Finalized Address

Address:

Lori Smith
Santiago Christian School
8400 N.W. 25th St. Suite 100
BMW #2-30555
Miami, FL 33198-1522

Education in DR

A few things I've learned---

• 78% of students in DR do not graduate 8th grade
• Based on the Law of Education from 1997, the country should invest 4% of the GDP in education. In 2012, the government was investing 1.8%
• In 2013, one of the first measures by President Danilo Medina (one of the highest rated Presidents in the nation), was to allocate the full 4% for education.
• This brought about 496 new schools, 11,289 classrooms, 1, 468 repaired
• Recruitment of 6,000 teachers in 2013-14
• Increase of Salary of 20%
• In 2012 students went 3 1/2 hrs. In 2013- 8-4 p.m.
• No one had wanted to be a teacher, but now they wanted to-- though 
• Before 2012, didn't necessarily have to have certification or licensed (but still a lot of unqualified teachers)

Some Special Education Facts....

• Total Population of DR- 9, 445, 281
• Disabilities People- 1, 160,847 (12.3%)

Sped Centers  in DR

• Semi- Official- 9 (total in country)
• Centers for students with hearing/vision -17 total
• Private Schools for students with disabilities - 4 total in country
• Special Ed classrooms with regular schools 8 total in country 

Beach, Mountains, and Ordering Our First Meal!

Friday night we were lucky enough to go to a Santiago Metro's basketball game. One of the new teachers, Ludwin, was kind enough to give us tickets to the finals game. It was an exciting game, and the crowd was fun to watch-- The Metro's won-- I was told that there were several NBA basketball players on either teams, and the majority of the players had played college ball in the U.S.

Saturday was the Beach to Sosua, about a 2 hr bus trip to the north of Santiago. The new teachers (and a few current), as well as a mission team from Philadelphia, (who had been working in Palo Alto), went with us. The scenery was absolutely gorgeous. The sand was scorching hot to walk on, but the water made up for the hot sand. We were served a lunch of either chicken or fish for lunch-- I had the fish-- this was a new experience, b/c I've never eaten fresh fish where it's the whole fish (eyes and bones included!). Despite the bones and eye staring at me, it was very good! We also had a pineapple drink, straight from a pineapple-- also very delish! By the end of the day I was absolutely exhausted, and we got back to our apt around 7. Our water had gone out Friday afternoon (which is someone common-- we were told to keep a large can of water with a little clorox in it, in case it happens again.), and Saturday morning before we left for the beach, our electricity had gone out (which is also very common-- we have an inverter-- a backup generator box that allows our fans and outlets in our bedroom to work, but not the living room or kitchen). I thought of the no water/elec as a "Welcome to DR" gift--- at least it's in the first week, so as to not get us  too comfortable! LOL It makes you appreciate when you're able to take a cold shower! Thankfully, we had both water and elec when we got home Saturday. ;-)

Sunday, we went to Palo Alto, which is about an hour car ride up into the mountains. The road to the mountains is not paved, very steep, and you have to have 4-wheel drive. (My funny story is that I had heard people from SCS talking about Palo Alto, and my first thought, was "why are you talking about California?! LOL)-- Anyway-- PA is mission that SCS supports-- Recently, a Retreat building was built for teachers to use and also as leadership opportunities for students. Sunday was the dedication of the building. There is a couple that lives there-- they have a house in Santiago, but have chosen to live there (in a house near the retreat building)- with no electricity, running water, very primitive dwelling-- to be missionaries to the people. He is a minister to the church-- that we attended in the afternoon. There are more details to their story, but that is what I can remember. Their house is very close, in that if there was a mudslide, their house would be buried, so the next project is to expand another building as their house, a little ways down from their original house.

All I can say about the mountains there, is that they are absolutely breathtaking. It's hard to put into word how beautiful the scenery was. One of the SCS teachers that is familiar with the area, took us on a short (but very steep) hike, which led to a 360 view of the mountains-- with more incredible views-- we could see Santiago, and our school in the distance. Before we went home, they took us the Palo Alto School, which SCS supports, and we were able to walk around the building. There are some students that walk 2 1/2 hours just to come to school here. The government has said that their building is not fit to go to school there, but they go there anyway, b/c they don't have anywhere else to go.

It was about 7 when we finally got back from Palo Alto, and with having very little food in our apt (yet), we decided to attempt our first ordering of DR food delivery-- Yaway --the sandwich shop Sarah and I had eaten on Saturday. Thankfully, our roommate Kyla speaks Spanish, so she ordered for us! Our goal is to know enough Spanish by the end of the year, that both Sarah and I can order on our own from Yaway! LOL

Monday and Tuesday we have Love and Logic Training, and then Wed-Friday, we are going to a resort in Puerto Plato!

Day 5 and 6

A few things--
-Orientation on worldview, mission, views, philosophy of SCS
-Ikea visit-- its a smaller version, and then you can order things that are sent from the capital (Santo Domingo) the next day.
-Baskin Robbins ice cream visit (also noticed that they deliver! Not sure how that would work! LOL)
-Maid interview- Murielle is from Haiti, and been in DR for about 2 yrs. She speaks Creole and Spanish. Interview was in Spanish, and was interpreted by 2 of the new teachers with us. She goes to Sheila's church. Murielle is 23, recently married in December, and her husband is an engineer. She is 6th out of 10 children, and her father is a pastor is Haiti.
-There are comados, that are small stores close to apts. You call and they deliver basically anything-- a few eggs, water, food. You tip them a few peso's.

-SCS is 8% Korean, 10% American

-The driving in  Santiago is absolutely crazy! People passing, 3 lanes of cars (when there's only 2), motorcycles weaving in and out, honking, etc. etc. 

Thursday--

I ordered my first Taxi today (from Santiago) with my Spanish phrases-- to go to Claro, the cell phone place to finalize my phone service. Sarah had to go too, and thankfully Yoalba, who works in the office, took us there, and helped us. I didn't realize I would need our passport, so we had to make a stop at our apt to get it, and then onto Claro. I have a voice and data plan, and I have to go to La Sirena (the walmart store) every month to pay it. After that Kyla, Sarah, and I made our first visit to La Sirena on our own to get a few things. It's a short walk-- about .4 of a mile-- and pretty easy to navigate. Tomorrow we go Centro Leon, a Dominican museum, and Saturday is the beach!!!

Change in zip code-- the zip code is now 33198-1522

Quote from today:

"Disturb us, Lord, when we are too well pleased with ourselves, 


when our dreams have come true because we have dreamed too little, 


when we arrive safely because we sailed too close to the shore. 


Disturb us, Lord, when with the abundance of things we possess, 

we have lost our thirst for the waters of life, 
having fallen in love with life, we have ceased to dream of eternity, 
and in our efforts to build a new earth, 


we have allowed our vision of the new heaven to dim. 


Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly, to venture on wider seas, 
where storms will show your mastery, 
where losing sight of land, we shall find the stars. 
We ask you to push back the horizon of our hopes, 
and to push us into the future in strength, courage, hope, and love. 
This we ask in the name of our Captain, who is Jesus Christ. ”

― Francis Drake

Pirate/Sir

Day 3 and 4 Orientation

We were picked up by the shuttle at 7:20 a.m. this morning-- the shuttle has a route to pick up the other teachers-- we all live in a certain square-- between Duarte to the north, Rafael Vidal to the east, Autopista to the south, and Sadhala to the south (those are the main streets) and the school is just outside of the square in Autopista.
The morning was introducing everyone, and our calling to Dominican Republic, along with a devotional by Seth Cohen, the director of SCS. We got a tour of the school, showing everyone their rooms, along with the principals praying over us and our rooms. Paul, the Academic Service director, also went over living in DR-- maids, water, what to tip, culture, etc.
We had lunch at El Tablon--  a very good restaurant-- I ordered Guatemalan  Chicken-- with green rice-- so very good. The presentation of the food was wonderful-- someone ordered coconut shrimp, and got a whole coconut!
After lunch we got a tour of one of the most famous landmarks in Santiago-- the monument. One of the dictators built it like 20 years ago as a monument to him, but when he was thrown out, the city changed it to honor the founding fathers of the city. It had amazing scenery and views from where we walked. You can even go go to the top of it, which I've been told has incredible views as well.
Tomorrow we go to Claro to get our cell phones set up-- which could be a very long morning/day, as they can be very slow!
I accidentally left my phone on the bus and thankfully, another teacher saw it and got it the next day!

View from the Monument

Tuesday we had some more orientation on using Office365, which is similar to Google-- then we went to the cell phone place -- Claro. We had been told that the last time they were there, it took them 4-6 hours, so we were expecting a very long wait. We got there around 12:00 and were done by like 1:30! We did have to make a 2nd trip for some of us (including me) to go get our passports. I'm still trying to get the hang of unlocking all my locks-- I have one to the gate (which is unlocked M-F), once to the door of the apt complex (those 2 are pretty easy), and then the two locks on my door (more difficult, especially the dead bolt!). 

After a lunch of chicken and mashed potatoes, I worked in my classroom (after it took me like 10 minutes to find it!)-- I didn't have a lot of things to go through-- I saw my supplies that I have-- I know that I will be teaching Wilson Reading, but other than that, I'm not sure what I'll be doing...

The cafeteria

The flagpoles

My room is right above the little tree-- on the 2nd floor (I forgot to take pictures of it.)

One of the new play grounds-- it will have a cover over it when it is finished. 

Day 2

We started out the day with going to Vida Nueva church at the 10 am service. Sheila,  the MS principal, picked us up, along with the new Chaplin (from Kentucky), and it was about a 5-10 min drive there. The service is in Spanish, but we can get headphones to listen to the sermon in English.  Many of the teachers go there, along with several other English speakers, which was nice. The pastor and his wife are from, I think Kentucky.  There was also a few other of the new teachers as well. For lunch we went to Sheila and Dan ' s house for lunch with the other teachers. Lunch was taco salad with fresh mango (from their mango tree outside their house!!! ) and pineapple - both very sweet and do good! They have a maid Mariella, and her friend that also helped out. Marcelle is going to do maid service for us about once a week. She is also a university student, and walks very far to go to their house.  (Ours is very close to her house as well.) We played games  (a group of us played pictionary) and talked and got to know each other. I also tried my first Dominican coffee called Santo Domingo. It was good, but very strong and had to add quite a bit of sugar and steamed milk.

After that Sheila took us to LA Sirena to get a fee more things. I needed another small fan for my room, plus I got a few groceries-- cucumbers-- which I love- had one for supper, and it didn't taste like a store kind!

A few more things:
- We carry water where ever we go. It's important to stay hydrated as it is easy to get dehydrated.
-There are lots of car alarms, and they go off quite frequently (including this mornings)
- my address, if you want to send me mail---
Address
8400 N.W. 25th St. Suite 100
BMW #2-30555
Doral, FL 33122
- the weather is very hot and humid. You sweat a lot, and appreciate air conditioning (in the cars) and stores.
- I've been loading my pics on my Flickr acvount, which I have a link on this page.

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. I Thess 5:18

Day 1

After a full day of travel Friday, we arrived at our apartment at about 10:30 p.m. I actually met my roommate Sarah at the Miami airport, as well as another teacher, and the High School principal, and we all traveled together to Santiago. It was nice to have other people to navigate customs and the airport.
Saturday morning, Paul, who does Academic Services at our school picked Sarah and I up to get supplies and look at grocery stores. The first grocery store he took us to was Bravo. This is the store that is the best place to get produce. We looked at prices, and compared them to American dollars-- The dollar is equal to about 45 peso's. (The calculator on my phone is going to be my friend! LOL) A lot of the foods were the same as in the U.S., but there was a lot less processed food-- that is shipped in, and it's very expensive. We noticed that there is half an aisle of chips and snack food, and half an aisle of pop, compared to several aisles in the states. The 2nd store was Nacional, which was very comparable to Bravo-- both relatively close (though not walking distance) from our apt.

 

We ate lunch at a sandwich shop called Yaway-- which is owned by one of the teacher's at school. I noticed that they played American Christian music, which was a nice comfort!! They had Lays chips, but I went went with the Platanos, which is comparable to a banana chip, but not sweet-- more salty. This was my first experience at ordering something, with the people being Spanish speaking. There were several times where Paul had to step in and interpret!

After lunch, Paul drove us around to a few teachers places-- it all kind of blends together, and it's going to take awhile to remember everything. I most likely will not be using Google maps, and will have to remember/find places through a regular map. 

We went to another store-- I can't remember the name of it-- Paul's daughter Robin, who is 10, was with us, and told this story about a mermaid about the store-- It has an S in it's name, and neither Sarah or I can remember the name, other than it's the Mermaid S store! LOL This store is very comparable to a Wal-Mart, where you can buy pretty much anything. This is where we bought our supplies for the apartment (we have groceries at the moment, so that'll be another trip-- lots of fans, hangers, baskets, coffee maker (!!! -- both Sarah and I drink coffee, so that was a necessity. I brought 4 packages of Omaha Hill of Beans coffee with me, so I haven't ventured to Dominican coffee, but I've been told it's really good.), a few plastic assemble shelves for my room and the bathroom. I think we're also going to buy a microwave, but that will wait. We get to go to Ikea sometime next week to buy more household supplies.  By the time we got home it was about 3:00 p.m, and I was completely exhausted!!

I unpacked both of my suitcases-- We are lucky to have huge closets, but I will have to buy some baskets to put some of my clothes in, as they are very deep. Shortly after, our 3rd roommate Kyla, who is going to be teaching K-12 Music (from Portland, Oregon) arrived.

A few other things I've found out,,..

• Women are not to wear shorts in public (Which I brought a whole bunch of, so I guess I'll be doing some shopping... )
• You can wear sleeveless, but there are certain places where you have to have your shoulders covered (church being one of them.) We can wear sleeveless to school. 
• No shirts with writing on them in public
• Fans are our friends-- we're going to be putting a ceiling fan in our living room, hopefully soon.
• We're able to have maid services-- about $15 -- and they come once a week. Paul knows a nice lady that works for some other teachers, that hopefully we will be able to use. The majority of the teachers have these services.
• We have a neighbor downstairs from us that is an American Missionary from Pennsylvania that has been here for 39 years. Her name is Darlene Reimer. She has taken us in, and has helped us already. She knew the previous teachers that lived in our apartment as well. She has a Wii, and said we can use it any time.
• I knew that you have to put the toilet paper down in a trashcan, but I think it's going to take some getting used to. -- Hopefully if when I get up in the middle of the night, I don't accidentally put it in the toilet! 
• We have a key to our gate, a key to the outside door, and 2 locks on our door. 
• We can get water delivery services (the water is not drinkable)-- We have 3 big bottles, and then rotate them.
• We have a switch we turn on about 15 minutes beforehand if we want hot water. It lasts about 5 minutes. Last night however I didn't use it-- I was hot enough that it felt really good! 
• I'm going to have to learn how the peso's work, as I'm sure I'm going to be teaching money with my kids!
• It is a bit nervewracking not knowing Spanish, and there is some fear for me with not knowing-- Paul said to not get upset if they get upset with you for not knowing what they're saying. It happens a lot. Neither Sarah or I know Spanish, so we'll be learning together. Kyla knows some, but not sure how much. 

Church this morning, and then lunch at the Middle School principal's house. I think Sarah and I are going to venture out and go back to the Mermaid store to get a few more things after lunch. It's within walking distance-- 4 tenths of a mile. 

Bags Packed and Ready to Go!

The last minute items have been "stuffed" into my suitcase-- two large suitcases, one backpack carry-on, and one purse carry-on. It's still hard to believe that all of my belongings I'll be using fit in just two suitcases, yet I had a whole truckload of belongings that I brought back from Kansas!

Yesterday I got an email from my school with details about what I need to do once I get there. After going through customs at Santiago, there will be someone there to pick me up-- along with four others who will be on the same flight as me (one of my roommates included, who I've just emailed a few times). We will have wi-fi that will be set up for us as soon as we get there (Yay!!), along with some groceries for us.  Saturday, there will be someone that will take myself and two others grocery shopping (My other roommate doesn't get in until Saturday afternoon). Sunday, a car will come for us to take us to church Sunday, along with lunch at one of the people from my school. Monday, we start orientation at 8:00 a.m with a car coming to get us, and we will be taken around the city with a tour.

My parents, along with my nephew Dylan (who has been with us since Saturday), are going to my brother's this afternoon, and then my brother is taking me to the airport tomorrow morning. He said we don't have to leave his house till 3 a.m., so I can sleep in a few minutes! LOL

"He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day..."
 Ps. 91:4-5 

 

Packing, Packing, and Business Affairs

After getting to my parent's a little over a  week ago, I have spent the majority of the time:

Moving my stuff from the garage to the spare room

Learning the knack of rolling clothes/packing a suitcase

Deciding what I can and can't live without in my two suitcases 

 (plus my carry-on and purse-- all to my name)

I don't have pictures of everything I was trying to decide if I needed it or not!

That and I also need to be able to carry/lift my suitcases, and try not to go over the 50 lb weight limit (You'd be surprised how easy it is, especially when this is all that I'm taking).

All I have left is the last few items, and then to try and decide what to put in my carry-on... 

I had planned on shipping three small totes of school stuff over, but my principal encouraged me not to-- she said that they were going to have everything I needed. Still it does make me nervous, b/c I'm so used to having resources to fall back on. 

There's also been a bit of "Reading."

(and in between, Mary Higgins Clark's The Cinderella Murder-- a really good book I'd recommend )

Along with the packing, there's been the usual business affairs when you move....

And then the not so common -- researching Power of Attorney's so your parent's can title your vehicle, b/c the state of Kansas takes a really long time to transfer titles, and it may not be here before I leave next Thursday (Wow, Thursday? That's hard to believe...) -- This after calling the Douglas County Court House in Kansas, who gave me the number to the Kansas State Dept to see how long it would take for my Title form to be processed... 

Having to open a checking account with my mother (that's setting me back a few years!), so she can deposit the refunds I'm getting from my accounts.

Getting car insurance with my dad (again, feeling like I'm in high school! LOL), because they're going to take over driving my car when I leave.

There's a part of me that wants the next week to go really fast, so I can just get the waiting over with, and start the journey, but that also means that I'll be leaving my "familiarity." My nephew Dylan, who is 8 is coming to spend Saturday through Thursday with us, so that will definitely keep me busy. Another reason why I'm trying to get everything done before he gets here. I do feel a bit in limbo, as I felt like Kansas has been my home for the last 10 years, and though I grew up in Nebraska, my independent years have been in Kansas. 

I haven't flown since 2008, and it was before 9-11 since I flew internationally. My flight from Omaha leaves at 6 a.m., and I'm not looking forward to having to be there at 3 a.m.! (Good thing I have a wonderful brother willing to take me to the airport at 2ish a.m.!)  I think in the near future finding my gates and making my flights on time is what I'm most nervous about. I don't mind flying once I'm in my seat!