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We miss you! Please comment on our blog... I wouldn't be so needy except that we look forward to your comments every day and it's such a let-down when there are none.

Also, for those of you who have asked (and there are a lot of you), you can find who wrote each post at the end of the message. It says when the post happened and who wrote it.

Today we had our open house. I only met four children (and a fifth this last week). The real news of the day is that Jeanette, the sub-director/coordinator of the school, quit. Her husband's company shut down all the offices on in the northern part of the island so she and her two daughters are moving to Punta Cana to be closer to him. We were all in shock. She was so organized, intelligent, experienced, and encouraging. She always had time to talk to us and she always had something positive to say about what we were doing. It will be hard for us to lose that. We just feel a little more alone now. The director of the school, Miss Jenny, just has SO much on her plate. I can't imagine how she is feeling right about now... She has to deal with everything and try to help and support all of us too.

There is really no way to communicate what that means to us- losing Jeanette. She was everything we needed here and everything this school needed. And we really looked up to her. I just would love to be like her- so passionate, driven, and organized. But we understand her circumstances and certainly can't fault her. It's just so sad that it had to happen this way.

On that sad note, I'm afraid I must leave you to get myself to bed. Tomorrow will be a busy day filled with energetic 1st graders!

Tomorrow

The Boys of Summer Are Gone

The last day of summer draws to a close. It was great. And fraught with adventures. It was a good adventure (buena aventura) in that it was only Beth, Amy, and I, all new kids, so we got to figure everything out on our own. Today is a national holiday in the DR, that's why we didn't teach today. In order to get to the beach, we needed to catch a concho to the bus station and then take a bus to Sosua. As we started walking, we quickly realized there were not many conchos about. Probably due to the holiday. We had walked practically half of the way to the bus station by the time we spotted the right concho. So we got to the bus station, and we were too late. They were already full. So we had to wait an hour for the next bus. Whatever, we would just stay later. So after the beach, we walk quickly back to the bus station, only to find that there are no tickets available for the 5:20 bus in Sosua or in nearby Puerto Plata, and there are no tickets available for the 6:20 bus in Sosua or in nearby Puerto Plata. Those are the last buses of the day. So we found a taxi that took us to Puerto Plata, and then said he would take us all the way to Santiago. It was nice because it was faster than taking the bus, but it cost 3x as much.

But the beach was great. The surf was better than last time. Last time, the waves were so small, the only difference between that beach and a Minnesota beach was the salt. This time there were actually some fun waves. We had some delicious cheeseburgers and fries, and I had a margarita like I'd never tried before. It was stronger and had a couple different fruit juices in it, I think, like mango, lime, and pineapple. Very good.

But now I need to go to bed. Tomorrow is open house day, so I have to be ready to meet my students and their parents!

Qiin

I have no idea how to pronounce it, but it's the name of the brand of cookies I just finished eating. They're like those little wafer sandwich cookies we have in the states. You know, the ones that come in chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry? Well, here they have a bunch of flavors. Including lime. So they are green. So they can't be bad.

Earlier tonight Beth, Andrew, Amy, and I walked to Bon, an ice cream place. I had dulce de leche ice cream. (It's like caramel, but creamier)

And to top off the night, Katie's boyfriend gave me a ride home on his motorcycle. It only lasted about a minute, but it's a pretty sweet bike.

Tomorrow: Beach Day #2!

If you haven't noticed

I also put up a couple of pictures of the nuclear holocaust.

Mopping

I cleaned the apartment today! Which meant mopping the floor, which was fun, since I didn't have a way to wring the mop out, and since I didn't want to turn the kitchen into a lake, I had to do it with my hands. Which was really gross. So if anyone has a solution please share. It's really dusty here, and the windows are always open, so I think I'll be doing this job very regularly.

And now for something completely different:

The walk back from the supermarket is a journey of mixed emotions. On one hand, I am extremely excited about all of the purchases I have made: I have bread for making french toast, I have a new kind of juice (tamarindo), I have bleach for cleaning the bathroom, I have more plantains, and so many more goodies. On the other hand, I have to carry all of my purchases back to the apartment. Which is not a short walk. And the purchases are not few. Which quickly results in sore shoulders. But it didn't rain until we were back, so I guess I can't complain.

Also, one more little note about the supermarket: Eggs are not packaged in a nice, protective carton. They are in a half-carton wrapped in plastic. It is very difficult to arrive home with a 0 egg mortality rate.

A day of relaxation

I slept in today, which is why I am still up now. Steve came over to my apartment for breakfast only to find I had almost nothing! I had already eaten the two eggs I had left. There was no milk to make pancakes or to put on cereal. I had a little frying cheese (one of his favorites) and two mangoes, so he didn't go completely hungry.

After that I cleaned and he looked at music for school. After it had cooled off a bit and when we heard some thunder in the distance we decided to go shopping. We just went to the small grocery store that is in walking distance called Summit. We finally have food again! And we made it there and back completely dry! It rained shortly after.

Steve and I cooked some beef and vegetables with red sauce to put on pasta and Beth helped us throw together a quick salad. Andrew joined the three of us for dinner. After that we all watched a movie with Ally and Miguel before the guys headed home. If we get enough done tomorrow we will go to the beach on Monday:)

Too tired to write...

But I know you people are counting on me. So I will press on.

Today was the last day of prep. Tuesday is like an open house, and then Wednesday is the first day of school. That means I'm supposed to be ready for school to start. Which I guess is true. I just feel unprepared because I don't know what to expect from the kids. I know what American 6th graders can accomplish, but I don't know what these students will be like. It's hard to choose literature because I don't know how good their English will be. It will be fine, since I'm planning a lot of activities for the first few days and won't start getting into material until the second week. I should get to know them a little by then.

We hung out at Amy's apartment tonight. It was really fun. We were all there (Andrew, Amy, and me, and Amy's roommates and their boyfriends). We had a good time playing mafia, which was extra difficult considering Ally's boyfriend Miguel doesn't speak much English. After the game, we were hungry, so Katie and her boyfriend showed us this little stand nearby that sells this delicious little dish called yaroa. It's french fries, covered with fried onions and chicken or pork, covered in cheese, covered in ketchup and mayo (of course). It was heavenly. And now, after that, I want to do nothing but sleep.