Not everything you learn...

Not a coincidence

2009-01-11T20:04:00.000-06:00

Life is never dull, no matter where you live, but it's been an interesting ride for us this last year and a half. As I recall our life has been a ride ever since I was told that we were having twins 14 years ago. This last week was very interesting. My brother's buisness partner knows a guy- Walter who happens to be doing some mission work in the DR, and give him our contact information. Who knows if we will get together or not!?! Long story short is:
- we meet up with Walter and he gets us a great deal at the hotel he is staying at on the coast (We went to pick up Terry and Jill at the airport)
- While we are driving Terry's vehicle, it get's impounded. (long story)
- Walter talks to the hotel manager who helps us turn a full day adventure into something somewhat shorter and not as legal. (long story)
-Walter introduces us to some of his friends (Friesens from Manitoba- Bob went to school with their neice)
- Walter hopes to buy a vehicle and wonders if we know of one for sale- One of our Dominican staff members is selling his vehicle and can use the extra money to help with his father's medical bills
- On the way home, our vehicle fights for it's life, and ends up having to limp home, only 15 minutes from our town!!
- We realize how small our world is, and once again, how big our God is.

The picure is horrible, none of us look good, but see Walter.... what a small world!
C

Ethan's 10!!

2009-01-04T12:06:00.002-06:00

Our little man has now entered double digits!! 10 is huge! We had a birthday party yesterday that consisted of friends, pizza and birthday cake. It sounds like a normal birthday doesn't it? What made me laugh was what made Ethan's day special was that we allowed him to pick out whatever he wanted from the grocery store to help make the day memorable. Our son walked out of the store, pleased with his purchases. He bought: Gatorade, pickles, grapes and a fudgicle. As we were walking out of the store, Ethan looked at me and said, "I'm one spoiled boy!" It was a great day.

Where do we start?

2009-01-02T17:43:00.004-06:00

Our last post was in mid- December, since then, we have been working, working and more working. We are so far behind in our emails and facebook, sorry about that. I knew it was bad when my mom called yesterday and asked me what I got for Christmas. YIKES, sorry Mom!

Christmas is a very busy time on campus. The staff tries to make the holiday season fun and filled. None of the students get to go home for Christmas, so it can be really hard for them. Here's a run down of what our schedule kinda looks like:

From Dec 14-19th we were busy moving in and working hard at school. Many staff left for Christmas vacation or were laid off, leaving fewer staff with each week.
December 21st- Our family led Praise and Worship in church
December 22nd was the Christmas banquet. We decorated the eating pavillion as classy as we could. Staff members cooked the meal, and we hired a Dominican band to play for us. There was lots of dancing. Good times. (Note: the average age of the band was around 70ish)
December 23rd- Last day of classes and wrapping up the education department with 75% less staff!
December 24th- Christmas cantata practice in the am ....ready or not! Concert at night. Drew is the only guitarist left on campus, so he and Brodie sang in the cantata, and played all the Christmas carols for the congregation. They ran back and forth throughout the evening. The evening was a success!
December 25th - Our first day off in forever. We (4 out of 5 of us) were exhausted, and did nothing all day. We had a great day together.
December 26th- Boxing Day. We match up one or two students with a staff member and we spend the day shopping the markets in Santiago. It's a long day for all of us, but the students always love it!
December 27th- Work Day- the students and staff clean and machete- making the campus shine!
December 30th- Spring School session begins. I had all students in classes, everything laid out, and ready for school. We had only two teachers, but we made due. Ter and Erin will be back soon....we miss you!
December 31st- The day is long...school during the day and then a pig roast for supper, movies for the evening and a bonfire and some fireworks at night. It was a successful evening. I know our kids had fun!
Jan 1st- Back to school!

Be sure to read the boys blog about our growing farm yard. A sad update: Gertie, our laying hen has died. We fear that the unrelenting rain did her in! We did get about 5 eggs out of her, Ethan broke one, but the remaining 4 were tasty!

I keep saying that I'll post photos of our new place, and of the growing farm...maybe next week! Tomorrow is Ethan's birthday, he turns 10! Ten is huge!!

We are in!

2008-12-14T06:02:00.003-06:00

Our move lasted nearly a week, with the painting, scrubbing, washing etc. But we are finally in!! The pictures aren't up on the walls, and the Christmas tree isn't decorated yet, but we slept here last night, so that mean's we are in to me!! Terry and Jill have gone home for vacation and starting this week, the staff start flying home permanently. Our staff will deplete greatly by the end of this month. Once again, we know that God will provide for each one that is going home, but it is scary times for them.
Pictures will be posted soon. The house is gorgeous, and I love it. We have dubbed it, "The Lodge". I was reluctant of the move at first, but now I love it. I'm so glad that God's in charge and not me, He totally knows what he's doing.

Change

2008-12-08T08:36:00.002-06:00

I feel as though we need to do an update, but I am unsure of exactly what to say. We have been reading the e-news daily and watching the economy plummet. So, it did not come as a surprise when our mission told us that student enrollment has been dropping, and because of that, they needed to do some drastic cut-backs. Many people from our campus and from our Marion, Indiana campus lost their jobs this week. Bob, Terry and I were fortunate enough to keep our jobs. There were many tears on campus, as some staff were trying to figure out how to make ends meet with the news. Our New Horizon's family is now very small, and our job descriptions will change with added responsibilities. Bob and I (as well as other families) will be moving on to campus in the next week. This will alleviate the cost of renting homes in town and thus help the mission out. So, instead of singing joyful Christmas carols on Sunday morning, we sang "It is well with my soul." We definitely feel God's presence here, and believe that God is at work. We don't see His plan yet, but we believe that we are walking in His will.
Carrie

November Rain...

2008-11-30T19:58:00.000-06:00

A whole month has gone by since the last post and yet for some reason I still don't know what to write. We have had visitors (Carrie's parents were out), and we spent a few days at the beach near Puerto Plata, at an all -inclusive. This was Carrie's parents first time at this type of resort. We really enjoyed watching the kids try out all the activities. The best though was watching Ethan try to master the trapeze, which he did!

Just before Carrie's parents left, we all drove out to the peninsula. Las Terrenas is definitely one of our favorite spots. Miles of empty beach with vast coconut palm forests. The tourist trade is starting to boom here as well, but the roads and infrastructure are so bad that it slows the process down quite drastically. We personally hope it stays that way, but of course it won't. Terry and Jill and Jon and Rachel Sawyer joined our happy getaway, which brought the grand total of children up to 9!!! Good times.

But, we don't just play around here, we actually do some work as well. I've been teaching Agricultural Science this semester and we've had some fun projects. We have been growing and harvesting our own coffee beans. We have them roasted and bagged just down the road from the campus. The students helped design the label and our finished product is actually quite good.

We also bought a pregnant rabbit. A few weeks after we got her she gave birth to 16 bunnies. Sadly we are down to 11, but not bad. (a decent litter is 6-8) They are very cute, and will eventually make a delicious stew!

This week it rained a lot and was really cold. I know that sounds wimpy of us, but seriously we were very cold (Some more than the rest of us, not to mention any names). The rain has now stopped, but the mornings and evenings are chilly.

And on a final note, I had my second bike crash! Note to self - when it is cold and damp in the DR, pavement with mold and mildew on it is like ice! Warm ice, but still slippery. Anyway I slid out and ended up against the barbed-wire fence on the other side of the road. I got a few scratches, but my coat and pants got the worst of it! Somehow I never had as much excitement on my morning commutes in Winkler!

That's all for now.

A Really Quick Update

2008-10-14T19:25:00.001-05:00

This is photo of Bob and Joel. Joel is our concho mechanic- we keep him and his family well fed. We don't actually provide his food, we just keep taking our concho to 'visit' him very frequently. He's a great guy who is recently 'married' and has a new baby boy-Justin. Joel has asked Bob to teach him English, and in return, Bob learns Spanish. I tried to join them for a while, but they base most of their conversations around engines- and the vocabulary necessary to tell us gringos that we need to pay more money. Their conversations go on for about 3 hours at a time (around twice per week), and at the end both men are exhausted!! Brodie and Drew usually hang out for a while and help Bob with his grammar and vocabulary. They hang around long enough to look smart and then slip away.

This photo was taken during my Biology class. Ethan had the opportunity to teach some of my students about spores and the reproductive cycle of the fern. (Gripping material) While most of the grade 4 students at Doulos were enjoying a 2 night/3 day expedition in Manabao- a town up the mountain a bit- Ethan came to school with me and Bob. Due to Ethan 's autism, we knew that a three day expedition would be too much for him. SO...he researched about spores and made presentations (complete with diagrams) for my students. They loved their guest speaker!! [Side note- after Ethan's three day vacation with us, we sent him to school on Monday, only to have him returned to us directly due to 'pink eye'. He has been 'hangin' with me for the last couple of days, and now it seems that his other eye is getting infected. Please pray that he heals quickly- we would love for him to go back to school SOON!!]

We had a party! It was a celebration of Luna and Annabelle's birth. One of our current student's mom sent a huge suitcase FULL of little baby girl clothes for us to give to Jill and Rachel. We used the clothes as decorations for the party. Both moms were overwhelmed with the great clothes. [Side note- just today, I received a jar of homemade jam from one of our past student mom's- they are so sweet and really become part of the family. I can't imagine sending my teenaged son across the ocean and trust total strangers to care for him. We have to bond quickly so that parents can know that their child will be OK.]

Hazel came to play at Auntie Carrie's house while Jill was prepping the house for Terry's big 30! The party was a success and I have photo's to prove it, but really this picture was so fun, I had to post it instead. Hazel is wearing my "Dominican Shoes". I have to be honest, I becoming more Dominican with each passing month. Not only do I wear high heeled shoes and BIG jewelry now, I actually drove my concho to church with them. Yikes! So picture this, me - wearing a skirt, chunky jewelry, a helmet on a concho, with Drew as my passenger with his guitar strapped to his back...off to church we go!

Final Thoughts
1. Brodie and Drew continue to improve at the drums and guitar and are really enjoying being part of the Praise and Worship Team. I'm stinkin' proud of them!
2. The boys are currently climbing Pico Duarte AGAIN! The rains are pouring down around us, and my boys are climbing the highest mountain in the Caribbean! They plan on climbing it three times in one year...they will likely do it!
3. Thanksgiving wasn't the same out here as it would have been at home...we missed everyone very much. BUT, Terry and Jill and the girls came over, Jill and I created the closest replica to a Thanksgiving meal that we could (and it was pretty darn good). We continue to be thankful that we have Terry and Jill. Terry and I work together everyday, our desks are no more than 10 feet apart, and we still love each other. Now that's something to be thankful for.
4. My parents are coming out soon, and I can't wait. We will work hard, play hard and explore hard! Jon and Rachel are even hoping to join us for a portion of our exploration. I can't wait! Did I say that already!?! :)

C

Daddy Daycare

2008-10-06T20:27:00.000-05:00

We had the chance to 'kidnap' both Jill and Rachel's children to give the new parents a chance to bond with their new baby girls.
Here are some pictures that we took during that time. Doesn't Bob look great with a gaggle of kids??

Random Pictures from Jarabacoa

2008-10-06T20:11:00.000-05:00

Part one of the two parts-
the cutest twins in town (other than mine of course).
I buy all my jewelry from her mom. If you received a necklace from me- I bought it here!

Clothes lines are found EVERYWHERE!!

Garbage- YUCK!

What can I say? More random sights will be coming your way. Terry just had his 30th birthday. I'll post some pictures of him in his old age soon!

C

Hard to describe...

2008-09-29T21:48:00.001-05:00

that's how this post is going to start out. I haven't blogged in awhile, Carrie has been keeping the world updated with our boring details of everyday life. OK, so maybe a new niece isn't exactly boring, but once you've seen one.....

This past week was Retreat at our school. We had survived 2 of them already, and we knew that we were in for another week of pure exhaustion. It's hard work entertaining teenagers!

This week turned out to be no different and by Saturday night we were wasted. Throughout the week our guest speaker kept telling us about the great conversations he was having with some of the students, and we were definitely encouraged by this. Carrie and I have been praying hard for our favorite "Atheist", and Sunday morning we found out what God had been up to.

Sunday morning is a chance for students and staff to get up and give a comment or two about what they learned or enjoyed about the week. A few staff got up, shared about being re-energized, a student got up and talked about how she had been encouraged to forgive her parents and grandparents, Carrie got up and shared how impressed she was with the growth of some of the kids, and then...our favorite "Atheist" got up. In his quiet understated he told the student body that he now believed there definitely was a God, and he was on a path to find out more....and the world turned upside down. And this is the part that is hard to describe...

Let's just say that when it was all over there wasn't a single staff member with dry eyes, and over a third of our students had shared. Our "Second in command Atheist" stood up and also stated that God was real, and how giving up fighting God was the best feeling ever. A third student stood up announced he had challenged God that if God was real He would make those two guys Christians! Now that they were professing to believe in God he had to keep his end of the bargain and find out more about this "Christian thing" and from there it just spiraled.

Our speaker just stood there as the students came...no hype no "Hallelujahs" just the occasional "anyone else"...and they kept coming. 3 more students stood up and outright apologized to fellow classmates and staff, and asked for forgiveness as the tears flew! One of the group leaders stood up and through a river of tears told his guys what this meant to him to see them taking these huge steps, and how hard this past year had been dealing with their negativity toward God, and how it felt like they would never get it. As he sat down the student behind him tapped his shoulder and whispered in his ear "I want to become a Christian" The poor groupleader who hadn't actually wiped off the first set of tears stands back up and without saying anything hands the mic to the student. no-one has words ...and finally the student simply says "I want You in my life. Take me."

If anyone wasn't crying yet, this pretty much did it for the rest of them. By the end we had guys who were fighting, hugging each other, and everyone looking pretty much shell-shocked. God's carnage continued outside of the chapel and we didn't actually leave for home until 1:30 because "Atheist #1" was in the bathroom talking with another student who just realized that his world had been turned upside down! Upon asking him what had happened in the washroom, our "24 hr newly created Christian" said in the most dazed and confused voice " I don't know ..... I think he just converted".

Youth work can be a pretty unrewarding career choice at times, and then God comes along and stirs the pot. Never again will we ask for such small miracles. We had been praying for just one student to turn, and God took that and expanded upon it in a big way with over a third of our students making steps toward God in one way or another. We could not have imagined the big picture, but God did, and this week we got to see just how creative and big He is.

A Quick Catch-Up

2008-09-18T18:27:00.003-05:00

The speed of life doesn't seem to be slowing down, so briefly, here's life in a nutshell:

1. Rachel has a bumpier road to recovery than we had hoped for, I try to steal minutes to go and visit her while she is on bedrest, hug her kids and send up prayers as often as possible. She's a trouper, but needs prayer as she is struggling with MORE bedrest!
2. We had new staff come in this week and Bob and I are their Big Brother and Big Sister. It's an incredible experience to watch someone else go through the same culture shock that we walked through one short year ago. How fun it is to reflect on how 'normal' things look to us now! As I look at their 'deer-in-the-headlights" expression, I realize that maybe some of things that we now take for granted isn't as normal as we think they are. Apparently a stream of traffic coming towards you on the one way can be overwhelming....I forgot!
3. Lot of rain, and little power. For some reason, we are getting a lot of rain, which means that there isn't a lot of power. This too is a difficult transition for our new staff members. We moved them into their apartment with no water and no power....Welcome Here!?!?
4. School is crazy busy, and I seem to running on a treadmill right now. Bob is always calm regardless of the pace, and I look like I'm on a hamster wheel. Good Times!
5. A good friend back home told me that she's expecting. Twinges of homesickness are louder than normal right now. I can't imagine leaving here, but I hate the fact that life is continuing without us. Hmph! I have some emotions to work through before we leave this island.
6. Spiritual retreat is taking place next week. Our students have the opportunity to hear the gospel from a speaker who we fly in from the states. Please pray that their hearts will be softened and they will be ready to accept Christ. We, as staff, try to model Christ as often as we can, but 'fresh blood' on campus often has a great effect on the students. We shut school down- and then we play and worship. This has potential to be an amazing week!

Sincerely,
C

She's Here....part 2

2008-09-11T19:05:00.003-05:00

I had the most amazing experience. I have this incredible friend that just allowed me to go into the delivery room with her and her husband for the birth of their fourth child. Rachel had a scheduled c-section on Wednesday morning and by 8:08 am, Annabelle Virginia was born. (Please try to read her name a thick heavy drawl- Jon and Rachel are from Texas). This experience was the most scary and exciting experience! Rachel was very brave, but after some research, I learned that a c-section in a developing country is very different from one in our medically sound country. Picture a 10 x 10 operating room, picture a hospital room with a pipe coming out of the wall for a shower, and one faucet- (cold) directly under that pipe. I wouldn't trade the experience for anything, but I hope that I never have to see anyone in that much pain ever again. Rach has a slow road to recovery, but she is nauseatingly nice, and I know that she will smile her way though the process. Picture a beautiful, lovin' the Lord Southern Belle, with atleast one 'y'all' per conversation, and heart of gold. That's my friend Rach. I hope to post a picture of Annabelle in the near future.

Also-

Luna is doing great, she's tiny and beautiful. (Lots of sleeping) Jill is looking incredible, and Hazel continues to be stinkin' fun. She repeats everything we say. Today she came over to have naps at "Auntie Carrie's" house. After naps we worked on her "Rocker face". When Brodie starts drumming, she starts dancing. I'm afraid that her Daddy has been teaching her some moves, so....she needed some work. Now picture a one year old with her lips slightly extended- and her little blond curly head bobbing up and down. Rockin'!

"Look at the Pretty Moon"

2008-09-06T17:22:00.001-05:00

We have a new niece and her name is Luna Mabel. Terry and Jill had her on Friday, September 6th. Hazel will make a great big sister. We are thrilled!

Hurricane Sunshine?

2008-09-04T16:43:00.005-05:00

Many of you have been phoning us, sending us emails and instant messaging us to find out how we are managing the hurricanes that all seem to want to be on our island. Well, we had a staff meeting stating what we needed to do when the hurricane hit, they suggested that we fill up on propane, milk (our milk is bought on shelves, not refrigerated) and canned goods. We did all of the above. School was cancelled for the kids and we were all put on red alert.....and the sun shines brightly! Seriously, we haven't power and water this good in months. It's amazing. The weather is beautiful. We are not sure what to make of all this.

Here are the blessings that we are celebrating right now:

1. Brodie has started taking drum lessons from a fellow missionary (From Young Life). They are beating on the drums in Brodie's room right now.
2. All three boys are finding school a 'cynch'. Which really helps the morale around here.
3. Brodie and Drew's Spanish is improving rapidly. The director of the school suggested that we pull them out of tutoring and put them in the grade 8 Spanish class. The boys are confident that they will fail that class miserably. Sink or swim right??
4. All three boys have new 'American' friends in school. Caleb is over here, or the boys are over there playing video games all the time. Sounds a little too 'normal' for me. Nicole, our director's daughter, has moved over to Doulos and hangs out with Ethan often. She is only a year younger than Brodie and Drew, but she tolerates Ethan's..."Did you know..?" statements very well.
5. Hurricanes have been good to us.
6. Our concho mechanic has asked us to teach him English in exchange for teaching us Spanish. We met for three hours the other day, he has almost no English. Talk about exhausting!!
7. Bob and I are enjoying work. We said good-bye to another student yesterday. Another one is ready to fly on his own.
8. My friend Rachel is scheduled for a C-section for Wednesday, and I get to go!! I'm so excited! (she is having baby #4- a girl)

Prayer concerns:

1. Hurricane/Tropical Storm season, has been great on our environment, but not great for my jaw joints. I'm ready for stable humidity etc.
2. Should Hurricanes actually come to see us, keep Jill (our sister-in-law) and my friend Rachel in mind as they are ready to give birth any time now. They would appreciate water, power and a roof over their head. :)

It's great when the blessings way outweigh the prayer concerns. We always love company. If you are thinking about coming by the DR, keep us in mind.
Take Care,
C

Last First Day of School

2008-08-25T17:39:00.000-05:00

This is a photo of the boys first day of school, for the last time in the DR. Nobody is really smiling....apprehensive would be an understatement. The good news, they came home feeling happy with the day, and ready to tackle the year. (well, kinda). Can you see Ethan's necklace? It is a wild boar's tooth. Our friend Jeff hunted and killed the boar. He made a necklace out of the tooth and gave it to Ethan. He knew Ethan would LOVE it....and he does!

Birthday Bash

2008-08-25T17:36:00.000-05:00

It was my birthday on Saturday....and I had a fantastic day. This was the second birthday that I celebrated on the island, and I think celebrating my next birthday back in Canada will come with mixed emotions. My birthday consisted of sleeping in, my breakfast made and on the table waiting for me (thanks to Ethan), a lunch with 'the girls' at a Victorian Tea House (at least it was an attempt by the Spanish community), Bob made supper, and friends over for desert for the evening. I spent the day with the people who I care about the most, and who reminded me that they cared about me greatly. Throughout the day, I received phone calls and emails from the friends and family that I would teleport over to the island in a second if I had the power to do it. People who I hadn't heard from in months took the time to write a note or phone. It was a great day.
The photo was taken by Brodie during church. Our church has a tradition that on your birthday, you go up front and tell your age (yuck), your birthdate, where you were born (I told all the poor Americans that I was born in an igloo, they were thinking it anyway!!) and then you tell a funny birthday story. The congregation sings Happy Birthday and then significant people in your life, come up and one person prays for you and your year to come. In this photo, Bob is praying- I'm holding Hazel (my niece). Thanks to everyone who made this day fun and special.

Summer is OVER

2008-08-16T16:32:00.001-05:00

Back to School!

Here's what's happening around here:

1. Crazy busy times at work for Carrie
2. Bob has taken up teaching a class for our school. He is teaching Agricultural Science in the Caribbean. Which means he has one hour of class time and 3 hours of field work each week. There are only 7 students in the class. We are looking forward to his final project....a farmer's market!
3. Our boys all head back to school on Monday!! This will greatly help the shuffle between school and home...and make Carrie's days a little less complicated! Brodie and Drew are starting grade 8 and Ethan- grade 4.
4. The boys are continuing to grow like weeds. The photo is of Carrie wearing a pair of Drew's sandals. CRAZY!
5. Brodie and Drew have taken up playing the drums and guitar. They've gone from noise to music a few short weeks. This is exciting...and relief all in one!
6. There are many students in our school that are leaving, and new ones coming in. This rotation helps us realize that although we will miss them, it's so great to hear that they are ready to live with their parents again. The father of a boy heading home took a few of us out for supper as a "thank-you". He welled up with tears as he tried to express his gratitude. "There are no words", was all he could really say. Enough said!
7. Now we wait for babies. Both Jill (our sister-in-law) and Rachel (our friend) are expecting to give birth on the same day, in the same hospital, with the same doctor....and are hoping for the same birthing room (the one with air-conditioning). What's even better is that Jill needs us to take Hazel (our one year old niece) during the delivery, and Rachel has asked me (Carrie-obviously) to come in for her C-section. We don't foresee boredom in our future!

Back to Routine

2008-08-02T07:15:00.002-05:00

We are in the process of completing our first week back at work. It actually feels good to be back in the routine again. The students were happy to see us and the staff was excited to have Bob back. (Apparently his worth as an employee is greater than mine, when the internet is down!!:)

Here are the things I know this week:

1. We really like our jobs. Tough at times, but great! We try to have individual students down once per week. We had a male student down on Thursday. He will be going home in a couple of weeks. We will miss him.
2. We miss home. Friends and family mostly. The idea of luxuries such as flushing toilet paper and 24 hour power is enticing, but it's hanging with the people we love that we miss the most. (Brodie is nodding in agreement beside me)
3. I hate cockroaches. Last night Bob and boys attempted to kill the 30+ cockroaches in my kitchen. Ugh!
4. I miss our "Supper Club". Bob and I went out for supper with friends the other night. It made me miss the evenings of over-eating, good conversations and great friends. We miss you guys.
5. Camping with friends and family....especially at Lake William.
6. I know there are more...but mostly it revolves around hanging with the people who mean a lot to us...nieces and nephews are growing without us seeing them. Friends and family are having babies that we still haven't seen.

I was talking to my friend Rachel today...and I summed it up to her by saying, "I don't really miss Canada, but I miss the people there."

Reflecting on our one year: We love it here...the only thing that would make it better would be to have you here as well.

Missing friends and family,
C

Las Terrenas

2008-07-26T08:15:00.003-05:00

The vacation continues...well actually we are down to 2 days left, but it has been a great three weeks. Las Terrenas, formerly a small fishing village on the north coast of the Samana Peninsula, was our last stop on our road trip of the DR. This town is now the site of major construction every where you look; hotels, apartments, and shops are popping up everywhere. One thing that isn't tainted however, is the beach, Miles and miles of it.
Our four days there were spent searching out remote areas of beautiful coastline, swimming, snorkeling, and eating. Rather than persistent requests such as "What are we doing next?", or "Where are we going now?" our kids actually seemed to understand the idea of relaxation! I think our extended stay in this country is starting to change them. We are learning what it means to simply "chill". (If you can chill when it's 100 degrees!) Our daily routine involved heading down to the French bakery, (there is a strong French influence in this area), picking up some amazing fresh bread (which we cannot get in Jarabacoa), packing a picnic lunch and heading out to the beach. Back around 4, cool off in the swimming pool, and start to think about what to barbecue for supper. We would end the evening off with coffee on the deck, cool showers, and possibly another dip in the pool. The next days were essentially dip, rinse, and repeat.
Except we did go see the El Limon Waterfall. Wow, this is truly a beautiful waterfall. We managed to get there before any other tourists (after a year in the DR one of our primary goals whenever we go somewhere is to avoid other tourists!), and enjoyed the beautiful surroundings all by ourselves for a good half hour.

As we prepare to go back to work, we reflect on our three weeks together as a family. We know the following things:
1. We 'road trip' well together. Hours of hot, sweaty driving and we still love each other :)
2. It's a big world out there. (Ethan)
3. Highlights of the trip rarely involve the big money events, but random moments that were unplanned.
4. We know that it's great to chill out, rejuvenate and refresh.

We took Ethan to Ocean World...

2008-07-18T20:19:00.000-05:00

The second week of our vacation found us in Puerto Plata. Although we were only there for two days, we had a lot of fun. The highlights included watching the older two at an all inclusive buffet (YIKES, can they ever eat, it's disgusting!!) and watching Ethan enjoy
Ocean World.
The above picture is of me and Ethan swimming with dolphins. I NEVER thought that we would be able to do something like this,
but watching Ethan bursting with joy was just crazy fun!! We basically stayed from opening to closing.
A stretched out smile never left his face the entire day.
Brodie and Drew had a chance to play with sea lions. This was quite the experience for them as well.
It was an incredible day for the entire family.

So now we have toured the south west portion of the island, we touched some fun spots in the north west, and for our next adventure....
the Samana Peninsula.
Stay tuned.

ROAD TRIP....

2008-07-15T09:33:00.000-05:00

Our vacation time finally arrived. As many of you already know, we opted to tour the island as a family instead of heading back to Canada. This was not an easy decision due to the fact that we miss our friends and family very much. However, it would also be a shame to live on the island for two years and only see a very small part of it.

We took three weeks off from work and headed on a ROAD TRIP. First destination was the south west with Terry Jill and Hazel. We saw cacti, iguanas, and a saltwater crocodile. We swam at pebble beaches with rocks that were white and tumbled by the Carribean Sea.

The stories that we could tell could fill this page. We were pulled over by the police for some unknown reason....had Haitian protesters bang on our vehicle while we drove past....a cute Dominican girl asked Brodie for his email address at a Christian rally, and another ' Dominican babe' put her hand on our slowly moving vehicle to touch Brodie's hair (she ended up poking him in the eye!!) The temperature was easily 35+ degrees all the time. BUT we had the BEST time. We are so lucky to have Terry, Jill and Hazel in our life. I cannot tell you how fun it is to explore new areas with the people you really care about.

The downer....when we returned home we learned that our house had been broken into. We had a house sitter (sorry Kristin) but they somehow knew to break in on the one evening that she went out for supper. More suspicious things happened, for some reason, Terry's birth certificate was on our table after they broke in. Hmmm...

Well, we are off again, a different staff member has offered to stay this time. Special thanks to Matt! Terry and Jill are getting Chiquita...Hazel LOVES Kita!

We are now off to Ocean World. Ethan is spinning in circles, he is so excited!! We are hoping to have a video clip to show you.

Safe and Sound

2008-06-30T08:02:00.002-05:00

They made it back...they have blisters, sore muscles and are really tired, but are HOME!! There are a ton of pictures and hopefully they will be able to post soon.

Bob has a decent puncture wound on his hand where he stabbed himself with a knife, he is healing well, but did provide some adventure for the group. Other than that, they have nothing but amazing stories to share with us.

The best news is, they made it to the top of the mountain for a sunrise moment. They are all proud of themselves and say they would do it again!

Just to finish off with the moments leading up to their return.... Pedro the mechanic attempted to fix our jeep, and charged me nothing!! Stating that when Bob's not here, I should phone him. It feels good to know that I have help when I need it.

Saturday morning, I happened to look out the window and saw two Dominican men staring out our house. I was very confused and asked them what they wanted. With way too much Spanish for me, they tried to explain. I asked them if they had English, the one man nodded and said, "Cut". They were going to cut my power lines!!! They said that I hadn't paid my bill, which I knew wasn't true, but how could I convince them!

I ran next door to my neighbours that speak English and asked for him to explain it to them. They left with my power in tact, one more adventure diverted for now!

May I state again, I'm so glad that the guys are home.

Missing our men....

2008-06-26T19:16:00.002-05:00

This has been the longest week EVER, and it's only Thursday. Just to let you know, the purpose of this post is not to complain, but rather to explain what living in the DR can be like.

So Terry, Bob, Brodie, Drew and the some staff and students are climbing Pico Duarte for the week. Jill, Hazel, Ethan and I were planning on fun, relaxation and 'good times' while the guys were away!!

Actually, we are surviving well, but partying?!?....not so much! :)

Jill's power and water are non-existent, so she is busy working with an electrician and some other guy to fix it. (in Spanish!) What do we know about generators etc...nothing, but with no husbands around, we must do it! Jill's vehicle dies and gets stuck, no problem, use mine! Well, mine dies, the ground dries up and hers is good to go. With some help from Sara (a Dominican lady in our office) we call the mechanic (Pedro) and ask him if he will fix it. Jill and I swing by the mechanics and I try to explain in the poorest Spanish ever and grand gestures what I think is wrong with the truck. Eventually he phones his wife, explains to her what he wants me to know, and she talks to me in English. :) He willingly hops into Jill's van with us and off we go to find the broken truck. Of course when he gets there, it starts. Don'tcha hate that! I wouldn't take it home with me, because I KNOW it will do it again. So its at his shop. I think he thinks I'm crazy because to him, there isn't a problem, what's there to fix??

The great news is, that Jill and I have each other. I can help bath Hazel and she can take a shift with helping with Ethan. At the end of each day, we can laugh about each adventure. We are not bored. We haven't had the grand adventures and fun that we had planned, but we are not without stories to tell. We had several 'bust your gut' laughs today alone. Hopefully tomorrow will be perfectly dull. :)

Carrie

Still Raining

2008-06-24T19:04:00.002-05:00

As the guys continue to hike up Pico Duarte, I was reminded that they call today, "Black Tuesday". They call it this because it is the toughest and longest part of the climb. The only part that would make this trip even worse was if it would rain.....

Torrential rain last night and much of today. So, as Ethan and I were discouraged about the lack of hydro power, the guys are hiking through the muck. Ethan and I solved our part of our dilemma by having a nap. I'm not sure how the guys are solving their part, but I'm guessing they didn't nap.

Keep thinking of our guys and students as the rain doesn't seem to want to let up...and Ethan as he is stuck having to spend much of his day at work with me. (Kinda boring)

It's been a while.....

2008-06-23T18:44:00.002-05:00

I realize that it has been a long time since we posted last. I'd like to get the 'grumpy' post archived so that it's not so obvious!!

I was going to let you know that Bob and Terry, Brodie and Drew and every female student on campus (as well as other staff members) are in the process of climbing Pico Duarte. It is the highest mountain peak in the Caribbean. So, I am hoping to have some great posts from them sometime after the weekend. They left this afternoon and should be arriving back for supper on Saturday.

Jill and I are planning to work (a little), swim at the pool and probably go shopping in Santiago with our friend Rachel. Ethan is planning on not having to share the computer, mom's attention or any money I might have for unexpected treats.

As I type this, it is pouring rain. So, please think of our soggy hikers. It will be a long trip if the rain doesn't let up. God can use this trip for His benefit regardless of the weather, BUT if we got to pick, we would choose partly cloudy, a slight breeze and NO rain.

Stay tuned!!
Carrie

Sometimes Roses

2008-05-15T07:15:00.002-05:00

Just wanted to say...the grumpy one did get roses for Mother's day; 14 actually, along with a clump of lilies, daisies, and something else I can't identify arranged in a beautiful pitcher that she has been wanting since we got here. Best part for me.... total bill $9.

Not always roses

2008-05-13T20:09:00.001-05:00

Most recently, I've heard that our blogs make it sound like EVERYTHING is wonderful. In fact, many people have thought that we are enjoying life so much down here that they doubt we will want to come home. So this is a blog dedicated to complaining. It is a little dose of reality.

The photo is of our dog after she was attacked by some sort of insect. We don't know what got at her, but she became very swollen...to the point where she could barely open her eyes. Insect season is upon us. I thought that I was tougher now than when we first got here, but as the HOT season is rapidly approaching, the insects are choosing to come indoors. their first choice is the kitchen table or counter. The newest addition is the flying worms. They fly in, lose their wings and then crawl all over the ceiling and walls. Very cool... if you were actually into flying worms. Very recently, Ethan killed the cockroach that has been living in the innards of my crockpot. I never saw the critter, but I knew he was there because of the droppings he left me. His exoskeleton was burned, and he was naked and nearly transparent. Didn't slow him down though...he gave Ethan a run for his money!!
We also have bees that have chosen to build their hives all along the side of our house. These bees have got to be the dumbest bees we have every seen. Bob swears we could train them to be pets. They are very docile, they don't mind us hanging around, and don't seem to be in any hurry to relocate.

How am I doing? Sounding miserable yet?

Here's more. We own three vehicles here in the DR. A concho (scooter- most reliable and easiest vehicle to use on the streets here), we have a truck (Isuzu Trooper- old, reliable and has a propane conversion kit that allows us to travel on both propane and gasoline. The propane tank is in the vehicle!! It often provides additional seating should we need to shove the kids in the back) and Bob has an extremely loud old 2 stroke dirtbike for "mountain climbing". Bob's bike needed repair and he brought it into the shop (in November!!!!!) and we wait for the manana's (I need a ~ over the first 'n') to end. So, that means it's been in the shop for SIX months! Maybe tomorrow?!?
The truck is in the shop- needing a new radiator....we'll see when we get it back. The concho was the last standing vehicle....and I got a flat with it yesterday. It was the straw that broke the camels back. Bob fixed it quickly... but I complained nonetheless.

Sounding crabby I bet!

Last complaint. We have had a significant amount of rain over the last while. So much so, that the city had turned the water off in our area of town. We have a cistern that holds a large quantity of water that will last for quite a while, but eventually it gets to the point where we are using the sludge at the bottom. In order to conserve water, we watched the amount of flushing we did, washed clothes as little as possible and had the fastest showers in recorded history. Last Wednesday, they finally turned the water on! It was very exciting. I started the washing machine immediately! In less than an hour after the city turned the water was turned on, the city turned the power off. No power means no water! That's ok... our attitude was still good. We decided, that we didn't have to worry, by the next night, we would have it all! The next day, with full power and full water I started making supper. Within moments I realized that our propane tank was empty, and the stove would not work. By Friday we had it all pulled together!

Brodie wants to add to the post as well. He's sick. We are not sure at this point if he has little critters running around in him (parasites) or if he has the flu. Time will tell. But the fever, headache, upset tummy and fatigue indicate that we may be looking at more than the average flu. Tomorrow his class is going spelunking- this is not something he wants to miss. We will see what he looks like in the morning.

I had a great meeting today with a parent of an 15 year old boy with autism. There were tears, smiles, laughter and wonderful moments of understanding despite the language barrier. However, I cannot tell you about that right now, because that would defeat the purpose of this blog. :)

Did we mention that that heat is crazy hot!! Picture a sweaty family of 5!

I think that's good. If I need to post a complaining blog again in future, I'm willing, just let me know whatcha need!!

Ain't she sweet

2008-05-08T14:51:00.002-05:00

This picture was taken a couple of weeks ago in Cabarete. This Haitian woman is always around in Cabarete, selling her fruit that she balances on top of her head. She has skills that astound me. I don't know how she does it, but she does. I've always wanted to take her picture and either didn't have a camera or chickened out. This time I did it. I ended up feeling obligated to buy some fruit off her. (It was the least I could do!! )

A very brief update.....
I was very excited about having an opportunity to tour the local "Special Needs" school. It's called Genesis. I was expecting to see a disaster...it wasn't. Amy, an American occupational therapist invited me to tour the facility. It was so fun to see the kids smiling and enjoying school. There were 33 students ranging from ages 3 years old to ... unsure, I think late teens. At the end of the visit when I asked Amy why she wanted me to see her school, she smiled. I knew! So, I have volunteered to help out at the school as needed. Currently, they have asked me to do an inservice for the teachers. Something encouraging and inspiring. How I wish I had the language!!

On a lighter note, Ethan has a memorable week. He has been invited to a birthday party!!! This is very exciting. This is the first one for us, and he was THRILLED! This is the just the beginning. He came home from school today seeking the advice of a professional. His question, "How do you dump a girlfriend??" Our youngest has been hand-picked by a Spanish chica who has given him his first kiss multiple times today alone!! It sounds like our youngest is growing up!!

The boys continue to grow. Drew's feet never stop growing. As soon as a pair of shoes show up on Missionary Flights International, we are already searching Ebay for the next size up. Voices are starting to warble, zits are appearing, and Ethan's been kissed. Sigh!

Missing for a Month

2008-05-04T13:38:00.000-05:00

Ok...so it's been a long time since we've written. You know when you first start a project everything is exciting?!? And then, as you become accustomed to your surroundings, you can't think of a thing to write about? Well, my friend Rachel told me today that she just checked out our blog again....that reminded me that it was time to update!

The picture you see is our friend Jeff Jorritsma. He and his wife also work for Escuela Caribe and are also Canadians. One day, while we were at the river he and some fellow paddlers came by. Ethan jumped on. Let's just say that Ethan wasn't the only little boy excited about a tour on the river. A little boy in his 'tighty-whiteys" went for a rip around the river after Ethan did. It was quite the sight.

Ok...a quick update. Work is good. Bob and I feel very comfortable and 'at home' on campus and on the isand in general. We have been asked by many people back home if we are still planning on returning to the homeland. The answer has remained the same, 'yes'! Especially if you ask me, if you ask Bob he often says ,"Why?'. Brodie and Drew would love to do highschool back home so that would mean that we would honor our two year contract and prepare to come back home next summer.

Most of you know already, but for those of you who don't, we are not planning on returning home this summer for a visit. We are planning on taking the time (and money provided by the mission) to tour the island for three weeks. We are all very excited about the adventure and are sad that the cost was our trip home. Each of us got to chose one thing that we wanted to do on our vacation. Ethan's choice was loud and clear...OCEAN WORLD. He wants to swim with dolphins. As for the rest of us, we all wanted the same thing. To tour and explore the island. Typically we only get two days off in a row (once per month) so that does allow for much exploring time. We are all looking forward to this great opportunity.

The boys: The three boys are nearing the end of school. They have about 6 weeks left. Brodie and Drew have learned a lot of Spanish and we are starting to use them as translators. They don't speak it voluntarily, but they are quick to correct our verbs should we conjugate them incorrectly!!
Building friendships has been challenging for all three of my 'Bible-belt' raised children. Out here, survival of the fittest is the best way to describe recess! We have prayed for good relationships for all three boys. Brodie and Drew have missed their friends from back home very much. Countless times they have talked about football in Lion's Part with the guys. We have been very thankful that a boy will be transferring to their school next year. Caleb is a missionary kid who loves gaming (computers) and speaks English. A perfect fit!!
Ethan: Lots of people have asked me how Ethan is doing. Well,..... I guess good! Ethan's strengths and challenges are the same regardless of which country or continent we live on! :) He continues to love facts about animals, starts most sentences with, "Did you know..." and LOVES life! In fact, today at potluck after church, he was helping carry deserts out to the pavillion in the most awkward way possible. When I asked him why he was walking like that, he stated he was trying not to let the lizard out of his pocket! :)
Ethan's teacher has an excellent handle on Ethan's needs. We pray that his next year's teacher will also have the desire to understand Ethan and all that he brings to life!

Finally, a quick note on what is going on outside of the mission and school. This week I will be spending two afternoons visiting a school called Genesis. This is the special education school in Jarabacoa. One day, I will be meeting with two moms with autistic sons. The moms are discouraged with the lack of progress that their sons' are experiencing. I will be using a translator (Ethan's teacher) to help encourage and support them. The second day, I will tour the school, hoping to encourage and give ideas to those who work there. I am excited about this opportunity.

Hopefully we will update sooner this time. Shorter blogs more often. I know it makes sense...it just needs to be done.

Semana Santa

2008-03-24T20:02:00.001-05:00

I think today is our first regular day in a while. Between company and assorted national holidays we have been keeping relatively busy. Semana Santa or Holy Week just wrapped up this weekend. This meant that our boys were off of school.... pretty much Dominican spring break. We took the opportunity to do a little vacationing in the capitol as a final trip with Carrie's folks. We took in the colonial district and some of the old forts. Dominican tourism is cool in the way that you usually get to climb in and on everything!...very cool for kids. I'm not sure how many centuries these monuments to civilization will last under this torture, but for now it definately makes sight-seeing in Canada and the U.S. a little lame.

Another little surprise was the Zoo in Santo Domingo. If first impressions were to mean anything we probably have turned around at the parking lot. The smell of sewage, garbage, and other nasties was part of the welcoming committee as we walked up to the peeling front gates. Once inside we attempted to walk around and quickly realized that there wasn't much for animals around. We saw some flamingos, and a duck, but nothing more. Because of the absence of signs it took us a few minutes to realize that we had to board the zoo train to get up the hill to the zoo. We should have known......Dominicans would never walk around a zoo!!!

The enclosures were actually quite big, and the animals looked healthy. We all decided that for the $1.50 entrance fee it was actually quite a bargain. One huge bonus was that due to Dominican safety standards (or lack there-of) we could actually walk inside some of the enclosures if we so desired to. Just for proof I have a shot of Drew waving at us from the inside of the ostrich and white rhino enclosure. (Don't worry the animals were at least out of sprinting distance!) We sometimes wonder what kind of tourists we will be when we return.

Some other fun we had was throwing our kids off of the side of a mountain (para-gliding). This was still part of their birthday gift that had never quite materialized. They had a blast, but they both agreed it was too short. We wrapped up the week with a mini-marathon around Jarabacoa. Brodie and I had been "training" with some of the kids from school, and so we all loaded up on Saturday and gave it our best on the 11km run. Brodie ran a shorter race with the 15 and under kids. I managed the run not too bad, but I still have a few sore muscles today. Apparently I don't recover as fast as I used to. Part of the marathon excitement included a shooting that occurred at the first corner the marathon ran by. Apparently a few minutes before the start of the race somebody tried to take out a fellow Dominican in front of the local Pizza Pepperoni. Not sure what the issue was yet, but Carrie saw one of the wounded running across the street into the clinic.....but on with the race. We do have violence occasionally, but it doesn't really concern us. Either we are simply too naive, or we have started the process of becoming Dominican. Either way, we don't really have random violence, it is always parties that know one another. If you don't hang out with bad people....then the other bad people don't shoot at you! It was a nice ending to the "holiest" of weeks in the D.R.

Tour Guides

2008-02-17T17:36:00.001-06:00

Yes...I am aware that Christmas was a long time ago. I am not quite sure what exactly happened to a lot of the time inbetween then and now! Part of it had to do with visitors, birthdays, and just plain being busy.
Mom and Dad started things off in January with a timely visit that enabled them to spend Brodie and Drew's birthdays with them. This was a great treat that was much appreciated by the twins. Having seen most of the "touristy" things on their previous visit with Terry and Jill, we spent more time just casually strolling the town, and going out to eat. A brief break, and we had the Trinke's from Winkler and Carrie's parents arrive within one day of each other on January 30th?...I think. Things are already blurring. This made for a full house, but a great time was had by all, doing some great site-seeing as well as some more good eating. We all toured a coffee factory together, saw a waterfall, and shopping up town. After seeing how this side lives, we dropped Derek and Shanna off at an all-inclusive in Sosua. Spending a night at the all-inclusive with them, was a real treat for us! (Thanx guys!) This brings us up February 3rd. This is an incredibly boring post, but at least you won't have to look at Christmas news!

Santa needs good hiking boots!

2007-12-29T05:27:00.000-06:00

Christmas means we get to do things a little different here in the D.R. Part of the schools tradition is to give out Christmas bags. Not boxes, not hampers, but bags. If you have been to the D.R. you will soon realize that the lowly plastic bag is really what keeps the world going 'round. The "funda", as it is called, can be used for groceries (we were familiar with that one), but also as a hat, a raincoat, a motorbike seat cover, rainboots, or perhaps something to hold your hair rollers in. When it comes to shopping you can also get almost anything you want in a plastic bag; eggs, sugar, candy, flour, 1 tylenol pill, 1 scoop of tomato paste (I'm serious about that one). In any case the "fundas" that we gave out for Christmas were hand sewn and good for many different uses, besides the fact that they were filled to the brim with groceries. For many of the people that we visited this might be a weeks worth of groceries. We had a blast riding around in the back of the Diahatsu (Japanese import work truck) with the students. At various spots around or nearby community we got out, attempted a Christmas carol or two in Spanish, and handed out the bags. Our students delivered approximately 35 bags, with our Dominican staff hand delivering the remaining 35 to the more remote locations. Ethan had a blast handing out suckers and toys to the kids along the way. This was a great opportunity for all of us to see how many of the poorer Dominicans live. Within the city of Jarabacoa itself we become accustomed to cement houses, some of which are actually mansions, but this was the Dominican countryside and things look a little different out here. The people were very gracious, and we received many gifts of fruit in return. One lady, who obviously had nothing, tried to get or entire group to come inside for juice. I'm not sure how she was going to pull that off, but she tried anyway. Even with our terrible singing I think the day was still a great success.

Yet another storm!

2007-12-16T14:34:00.000-06:00

Here on this tropical island, we dream of a white Christmas. It's so hard to believe that Christmas is rapidly approaching, and yet the calendar (and our children) assure us that the day is actually coming quite quickly. We have purchased a 3 foot artificial Charlie Brown tree at the local shop. Picture tacky flashing coloured lights, paper snowflakes and lots of space between the branches and you nearly have the complete picture. Now, picture the tree sitting on a tiny plastic table with a small bandana scarf on it for decoration. (thanks Naomi, that scarf came in handy) It's not a picture of beauty, but you can't imagine what that Charlie Brown tree has done for the morale in our family!! Chris and Frank had brought gifts from family and friends, so the base of the tree has gifts around it. That hasn't hurt the morale either!!

So, another tropical storm has hit our parts. This has hit our closest major city (Santiago) very hard- many people died, including the parents of one of the Dominican ladies that works with our summer program. However, Jarabacoa has many that are now left homeless. When the river swells, the squatters that primarily live along the banks of the river just watch their meager possessions float down the river. For two days last week, our school basically shut down classes and the staff and students went to work cleaning up the mess that the storm left behind.

On Wednesday, they went out hoping to re-direct a portion of the river away from the homes. Many hands worked incredibly hard, and the staff and students came home tired but feeling somewhat successful. Bob came home tired and filthy, but feeling like he had made a difference! He also commented on how different it was to work with the students off the campus, on a project that they knew would make a difference in someone elses life. A good day!

The second day- I pulled Brodie and Drew from school and they went out to help the crew. By now the river was pretty much re-directed, and the job was more of a clean up. They came home with stories about a lady who had 3 feet of mud in her tiny house. The boys swung pick axes and dug with shovels. They came home excited about what could get done in one day! It was a very positive experience for them.

So with great amounts of water outside, comes very little water inside. Literally. When it rains like this, the city turns the water off. So that means that our city is without water. We are lucky enough to have a cistern, so we had access to water. Toilets flushing, showers running...good times. AND, when you have, you share, right!?! We did. Infact, if company came over and didn't shower at our house.... it was weird!! Now, the time has come, and our sistern is near dry. We are ultra-conserving right now. We are hoping that the water will come on, but at this point they are saying that it won't likely be on for Christmas. When I was once hoping for snow for Christmas....now I want running water.

It's amazing how your priorities change!!

On a health note: Drew's impetigo is healing....slowly, but we are seeing progress. Brodie has a small spot on his face, but we are trusting that it will stay under control with the new medication we found. We have successfully infected many people around us. Odd, considering that our Dominican doctor said that it wasn't contagious.

Take care everyone, God bless as you prepare for the Christmas season.

Missing you all, and expecting picture of you and snow!!

Love,
Carrie

Chris and Frank are here!!

2007-11-27T16:03:00.000-06:00

The last three weeks have been very busy. Bob and I recently completed a week of training at school. We took a course called TCI (Therapeutic Crisis Intervention). This is an excellent course and we feel really good about what we learned over the week. Right after the course was done, Chris (Bob's sister) and Frank came out to see us. They left their four children behind to spend time with us. They brought lots of good stuff from home and lots of love and hugs from friends and family. It was SO good to have them here. The first picture on the blog was taken by Frank from our balcony. We are so lucky to have such a great view to enjoy all the time.
Terry and Jill, Chris and Frank and our family got a chance to do some really fun things together. We took some time off so that we could spend three days (two nights) at the beach together. We were fortunate enough to get a good deal on the coast. We spent a lot of time getting smashed by waves on the beach, playing in the pool and enjoying the shopping experiences. Good times!! Brodie and Drew had a chance to learn how to surf. Thanks Uncle T.
We just got back from experiencing a place called 27 Waterfalls! What a blast! It was more beautiful that you can imagine. The water is the perfect temperature and crystal clear. There are many, many pictures! Enjoy!!

The Daily Sights

2007-11-11T17:36:00.000-06:00

Here are some random things that me and kids see on a typical day when walking downtown in the friendly city of Jarabacoa.

A dad and his young son (5 years oldish) parked outside the bakery on their motorcycle. The boy was leaning over the gas tank- sniffing. Brodie taps me on the shoulder, "Uh, mom?!?" What can we do?

Dogs- everywhere, there are dogs. They stand outside every store, surround restaurants and wandering the streets. They are everywhere. "Domini-dogs" as we so fondly call them have a very distinctive look. They are typically very "mutt"-like. They are smaller and usually have a black snout (regardless of the rest of their colour) and have HAIRY chins. Oh, yes the Domini-dog. Man's best friend?!?

There may be as many as 4-6 people on a motorcycle at any time. This is the main mode of transportation. A family of 5 is quite the site, and we still comment on this as we see the families wizzing by us.

People aren't the only ones piling on a motorcycle (concho). We have seen lawnmowers, propane tanks, large piles of wood, washing machines, you name it.... It can be carried on a concho!!

Did I mention there are a lot of dogs??

CHICKENS- yes, there are a lot of chickens as well. Everywhere, in our yard, walking down the sidewalk, on the roof of shops, even in trees. Chickens wander around, but if you accidentally kill one, then the owner suddenly arrives, and debts will need to be paid.

Rain, pretty much everyday, it rains. Lightning, thunder and rain. Today, we saw the sun briefly. It was exciting, but then it rained. Right now it's 79 degrees, but raining. It's amazing how quickly we can become accustom to this weather.

Be sure to check out the boys' post, because they really mentioned most of our most recent stories.

Last week, Bob completed his CPR and first aid training and next week, we both will have TCI training (therapeutic crisis intervention). Here's hoping we won't need to use either of our new skills.

We are really looking forward to having Chris and Frank come out and see us. We are planning lots of fun adventures. I hope to have pictures to share.

Technology has Arrived!!

2007-10-28T15:44:00.001-05:00

So, it's been three months in the Dominican Republic...and finally we have received the Internet. Bob and I took turns 'nagging' the powers that be, and eventually it all payed off!! This is very exciting, but I do realize that this means that we have no excuse not to stay in contact with our friends and family. Let's see how we do. :)

Bob and I feel so spoiled to have family here. Terry, Jill and Hazel "play" with us every Sunday. We visit waterfalls, eat lunch together or just hang out. That doesn't mean that we don't get homesick every once in a while, but having family nearby is an amazing blessing.

School is busy! Bob thought that he would have very little to do with only 30+ computers on campus, but he has been running. He had new/different ideas than the last computer 'geek' and that he kept him busy. He is excited about his job and doesn't foresee boredom in his future.

I feel the same way about my job. It has been evolving and changing ever so slightly, and I feel like I fit more and more each day. Some parts of my job I would trade in a heartbeat- like the paperwork part of it. And other parts- the 'resource teacher' part and working with the kids....brings more excitement and joy to my life than I thought I would get here. Every once and a while I really miss my old job at ECS, but the satisfaction here is great, and I am reminded why we were brought here.

We were told that we would be working with delinquent teens and that they had done some pretty horrible things. Some with severe anger management issues, others with real addiction problems to various things, some tied up with the law for drugs, violence, robbery etc. I was expecting really rough kids. The truth is, the kids here had done all the things listed above and way more. I can't believe how they can mess up their lives so badly. But I was wrong about how rough they would be. The kids here are great! Messed up, but genuinely great! Some have real learning disabilities, and are ready to feel 'smart'. (That's where I come in!!) All the students are in counselling and most want to 'get better'. I asked one of the students on my caseload to explain my role/job to a new student. It was so exciting to hear what he had to say. He told him, " When I got here, I knew I was dumb, but Mrs Friesen showed me how I learn, and now I KNOW that I'm not dumb, I just learn different. She kicked my butt so much that now I just learn!!" I love it!! Happy girl!

The boys are struggling with friendships. They still miss their days back in Winkler where they would meet their buds at Lion's Park for football. They have a few closer friends here, but they still talk about going home- and have been 'chatting' with their Canadian friends ever since we got the Internet.

So- life is good. God is good. We learned to be thankful for so many things that we didn't know that we were thankful back in Manitoba. Drinking water from the tap, sewage systems that work (ours failed us for a short while and sprayed our sewage over our backyard...ewww), power that is on all the time (we lose ours daily- but for short periods of time. When the power goes out, we also lose water), propane- our stove runs on it, and we ran out when cooking our Thanksgiving supper. (T and J saved the day!!). So many things that we didn't even know that we were thankful for.

We will keep updating. I hope to add some new pictures soon. We've had several days of Tropical Rain- never ending, so photos haven't been happening lately. We love ya all!- Carrie

Always something new!

2007-09-13T07:45:00.000-05:00

Two Months are almost up and we are still learning. Everyday there seems to be something new to learn. Whether it is patience, humility, or something new and interesting, there isn't a day that goes by that doesn't throw something new at us. For Ethan it always seems to be a new bug, or lizard; for the older two it's new friends, coping with school, and soccer practice; for Carrie and I it's our duties at work, trying to get to know our Dominican neighbours, and learning the language. This past week we began boarding a student who is attending our school until December. This has given us a great opportunity to learn Spanish from someone who is tryly bilingual! Yahoo!

Life is good

2007-08-22T12:49:00.000-05:00

This week has been feeling a little like living in North America, and I have to admit I wasn't loving it. Carrie's job description and hours were changed, I fought with technical issues for 3 days straight, and in between all this we had to get the kids off to school on Tuesday. We didn't have the right uniforms, we didn't have the correct supplies (which cost a ridiculous amount over here by the way), and we were both supposed to be at work. It's not supposed to be like that in the D.R.! As schedules start to click I'm sure we will find our pace, but on days like these it's hard to believe. I thought this picture would remind me that life really is good, and sometimes all you need is a quiet stroll to set your head straight.

2007-08-07T07:33:00.000-05:00

The days seem to be going by extremely quick! Today marks three weeks in the DR. Our house is officially becoming a home, complete with plants, furniture and a dog! Let's just say if you mention that you might want a dog...10 will show up on your doorstep. Chiquita belonged to a staff member that was leaving, and the kids felt that it really was our duty to take care of her ( and in doing so..help out a fellow missionary!). Nice guilt trip. Regardless, Kita is now a part of our Dominican family. We are really starting to find our groove here, and although our Spanish is pathetic, we still manage to get the meat, cheese and milk we need. Our learning curve feels painfully slow, but in retrospect we probably aren't doing so bad. Some days if feels as though your head is going to pop trying to remember everything you learned that day!

First Impressions

2007-07-23T19:02:00.000-05:00

It's pretty hard to sum up all of what we have seen (and heard...the DR is loud!), but we have had a great first week. Terry and Jill have been playing the role of host and hostess and have showed us around their town. It is quite an adventure learning to drive and find your way around the many twisting streets. Part of the adventure is not having a phone and internet yet, so I am posting this from Terry and Jill's apartment. The pictures are just what happens to be on my camera! I thought I'd just give you a little shot of the streets and a little Sunday afternoon hanging about at the "Confluencia"(kind of like our "Forks", but with nothing to do but to stand around, play loud music and drink. I don't know whether you can hear the thump of the subwoofers or the revving of approximately 100 or so scooters, mopeds, and dirt bikes, but it was definately an assault on the senses. Noise pollution is a term that is foreign to the Dominicans. I have a lot more pictures of the city and I will post up a photo album soon.

Exit

2007-07-15T20:41:00.000-05:00

Friday marked our final day in our Winkler house. Leaving really didn't seem so hard when there was nowhere left to sit, eat or sleep! The endless week of goodbyes was difficult for some in our family though, and I think we were all looking forward to getting this show on the road. A relaxing day in Niverville with Carrie's folks (chinese food, steak, and a few other "Last time in Canada" things), and then up at 3:00 a.m. to catch our flight on Sunday morning. We should have know everything had gone too smooth up until this point. The word was that our plane had suffered "damage" (enemy fire perhaps?), and we would have to try again Monday morning! At least this time we can sleep in until 4:00 a.m.! Something tells me that we may be a bit tired by the time we arrive in the D.R.

Trading up?

2007-06-07T08:02:00.000-05:00

Last week it was final... I sold our Chevy lumina van and bought our new Dominican ride. A well-loved 1988 isuzu trooper complete with a history full of dents and dings, and a wooden turtle glued to it's hood. Truth be told, I'm more excited about this crazy propane-fueled, dent-filled box riding on a smorgasbord of tires, than I have been about any other vehicle I have ever purchased. I've already got some really big tires bookmarked on Ebay!! Did any one ever mention I like adventure?

Cutting the Ties

2007-05-05T18:54:00.000-05:00

The day has come....we no longer have a house! We wanted this, but it is still a little strange to say that we have no home and no job. Oh yeah...and no camper, and no road bike, and no kitchen table, and possibly soon no vehicle. We are definately experiencing the term "lightening the load"!