VIDEO: First Day of School

Today I was a teacher...I think.

As I sit here smelling somewhat like a sewer, I feel the need to try and recreate for you what was our first day of school. All of us teachers have been preparing lesson plans like crazy this week – lessons on class rules, lessons on sharing about our families, lessons on the bathroom procedure at school. No one ever told us that we wouldn’t actually get a chance to execute the lesson plans. That’s probably because the first day went a little something like this…

First Day of School Pictures

I woke up EARLY this morning because I was so nervous for the first day of school. I haven’t had that feeling since I was a little tot. I arrived at school, and with the help of Charlie, had my room perfectly set up for the little angels that were soon to arrive. Our team had a time of devotion and prayer and classic first day of school pictures, and then one by one our new students flooded the little yellow schoolhouse.

My classroom

I met my students and immediately wanted to adopt at least half of them. I gave them their name tags which each had a different jungle animal on them as my classroom theme is the jungle. I was so proud that each of my 3 and 4 year olds could correctly tell me the animal on their nametag. And that they could “formar en una fila” or “form a line” upon first instruction. I knew the first day was going to be a breeze.

FALSE.

Before school...

After school...

As we enter the classroom, Elijio begins to sob because his mother left. Pretty much your pre-school norm. Is vomiting all over the floor where we need to sit for Morning Meeting a norm? It is in my classroom. Yes, Elijio vomited, not once but twice on the floor of our room and on me (hence my sewer smell). I also came out of this day with someone having peed on my clothes unbeknownst to me...

So, then Yaiqui (which is pronounced Jackie), begins to cry too. I later find out that we have misinterpreted her name (due to thick Dominican accents) and her name is NOT Yaiqui. I will have to change that nametag…as soon as I figure out exactly WHAT her name is.

We actually begin to proceed with our morning. There are crying children at all times, but we must press on. Thankfully, all Makarios staff (outside of the teaching staff) was at school today as well and provided many extra hands for the diaper changing, vomiting, bottle feeding and biting…

Biting…that reminds me. Another one of my angels, David, escaped my class during the morning. Robin and Charlie ran, rather sprinted, after the child who was running towards the river that separates his village from the school. Charlie jumped in the river and grabbed him, only to receive a deep bite on his left shoulder. Robin felt bad for the pain Charlie had to endure, but no worries, she was bitten on her wrist by another child later in the day. Did I say child? I meant angel.

All sarcasm aside, today was nothing I expected but everything I needed. These hilarious and sometimes painful moments were interspersed with adorable smiles and little voices yelling, “Profe! Profe! Yo sé!” or “Teacher, teacher, I know!” Ultimately, I am not in control, and I will be learning that anew as each school day passes. I am more than excited to spend the next school year with these children. They may bite and vomit at times, but they genuinely want to love and hold your hand and give an infinite amount of hugs that can make anyone and everyone’s day better.

Life as of Late

It's been rumored that people liked Kim’s pictures better than Charlie's boring maps,  so here we go...

Santiago:

During our trip to Santiago the first week we were here, we visited the Aurora Cigar factory, a company that is over 100 years old.  We learned how to hand roll cigars and that the cigar rollers are allowed to smoke as many cigars as they want while they’re working...  We live in a healthy country.

Puerto Plata:

Here you will see the view from the "autopista" or highway that runs through and outside of Puerto Plata along the coast line.  It is actually a sugar cane field and on the other side of the trees at the very back of the picture is the ocean. 

A view from the Malecon - the street in Puerto Plata that acts as a boardwalk running alongside the ocean.

Escuela Makarios:

Last year our school consisted of one building (which you can see along the left side of the picture) with two classrooms and approximately 30 students.  This year we have a new building (which you can see in the back of the picture), four classrooms, kitchen space, a nurse’s facility, a teachers' lounge, 60 registered students, and 20 plus students on a waiting list.  Needless to say, God has blessed this organization with incredible growth over the last year.  This picture was taken at the beginning of our first PTF (Parent Teacher Fellowship) where more than 40 parents came to hear about the organization and register their children for the upcoming school year.

Our First Weekend: Cabarete

There are a handful of beaches within a 30 minute drive of Puerto Plata, including Cabarete and Sosua.  While most of you were cheering on the Longhorns over Labor Day weekend, we were hanging out here.

Non-Pasteurized Eggs/Milk:

One benefit of not having pasteurized produce is not having to put it in the refrigerator…one of the downsides is the potential for unhatched chickens inside your eggs...

Our Second Weekend: Sosua

Dominicans assume that any American (or "Gringo" as they affectionately call us) in Puerto Plata is headed for Sosua.  It is one of the more Americanized places around and has an incredibly beautiful beach.  

Our new friend Derrick is from Atlanta and moved down to the DR in January to open a BBQ restaurant on the beach.  He grills chicken and pork ribs served with homemade sauce and cucumber/tomato salad. 

 

This little boy’s bathing suit is riding a little heavy.  He would stop, fill up his bathing suit with sand, walk until it all fell out, and do it all over again.  

The Makarios Team:

We love these people.  That's all there is to it.

much love,

Kim and Charlie

Where We Live/Serve/Play

Hi all,

I have put together a couple of maps so that people can understand exactly where we are.  The first map is of the DR - a general idea of where we are on the island.  We are currently living in Puerto Plata, work in Montellano and have traveled to Santiago as Kim mentioned in the previous post. 

This next map is a close up of the areas in which we live/serve/play.  The "Current Makarios House" is located on the East side of the city of Puerto Plata.  Montellano (where Kim and I will soon be moving as well as spending a large amount of time working at the Makarios school) would be considered the American equivalent of a suburb of Puerto Plata.  On the bottom half of the map you will see Kim and my future apartment, the Makarios School, the future Makarios house, and the three villages that we serve (Chichigua, Tamarindo, and Pancho Mateo).  Just to give you an idea of travel time, it takes us about 15 minutes to drive from the "Current Makarios House" to the "Makarios School" and from "Our Future Apartment" to the "Makarios School" is about a 10 minute walk.  

Enjoy.

-Charlie

We're Here!

Un chin.  Dominicans use this word for “a little bit”, but in reality we hope to share more than un chin of our life with you!  Just really love that word.  Sooo…we are here!  We cannot believe it.  It already feels like the time is flying by!  We arrived on the afternoon of August 30^th and have been in orientation ever since.  We went with our team to Santiago (affectionately known as the Big Metropolis to Makarios staff) for a couple of days to visit the Makarios director, where we ate some surprisingly delicious Chinese food our first night and felt like we hadn’t even left the States.  And then we came back to our home, Puerto Plata, to continue preparing for the school year that starts September 21^st. 

In the last two days, between the two of us we have visited the three villages that the Makarios school serves.  When we walked into these villages, the children were estatic to see our Makarios team members they knew, and they even ran and jumped and gave US hugs, whom they’ve never seen before.   I could spend hours in these villages playing with the children.   They love on you like nothing I’ve ever seen before, and it is so joyful to spend time with them. 

  

Chichigua

  

Pancho Mateo

In the village of Chichigua yesterday, Raquel (see picture) began to do my hair and I ended up with a lovely pig tail ‘do to which one of the boys told me, “Muy feo!” or “Very ugly!”  Like I said, it’s all about the love.  You’ll also see our friend, Holly, loving on a Chichiguan babe below too.  And Jody comparing muscles with all of the boys there.  And, of course, the little ninos have taken to Charlie – a child in Pancho Mateo held Charlie’s hand and walked with him the entire time he was in that village.  Precious.

Tonight the girls are ordering pizza and watching Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.  It’s like I am back in college, and I love it.   

-Kim

  

Kim and Raquel in Chichigua

  

Holly in Chichigua

  

Jody and the Chichigua boys showing off their muscles

  

Charlie and Pancho Mateo boys