an assortment of thoughts

The report from the weekend:

Los Haitises

I went on a day trip to Los Haitises National Park.   The park is on the northeastern coast near Samana.  The day included hiking through a lot of mud, exploring three different caves, boat riding, seeing cave paintings, swimming and eating a Dominican meal (chicken, fresh, fried fish, moro(rice and beans), tostones).  The park is a humid forest full of animal and plant life.  The ecologists said it is almost identical to a place in Vietnam because of the similar environments and lines of latitude.  

Los Haitises

a tree with spikes

entering cave #1

beautiful!

cocoa....for all you chocolate lovers out there

This was a "real cave"...not a cave for tourists :)

I loved the name of our boat.

mangrove

Do I have you convinced to visit yet???

getting artsy from inside a cave

pictografias 

Family Day  

My apartment complex had a family day today with inflatables, music, food, crafts, yard sale tables, etc.  They also had an outdoor mass (misa de accion de gracias) .  Although I’m not Catholic, Catholism is such a big part of the culture that I wanted to attend a mass while I was here.  This was the perfect opportunity because it was outside on a beautiful day.  The Mass was very nice.  The priest talked about getting off our cellphones (actually, he only said Blackberries lol) and computers and remembering to take time to invest in others.  He reminded us to not get so consumed in our own lives that we don’t have the time to ask a neighbor how they are doing or offer them a cup of coffee.  Great message.

I ran a 10K race on Sunday.   The race was sponsored by a cell phone company and the entry fee was a donation for education.  It was lots of fun!  There were some very fast Dominicans, but there were plenty of people behind me too J

Don't be fooled: everyone that participates gets a medal.  

local concert

I went to a free, outdoor concert in front of ruins Sunday night.  At some point during the concert I stopped and looked around and thought, “wow, this is such a Dominican moment”.  I was standing on a cobblestone street in front of ruins from the time of Christopher Columbus.  The streets were packed with locals talking, listening to the band play bachata and merengue music, and dancing.  Food vendors were along the edge cooking local food like empanadas and pasteles de hojas.  Needless to say, I loved it

Other thoughts:

I’ve been seeing so many beautiful sunsets lately.  Unfortunately, I don’t always have a camera with me and the pictures never seem to turn out as good as they are in person.  To me, a sunset is always a reminder of our Creator’s glory.

The weather has finally begun to cool off.  Although it was still 91 on Saturday, the have been days that were cooler and very enjoyable.  It is also cooling off at night and feels wonderful. 

Work is going well but I’ll have to say that I’m looking forward to a day off for Thanksgiving.  We have not had a day without students (no holidays, workday, etc) since students began in August.  I now have an even great appreciation for workdays and holidays like Labor Day.  Dominicans don’t celebrate Thanksgiving, but since I work at a bilingual school I have Friday off. 

 One of the sweetest moments happened to me at school last week.  I have a Korean student that speaks fluent Spanish and Korean but does not speak English. She consistently tries to listen and follow directions.  She is a model student despite the fact that she is just beginning to learn English.  One day this week she surprised me with a plastic container in a gallon ziplock bag.  I was confused at first but then she told me “My mom made you lunch”.  Not only did the kind gesture make me feel very loved on, but it was also delicious!  Of course, the family has no idea of my somewhat picky eating habits. The lunch was some of my favorites—grilled ham and cheese sandwich (no mayo) and fresh, cut up fruit.  This reminded me how powerful a small act of kindness can be and to continue to “pass it on”. 

It’s officially Christmas time in the DR!  Actually, I saw the first Christmas items come out in stores in mid-September and many places have been decorated for weeks now.  But, it doesn’t seem as if commercialism is pushing the early start here as much as in the US. Dominicans have told me that they love celebrating Christmas and they don’t celebrate Halloween and Thanksgiving so why not start early?  I love Christmastime so I’m looking forward seeing the Dominican traditions.  I’m going to have to get used to warm temperatures and Christmas together; it’s just an unfamiliar combination. :) 

Santa surrounded by palm trees (the evergreen-like trees in his sleigh are fake and part of the decorations)

"Fall" in the DR

Oct. 21-23

Reforestation

I volunteered with a reforestation project, and it turned out to be awesome.   I went with an ecotourism group.  October is “reforestation month” worldwide.  Approximately 14 million acres of forests are cut every year but only 5 million acres are replanted.  We worked with a local farmer about an hour outside of the city in an area called Bonao.  After a lesson on Dominican ecology and how to plant the trees, we set off to plant 1,500 mahogany trees.  Surprisingly, all of the trees were planted much faster than I expected.  Then, we went to a nearby water fall for a little hiking and swimming. 

I was a pro after the insider tips from the farmer.

Look at all those planted trees!

checking out waterfalls in Bonao

relaxing after a fun day of volunteering

 Hemingway Beach

On Sunday, I went to Hemingway beach (the one we frequently go to outside of Santo Domingo).  We went a little bit later in the afternoon and stayed until dark.  Beautiful sunset!

Barra Payan

Dominican friends took me to a local restaurant that is a mix between Cook-Out and Yarboroughs.  The restaurant, Barra Payan, has been opened in the same location for the past 40 years.  They are open 24 hours a day and specialize in sandwiches and milkshakes (both are the Dominican versions).  The “special” includes ham, pulled pork, tomato, onion, and cheese.  I had a ham and cheese sandwich with a papaya milkshake.  Delicious! 

Oct. 28-30

Visit to a public school

I had wanted to visit a public elementary school since I arrived and got the opportunity to do so today!  The public schools are free and students wear uniforms (typically khaki pants and blue shirts).  Obviously, it varies school to school and my information is only based on the two I visited.  Each classroom has one blackboard.  The rest of the walls are completely blank with the exception of an occasional piece of poster board with handwritten words.   The small cinderblock rooms are not air conditioned but some did have a window or a fan for ventilation.  The students do have desks, but there are no other materials available (manipulatives, books, computers, etc).  Most of the schools run two shifts.  For example, the elementary school is 8-12 and the middle school is 2-5.  Each classroom has between 30-60 students.  Public school teachers are paid the equivalent of $150 US dollars per month, which is very low even based on the cost of living here.  The teacher that gave me a tour was extremely nice, and hopefully I will be able to return and interact with the students more next time.  

Halloween

Dominicans don’t celebrate Halloween.  However, one of the American teachers at the school had a Halloween party at her apartment.  So, we dressed in costumes and had a fun night.  I was a tigre (tiger).

tigres

Nov. 4-7, 2011 Mom and Dad visit the DR!

I had an amazing weekend touring and just spending time with Mom and Dad.  I showed them many of the parts of my daily life like my apartment, the park where I run, the grocery store, etc.  We took a day trip to Boca Chica (a nearby beach) on a guagua (public bus).  It only cost 55 pesos (approx. $1.50) each way, which was totally worth it to see Dad’s face about the traffic, driving, vendors selling everything imaginable through the windows, etc.  The water was beautiful, and this beach was a great place to people watch.  As we were leaving we got a Yaniqueque.  Yaniqueques are a large piece of salty fried dough popular in that area.

Saturday night we had a dinner at a restaurant in the Colonial City.  Then, we walked around to see many of the old building that are beautifully illuminated at night.  We also happened upon a Dominican Harley Davidson convention…interesting haha

Sunday-We went back to the Colonial City to see the sights during the daytime.  Then, we went to a baseball game.  The Dominican Republic has a winter league so that players from the US can play both seasons.  Baseball is the number one sport in the DR.  In fact, the DR sends more baseball players to the MLB than any other country.  I can’t even begin to describe the saga of getting a ticket for the sold out game or the noise level within the stadium!  But, it was soooo much fun. J

Monday-Mom and Dad volunteered in my classroom all day, and it was GREAT!  They were so much help and the kids were on best-behavior for them J

Mom and Dad in the Caribbean Sea

sunset at Boca Chica 

Yaniqueques

Parque Independencia

First Cathedral in the New World

Licey vs. Aguilas 

great seats!

Dominicans LOVE baseball

Nov. 11-13

UNC played in the Carrier Classic on 11/11/11 and I wouldn’t be a true Carolina fan if I didn’t at least attempt to see this game.  After asking around we were told the only place to see the game would be Hooters.  I had never been to a Hooters before, but I’ll have to admit it was a great experience here.  The food was good, it was extremely clean, and we could see the game perfectly.  Not to mention the Tar Heels won!  J

A local, professional company is putting on RENT at the Palacio de Belles Artes.  The show was full of talented performers! 

There is a system of caves running beneath the city.  On the east side of the city you can tour Los Tres Ojos caves.  Los Tres Ojos (the three eyes) are 3 pools of water in the cave.  For an additional 20 pesos (50 cents) you can take a boat (powered by a pulley) to the hidden fourth eye/lake.  The most interesting part was the water’s beautiful blue shade.  Next, we walked from the caves through the Parque Mirador del Este (a park) to el Faro a Colon (a “lighthouse” in honor of Christopher Columbus).  The lighthouse was controversial to build because of the electricity it requires in a city where there are still frequent blackouts.  The lighthouse supposedly houses the ashes of Christopher Columbus’ body.  However, I have also been to the Cathedral in Sevilla, Espana that claims to also have Columbus’ body.  It seems to me to be like the debate between North Carolina and Ohio over the Wright Brothers-who really gets the credit?  The resting place of Columbus here was nice, but I do have to say that there were a lot more tourists visiting him in Sevilla.

before RENT

Los Tres Ojos

the blue water is amazing

the "hidden" eye

Faro a Colon

Christopher Columbus' ashes guarded by a ferocious watch dog

tourists

the front of the lighthouse

Work

One of the required readings for 3^rd grade at my school this year is The True Story of the Three Little Pigs.  Although this book was too difficult for my students, they loved reading different versions of the original Three Little Pigs.  I borrowed the idea from a great teacher at home and my students made pigs houses as a project.  They also had to write the instructions to build their pig house.  Sometimes take-home projects are difficult to do in the US when you have a huge range of available finances and support at home. The way the private schools work here I have a much more homogenous group of students based on socio-economic status (there is still a lot of diversity in other ways).  If a family can afford to send their child to private school here, they do.  The price of private school varies greatly depending on the school.  So, the students at each private school tend to be from a similar tax bracket. 

The projects were very creative and the students were so proud of their work.  It’s hard to see all the houses well in the pictures below, but they were all cute.  

A Busy Life

Well, after much too long, I’m finally going to post about the past month! Despite the fact that I’m mostly going to write about the past four weekends, don’t be deceived that all I’m doing is traveling, relaxing, etc.  Actually, I do work a lot.  But, it’s much more fun to share about exploring than work. J  

Before I get into the weekends, a little about work:

I like my job here and am learning many things. It is quite different from teaching in the US, but there are similarities at the same time.  Kids will be kids, anywhere you go.  Children love to laugh and play all around the world, and the students will always be one of the perks of teaching. One of the biggest adjustments for me is that this is my first time working in a private school.  Another difference I have 30 students in a class without any assistance at any time (no ta, no exceptional education teachers, no literacy teachers, etc)  We recently submitted grades for the first marking period.  Again, it was different than the system I’ve known but another opportunity for me to see a different way of doing something.  God is teaching me a lot of patience, which can never hurt.

Sept. 23-25

I stayed in Santo Domingo this weekend.  It was a super fun-filled weekend.  My friends and I went to an Akon concert on Saturday night.  The concert was outside right beside the Caribbean Sea!  It began at 9:00 and ended at 3:30am…concerts are not short events here!  Luckily, I had learned from my other concert experience and went prepared this time with enough sleep and food to make it through a 7 hour concert…

On Sunday, we went to Hemingway beach again.  This is one of the beaches that is only 45 minutes from Santo Domingo.  Sunday evening I learned to play Dominoes.  You can’t walk down the street on any weekend night and not see Dominicans playing dominoes.  I had been seeing them play and wanted to learn.  I finally got my chance and loved it!  The best way I know to describe the domino game here is that it’s a mix of the dominoes game my family plays and spades.  You play in teams of two like spades.  Either due to the expertise of the my Dominican partner or beginner’s luck, my team won J

 friends before the concert

Akon came out into the crowd in a gerbil ball and on his guards' shoulders...very dangerous among screaming fans

Sept. 30- Oct. 2

Matt came to visit!  We were very busy and he claims we walked at least 10 miles one day lol We toured the historical Colonial Zone of Santo Domingo.  Christopher Columbus first landing was the Americas was here on the island of Hispanola. Most everything is known as the “first in the Americas”.  For example, Santo Domingo has the first church in the new world, the first hospital, etc.  Christopher did not live in Santo Domingo because he continued exploring. His son, Diego, was the governor of the city and lived here.  We walked the cobblestone streets and toured the Museum of the Royal Homes, the Larimar museum (a precious stone that is found nowhere else in the world besides the DR), the burial site of famous Dominicans, and more.

For Saturday night dinner we went to a restaurant that it is in a real cave (walking distance from my house!)  I was skeptical of the restaurant until we went.  It was a real cave, and it was beautiful!  My camera doesn’t work well in caves, but you can check on the website: http://www.elmesondelacava.com/   Click “tour virtual” at the bottom right.

On Sunday, we went on a day trip with a local tour company to Enriquillo Lake.  This lake is located in the west and is the biggest lake in the country.  The climate there is unlike anywhere else on the island.  Two mountain ranges block the lake from either side.  Therefore, it has an extremely dry, desert-like climate.  We took a boat to Cabritos Island in the middle of the lake. The island is filled with cacti and is consistently recorded as the hottest place on the island (I’m sure you can imagine Matt’s enthusiasm about walking and listening to an educational tour…in a desert…in 96 degrees on the second day of October.)  The iguanas were plentiful and huge.  The water is also filled with crocodiles.  The tour guides drove the boat like a crocodile hunter to help us see the creatures.  (no worries…the crocodiles are not hunted here)  After the lake, the tour took us to a lady’s home where she served us La Bandera for lunch (chicken, rice, beans, salad, plantains).  Our next stop was a balneario (swimming pool created by a natural spring).  A natural spring of extremely cold water coming from the mountains supplies the pool.  The water continues to flow on down the mountain but there are man-made walls that help create a swimming pool –like structure.  The balneario was full of Dominicans swimming and bathing.  We braved the freezing cold water and found it amusing that we had been both extremely hot and extremely cold just 30 minutes down the road.  Our last stop of the trip was to see Caritas (cave carvings) from the Taino Indians.  I was shocked at how clear the images still are.

Tour Guide Matt in front of the fort

Iguanas!

cave writings

natural pool

The water continues to flow on down the mountain.

La Bandera 

Lago Enriquillo 

Cacti

Cave Carvings

Oct. 7-8

Ethan and Dustin came to visit!  The three of us also toured the Colonial Zone.  We saw many of the same things except we took the audio tour of Christopher Columbus’s son’s house instead of the Museo de Casas Reales. 

We had many traditional Dominican foods including tostones, mofongo, sandwiches, juices, and mangu.

Our day trip to the 27 charcos (waterfalls) was one my favorite things I’ve done in the DR so far.  We took an early morning bus to the north of the island.  We hiked up a mountain and returned down the mountain by either jumping or sliding down waterfalls.  It was amazing!!!!!  Unfortunately, I couldn’t take my camera with me.  And the website pictures just don’t do it justice. It was exciting because we never knew what was coming next.  Sometimes we did a simple cannon ball off a 10 foot waterfall into a pool below and sometimes we did a pencil jump off a 30 foot waterfall.  Some of the waterfalls were like slides that twisted and turned as you went down.  

Diego Columbus's House

Traditional Dominican Breakfast (eggs, bacon, fried cheese, and  mangu)

27 Waterfalls Group

Ethan and Dustin in front of a painting of Christopher and Diego Columbus

I finally got a picture of a carro publico (the public transportation car)  Notice the windshield and  roof. 

Oct. 14-16

I went to Cabarete again (the beach where I surfed and wind surfed in August).  We stayed at a neighboring beach called Kite Beach (famous for kite boarding).  I went "surfing" one day and just relaxed on the beach the other day.  We ate fresh seafood, steak, and freshly squeezed juices. Great weekend once again.

Hotel Extreme

The view from my balcony