36 hours left in the DR

I don't really know how this happened; all of a sudden it's almost time to go! I went to the east shore this past Tuesday-Thursday with Holly, Brewer, and Karyn, and it was lovely. Now I have to get packing and cleaning!! It's very difficult to completely clear out of a house like this. It's a sad and exciting time...so I'm just taking it little by little. In honor of a great year, and in the spirit of Stuff White People Like and Stuff Christians Like, a few of us have tried to compile an accurate list of our own. If you haven't read either of the above blogs, they are intended to be both humorous and accurate. (That's my disclaimer for any Dominicans reading this who get offended.) So without further ado,

Stuff Dominicans Like

Sweeping water
Sheer shirts
Patterned bras
Riding motorcycles with umbrellas
Dancing at every event
Hair nets
the Reggaeton bass line
Not working
Cement buildings
Arriving 2 hours late
Daddy Yankee
Skinny jeans
Drinking alcohol
Cramming multiple people in/on vehicles
Rice and beans
Hard bread
Eating at midnight
Imported American clothes
New York
Spoon feeding children until age 10
Halls menthols as candy
Improper clothing for outdoor excursions
Avoiding rain
Heels
Pronouncing English words in Hispanic accents
Birthday parties
Loud music
Speakers on the back of trucks
Hair salons
Political caravans
Excuses
Plantains
Miami
Machetes
Roosters
Straightened hair
Getting nails done
Colmados
Dressing up
Dominoes
Hot dogs on sticks
Baseball
Accessories
Winter clothes in non-winter weather
Paying later
Horses
Sitting on porches
Break time
Mannequins with large body parts
Bachata music
Gold jewelry

Motos carrying large objects...

Dominicans like to carry large and improbably objects on their motorcycles. I have developed the skill of reaching into my purse, getting my camera out, turning it on, and taking a picture all while maintaining the speed of my motorcycle. Don't tell my mom. Anyway, carrying gas tanks is fairly common, as you can see:

Strangely enough, carrying a washer or dryer is also common; this is not the first one I've seen on the road.

School's Out!

Wow, I can't believe today was the last day of school... mind blown. It was a great day. Chaotic, but still great. I took the above video when alot of the classes were outside just relaxing... doing water balloons, throwing water at each other, just being joyous. Then the firefighters came and sprayed water over the entire basketball court (hence the photo the right) and it was just fabulous.
Hopefully I will still get to see some of my students on Monday night when I give out report cards. I'm really going to miss the little munchkins!

Video time!

A short documentary on my favorite thing in the DR.

Birthday Season...

We've just emerged from a huge amount of birthdays...Laura turned 26 on May 28, Fisk turned 27 on May 31, and Brewer turned 24 on June 2. Here are the photos celebrated these occasions!

To the right, you see Brewer and little Jose. They share a birthday! Jose's mom brought him that stellar hat and some great cake. The picture of all of us together is also Brewer's birthday; we got together for cheesecake!!


Yes, you see this one right...Miss Fisk is a little obsessed with Robert Pattinson and Twilight, so we made her an awesome card with Rob P as the centerfold. That sounds awkward, but you know what I mean.

Trash Talk

So, this is our trash. Please note the plant in the top trash can, the cinder block, and the rope lashing the whole pyramid to our windows. Some of you have caught on: dogs. I believe it was Thursday or Friday that we somehow got some visitors overnight. There are two street dogs that are getting into our backyard (despite the fence) and walking around to our carport and utterly tearing the crap out of our trash bags. We have had to pick up alot of trash lately. EXCEPT this morning. This is actually model #2; model #1 involved the three cans just being roped to the window so they couldn't be knocked over. Of course, this did not prevent the vermin from pulling things out of the cans. Our new and improved plan, as you can see, is more more effective: cinder block on Can 1, blocking access; Can 3 on Can 2; and a heavy plant in Can 3. Voila, success!

Regalo

I got my first teacher gift on Friday...this awesome towel with my name cross stitched on it!! Haha. I'm aware that it looks a little old ladyish, but I love it!! Brewer had Dariel's brother Dalbert last year, so she also has a personalized towel, although they spelled her name Nately. Note to the fam, this is MINE. It has my name on it!