Settling In, Part Deux

Kirsten here, breaking radio silence to announce that...I have moved again! In a ploy I've come to think of as "bait and switch," a Ministry of Education official called me last Thursday (2/6) afternoon with the orders that I be packed and ready to go by Friday morning for the cross-country journey from Higüey to Neiba, a smaller town nestled in the foothills of the southwest. As if I would take that news lying down. I spent the better part of the day making phone calls to try and sort out the situation. As it turns out, the Ministry had planned to move me to Neiba all along. Funny how I wasn't made privy to that important bit of information. I could rant here for a few more paragraphs...but the fact of the matter is that I have already come to love my new home and the people I have met here. I am now staying with a host family in Neiba. This is the living situation I had wanted from the beginning: the opportunity to immerse myself in the culture, cuisine, and Spanish language that characterize the Dominican Republic. From the initial anger at the bait and switch I have arrived at a supreme contentment with my day-to-day life. I have so much to share but so little time in between preparing supper and my classes for tomorrow. Saludos for now, and more news to come!

~Kirsten

Settling in

Brandi and I finally have a home! After two weeks of hotel living it was a welcome sight to arrive at our new--scratch that, BRAND NEW--apartment. Here's a link to the pictures I have taken so far in Santo Domingo and of our new apartment. We are very fortunate in that it is situated close to campus and to the local supermarket. Since we will not be paid until late February, Brandi and I are subsisting on mostly rice and beans. We've recently become brave enough to use the gas stove; before we were making do with a hot plate. There are a handful of daily activities that make life in the Dominican Republic different from life in the States. For example, we are not supposed to drink the water as there is a risk (however slight) of cholera. Everyone here buys water in 5-gallon jugs for daily use. The other activity we have become accustomed to is washing our clothes in the bathtub. The washing machines here are TINY and the dryers even more so. We have reasoned that it is easier to do laundry in the tub and hang it out to dry than to try and deal with the machine we were provided. Another thing that was a little disillusioning: we were told by the Ministry of Education that we would be provided with a "fully furnished" apartment. What that meant in reality was that we arrived to see a refrigerator, stove, table, and one ancient bed. (The second bet arrived later). No curtains, dishes or utensils to speak of. In this respect--and to provide an awkward segue--our apartment situation has been a lot like teaching. The classrooms are very humble, just rows of desks and a whiteboard. We have had to provide our own markers and all other materials. That being said, I LOVE teaching! While every class has its clown and its handful of slackers, most of my students are genuinely motivated to learn English in order to improve their job prospects and station in life. The fact that all of the students are on scholarship provides further incentive for hard work in the classroom. So far I have laughed uproariously, cried tears of joy (when my students did well on their first quiz), and performed all manner of crazy theatrics so that my students will remember the present progressive verb tense, prepositions, and adjectives. I did not think I would enjoy teaching the basics this much, but so far it has been a joy to go to class each day and to see the befuddled faces of my students turn to dawns of comprehension as they begin to grasp concepts. This transformation is what continues to energize me through what might seem like a daunting set of two 4-hour classes each day. But more on teaching later. For now, suffice it to say that I am gradually settling in to Dominican life an and eagerly await for whatever the future has in store.