A Well-Timed Graduation Celebration

Hello dear reader:

It's been awhile since I last checked in, and a lot has happened between then and now. Most notably among the many events was the surprise last-minute graduation dinner that my students organized for Thanksgiving night. Of course the big event proceeded on "Dominican time"...meaning we started an hour-and-a-half late. Below are some pictures of my students and myself, both from the last day of class and at the dinner itself. I'm also gonna toot my own horn a little bit and add in the short speech I gave, in Spanish and English, at the ceremony. Here goes:

Me with my afternoon class on the last day. I cried like a baby.

With some handsome afternoon students.

My afternoon class in their finest dress clothes!

Yohanna and myself. According to my students, I "clean up" well!

Yuneika and myself



AND THE BIG SPEECH:
Buenas noches a todos y a todas. Para los que no me conocen, déjame introducirme. Soy Kirsten DeJarlais, y he tenido el gran privilegio enseñar a los jóvenes que se ven aquí sentados durante esos 9 meses. No cabe duda que hay que dar las gracias al nuestro diputado, el licenciado Rafael Mendez, por haber gestionado este curso de Inglés por Inmersión aquí en Neyba. Esta noche me toca también agradecer al Señor Mendez en una manera más personal: él ha sido como mi padre dominicano. Me dio la bienvenida cuando llegue a este pueblo humilde sin conocer a nadie, y también hospedó mis padres "gringos" cuando me vinieron a visitar. Así que Papí, de todo corazón, gracias. Debo también agradecer a la gente de Visión Mundial, quienes aguantaron nuestra bulla y a veces nuestro reguero a lo largo del año, y quienes también estaban dispuestos a ayudarme en cualquier momento. Muchísimas gracias. Y por último, una pequeña anécdota. El día de la selección de los estudiantes para el curso. Uds. recuerdan muy bien este día, ¿verdad? Qué tan sorprendida me sentía al estar invitado sentarme en la mesa del honor, y estar tratado como una persona famosa sin haberlo merecido todavía. Por mi parte recuerdo muy bien la alegría en las caras de los seleccionados--60 jóvenes que llegue a conocer muy bien durante el año. Para los seleccionados era como si hubieran ganado la lotería. Y yo pensando como una buena dominicana, "pero ven acá: ¿Qué vaina es esta?" ¿Saben por qué? Porque hoy, que viene siendo el Día de Acción de Gracias en los Estados Unidos, me di cuenta una cosa: no fueron Uds. que ganaron la lotería. Fui yo. Claro está que una maestra aprende tanto de sus alumnos que los alumnos de la maestra. Y he aprendido muchísimo de Uds. Hemos compartido risa y lágrimas, un chin de disparate y, sobre todo, amistad y compañerismo. Uds. me aceptaron con los brazos abiertos y hemos creado una verdadera familia. Que sigamos haciendo buenos recuerdos esta noche, y que quedemos con estos recuerdos para siempre. Por mi parte nunca les voy a olvidar. De todo corazón, gracias.

Good evening to all. For those few who don't know me, allow me to introduce myself. I'm Kirsten DeJarlais, and I have had the immense privilege of teaching the 42 students you see seated before you during the past 9 months. There is no doubt that, first and foremost, I owe a great thanks to our congressman, Mr. Rafael Mendez, for his work in bringing the English Immersion course here to Neyba. Tonight it also falls upon me to thank Mr. Mendez in a more personal way: he has acted as my father here in the Dominican Republic, welcoming me warmly when I first arrived to this humble town without knowing anybody and hosting my "gringo" parents when they came to visit me. So Dad, from the bottom of my heart, thank you. I should also thank everyone at World Vision (the NGO that hosted the course), who put up with our noisiness and occasional messes throughout the year, and who were always available to help me out with whatever I needed, with requests both big and small. Thank you so much. And lastly, a little anecdote. Selection Day for the would-be students of the English Immersion course. You all remember that day very well, no? How surprised I was to be invited to sit at the table of honor, to be treated like a celebrity without having earned the moniker. I still remember the delight in the faces of the students selected for the course: it was as if they had won the lottery. And I thought, like a true Dominican: C'mon now, what the heck is going on?! Do you know why? Because today, which is Thanksgiving Day in the United States, I realized something profound. It wasn't you guys who won the lottery; it was me. It is a truism that a teacher learns as much from her students as the students from their teacher. And I've learned so much from you all throughout the year. We have shared laughter and tears, a bit of drama and, above all, friendship and camaraderie. You accepted me with open arms, and we have created a true family. Let's continue making memories together tonight, and let's be sure to treasure those memories for years to come. For my part, I will never forget you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

And to end this novelesque blog I link you, dear reader, to some precious videos courtesy of one of my students. Proof positive of the ups and downs we shared throughout the school year, as well as some of my crazy antics on display. HERE you will find the year-in-recap video and HERE you'll find the proof that I cried like a baby on the last day. Enjoy!

Saludos until next time, where I will grace you with stories of my Dominican travels.

~Kirsten