The Lord works in mysterious ways

It is true; we have a baby on the way! That was a surprise we discovered 2 weeks ago. Jonathan is super excited and once I got over the initial shock and feeling of being overwhelmed, I got excited too. It is funny how the Lord changes our plans, even when we have a great one in place. Someone told me that “Life happens when you are making plans”. How true that is! Now at 7 weeks along, I am anxious to hear the heartbeat and as soon as possible, know the gender of our little bundle of joy.

I know pregnant women get weird cravings and suddenly don’t like certain things. However, what I have found interesting is that of all things, the one food I cannot stand the sight, smell or taste of, is rice. RICE! I used to like rice a lot. Now, I can’t stand it! It is the one food that will make me run away from it! It is particularly awkward to have an aversion to rice in a Latin American country where they eat large helpings of it every, single, day! It is a difficult thing to avoid for sure!

As you all probably already know, I am currently in the States. I flew to NYC on Thursday to begin the process of Dominican Residency. It was a Hollywood worthy day with all the (now) humorous things that happened. Basically, 4 hours and $200 after landing in NYC I found out Residency was not going to be possible to obtain on this trip. Fortunately, Mom had sent me money for airfare to come see her if possible, so I called her and booked a flight for the next day. Friday morning, I left NYC and headed to Nashville. I will be here until March 2^nd then I fly back to NYC and leave for the DR on the 3^rd. I am spending my time here in Tennessee seeing family and friends, eating and resting. It is glorious! I have not been this relaxed in a long time so just resting has done amazing things for my health and mental welfare! I will include a more detailed account of experience below if you are interested.

In my absence I gave Jonathan the okay to get a second kitten. Our first one we got for my husband’s birthday in January. However, she really needed a play buddy because she was being rough with me. Kempurr is a dark calico and has been queen of the roost. When Jonathan brought home Aria (left), a light calico, there was/is some “I am boss, I was here first” stuff. However, Aria is super sweet but pushing back against Kempurr some, so hopefully in the next few days they will settle down and be best friends. They were playing last night but every now and then there is a little “take that” going on!

Kempurr

I was going to add a philosophical tidbit, but I think I will hold off on that until next week. Right now, my baby is hungry so I am going to see what weird thing sounds good to eat…not rice for sure!

My first 36 hours back in the States

I left for the Dominican airport at 3:45am (Eastern time) Thursday morning. I got checked in and cleared security with no issues. Immigration charged me $57 to leave the country (not a surprise, because I stayed past my 30 free days). The plane was late departing due to an unwell passenger who chose to leave the plane as we pulled away from the gate. She and her husband and baby all left. This made us about 20-30 minutes late. The flight itself had 10 minutes of really bad turbulence, I mean really bad. After we landed we were not allowed off the plane for 30 minutes due to an unruly passenger that needed to be removed first. Also, customs decided to x-ray each bag individually because someone packed something they should not have, in their checked bag. However, after the unruly man was removed, we were finally allowed off the plane.

            I got through the customs kiosk and first officer with no problems. However, the second officer was a native Spanish speaker and was interrogating me as to why I was coming to the US. (I am thinking to myself, lady, I have a US passport that says birth place: Tulsa, OK, I speak with a slight southern twang, and perfect American English. I am obviously a US citizen. What is the deal?) But I was nice to her and she asked me what my job was, I said teacher. She stared at me..."profesora" and she started talking to me in Spanish. (Officer, I just said the Spanish word because you did not respond to the English word). When she caught on that I had no idea what she was saying, she switched back to English and asked why I was here. I explained I married a Dominican and I needed to visit the Dominican Embassy to start my Residency papers. "So you are applying for his papers". "No. I want papers to have Dominican Residency. I was told I had to come up here to get those" (a glare). "Do you have any food?" "I have tea in here [my suitcase]” (another glare...hands me my passport, points to the exit and calls the next person forward).

         I step out into the bitter cold and head to the buses. I look at the prices and decide a taxi is better due to me having no idea where I am going. The taxi takes me to the address where I would be staying for $60 plus tip. I get out and go to the wrong door first (oops, that was an awkward moment) but finding the correct apartment door I knock...knock again...a third time... still no answer. I quickly connect to roaming to call Jonathan. 2 minutes later we are disconnected. I knock two more times and someone answers. She hadn't heard my previous knocks.

      I get inside, connect to wifi, and call Jonathan again checking in. I spend the next hour and a half eating, talking with Jonathan and filling out my visa application. I then go to walgreens to get pictures for the visa ($14) then realize I can't get a taxi from there and go back to the house to call a taxi. Ride to time square/embassy $55. Go to the Embassy (hard to find, btw) and spend 15 minutes or so getting information. I find out some documents are wrong, some I don't have (that I knew, they were going to be mailed to me), the application is $150, the translation is $83 and the legalization of the translation is $80 per document. They asked if I was living in NYC. I said no and they were surprised I came up here just for the Visa, as most of it can be done in the DR. That contradicted what we had been told by an immigration lawyer in the Dominican. I still have to come in person to officially apply, but everything else can be done there. (So basically, my trip to the States was not needed) One person asked if my husband was in prison because my marriage license looked odd (thank you Hamilton County). I could not say no fast enough!

        After gathering the info I took the documents and went to hail a taxi. I am thinking “I do it all the time in Santo Domingo, it has to be similar right?” Well, it was not. I finally got one and he refused to take me because he did not know the address (the only cab driver with no GPS???), another refused because he did not have enough time, but finally, 30 minutes after leaving the Embassy and standing in the cold, a third taxi took me for $50.

       I call Jonathan and explain everything the Embassy said. We both reached the conclusion that Residency is not happening on this trip. However, I have a non-moveable, non-refundable ticket to the DR for March 3rd. Mom had sent me money to visit her if possible so Jonathan and I agreed the best use of my time would be to go to Nashville and rest. I booked the flight that night to leave the next day.

        The lady I was staying with was kind enough to book a taxi for me to take me the airport at 6:00am. She explained (in Spanish) to the driver where I was going, that I spoke no Spanish and that I was pregnant so not to let me carry the suitcase. All was good. He spoke no English but tried to talk with me; and through my 3 year old Spanish we were able to talk about Santo Domingo and how much warmer it was there, where in Santo Domingo I lived (the cabby was Dominican btw) and that yes, this is my first baby, and yes my husband is in Santo Domingo. Then, as we were driving, his GPS was a little slow so he was asking me how to get to the airport. I was a little annoyed because there were signs, but then I realized he could not read English. So between the GPS, hand gestures and my broken Spanish, he got me to the airport and unloaded my suitcase.

       I go to the delta self-check in and the kiosk could not find me. I go to another line and they find me immediately. 1 checked bag = $25 (???) but fine, whatever, I pay it and go to security. I ask the security man if I can opt out of the full-body scan. "If your pregnant". "I am" "Go stand over there. (raising his voice) We have an opt out". I am pulled aside, my things taken from the boxes and put to the side. I am patted down for a good 5 minutes. (apparently, opting out raises alarms?) I clear security, buy a juice and head for my gate. I confirm I am in the right place and get a bagel and hot tea. Realizing when I checked in the man said I had 2 minutes from landing on my first flight to departing on my second, I go over to confirm at the desk. Fortunately, he was wrong, but as I am explaining the lady says "Ms. Hardin?" I am like how do you know that? You haven't seen my boarding passes or my ID. But the issue is cleared up and all is good.

        Boarding time comes and the previous flight is 20 minutes late arriving at the gate due to taxi-ing traffic. Which means, boarding and take off is 20 minutes late. However, the flight goes well (nothing abnormal) but the pilot bounces the plane when landing in Detroit...20 minutes late. I exit the plane and my next flight is one gate over. Cool! The bathroom...5 gates away. But, I have 20 minutes so I get a snack and such and return to my gate. Boarding time comes and they are 15 minutes late boarding because the flight attendants were late arriving due to their previous flight arriving late. We board and that flight goes smoothly as well arriving 15 minutes EARLY! However, the pilot hit the ground HARD. No bouncing but man he hit hard. Everyone was like OMG!

         No issues leaving the plane and when I grab my bag there is a little security sticker on my flight tag. I am like really people? What do you think I am carrying? Check my clothes, I don't care! Take my Spock socks though and there will be an issue.

         After that I just ate a cinnamon roll and read a book while waiting on Mom. We stopped at Taco Bell for dinner (weird pregnancy cravings) and now I am enjoying 12 of days of rest and proper hot showers here at the house.

           So, that was my first 36 hours in the States. Without the prayers of my family and friends I never would have made it through. The Lord was good and gave me the strength to tackle this frustrating event. 

It's been an adventure....

So this week has been an adventure. I started teaching full time and took public transportation solo…that is a huge milestone for me.

            I teach at a school in North Santo Domingo which is 45-60 minutes away by taxi. I originally was not going to take a job here but went to an interview just to see if maybe they could recommend something closer to home. However, after the interview I was offered a job on the spot and the major transportation issue I had was resolved by the school. I could get to a certain point but that was it. Turns out, the school van goes by a spot closer to home and would pick me up. I was very excited about what they wanted me to teach and when the transportation issue was resolved, I readily agreed. I started the next Monday.

            Jonathan and I planned out the routes and he even went with me on the first day to make sure I could do it by myself. The next day he went with me on the bus because I was not sure I could recognize the stop in the dark since it was a new route to me. However, I did the train alone. One the way home, I got on the train no problem but then it broke and they had to shut it down which left me at a stop where I knew where I was but had no way of getting to cheap transportation home. The Lord was looking out for me though and there was a bilingual, Christian lady who called a taxi, negotiated a price, and gave directions to my home for me. And fortunately, Jonathan had given me some extra money so I was able to pay for the taxi. After that there were no more mishaps and I was able to make it home alone without difficulty. Jonathan meets me at the bus stop and walks me the 2-3 blocks home from there. It is a pleasant way to come home for sure!

            I do find it interesting how I am treated on public transportation though. No one is rude but I do get a variety of reactions, especially if Jonathan is not present. They are usually very sweet and helpful reactions, making sure I get off at the Metro (train) and such. People do try to strike up conversations with me and I have to tell them I speak very limited Spanish. That usually causes a silence but sometimes not. The young man this morning kept trying to talk to me and I am like “No comprendo. Poco Espanol” and I know he wasn’t asking me a question, I felt so bad! But it was like 6am so I don’t think he was fully processing!

              My teaching is going well. It has its difficult moments but overall it is good. I teach 3^rd-7^th grade humanities. It’s difficult coming in the middle of someone’s pre-planned unit, teaching for a week-and-a-half, then leaving for 2 weeks. But when I took the job they knew I had to make this upcoming trip to the States. So, I have been teaching as much as I can in the time that I am here. 4^th-7^th is learning about dictatorship. They were studying Julius Caesar but the boss wanted dictatorship also covered and then a famous Dominican dictator named “Rafael Trujillo”. Because I leave for the States on Thursday, this left a limited amount of time. So the week I started we covered dictatorship. We are currently having a “class dictator” every time we meet where a constitution is created, and the “dictator” alters it and tries to convince the class why those alterations are good and why he/she needs to be in charge. Some of the kids are scary good at it…I hope they never go into politics! However, since I do not teach every grade every day, I have to teach my lessons at different paces. Since Trujillo is going to be taught, I thought I would spend these three days working on teaching him. Then I asked Jonathan about him dressing up as Trujillo and coming to work with me to talk to my classes. He agreed and with the bosses approval (yay!) we are going to proceed tomorrow. The kids will be in for a shock! They are not expecting “Trujillo” to come to class. It will be a good lesson on both dictatorship and Trujillo. Jonathan has talent at getting into character so I am excited to see how he interprets and represents Trujillo!

              I leave for the States early Thursday morning. Prayers for my health and safety would be appreciated. Changing climates is not something I look forward too, and I am afraid my body won’t appreciate it and I will be sick while I am there! Please also pray that the process goes smoothly and I get my visa fast. I would love to go visit family if I can while I am there but that may not happen if the Residency takes a long time.

           Thanks for the prayers and I will be posting from the States next week! Blessings to you and your homes. 

           

Is it worth the division?

I have been debating what to write about and since it has been awhile since my last “philosophical” post, I figured it’s time for one of those. However, between Kempurr walking all over the keyboard and the power going out, this might prove rather difficult! But, let’s give it a shot!

            On my way to a job interview last week we drove by a church/“temple” of a denomination called “Mita”. Out of curiosity I looked them up and they broke off from the Pentecostals but have become something very strange. Anyway, I will not go into that, I say it as prep for what I want to discuss this week….using the name of God.

            “Using the name of God? What do you mean? Taking his name in vain?” Well, no…not really; that is a subject for its own post! I am actually thinking about two different questions: 1) What is his name?...what is the right way to pronounce it?  and 2) Should we use it on a regular basis?

            What prompts these questions actually come from years of observation, experience and personal conviction. I am going to lay out my thoughts but remember, they are just that, MY thoughts. They are in no way meant to be judgmental or holier-than-thou, just personal opinions.

            Let me address the elephant in the room first and foremost. Yes, I associate with the Messianic Jewish faith (actually, Messianic Israelite but again, that is something to write about at a different point). Orthodox Jews do not use the name of God except possibly on Yom Kippur. However, I am not orthodox so my views are not leaning one way or another because of my background/upbringing. My views are from my own study, observation and choice. And no, I am not offended if His name is said or mispronounced or anything. Also, no, I am not a Hebrew scholar I have only studied beginning Hebrew but I will incorporate what I do know about it. Okay, moving on.   

            In Scripture a bunch of different names for God can be found, and depending on your translation, these names do differ slightly. However, some denominations are extremely particular about what name to use and how to use/say it. Jehovah Witnesses for example. Jehovah is the only correct name and way to say it. Never mind the fact that it is transliterated from Hebrew where there is no “J” letter or sound. The Hebrew letters used to get “Jehovah” are the same ones that the Jews use to get “Yahweh” or “Yahveh”.

            The letters are Yod, Hey, Vov, Hey which literally translated is YHVH. The Jehovah witnesses change the “Y” to “J” and insert vowels e, o, a. The vowels can present a problem or they cannot. In the Hebrew scrolls, there are no indications of vowels as only Modern Hebrew uses “vowel points” or markings to indicate the presence and pronunciation of vowels. That being said, a fuss can be made over the fact a letter was changed to create the name “Jehovah”. Depending on your belief, that letter change can create strife among believers. But consider this. Yahweh is the standard interpretation of His name used by Jews (although they do not say “the name”), and that of Messianic believers. However, in scripture a Vov is used which is the “V” sound. However, depending on the area the Jews live in the pronunciation could be either V or W. (here is an article to learn more:  http://www.yrm.org/yahveh-yahweh.htm ) So, that brings us to the first question: What is His name and how do we pronounce it?

            Let me answer that question with another question (gotta love that right?!), does it matter? “Sacrilege! Heretic!” Yes, I know, but just hear me out. If God has multiple names in Scripture and he knows when we call on him, does how we say his name really matter? Just like if a child mispronounces his parent’s name, does the parent suddenly not understand or refuse to answer? Is it suddenly an offense to the parent that the child did not say their name correctly? And, if we can’t say His name correctly, why don’t we just call him by one of His other names that we can pronounce?

            This leads straight into question 2: should we use His name on a regular basis? Obviously there are times that scripture says to call upon the name of the Lord. And in those times, we absolutely should; but what about the rest of the time? My opinion is this: do I call my Dad “Dana” on a regular basis? No! I call him Dad, Daddy, or Father. I only call him “Dana” when I am telling someone else about him, filling out paperwork, etc. It would be disrespectful for me to call him by his name because he is not my peer; he is my parent and always will be. Yes, I am an adult, but he is still my Dad.

            Something else to think about is the division this has caused. I ask these 2 questions because within my “denomination” this concept has caused strife and division to the point of breaking off and starting different “fellowships” (the irony!) and some shunning. That seems very wrong to me. We are to be in unity with believers! “But scripture says to ‘be ye separate’” yes it does, but this is not the context to which it is referring. We all believe in one true God, yes? We all believe He has “one only begotten son” that died as permanent atonement for our sins, yes? That it is only through this son, forgiveness of sins and baptism that we can receive salvation, yes? Then what is the big deal about His name? Why are we allowing that to cause division among believers both within a particular denomination and between different denominations? It’s seems a bit Pharisaical to me.

            Now, to be perfectly clear with you; I chose to not say or use the name of God personally. However, I am in no way offended if you chose to use it or say it differently than I do. I prefer to call God “Father” or Adonai (which is a title rather than a name) but that is just because it helps me in my walk with Him. Not everyone is the same so maybe calling upon His name regularly is best for you, so be it. My point is, do not let this be a point of division any more. It is not a Salvation issue, it is really personal preference if you think about it. And personal preference is not something that should ever be allowed to divide His children. It is much like children in school having a “secret” club that only their friends are allowed in. It causes hurt, anger, strife and is actually not beneficial in anyway, so does this arguing over pronunciation and use of His name.

            Okay, I am getting off my soap box now.  Thank you for reading about something near and dear to my heart. Have a great week all y’all!

Let's be real

     

This picture has nothing to do with my post, 

but I thought it was a cool sculpture so I decided to share it with you!

          All of my posts up to this point have been pretty positive, and it has been a positive experience. But I want to be completely open and honest in this post and talk about the not so positive stuff. My goal is for this to not be a depressing post, but I do want to bring to light some of the harder aspects of this International move. No, I am not talking about legal stuff, just personal observations and experiences in my everyday life so far.

            Now that I have possibly made you want to stop reading my blog for the week (sorry about that) I am going to just plunge headlong into this post.

            The first thing I want to talk about is judgement. Being here as an American tourist is completely different than being an American that lives here, on many levels but in particular, in how the Dominicans judge me. The biggest thing is the fact I am not a fluent Spanish speaker or even at a level where I can hold basic conversations. I know this is a failing on my part, but it isn’t from lack of trying! My Spanish is better than it was when I came in 2014, but being in the US, I had no need to use it, so I learned it very slowly. I am already ahead of where I was in the States, but I still have a long way to go, obviously. Some people reach out and try to help me; others just look down their noses because most of the time, I need Jonathan to translate. What they don’t know is that I understand a lot more than I can speak. I can tell Jonathan what they are saying, I just cannot respond. It’s incredibly frustrating.

            Another thing that I want to talk about is being taking advantage of. Because of my pale skin (less pale now thanks to the Dominican sun!) and my obvious accent in the little Spanish I do speak, some people try to take advantage of that. The other night we went to a store to start buying kitchen accessories like silverware, cooking utensils, cups, etc. We needed to take a taxi back and previous rides were $350 pesos. This time it was $400 because of the “International”. Jonathan did talk the man down from his original stated price of $500 peso, but still, it was frustrating.

            I have grown used to being stared at; it happens a lot in the States due to my attire and head covering. So, being stared at here is not unusual for me, and I only notice if it is abnormally long or weird in some way. However, several times people have either hollered at me or to Jonathan while walking with me. Some of things said are fine but some of them are not. Jonathan will sometimes just shake his head and translate what they said usually followed by a “they think they are funny [or original]” and it really was a statement that does not make a lot of sense or is not at all relevant to me/us. However, there have been a couple of times I have been yelled at from a truck (without Jonathan there, I was literally standing on my own patio receiving a load of sand for the wall plaster) and I had no idea what was said. My only clue that it was probably something inappropriate was the other man’s reaction (the one delivering the sand) to what was said. Jonathan was talking to his Mom so was not there to yell back or translate and my Spanish is not good enough to ask the other guy what was said. Then there are the comments said to Jonathan about me while walking together. One such comment was (in Spanish of course) “you hit a home run with that one”. Although slightly flattered, I was also offended. What was his real meaning behind the statement? Jonathan thanked him so I don’t think it had a bad meaning but I can’t help but wonder what the man really meant. Jonathan says marrying an American (United Statesian as we are called down here…long story) gives the person status. Okay, cool. But I still wonder about the comment….

             

            The last thing is the currency. The conversion rate is $45.35 pesos = $1 US. For quick conversions I round up and say 50 pesos = a dollar but it is still hard to understand the currency. To better understand expenses and make wise choices spending money, I have to convert it because of not understanding the currency. It is a really pain when I look at something that says 500 pesos and I think it’s a good price but then conversion says its actually $10 and I would not pay that in the States for that item! It’s really frustrating.

            However, I am adjusting and overall it has been a positive experience. These are just a few things that are not so positive because every experience has a negative side. I post this for those down the road that might be considering something similar with their lives, and I wanted to be honest. It’s not all good, great or glamourous, there is an ugly side too. However, just keep pushing through and sticking with it and eventually, it won’t be as hard anymore.

            Blessings to you all, and I will plan on posting something positive next week!