Rain, Rain, Every Day

Literally, every day it rains. It's called a "rainy season." We don't really have those in the Midwest. There really aren't other seasons here, no Summer/Winter/Spring/Fall. There's hot and less hot, and wet and more wet. Right now we are in a hot/more wet season. Usually it doesn't rain all day, but it is usually cloudy all day, and when it does rain, it'll keep up for the rest of the day, and it rains a lot.

I used to laugh at Dominicans on rainy days. Everything stops. No on goes anywhere, plans are cancelled, nothing happens, all just because it rains. How silly! Letting a little water stop you? Not at all. Here is my guide to help you understand the frustrations of the rainy season that I have learned throughout the year.

1. You have to walk a lot.
.....a. Umbrellas are only helpful in mild rain and for a short time.
.....b. Not fun in the rain.

2. The streets flood. Guaranteed. If it is raining, the streets will flood.
.....a. Also not fun if walking.
.....b. If driving your own vehicle, you might not be able to make it.

3. Public Transportation
.....a. Moto-conchos (motorcycles) are right out.
.........i. No fun at all.
........ii. Dangerous in wet streets.
.......iii. See 2b.
.....b. Conchos and Guaguas
.........i. All full. You will have to wait for a long time. (See 1a)
........ii. See 2b.

So, yeah. We don't do anything if it's raining. And it's been at it for over a month now. But I'm not complaining, because while it is raining every day, it is better than the alternative. Rain means it is cooler. If not for the rain, we would all be roasting alive in the summer sun.

The Whirlwind

Apologies, as always, for not posting. I always use the excuse that I am busy, which is ever true.

Ever since call day, our focus has shifted significantly. We are constantly looking to August and all of the exciting questions it raises. Our house? How to get there? Move our things? A car? How much can we spend? Insurance? Another loan? Loan payments? A salary? What's housing equity? Budget? A new church? New people? A school? How many children? Desks or tables? SmartBoard? Curriculum? Music program? AZ teaching license?--

But wait! Before we get there, we have to get married! Wedding... old questions... Rehearsal dinner? RSVPs? How much cake? You didn't get your invitation? How many centerpieces? Showers? Bachelor/ette parties? Registries?--

But wait! Before we start that, we have to finish here! We have duties here, opportunities here, and God has a plan for us here. Right now we're just praying for contentment in our current position and patience as we move closer to the rest of our lives.

Oatmeal

So, two random, interesting facts.

It is rainy this week. It rains everyday. The best part is that when it rains, it is no longer hot. After the rain is done, you open your windows to let that sweet cool breeze in. Then comes the bad part. For some reason, after the rain, there are hundreds of these little insects with black wings, like flying ants or something, that all want to come into your house. You will suddenly have a hundred of these nasty things flying all around your little apartment, landing on you, flying in your food, and then, just as suddenly, they will all be gone/dead. I'm not quite sure which, since when they die/leave, they leave behind their wings. So your apartment is littered with these little black wings. Yuck. Sweeping the whole apartment every day.

Interesting fact #2: I am now "enjoying" a cool glass of Tang. Tang is really big here. They don't have Kool-Aid, they don't have Crystal Lite, their powdered drink of choice is Tang. And it comes in all the flavors you would expect plus some fun tropical ones, like guava-pineapple. They even come in a variety that boasts "con avena!" or "with oatmeal!" There is oat flour in this drink mix. The particular flavor tantalizing my tongue right now is Limon Avena, or Lime Oatmeal. I'm not sure yet...

How to Comment

After reading many a friend's blog, Amy and I noticed that they have many more commentors than we do, although maybe not as widely read. I think I know the difference. Wordpress is much easier to leave comments on than Blogger. Many of our readers are perplexed by the options they must choose between when leaving a comment. So, today, I offer you a quick tutorial on leaving a comment on our blog.

Step 1: Click on the title of the story or the word "comments."

Step 2: Type a comment in the field labeled "Post a Comment."

Step 3: Click the arrow on the drop-down menu labeled "Comment as:" and select who to leave your comment as. This is the tricky part. There are several options.

3a: The first is "Google Account." You may use this option if you have a Gmail, Yahoo, or YouTube account. You should just get a prompt to enter your username and password.

3b: WordPress, LiveJournal, and TypePad are all different blogging sites. If you do not have a blog, do not worry about these options.

3c: Let's skip to the most important options. "Name/URL" is easy. Select this option, type your name in the "Name" field, and you're good. Don't worry about the URL part unless you have a website you really want to share with us.

3d: The easiest and most private option is "Anonymous." Just select this option, and make sure to put your name at the end of your comment so we know who is talking to us.

Okay, class, your assignment for today is to follow the above steps and leave a comment on this entry. If you have any problems during the process, just... well... you won't be able to leave a comment, so you'll have to send me an email or facebook message.

Call Day!

At 2:50pm Amy received a Facebook message from her mother informing us that we were indeed being assigned. About an hour, after a painstakingly long list of "S" names, my name was read followed by the words "Cross of Glory, Peoria, Arizona." My family has a picture of our faces as they watched us watch on Skype, looks of wonder, astonishment, excitement. The words that followed included "grades one and two," "music," and "youth." As of right now, we know nothing else but these few words, but their implications have been slowly growing on our consciousness, all happy, sad, and exciting. So far from home, a warm climate, primary grades, youth groups, outlying district, so far from home, so far from friends, so close to other friends. We continue to slowly realize what our new life will be like.

This is where we will be serving.

Many thanks to all of the people who were with us via Skype, thought, and prayer. We appreciate all of your support.

Holy Week and a Wedding!

My parents left Maundy Thursday. We considered going to church the next day since they had a service for Good Friday, but did not. The problem was the guaguas. You see, in the Dominican Republic, as in many Latin countries, Good Friday is the big holiday. Everyone takes off of work- including the choferes (bus drivers). Everyone spends the day contemplating the death of Jesus and that's where it ends. By Sunday all has been forgotten for another year. Thank the Lord he has given us the Good News so that the story does not end there for us!

On Saturday we made habichuelas con dulce (sweet creamed beans). It is a traditional Holy Week drink/soup here. It is made with sweet potatoes from the indigenous people, spices and beans from Spain, and coconut milk from Africa. Our quest was to keep it from tasting like beans. We did okay but it is not going to be a staple... Here is our adventure attempting to make it:

We chose to have our own worship service- Keith, Beth, Andrew, Steve and I along with my roommate Katie. We read the Good Friday readings from the Bible, sang some favorite hymns, and Andrew read his dad's Good Friday sermon. After that we had some pumpkin pie that I had made and hung out for a while. Don't worry- our story doesn't end there as with much of the DR. Take a look at our Easter morning sunrise:

Thank God for bringing us to Cordero de Dios, our WELS church here! We were blessed to rejoice with our Dominican brothers and sisters in Christ by watching Road to Emmaus in Spanish and singing some of our beloved Easter hymns. We have been so thankful time and time again for this congregation!

The next Sunday we arrived shortly after the service began. As we approached we noticed a veil in the front of the room! No one told us there was going to be a wedding! We were SO excited! Weddings in the lower class here are nothing like what we are used to. The bride and groom dress in a suit and wedding dress- probably rented or borrowed. There was a large cake (mostly made of a frosted inedible filler thing) and some balloons to decorate. The simplicity however did not diminish the beauty of the ceremony or the anticipation of our own- in 71 days!!!
The beautiful young (17-year-old) bride and her groom:

Parents Visit: Part III

I still haven't written about my parents time on the coast! I'm pretty bad at this. That was ages ago so let's go back in time a bit here....

We arrived at the coast in Sosua and took a taxi to Cabarete. He tried to overcharge us but gave up when the resort told us our reservation had been cancelled! We told them no it had not and thankfully they still had room for us and agreed to the price we had been told. We were then shown to a tiny little room in the corner of the place. Not exactly the Standard we had expected, but Dad got that sorted out the next morning with a little persistence and diplomacy. Thanks Dad! Take a look at the new and improved room:
That night we enjoyed 3-star resort food and a 3-star "Africa Show" which was Latinos attempting to lip-synch Lion King in English. A night we are afraid won't easily be forgotten. Ha!

The next day we were able to enjoy the day on the beach and in the pools. It was so relaxing- just what we needed! That night Dad and I won a round of bingo each- with a prize of a souvenior sized bottle of rum. On Wednesday we took my parents in to the public beach in Sosua so that they could experience the culture. The ride there was a cultural blast in itself. The guagua (bus) that we were in decided to race another! It was terrifying for even those of us accustomed to the different driving style here. Once there we were able to relax. We ate fresh shrimp and had pina coladas in the pineapple and coco locos in the coconut! After enjoying the beach as long as possible we braved another guagua ride (much safer than the last) back to Cabarete's public beach. There we enjoyed a delicious dinner of red snapper and lobster, before heading back to the resort. Here is lovely Sosua in the evening:
Thursday came all too fast. We all packed up and headed to our respective home. My parents had an adventursome trip and got home much later that expected (or should I say earlier since it was the next morning)... but all was well. I suppose they were our last visitors. We miss them but we're in the home stretch now!
Stay posted- I should write a bit about Easter yet, a (surprise?) wedding, Science Fair, and most importantly look for Call Day results posted SATURDAY! Or just watch the service yourself and spoil all our fun;)