Random Dominican Observations

I haven't updated my blog in a while and everyday I think about it and just want to write something worth reading so I've been holding out.  So I'm just going to start and see what comes out...

Did you know living here in the DR is often a throwback in time?  Can you imagine walking along the street and seeing men in full army uniforms with shotguns walking around?  There's no war going on, where am I?  Turns out this is just one of the ways to patrol the streets with extra security and now that I've been here a while it's not weird at all and does make me feel safe.

The mops here are the big white cotton strings that hang down off the stick, the ones you have to wring out by hand, know what I mean?  That's kind of a throwback in time I think.  But let me tell you the Dominican women know how to mop soooo good and I have never seen a tile floor so clean!  It also sure is nice having someone do it for me but we finally asked our cleaning lady to just come once a week starting next week.  That will now be more affordable and convenient!  Sometimes fashion is a throwback in time but not always.  Many Dominican women have very gorgeous long silky hair that is very high fashion.  But at the same time for a throw back I see a lot of scrunchies and 80s hair bows.  My friend just made me a little bow clip and at first I didn't know how I was going to wear this thing but I am going to remember that it's normal here so I will try and flaunt it.  I don't know if I would call the clothing fashion a throwback as much as I'd say it's just different.  Everyone tucks their shirts in which actually looks nice but I have never seen so many tight t-shirts tucked into skinny jeans.  I'm excited to try it but I need to be wearing the write pair of pants and buy a cute belt!  The fashion is also very colorful so I enjoy going shopping for new colorful things.

A few colorful items that have been added to my wardrobe since moving here.

Church also has it's throwback in time. You don't see as many scriptures on Ipads nor do you see the lessons being taught online.  There are manuals for everything and even some older manuals.  I'm a counselor in the Young Women Presidency and The President has to provide the girls with personal progress books herself and then get reimbursed rather than the stake just providing them all.  Things are just a little different but different is not bad.  There are excellent people at church and the Leadership is good even when everything isn't the same as how it was for me in MN.  I've been struggling with some organizational things like why isn't mutual the same night for girls and boys?  Or why didn't the young women have opening exercises together on Sunday? Or why did our standards night start over an hour late while part of the reason was so the Young Women president could put extensions in her hair?! I had to realize that although I can help with some organizational things I need to focus on bringing the young women closer to Christ as that is what's most important.  Seriously though even with my small complaints, we really have a great congregation!  Oh but one more thing...the singing...we don't have a piano and every hymn is sung in about ten different keys.  So one day someone heard me sing on key and although I'm not fantastic, I can sing on key and now I've been asked to sing on several occasions!  I sang with some of the teenagers two weeks ago and the compliments I got were not how good we sounded but I was given thanks for staying on key even if the group didn't follow me.  It was quite hilarious and I'm going to keep doing it hopefully with some more experienced adults than just the excited teenagers loving the attention. ;)

Some of the young women I teach on Sundays not to mention in Spanish...alone!

The other day I mentioned a few complaints on Facebook because I missed Target and sushi (which is very normal but as sweet many responses were it seemed like people thought I was in a major struggle to be here.  Yes it's a third world country and yes it's hard to be away from home but really everything is fine here.  I don't live in a third world area.  I have a luxury apartment, I'm making friends, I'm teaching English, I'm working out, I'm happy.  Please come visit and see where I live, it's a great vacation!

In other news, Hurricane Chantal did not turn into a hurricane and bypassed our city. Although I'm sure some of the ares where the rains came hard weren't so lucky as there are many shacks for homes and I do feel for and pray for those people.  We also survived our first earthquake!  Jesus felt his office shake and called me to tell me there was an earthquake.  The actual earthquake was in the middle on the 1-10 scale and over an hour from our home.  Although Jesus felt it, I was oblivious in my concrete apartment.  We got a little food storage started just in case.  It's what I like to call a realistic food storage of snacks rather than a barrel of wheat I don't know what to do with.  I also finished teaching my English class so my Saturdays are free to explore the country!  I'm planning to start teaching another younger group of kids in August!

Our food storage beginnings

My English class I taught