THREE WEEKS!

Yes, it's sad and happy at the same time, but it's true. I'm leaving the DR in 3 weeks to go back to the Best Coast. I'm having mixed feelings, and by mixed I mean a true mezcla. I'm excited, sad, ready, not ready, stressed about packing, overwhelmed by that stuff that has to get done, etc.

We have 2 weeks of school left, although the last week is half days, so I'm counting on Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs to do the teaching on one of those days.

We're right in the middle of a collection of birthdays! Laura turned 26 on Friday, Fisk will be 27 tomorrow, and Brewer is 24 on Wednesday. (Coincidentally she and Jose share a birthday! Also the one year anniversary of my Lasik surgery :).) So we're having fun making their days special.

Topping that off, Tobi, a high school sophomore at the other American school in town, had a birthda party last night. We've gotten to know Tobi through Young Life and she is a lot of fun. Her parents have a beautiful house in the mountains, so last night they threw her a Sweet Sixteen party. I was appalled to be in the older set of guests, but that's how it goes I guess. Unbeknown to us, her parents and older siblings set up a Scavenger hunt all over their housing community. It was a long affair so I won't get into details, but rest assured that it had been raining and I face planted and slipped in the mud several times. At one point I was knee deep in what I was certain was sewage, but now I think it was just smelly mud. That's what I'm going with. Today I have minuscule thorns stuck in my hands, probably from diving several times into plant life to avoid the "policia" aka Tobi's brother and brother in law driving around on four wheelers. It was a pretty fun Sweet Sixteen party.

We have a vistor! Messiah sends down teams of workers during the summer for a week to help at Students International, another organization here in Jarabacoa. One of the juniors is staying to volunteer at school for a week. It's so great to have another Messiah student here! I like using words that only we know :)

well its getting close to dinner time...I am having trouble convincing my body that I need to move...all the running and hiding last night has me a little sore.

21 days!