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
3rd-7th 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. 4th-7th 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.
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