Tuesday, February 1, 2011
You Asked For It
You got it. Plenty of photos coming your way. Check it out. Maybe comment. Maybe. ;)
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Quick Update
This post has very little purpose other than to make your morning a little brighter. Mostly I just want to apologize that our pictures are not up yet. They are piling up, we have a ton to post, and I need to put them on within 24 hours so that they count toward my January Flickr quota. (I'm only allowed a certain amount per month) Then I can start fresh with February.
Two quick things:
This morning's church service presented all three of the means of grace. The Word taught in truth and purity (albeit in Spanish. But I do bring my NIV Bible so I at least get the gist.), a baptism (the 3rd one since the new year), and Holy Communion (effective even if I don't understand all of the words).
The other thing is just a small observation. On my walk back from Amy's apartment, there was a couple, a husband and wife, sitting in rocking chairs on their patio/driveway. They were playing music, sipping drinks, and relaxing. I saw them just as they clinked their plastic cups together. Simple joys.
Also: I promise, there is a post coming about horseback-riding in Jarabacoa. I just really want Amy to write about that one. (she really likes horses)
Two quick things:
This morning's church service presented all three of the means of grace. The Word taught in truth and purity (albeit in Spanish. But I do bring my NIV Bible so I at least get the gist.), a baptism (the 3rd one since the new year), and Holy Communion (effective even if I don't understand all of the words).
The other thing is just a small observation. On my walk back from Amy's apartment, there was a couple, a husband and wife, sitting in rocking chairs on their patio/driveway. They were playing music, sipping drinks, and relaxing. I saw them just as they clinked their plastic cups together. Simple joys.
Also: I promise, there is a post coming about horseback-riding in Jarabacoa. I just really want Amy to write about that one. (she really likes horses)
Friday, January 28, 2011
Gringos
So a few weeks ago, my family came to visit. A day late. Amy and I had gotten up extra early to finish packing, catch a bus to Sosua, and take a taxi to Cabarete, a beach town on the north coast. The taxi ride was fun. We were meeting the family at the condominium. We knew the name of the place, directions to get there, but not the address. This confused and worried our taxi driver. We tried telling him, "It's by the Texaco station." His response, "Texaco? Texaco? OH! TekshAco!" Once that was cleared up, we managed to make it safely to the condo. We were early, but took our stuff to the room anyway. We were hanging out when the owner of the place came by to tell us that they missed their connection and weren't going to arrive until tomorrow afternoon. So Amy and I went out to eat on the beach that night, slept in the next day, and did some grocery shopping. They all did finally arrive: Mom, Dad, Sister, Sister's Boyfriend, Aunt, and Great-Aunt. All with the exception of one piece of luggage. For the rest of that story, please refer to the previous entry discussing the loss of Kathy's luggage. The situation was the exact same. The only difference was Kathy flew American and received food vouchers, while my family flew Delta and did not receive food vouchers. For those of you planning trips to the DR: It is virtually impossible to arrive in the DR on the same day you leave. Schedule your two flights a day apart so you can spend a comfortable night in a hotel instead of in the chairs at an airport.
It was a fabulous week. Amy and I made some Dominican food for them to sample, we got plenty of rum (it goes great in Dominican coffee), we went to the beach every day. We did some deep sea fishing out of Puerto Plata. I use the word "some" very specifically. 6 people went, 3 threw up, 3 caught a fish. We only got to keep 1. But it was delicious. We went to the same spot on the beach almost every day. Our waiter was this nice young man named Wilgren. He really liked Colleen. He kept offering to take her to the parties on the beach at night. We ate a delicious meal at a restaurant on the beach one night. Dad and Patty had lobster and almost everyone else had red snapper. The highlight of Mom's week was the mojito she was served at the restaurant. Instead of being mixed with sugar, it came with a stick of sugar cane. If you've never had sugar cane before, heads up: you can't eat it. You just chew on it and such the juice out. This kept Mom busy all night: playing with the mint leaves, stirring around the sugar cane, sucking out the alcohol, stirring it up again, chewing on the cane for a bit, playing with the mint, etc.
The best part of having visitors was seeing how they reacted to life in a third world country. Amy and I were really excited that the condo had hot water on demand from ALL of the faucets and that we could flush our toilet paper. My family was disappointed that the hot water ran out after a few minutes, so you'd have to turn the water off and on for it to come back. So inconvenient. They all refused to ride a guagua even though there was clearly plenty of space for all of us. (there were three open seats and no one hanging out the door) Patty was the worst at spending money. Locals will rip off gringos, especially at the beach. You should never pay even half of what they ask for. They would name a price for an item and Patty would say "400 pesos? What's that, like $10? That's not bad!" and whip out her money. Thankfully we had Derek around. He could work the store owners. He got as good of prices as Amy and I. (they usually give us a better deal when they find out we live there and get paid Dominican salaries, not American salaries)
The end of the week was sad. It was so wonderful having people you love all around you. Amy and I watched the taxi pull out of sight and could instantly feel the hole inside us that was left.
So there are two lonely gringos here, if anyone wants to pay for the unreasonably spring break priced plane tickets. Or, if you come in February, we can go whale watching. Eh? Eh?
Also, pictures coming soon.
It was a fabulous week. Amy and I made some Dominican food for them to sample, we got plenty of rum (it goes great in Dominican coffee), we went to the beach every day. We did some deep sea fishing out of Puerto Plata. I use the word "some" very specifically. 6 people went, 3 threw up, 3 caught a fish. We only got to keep 1. But it was delicious. We went to the same spot on the beach almost every day. Our waiter was this nice young man named Wilgren. He really liked Colleen. He kept offering to take her to the parties on the beach at night. We ate a delicious meal at a restaurant on the beach one night. Dad and Patty had lobster and almost everyone else had red snapper. The highlight of Mom's week was the mojito she was served at the restaurant. Instead of being mixed with sugar, it came with a stick of sugar cane. If you've never had sugar cane before, heads up: you can't eat it. You just chew on it and such the juice out. This kept Mom busy all night: playing with the mint leaves, stirring around the sugar cane, sucking out the alcohol, stirring it up again, chewing on the cane for a bit, playing with the mint, etc.
The best part of having visitors was seeing how they reacted to life in a third world country. Amy and I were really excited that the condo had hot water on demand from ALL of the faucets and that we could flush our toilet paper. My family was disappointed that the hot water ran out after a few minutes, so you'd have to turn the water off and on for it to come back. So inconvenient. They all refused to ride a guagua even though there was clearly plenty of space for all of us. (there were three open seats and no one hanging out the door) Patty was the worst at spending money. Locals will rip off gringos, especially at the beach. You should never pay even half of what they ask for. They would name a price for an item and Patty would say "400 pesos? What's that, like $10? That's not bad!" and whip out her money. Thankfully we had Derek around. He could work the store owners. He got as good of prices as Amy and I. (they usually give us a better deal when they find out we live there and get paid Dominican salaries, not American salaries)
The end of the week was sad. It was so wonderful having people you love all around you. Amy and I watched the taxi pull out of sight and could instantly feel the hole inside us that was left.
So there are two lonely gringos here, if anyone wants to pay for the unreasonably spring break priced plane tickets. Or, if you come in February, we can go whale watching. Eh? Eh?
Also, pictures coming soon.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Por Fin!!!
Okay, so my mom finally nagged me enough to post something. Amy and I are finally starting to settle back into the routine of school, so I we should have a little energy left by the end of the day to post more frequently.
Christmas
First phase of Christmas break was the Kathy and Paul Phase. Amy's sister Kathy and her boyfriend were to arrive on our last day of work. But they didn't. They missed their connection in Miami and it turns out there's only one flight from Miami to Santiago every day. So they got sent to New York to catch a flight there. They arrived safe and sound in Santiago the next afternoon along with one of their bags. The other one was MIA. Literally. We didn't know, they didn't know, American Airlines didn't know. Thankfully, Kathy and Amy are roughly the same size so she could wear Amy's clothes. After a stressful week of waiting, calling airports, and pleading with parents to call AA back home, the bag arrived the day before they left. But we didn't let it ruin the week. We cooked, shopped, danced, went to the beach, and ATE DELICIOUS DOMINICAN FOOD. It was a sad good-bye when they had to leave.
Kathy and Paul flew out on Christmas Eve, and Amy and I got picked up from the airport by Joe, the guy we spent Thanksgiving with. He drove us to his place and Amy and I received another huge, delicious feast combining some Dominican favorites like rice and beans, and American staples like mashed potatoes and gravy and a fabulous apple pie.
Christmas Day was spent with the missionaries down here. Amy and I made some potatoes and a fruit salad and they provided everything else. It was a great night. We played cards all night. We even taught them hand and foot!
The week after, Amy and I had so many plans for what we would do with the time. We didn't work, we didn't have guests, just a bunch of free time! Well, none of those things happened. We mostly just slept. And ate. Watched a few movies. It was glorious. Just what we needed. We did do one thing. Martha, a teacher at school, invited us to spend a day with her in country (el campo) at her father's house. It was beautiful! We drove out of the city and into the mountains. Great scenery, and more great food. The ride back was a *blast*. Martha's son was sitting between us in the back seat. Cars here often don't have seatbelts, and the mountain roads were winding and bumpy, and this boy did not want to sit. I was scared he going out the window, so he spend most of the return trip next to me with my arm around him. He was fine with that. He proceeded to try my watch on himself and everyone in the car. We also swapped socks and shoes.
You probably noticed that our Christmas activities did not include a church service. That is correct. The church here does not have a special Christmas service on Christmas Eve or Day. No, the children's christmas service came on Dec. 31st. It was nothing like a children's service in the states. It included a reenactment of the annunciation, visit to Elizabeth, and birth. There was also a recitation by all of the children that included carefully decorated glittery signs. The final act was a song by some of the older girls and included (as we are finding all Dominican presentations must) choreography. Pastor Alex gave a kind of New Year message after that, followed by Angelitos (Secret Santa) and then, FINALLY, the food. We received not just heaping plates of food, but those plate/bowl hybrids heaped with rice, pastalones, meat, and salad. After the meal, they passes around some wine, eggnog, and fruit, celebrating the New Year as everyone left.
Coming soon: The Springborn Vacation in Cabarete, Horseback Riding in Jarabacoa, and Recent SDS News. Stay tuned.
Christmas
First phase of Christmas break was the Kathy and Paul Phase. Amy's sister Kathy and her boyfriend were to arrive on our last day of work. But they didn't. They missed their connection in Miami and it turns out there's only one flight from Miami to Santiago every day. So they got sent to New York to catch a flight there. They arrived safe and sound in Santiago the next afternoon along with one of their bags. The other one was MIA. Literally. We didn't know, they didn't know, American Airlines didn't know. Thankfully, Kathy and Amy are roughly the same size so she could wear Amy's clothes. After a stressful week of waiting, calling airports, and pleading with parents to call AA back home, the bag arrived the day before they left. But we didn't let it ruin the week. We cooked, shopped, danced, went to the beach, and ATE DELICIOUS DOMINICAN FOOD. It was a sad good-bye when they had to leave.
Kathy and Paul flew out on Christmas Eve, and Amy and I got picked up from the airport by Joe, the guy we spent Thanksgiving with. He drove us to his place and Amy and I received another huge, delicious feast combining some Dominican favorites like rice and beans, and American staples like mashed potatoes and gravy and a fabulous apple pie.
Christmas Day was spent with the missionaries down here. Amy and I made some potatoes and a fruit salad and they provided everything else. It was a great night. We played cards all night. We even taught them hand and foot!
The week after, Amy and I had so many plans for what we would do with the time. We didn't work, we didn't have guests, just a bunch of free time! Well, none of those things happened. We mostly just slept. And ate. Watched a few movies. It was glorious. Just what we needed. We did do one thing. Martha, a teacher at school, invited us to spend a day with her in country (el campo) at her father's house. It was beautiful! We drove out of the city and into the mountains. Great scenery, and more great food. The ride back was a *blast*. Martha's son was sitting between us in the back seat. Cars here often don't have seatbelts, and the mountain roads were winding and bumpy, and this boy did not want to sit. I was scared he going out the window, so he spend most of the return trip next to me with my arm around him. He was fine with that. He proceeded to try my watch on himself and everyone in the car. We also swapped socks and shoes.
You probably noticed that our Christmas activities did not include a church service. That is correct. The church here does not have a special Christmas service on Christmas Eve or Day. No, the children's christmas service came on Dec. 31st. It was nothing like a children's service in the states. It included a reenactment of the annunciation, visit to Elizabeth, and birth. There was also a recitation by all of the children that included carefully decorated glittery signs. The final act was a song by some of the older girls and included (as we are finding all Dominican presentations must) choreography. Pastor Alex gave a kind of New Year message after that, followed by Angelitos (Secret Santa) and then, FINALLY, the food. We received not just heaping plates of food, but those plate/bowl hybrids heaped with rice, pastalones, meat, and salad. After the meal, they passes around some wine, eggnog, and fruit, celebrating the New Year as everyone left.
Coming soon: The Springborn Vacation in Cabarete, Horseback Riding in Jarabacoa, and Recent SDS News. Stay tuned.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Officially on Vacation!
Steve wants me to share more about the doctor so here are some of the interesting and fun things we went through that day. We entered Emergency (other places are closed by Friday afternoon) and gave them my insurance card. Seeing my name as Amy Lea they all went on to call me Amaylia the whole time. Then we went through a door that said Do Not Enter. Don't worry, everyone else was entering too. I went to a desk and they sent me over to the doctor to meet her. Then a nurse took me to one of the many beds-behind-curtains in the room. It reminded us of an army hospital in MASH. You could hear everyone else; thankfully we couldn't hear anyone in too much pain... Pretty much every patient we saw had an IV in.
After the doctora talked to me and checked me over they sent me upstairs in a wheel chair. I knew some kind of test was going to be done to check out my stomach since I mentioned it had been bothering me. She had already concluded that she thought it was sensitivity to the food but I guess they wanted to check. The test turned out to be an ultrasound. They sent me home with lovely labeled pictures of all my dear little inner organs. Then they took me back down in the wheel chair.
Another doctora looked me over. She concluded that the little growing cluster of red bumps on my elbow were not mosquito bites as everyone else assured me but rather a virus. Then a nurse put an iv and some medicine for protecting the stomach into one hand, while another extracted blood from my other arm! When that was finished I finally got to go home- with a prescription for more medicine to protect my sensitive stomach and a cream for my elbow and a list of seven other tests they still wanted to do to make sure my stomach was okay! Needless to say I did not go back for the tests and am still alive and well.
This week at school we had the last three tests Mon- Wed and then the Christmas party for the kids. It was organized by the high school to raise money for their Prom. Then the next day there was the one and only Christmas practice that the school did together and that night was the program. Yesterday were conferences and Kathy and Paul come today! (Since they missed a flight and didn't get here yesterday...) We'll tell more about all these things as we find time. Enjoy your Christmas preparations!
After the doctora talked to me and checked me over they sent me upstairs in a wheel chair. I knew some kind of test was going to be done to check out my stomach since I mentioned it had been bothering me. She had already concluded that she thought it was sensitivity to the food but I guess they wanted to check. The test turned out to be an ultrasound. They sent me home with lovely labeled pictures of all my dear little inner organs. Then they took me back down in the wheel chair.
Another doctora looked me over. She concluded that the little growing cluster of red bumps on my elbow were not mosquito bites as everyone else assured me but rather a virus. Then a nurse put an iv and some medicine for protecting the stomach into one hand, while another extracted blood from my other arm! When that was finished I finally got to go home- with a prescription for more medicine to protect my sensitive stomach and a cream for my elbow and a list of seven other tests they still wanted to do to make sure my stomach was okay! Needless to say I did not go back for the tests and am still alive and well.
This week at school we had the last three tests Mon- Wed and then the Christmas party for the kids. It was organized by the high school to raise money for their Prom. Then the next day there was the one and only Christmas practice that the school did together and that night was the program. Yesterday were conferences and Kathy and Paul come today! (Since they missed a flight and didn't get here yesterday...) We'll tell more about all these things as we find time. Enjoy your Christmas preparations!
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Here it is!
The long awaited missing entry on Thanksgiving is finally here! Our second Thanksgiving actually took place on Thanksgiving day. (If you missed out on 1 and 3 you need to look back at an earlier post by Steve.) We were invited by a second grader's family to eat and socialize at their house. House is an understatement, but let me back up. The father is a wealthy American and was in the Caribbean for business. He met a Dominican girl and kind of got trapped. Yes, I think trapped is the word he would use. He told us he stays because he loves his wife and son and she doesn't want to leave her family, but he sure doesn't seem to be suffering too much. The house is more like a resort than a house. It has various buildings and gardens surrounding a courtyard. The center of the courtyard is a very large swimming pool complete with fountains and an island in the middle.
The food was delicious! It was mostly a traditional Thanksgiving meal, but there were a few Dominican twists. We did have rice and beans with our turkey, stuffing, potatoes, etc. The mother even tried to make an apple pie and did much better than any store-bought one we've seen here. Her family was there and some family friends came as well so we had a lot of good conversation throughout the afternoon. The father has certainly led an interesting life- he was full of stories of travels to the majority of the Caribbean islands. We'll have pictures to show some of the details- coming soon!
Since Thanksgiving we've been busy with end of the year things, as Steve mentioned. Exams, yes, but also a faculty and staff Christmas party! (He saved this topic for me.) Last Friday Miss Jennie got the school cafeteria all set up nicely and we got dressed up and came back to school. It was a little strange to be there dancing and drinking, but we didn't dwell on that. Mostly, we were wracking out brains trying to decide how we would ever describe such a party to you all back home. We still don't know. It was a Dominican party. You just have to experience it or use your imagination. Maybe these basic facts will help: The school secretary was there in her red leggings and Santa hat. The librarian brought her belly-dancing skirt. Some shirts were opaque; others were not. There was karaoke thanks to a projector, youtube, and microphone. The dancing was constant throughout everything. There was a raffle for a small sum of money that we did not win. :( The night ended with dinner, which was served at 1:00. AM. We had pork, rice and beans, potato salad, vegetable salad, baked eggplant, etc. It was delicious and we left shortly after eating. We realized that the reason Dominicans serve the food last at their parties is because no one can dance after eating all that so everyone just leaves.
Steve also mentioned that I was sick. On Friday, before the party and at Miss Jennie's insisting, I went to the doctor. I have felt sick in the stomach off and on since getting here. Thursday was one of the worst days so I went home early from school, after all my responsibilities were taken care of. Miss Jennie was concerned though and insurance covers appointments so I went. I was proud of my Spanish- I conversed easily with the doctors who were very nice. They concluded that I just have a sensitive stomach and the food and water affect it a lot. I also showed them some sore bumps which have been growing on my elbow. Everyone was suggesting that it was mosquito bites, but they don't usually come in clusters or grow over time. Turns out it is a virus. The doctor prescribed a pill for a few days that will protect my stomach and a cream for my elbow, which is almost better already.
Make sure to come back soon for pictures and news about our school Christmas party and program. Enjoy the cold weather and make a few snowmen for us!
The food was delicious! It was mostly a traditional Thanksgiving meal, but there were a few Dominican twists. We did have rice and beans with our turkey, stuffing, potatoes, etc. The mother even tried to make an apple pie and did much better than any store-bought one we've seen here. Her family was there and some family friends came as well so we had a lot of good conversation throughout the afternoon. The father has certainly led an interesting life- he was full of stories of travels to the majority of the Caribbean islands. We'll have pictures to show some of the details- coming soon!
Since Thanksgiving we've been busy with end of the year things, as Steve mentioned. Exams, yes, but also a faculty and staff Christmas party! (He saved this topic for me.) Last Friday Miss Jennie got the school cafeteria all set up nicely and we got dressed up and came back to school. It was a little strange to be there dancing and drinking, but we didn't dwell on that. Mostly, we were wracking out brains trying to decide how we would ever describe such a party to you all back home. We still don't know. It was a Dominican party. You just have to experience it or use your imagination. Maybe these basic facts will help: The school secretary was there in her red leggings and Santa hat. The librarian brought her belly-dancing skirt. Some shirts were opaque; others were not. There was karaoke thanks to a projector, youtube, and microphone. The dancing was constant throughout everything. There was a raffle for a small sum of money that we did not win. :( The night ended with dinner, which was served at 1:00. AM. We had pork, rice and beans, potato salad, vegetable salad, baked eggplant, etc. It was delicious and we left shortly after eating. We realized that the reason Dominicans serve the food last at their parties is because no one can dance after eating all that so everyone just leaves.
Steve also mentioned that I was sick. On Friday, before the party and at Miss Jennie's insisting, I went to the doctor. I have felt sick in the stomach off and on since getting here. Thursday was one of the worst days so I went home early from school, after all my responsibilities were taken care of. Miss Jennie was concerned though and insurance covers appointments so I went. I was proud of my Spanish- I conversed easily with the doctors who were very nice. They concluded that I just have a sensitive stomach and the food and water affect it a lot. I also showed them some sore bumps which have been growing on my elbow. Everyone was suggesting that it was mosquito bites, but they don't usually come in clusters or grow over time. Turns out it is a virus. The doctor prescribed a pill for a few days that will protect my stomach and a cream for my elbow, which is almost better already.
Make sure to come back soon for pictures and news about our school Christmas party and program. Enjoy the cold weather and make a few snowmen for us!
No Excuses
I'm really sorry, but Amy's been sick, and I said she was going to post next, and she really wanted to post next, so I haven't been, and a lot has happened, but Amy doesn't like it when I always post and she doesn't get to post about the exciting things, so I've been holding off so she has a chance, and we've been really busy with exams the last few weeks anyway, so we really haven't had time to post.
But my Mom chewed me out via Skype chat, so I'm giving you all a little teaser until Amy finds the time to grace us with her words.
We've been taking exams at SDS for the past couple weeks. It's something they do here in this country. Everyone, 1st-12th grade, takes cumulative exams at the end of each semester. Amy had fun making exams for ELL 1st graders. Mine were less fun, but I'm over it.
Also during this time is practice for the Christmas program. As I mentioned before, I'm working with 4th and 5th grades to put on the final act of the program: the Nativity. It's going really well. The narrators all have their parts memorized, the choir has their songs learned (more or less) and the actors are bringing in their bed sheet costumes. We've been putting it all together, and it's going pretty smoothly. It'll be a great way to end the program. I tried to include a strong gospel message about the significance of the birth in Bethlehem.
"You are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."
"O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan's tyranny
From depths of Hell Thy people save
And give them victory o'er the grave
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel."
I am also including "Peace Came to Earth" from the hymnal supplement. The kids are pretty good at it. The text is by Vajda, the same guy who wrote Where Shepherds Lately Knelt, and prompted a lot of discussion during choir rehearsals.
We will be performing on Thursday, and I'm sure Miss Amy will be able to capture some moments on video.
But my Mom chewed me out via Skype chat, so I'm giving you all a little teaser until Amy finds the time to grace us with her words.
We've been taking exams at SDS for the past couple weeks. It's something they do here in this country. Everyone, 1st-12th grade, takes cumulative exams at the end of each semester. Amy had fun making exams for ELL 1st graders. Mine were less fun, but I'm over it.
Also during this time is practice for the Christmas program. As I mentioned before, I'm working with 4th and 5th grades to put on the final act of the program: the Nativity. It's going really well. The narrators all have their parts memorized, the choir has their songs learned (more or less) and the actors are bringing in their bed sheet costumes. We've been putting it all together, and it's going pretty smoothly. It'll be a great way to end the program. I tried to include a strong gospel message about the significance of the birth in Bethlehem.
"You are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."
"O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan's tyranny
From depths of Hell Thy people save
And give them victory o'er the grave
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel."
I am also including "Peace Came to Earth" from the hymnal supplement. The kids are pretty good at it. The text is by Vajda, the same guy who wrote Where Shepherds Lately Knelt, and prompted a lot of discussion during choir rehearsals.
We will be performing on Thursday, and I'm sure Miss Amy will be able to capture some moments on video.
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