much mine. When the airlines asked us where our final destination was I told them Santo Domingo. Paige went along with it, and we did not find out until we were in Miami that we were flying into Santiago, not Santo Domingo.  We talked to the airlines in Miami and were told our bags would meet us in Santiago (even though we had said Santo Domingo) because the flight number was right on the tag. But when we arrived in Santiago this was not the case. We were told the bags would not have left Miami because of the confusion. The airline said we should get our bags on the next flight to Santiago from Miami, which was last night (Thursday) around 8 pm. We got a call this morning that the bags were in and they would be here today, and praise the Lord we got them thirty minutes ago. (We were not expecting to get them today because of “Dominican time” being pretty relaxed.)

We met our host families today for a short orientation, and we will be moving in with them tomorrow. This made the experience seem very real and relieved a lot of stress I was feeling about moving in. My host parents seem very nice! Monday we start Spanish class. It will be nice to be able to make a routine and get used to it.

So far, God has shown me that He is calling me to step WAY out of my comfort zone!

-Brittini

The Beginning

Tomorrow starts a trip that I have been anticipating for many months. As many know (because both my family and I have been very excited and told everyone we have talked to), I am spending this semester in the Dominican Republic with a group from Bethel. I will be studying Spanish and the culture, as well as taking ministry classes in preparation for serving in a preschool later on in the trip.

For those wondering, the layout of the trip will look something like this: the first five weeks will be intense language study, then we will have a week of traveling, and the rest of the time we will work in our ministry sites set up by Students International. 

Tomorrow starts orientation where will be taking some classes and getting to know our teammates better. Then we will fly out on Wednesday.  Internet connections will probably be sketchy, but I will try to write updates when it is possible.

I would definitely appreciate prayers! There are going to be some challenging times coming, but I know this is where God has me and He has made it clear that this trip is His plan for me.  
 

-Brittini