Readjusting

My trip back to the States ended up being pretty memorable...I had a 8:00 flight, which I thought would mean I could sleep in a bit, but b/c there were so many staff going on the same flight, I ended up getting picked up at 5 a.m. I also had to carry my 2 very overweight suitcases down 3 flights of stairs! I knew that my bags were going to be overweight, but I didn't think it was going to cause such a big headache for me with the airline. The airport was relatively busy, so there was a pretty good wait-- I was trying to use my credit card, and it wasn't working (which I later realized that it was an expired one, and I had the other one with me), and then when I got to the counter I was told that it was going to be cheaper to upgrade my 1st flight to First Class, b/c then the weight of my bags wouldn't matter (and it was actually cheaper)... so I had to start over the check-in process. I also was taking back several teacher resource books in my carry-on, and they had to inspect them (carrying something in the pages maybe??), and luckily I made my flight with not much time to spare. The 1st two flights were relatively easy-- Our group ate lunch at a really good restaurant at the Miami airport.. and then we all said goodbye to everyone. My last flight from Charlotte to Omaha ended up being really long... Charlotte was in a thunderstorm warning, and all the flights were grounded b/c of lightening. My flight was scheduled to get into Omaha at 9:45, and by then were just starting to take off... after sitting on the plane for that amount of time. It was about midnight Central Time when my plane got in, but I was thankful to be home!! (and that my brother was able to pick me up at the airport)
I spent the weekend at my brother's, and spending a lot of time with my nephew Dylan. First on my list of things to do was to get Hill of Beans Coffee! 😄 My parent's came up on Sunday to take me back to Atkinson, along with Dylan, who was spending the week with my parent's.

Monday morning I drove the 7 hours to Garden City, KS--where I was moving to-- to look for housing. I stayed with my best friend Alicia and her husband Brian. I knew it was going to be tough to find housing, but I didn't realize it was going to be quite that hard. The area has been growing a lot, and there just isn't a whole of housing available. I almost thought that I wasn't going to find anything, but ended up having to take an apartment that didn't take pets or a washer and dryer available. My friend who had been taking care of my cats Addie and Sadie said she would take them permanently. And though I am sad that I won't have them, it is nice that they will have someone who loves them so much. I was able to finish setting everything up, and driving back on Thursday to spend the rest of the time with Dylan. That Friday we went to Ash Falls, about an hour away from my parent's to a fossil historical park, and also met Dylan's other Grandparent's there, who were taking him with them to go to Camp.
I spent the next several days finalizing my packing, and then my parent's helped me move into my apartment June 28th. During the process of unpacking my stuff, I began to realize that I got rid of a lot more stuff before I went to the DR, then I realized! The only furniture I had was an entertainment center, so I had to buy a bed and a couch. It's felt a lot like I was back to being a 1st year teacher with having to be very careful with my finances, and really evaluate my wants and needs.
I was able to unload my school boxes (which I have found that I almost had more school boxes than personal ones!!) after a week or so, and met one of the other sped teachers I'll be working with. The school where I'll be at is going to have 3 Sped teachers, and I'll be doing 1st and 2nd Grade. My building will have a new principal, and our district will also have a new Supt. There are still some teacher's from when I was there before, but there are also a lot of new ones too.
It has been rather strange being back here after 7 years. There's been a lot of changes in the area here since I left- with businesses and restaurant's-- but it's been really nice being able to reconnect with the friend's I have here. It is also very comforting for me to not have to start over with making friends and a church-- which is something I was not looking forward to doing, had I moved to another area.
All in all, it's been nice to be back, though I'm already starting to miss my friend's in the Dominican Republic. There was a period of time the 2nd year I was in Santiago where I actually was regretting (a tiny bit) of being there. When I was deciding whether or not to go to the DR, I had an interview with Kansas University, which has always been my dream to work. My thought process was at that time, that teaching in the DR was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Well it was, but it was a short-term opportunity-- whereas working at KU was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but it was long term. The last few weeks before I left SCS/The DR made all of the 2 years I had spent there, worth it. Having to say Goodbye to the student's and parent's, and the friend's that I had made, was a lot harder than I thought it would be. I've moved and left student's and friend's before, but I feel like the relationships I developed were a lot deeper than others before-- which says a lot about the culture in the Dominican Republic. I still have plans to go back and visit Santiago, and hope to be able to go back during my Spring Break.

Reflections

One Tuesday evening about 2 years ago, I decided to submit my application for a SST (Special Education) position at Santiago Christian School in the Dominican Republic. I honestly didn't think I would hear back from the school. I merely did it on a whim. Little did I know, the very next morning I received an email that would totally change my world for the next two years! Before I had applied for the position, I combed the school website up and down, looking at every inch of it, to try and gather as much as I could about the school. I can't believe how fortunate I was that it ended up being an amazing experience. With having the faith to move to a country where I knew no one, didn't speak the language, and hadn't ever lived abroad, it could have been an absolute nightmare! Though I'm not going to say it was easy, it was (and will be) and experience that I will never forget. I will say that the 2nd year here was actually a bit harder than the 1st. The first year I was merely going through the motions, and didn't know what to expect. The second year, I had somewhat of an idea of what to expect, and having to go through some of it (again), I wasn't looking forward to. Though this year I had an air conditioner in my bedroom, which you have no idea how much better it makes!!! At times I thought that this two years was going extreeeeemly slow, and then now it's hard to believe that my time here is coming to a close. I still can't believe that I actually did something like this, b/c I don't see myself as much of an adventurer, but to go to a country where you've never before, and had no experience with, is definitely an adventure.
Initially, I had a 2-hour phone interview with the Elementary School principal Stacey, and I still remember when, after telling her about an IEP meeting I was going to have with a family the next day, at the end of our conversation she prayed for me and about the meeting. It left an impression with me, in that she didn't know me, and we had just met, and yet she prayed for me. That was one of the many reasons why I wanted to come and teach here, especially at a Christian School. I had always said that I thought that the teaching part here was not going to be as much of an adjustment as the lifestyle/culture here, and for the most part I was right. It has been different not having to adhere to the US school customs of special education, but in some ways having those guidelines made it easier to know the expectations.

Some of the things I'm looking forward to when I move back to the States...
- Having water pressure in my shower (b/c sometimes it gets down to merely a trickle...)
- Being able to flush toilet paper
- Drinking water from the faucet (and not having to order water)
- Being able to wash my fruits and vegetables with just water
- Not having the water/electricity go out
- Having my own car and driving!!
- Not having to get on the bus every morning at 6:25 (though where I'm moving to, I'll still have a 30 minute drive! LOL)
- Being able to understand the language (which if I learned more Spanish, probably could be helped!!)
-Having Central Air Conditioning!!
-The seasons/Fall/COLD-- never again will I complain about it being cold (well unless it's below zero!!)
-Being able to wear hoodies and sweats!
-Not having to worry about my security and safety-- this comes from growing up/living in a rural Midwest America lifestyle. If I lived in a city, than this is something that wouldn't change...
-Having a car to do my grocery shopping and errands!
-Target/Wal-Mart
-Hill of Beans Coffee (My brother and my friend Kaitlyn will appreciate this... I just couldn't grow to love the Santo Domingo coffee here, if I made it on my own. Now if it was a Cafe con leche from Santo Domingo Coffee, than I would definitely take one of those...)
-Obviously seeing my family, and my nephew Dylan-- and Zach and Caleigh,
-Being in the same town as my best friend who I've known for 15 years!
-My cats-- though I do have a love/hate relationship with them! :-)
-Not having year-round mosquitos and also ants in my apartment!!

Even though I am looking forward to moving back to the States, there are things that I will miss about being here. My list isn't probably nearly as long, but that doesn't mean that it doesn't matter nearly as much. In fact, probably more, b/c it's more of the people here that I will miss!!

Things I will miss about the Dominican Republic/Santiago...
-My students - Out of all my 15 years years of teaching, I think this year will actually be one of the hardest for me to leave my students. I've had close relationships with my students in the past, but this year I seem to have bonded with my students even more, and though I'm not a person that cries, I have a feeling I will be shedding a few tears when I say Goodbye! :-(
-The teachers/staff- particularly Everg my aide (and her daughter Laura)-- though I didn't get to work with her this semester, she is still a close friend, whom I'm so thankful to have met; Paula, the other SST teacher who I'm so glad will be taking over for me, b/c I've been able to help her this semester.. and too many other people to count!
-Leonela/Her school staff and teachers-- When I was originally going to tutor at Leonela's last semester, it was only going to be a few days a week. It ended up being Mon-Thurs for 2 1/2 hrs with 6 students, seeing them 2-3 times a week! Though I didn't realize it at the time, it actually has prepared me for getting back to working with Preschool-K students! At times, I haven't always felt like being there, especially after being at school all day (and there's not AC there), but in the end it's been worth it to see the students and interact with them and the teachers and staff. (Particularly one of my Kindergartner's I've worked with that loves to play the game Uno, and refuses to say 'Uno' when she has one card left, but instead gives me a cheesy grin/look and says "One!"... Which my response is usually an eye roll and a chuckle....) And I've also learned a lot professionally with being able to help in training her staff.
-Though I have realized that I'm not one who enjoys the heat (and yes I know I moved to a tropical island where it does get hot here....) I will miss the nice weather from about, say November to March... when it's blizzarding and below zero temps in the Midwest!
-Tostones, Batata's and Yuca.... three foods that I have grown to really like
-Yogenfruz.... frozen yogurt and fruit mixed together
-The fellowship with the teachers and staff
-Being within driving distance of beaches and mountains- though I didn't take advantage of them as much as I should have, they were very beautiful to visit...

I have been very blessed by the prayers and support that I have received over the last 2 years, and I have greatly appreciated it all!!
                                                           v

Changes and the End of the School Year

My experience in the Dominican Republic has made me realize (even more) that I truly am a small town, Midwest North American Girl! The people here are very kind, there is warm weather, and yes there are beaches and beautiful scenery that are (somewhat) close by-- but for me, they are things that I can live without. (I never knew I would actually miss the seasons, or actually miss COLD WEATHER-- now when I say cold weather, I'm meaning above zero temperatures....🐱) I wanted to come here for the experience, and to be able to grow professionally/personally-- and I definitely have had new experiences, met some wonderful people, and have been able to share my knowledge with other teachers. Though I do like working with/teaching students, I have enjoyed being able to work with other teachers, and be able to teach them about what I know. Meeting Leonela (where I tutor at her school) was definitely a gift for me, b/c she has continually pushed me professionally (continually asking me questions...)-- I have helped her with many of her students and her teachers, and that has made me research and grow in different areas of my field. I will really miss being able to be at the school, b/c I have really enjoyed working with her teachers and students. I have mixed emotions about leaving here, b/c though I am definitely ready to return to the U.S., I will really miss the people here, especially my students. I really want to continue working  with SCS (as well as Leonela's) school in broadening the SST (Sped) department, and if I can afford the plane tickets, I do want to keep coming come back to help them and the other teachers.

June 15th I fly into Omaha, and back to Estados Unidos -- United States. For me, there were really only two places that I wanted to come back to after teaching here- - the area where I moved from in Northeast Kansas or Southwest Kansas. But SW Kansas actually came up on top for me. It is kind of ironic/funny that I want to move back to SW Kansas, b/c when I first moved there, I was not really fond of the area. It was pretty different from what I was used to. But I grew to really love it there, meeting a lot of people that I still keep in touch with. And since moving away 7 years ago, I still have been there every summer. Earlier in the year, I made the decision that I want to go back to High Plains Cooperative, the employer I started with 15 years ago (I feel so old!!!!). I wanted to live in Garden City, and the position that ended up being open was actually the original job I had when I first started- K-1 Special Education! So I've guess I've come full circle to returning back to my original roots. LOL ☺☺When I left 7 years ago, I didn't think that I would end up being back again, but God has a funny way of doing things. After I left, I worked with older students- 3-5th grade, which before, seemed rather intimidating for me. --but I actually have really enjoyed the older students. I have realized that each job that I went to, was a stepping stone for the next. Each job prepared me for the next one. It will be different for me to have to handle state testing, and upper elementary content, but I'm looking forward to going back down the grade levels. :-)

Our last day of school is June 8th, so we actually have quite a bit of school left. To have to go after Memorial Day (even though they don't have that here), seems rather strange (and kinda long...), but it's common here. We have a week off, and then we will have PT conferences on Wed June 14th. Right now, Paula and I are doing end of the year assessments with our student's, and then we type up reports with all the data. We also do Summer homework packets for some of our student's that need alternate summer homework. (All of the teacher's are required to give out summer homework packets). Next year the school will not be offering Replacement Classes (alternative classes), so that will be different for some of our students. I've really enjoyed getting to know Paula, and it's nice to know that she'll be taking over next year, so my student's will have someone that they know. ;-( I haven't told my students yet that I'm leaving, which I'm not looking forward to!

29 Days!!! 

May

My spring break was rather uneventful, other than getting bronchitis! LOL The week before spring break, I got a fever, and then I worked at SCS Family Day the next Saturday. That evening I started coughing, and by Monday I needed to go to the doctor. He prescribed and inhaler, but it wasn't working, so I started on nebulizer breathing treatments, and ended up being on them for 10 days, 6 times a day! It's been about a month, and my cough isn't nearly as bad as it was before, but it continues to annoyingly linger. The weather has been so crazy, with it starting to rain a lot again-- and that seems to create a lot of sickness from it being so damp.

And of course it started pouring at dismissal.... 😏😐

All the grades are taking end of the year computer MAP testing, and I'm starting to do my end of the year testing with my students. We do periodical assessments throughout the year, but we also do comparative standard assessments at the end of the year, and write  'End of the Year Reports' for all of our students.

The 1st Monday in May was the Dominican Labor Day, so we didn't have school. Saturday afternoon I watched my friend Everg's daughter, and we went to a pastry shop, and then also went 'toy browsing.' 

As we were leaving, it started pouring again, and we waited for a taxi for about 15 minutes-- I always forget how much chaos the rain causes (and it was also a busy Saturday afternoon!). When we got back to my apt, there was water all over the stairs--as the windows that are in the stairwells have missing window panes, so water will come in, but I don't think I've ever seen that  much water before.

Our last day of school is June 8th, so we have a month of school left! 

April

At times, this semester has gone by very slow, and at other times, it's hard to believe that it's already April and we're in the 4th quarter. Our last day of school is June 8th, and then I fly back to Nebraska June 15th. Last week was Spirit  week, where we got to dress up each day, and then we ended the week with a Pep Rally for the sports teams. Saturday was Family Day, and I helped with the Flying Chairs-- and it was fun to be able to see the student's outside of school.

 I am continuing to do tutoring at Leonela's 4 days a week, and then this last Friday I did a workshop for her teacher's on an overview of Reading- Phonics/Comprehension, Writing, and Math. This next Friday I am going to do a 2nd part with a Phonics/Reading strategy.

We have Spring Break next week-- I'm not sure yet if I'm going to do anything or not. I haven't been feeling the greatest this last week, with having a fever last week, and on Saturday, developed a cough, so if I don't go anywhere, it's okay. ;-) Our school nurse took me to the doctor yesterday, and I got an inhaler to use twice a day for a week, and some cough medicine-- so hopefully that will help. Going to the doctor involves putting your name in, and you kind of have an approximate time that your number will be called. The doctor's office is on the 6th floor, so you have to wait in a long line to get on the elevator-- and that takes up some time beforehand. A lot of the places/businesses don't have appointments- -you just wait in line, until they call you.

The Friday before Spring Break, the elementary has a Curriculum Fair with the grades doing various activities for parent's. 2nd grade is having students play math games with parent's, 3rd grade is doing a Wax Museum-- with student's selecting an important person in history and portraying them (dressing up like them and giving info about them), and 4th grade doing a Book Report display board on a book they have read.

Samana!

Friday afternoon, I left for a 3-day weekend trip to Samana with Kelsey, a teacher at my school, and her friend April, who is a nurse with Students International in Santiago. April has a SUV, so we were lucky enough to be able to drive there-- it took us about 3 1/2 hrs to get there. April found a really nice and clean hotel, with air conditioning and wi-fi. Ah, priorities!! :-D

Saturday morning we found a restaurant to have breakfast, and our plan for the day was to go to the Bridge to Nowhere, and then go whale watching in the afternoon.

The bridge...

 The view from the bridge.... 

The view from afar... the bridge we walked across.... 

I don't have any pictures of what it looked like once we crossed the bridge, but you climbed up stairs and walked along a path there as well.

We made our way back to the main part of town, and headed out for whale watching.... 

It was really hard to get pictures of the whales, b/c they were farther away, and they moved really fast. We did see one baby whale breech-- which they come up out of the water, and saw a fin, but the rest of the time, we just saw the tops of them. It was still really awesome to see them up close. We were out on the water for about 4 hours. The tour was very informational, with giving a lot of acts about the whales-- in English, Spanish, French and German!

After we got back, we were pretty exhausted-- ate dinner at a restaurant, and headed back to the hotel. 

Sunday, we left around 9ish to go to Salto Limon waterfall, which is the tallest waterfall in the Dominican Republic. There are a couple of different paths (shorter and longer) to get there, but we took about a 45 minute path/hike up/down to get there. I didn't seem to take many pictures along the way, but it had a lot of pretty views along the way. 

We saw a smaller version of a waterfall along the way...

And these were some of the stairs going down, when we were really close to the waterfall (it was only when we got close that we actually had stairs.) 

And then we were finally rewarded for our trek...

By the end of the hike, my shoes were covered with mud-- and I thankfully had brought a pair of flip-flops to cross some of the water areas. We went back to the hotel briefly, and looked for a beach that we were going to go to, along with eating dinner there. Kelsey found Playa Anadel...

I had the best fish ever, and then afterwards we decided to go for a walk....

The pictures don't quite show all the rocks that I/we had to climb over, -- but it was not a sandy beach to walk on.....

When we finally got to the end (about 30-45ish min there), there was an absolutely gorgeous view...

 For me, it was an absolutely HUGE ACCOMPLISHMENT that I did not hurt myself climbing over the rocks, and wading through the rocks, especially with my flip-flops that I wearing (I was wearing Adidas ones that were spongy and when I walked in the water, they were weighted down...). I've never been the most limber/coordinated person in the world, and the entire way I was praying, Please don't let me hurt myself!!!  :-P
Needless to say, by the end of that, I was completely exhausted, but felt very accomplished for doing that!!
Monday morning we drove back, and stopped at 2 dams along the way. One of the dams was called Hatillo, and the other I forgot to write down. Some more pretty views...

Can't have a complete trip without a pic of a cow.... :-D 

All in all, I had a lot of fun, and it was awesome to see new parts of the country--- though today (and I was yesterday as well), I'm pretty sore from all the hiking I did!

On a slightly different note, I'm still working on the whole Amazon thing.. It's still not resolved... ;-( 

The Saga That Never Ends

In the saga that never ends, I called Amazon on Monday, b/c I was still getting emails from the seller's account-- and also from people that had ordered shoes. In all, (I think) they sold 9 pairs of shoes!! I asked them to delete the seller's account-- one of the ladies told me to go to the seller's account and delete my account there, but I get a Chinese symboled page... She asked me if I could change the language to English... Um, all the symbols/letters are Chinese. I can't exactly change it to English!! They couldn't delete the seller's account, b/c there were charges on it. I asked them to just delete my whole Amazon account, and they couldn't do that either, b/c of the seller's charges!!! Needless to say, it is beyond frustrating. They're investigating, and I'm just waiting to hear. I got another email from a buyer wanting to know where their shoes are, but I'm not about to reply to them.... I was on the phone with Bank of America for 45 minutes today (20 of them being on hold...) b/c they said they needed to contact me. I had them mail my card to my Florida address, and b/c of the different address than my mailing address, they have to verify it. I understand they have to go through all these measures, but I was transferred 5 times just to get it all figured out!!!

February

After getting a few suspicious emails from Amazon, Wed night I tried to login to my account to change my password-- I then discovered that they could not find my account... there was an email address ending in 163.com, and I figured out that my account had been hacked. I called Amazon Thursday morning, while also checking my credit card, and discovered that I had 2 transactions on my card that were not mine. :-( They took the card off the account, and are working on restoring my Amazon account. I took an Uber home from school Thursday morning to get my credit card, and as we were turning the corner, discovered that I had forgotten my apt keys! So, we went back to the school, and I came home and got my card. Returned to school, spent several minutes trying to find a number where I could get a hold of someone... finally they answered, and waited 15 minutes to talk to someone, and then another 30 minutes going through the process of getting a new card, and getting the charges off my account! When I got home from tutoring I downloaded 3 different programs, and finally got a malware remover- to check my computer.... and I thought everything was fine... S Though it was a pure coincidence where I got two emails from Paypal-- and thought that they were fake-- I tried to login to my Paypal account with what I thought was my login/password-- did the recovery password reset, and then couldn't login. I called Paypal and they said everything was fine with my account! Friday night I called Amazon, b/c I couldn't get on the account- the 1st phone call got me on the account, and they told me to reply to the seller account and tell them I didn't want them. When they sent me a reply email account, it said to click on the link for seller headquarter's and I got a Chinese symboled tab that opened! Called Amazon  back, and while I was on the phone I clicked on the seller's link and I got a Chinese symboled page again! Evidently they can't close the seller's account, b/c they are investigating it. Long story short, I won't be using Amazon for a very long time!! I did another malware scan and AVG scan and my computer came up clean, so I think my computer is okay.

On the school front, Paula and I have settled into our new schedules, and I've been helping with her in figuring out the SST protocols and routines. Fridays are still probably the most chaotic days with having Reading Tests for 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade, but I do have her help with the 3rd grade tests, so that has been a big blessing! The SST department is always trying to improve itself, and we're talking about next year, and being able to provide the support to our students, with the staff that we have.
Thursday and Friday the student's do not have school, while we have inservices at school Thursday and Friday morning. Monday we don't have school for the DR Independence Day. Plans are still coming, but I think that I'm going north for the long weekend....

I've been continuing to tutor at Leonela's 4 days a week Monday through Thursday with 6 students preschool, Kinder, and a 5th grader. I've gotten pretty proficient with using Uber, with having to take it from school and home those days. Though I think I have found a parent at my school that picks up her students late enough for me to leave school on Mondays and Wednesdays, so that will at least help with having to take Uber so much. Besides being at SCS, working with Leonela has pushed me professionally as well, b/c they have been multiple occasions where she has asked me about a student, or I've helped her with something, that I have to do research in trying to figure it out. Or I've had to remember something I've learned/used to help her. After I finished my Master's, I said I would never do any more schooling, but this past year has actually made me want to pursue my Doctorate in Special Education. I started researching schools, and I would have to do an online degree, which limits my options. I found Liberty University in Virginia that I'm fairly certain that I would want to do my degree with.... It's just a matter of making the jump of doing it... and not cringing when thinking about the debt of graduate school... My previous degrees are all paid for, and I'm fortunate to not have any debt except my car loan. So, we'll see...

2nd Semester Changes

Since coming back from Christmas break, there's been some major changes in my schedule and student's that I work with... along with me adding tutoring after school at my friend Leonel'a school Monday thru Thursday, which involves me not getting home till 7 every night. As a result, I definitely have more to keep me occupied.. and busy!
We had 2 para's leave the SST program at the end of the semester-- one that moved to the States, and the other that took over for the Spanish Teacher that was also moving back to the States as well. Those exits made changes in hiring an additional SST teacher that works in Elementary with me, (who was a student teacher here last semester), Everg, the para who I shared my room with, moving to the other SST building, and taking over online classes. I was sharing the Elementary caseload with another SST teacher, but with the changes, Paula and I now have all the Elementary students. It's been great having Paula, but I do miss seeing Everg every day, as she and I have become very good friends. To help with training Paula, she and I are sharing the schedule, and it has resulted in me doing push-in's, so I get to be in the classrooms with my students-- where as before I was only doing pull-outs.
Last Monday I started tutoring at my friend Leonela's school, Leo's Endless Opportunities. Leonela runs a 3-5yr old preschool, as well as doing homework help and remedial tutoring. I'm tutoring 3 preschool/K students for 30 minutes on M/W from about 4-6;30, and T/Th I'm tutoring a 5th grader for an hr, a K and preschooler for 30 minutes till 6:30-- I use Uber to go there and home, so I've gotten pretty good at using them! I need to keep a journal telling about my "travels," because I've had some interesting drives with the driver's not knowing where they're going or getting lost. LOL It has made for long days, b/c I leave my house at 6:20 a.m. and don't get home till 7:00 P.M.!
I am also trying to finish my taxes, which has been another new experience. I received an extension for them -- I couldn't finish them until January (something about a residency thing- it's still kinda confusing for me!) When I went to finish them last week, I couldn't find my 2015 tax return that I had started-- I could only start my 2016 return. I found out that the H&R Block offices have been closed until Monday, so I have to wait until then to try and get any help with figuring out what to do....
The mornings have been cool enough that I need a jacket every morning when I leave. I'm still hot-blooded enough though, that I haven't needed it once I've gotten to school-- but there was one day after I got back from break that I needed a sweatshirt after I got home from school!

The Backpack Saga

So, yesterday after school I took an Uber (car service) to Bravo grocery store. I got my groceries, and then took a taxi that was parked at Bravo (which I've done a million times before) to my apartment. I got up to my apartment with my groceries, and was going to get my tablet out of my back pack when I realized, I don't have my backpack here. It's in the taxi!! I had thought of, "It's gone. Can't get it back." I messaged my friend what had happened, and she said-- Go back to Bravo! So I quickly called an Uber to go back to Bravo (and that's always when it feels like it's taking foreeeeever.). I went back to Bravo, and with my Google Translated message, showed the taxi driver (the car I took wasn't there) my message, and he said he would help me. There were other taxi drivers standing around the parking lot-so he asked them if they knew where he was, and also through the walkie-talkie. My friend had also mentioned that there are video camera's there, so they can check that as well to see which one was there. I mentioned video and after awhile (all of this in jumbled Spanish and hand motions), they said they had found him, and my understanding was that he was coming there. I stood and waited with 3 of the taxi drivers. And twice I asked them with Google translate if he was coming (b/c I still wasn't entirely sure). They used Google translate with Spanish, but it wasn't exactly translating accurate (lost in translation). Somehow through the process I figured out that one of the drivers who was helping me, wanted to take me to him. So I got in the taxi with him. We turned out of the parking lot, and he had been trying to use his phone, but the battery was dead, so he wrote the number on a card, and wanted me to dial it, while he called him. There was no answer, but he continued driving-- we drove about 5ish minutes to another area where there were a whole bunch of taxi drivers waiting. I figured he was there, but the taxi driver said to where there, b/c he was coming. Less than 5 minutes later, the taxi driver pulled up with my backpack!!! I had mentioned to them that I had my Tablet in there, so even before I took it, both of them said to check to make sure it was there, and it was. The taxi driver that had driven me there took me back to my apartment-- and I paid him a lot extra for what he had done! B/c he didn't have to drive me-- he very well could have just made me wait for me to come.
Only in the DR.... Crisis averted. Lesson learned!!!

Rain, Rain, Rain

With living and teaching in the Midwest, I was guaranteed to have a few snow days every year. With living in the Caribbean, it is a bit different to be getting hurricane or 'rain days.' Last year the Dominican Republic was having a drought, and we were praying for rain. This year we're having torrential rains, and we're praying for the rains to stop. The area where I live in Santiago (and also our school) has not been affected much by the rains-- though there are a lot of people with leaky roofs, and b/c of the dampness, there is mold that has started to appear in some apartments. In other areas of the country, and some that are even on the outskirts of the city, there is massive flooding, mudslides, and many people are displaced from their homes. There will probably be more repercussions from all the rain, later as well.
Monday we didn't have school b/c of the rains that had been affecting the area-- the schools were closed, but b/c we have an Accreditation Team here, the staff came to school for the morning. A Team of several school personnel (from Caribbean countries and also a Supt. from the U.S.) were here visiting from Sunday through Wednesday, which is a pretty exhaustive process that is done every five years. There are a lot of preparations that have to be done beforehand, even a year in advance, and then they come to observe the staff/campus and interview the community, teachers, staff, parent's, and student's.
We had a few days relief from the rain Tuesday through Thursday, but then starting last night it started raining again. It has been raining almost all day today. With having an outdoor campus, it does make it somewhat difficult for teacher's and student's. There's never been more of a need to make sure you have an umbrella! Just walking to Specials (Computer, P.E., Art, Music, etc.) or lunch can be a feat with the rain, b/c the classes have to walk outside in the rain. With days like today, the Specials Teacher's have gone to the classes, which makes it safer. Everything is wet here, and with all the tile, it makes it a lot easier to slip and fall. It's things like that you wouldn't ever think of being a issue. It has also been weeks since student's have been able to have soccer practice, b/c the fields have never been dry enough to play. The people that are from here have said they have never seen it rain like this ever before. Please pray for Santiago and the country, as this has affected many, and will affect them for a very long time to come, especially the economy with the crops and buildings. Our school nurse has given us warnings of being watchful of our tap water as well, when it comes to brushing our teeth or cooking with it. We have never been able to drink the water, but with all the rain that has come, it could affect the safety of the tap water in other ways.

Every year it seems that October is the 'magic' time, when the chaos at school slows down, and things start to fall into place. It's when schedules start to become more consistent, and you start to have an idea of what you're doing. Many times I've found myself saying-- Can I just fast-forward to October??? With Special Education/SST, it is very common to have your students more than one year, which is a really nice thing. You get to know your students, and it seems like that 2nd year you're able to prepare for them, and know exactly what you're doing with them-- and their skill level. When you have a new student and you don't know them, or how they learn, it takes a period of time to figure out what strategies/curriculum programs are best for them. And also, b/c my time with them during the day is usually relatively short (30-60 min), it takes awhile to get to know them personally. For some student's, being out of their classroom, and having to go work with another teacher they don't know very well is intimidating. So for some of my student's I have to spend several weeks/months getting to know them on a personal level-- what they're interested in, in order to have them respond to what I ask them to do. For some student's it's really easy. For other's, it takes sometimes a long time to break their "shell" and see their true personality. This year I have only 2 returning student's from last year, so it's been a bit of a learning curve getting to know my students.

This year I have found myself struggling a bit, with having the distance of being away so far from my family. In the past I've lived 7 hrs away from my family, but it was always within manageable driving distance to see them. My family has been having some health issues, which has made it hard to be here away from them-- and not being able to see them makes me feel a bit helpless-- though I know that God is watching over them. A few weeks ago my dad, who is a rancher, was kicked by a cow, and fell and tore his hamstring/tendon in 3 places. He was out in the pasture, 20 miles from town, when it happened, and thankfully, there were several other people there with him. The Dr thought that he was going to have to have surgery to fix it- b/c the muscle was away from the bone-- but a 2nd Dr said that he wouldn't need it, and instead would just have a brace and crutches for it to heal. 5 years ago my dad was mauled by a bull and he broke 6 ribs, fractured his sternum, had 2 punctured lungs-- was in the ICU for over a week, and in the hospital for almost 2 weeks. He thankfully recovered from that,-- but with going through something like that before-- and then having this happen-- it makes you think about the past. He has slowly been healing, and has noticed improvements every day.

Circumstances

One of the things that has always had a big presence in my teaching career is the weight I carry for my students. For me, I take my students' successes and failures very personal. I feel responsible for them when they are not doing well, b/c it is my job to help them make progress. Having that responsibility at times (if not most of the time) is very stressful. I am responsible for their education and whether or not they do well in school. There are a lot of other factors (and people) involved as well, but I feel like my role is even more important. I am shaping their lives, and my lack of effort (or being able to help them), could have a detrimental effect on their lives, setting them up for even more struggles in their lives/education.
You can't control your circumstances-- you just have to make the best of them-- and try your best to adapt to them. Teacher's teach the student's, but it is the parents that know their children best-- Within United States Public Ed Special Education there is a 25ish page document of parental rights. It is something that is required to give to every parent, every time that you meet with them. Parent's have the right to not have their child in special education. It may make the classroom teacher's job more difficult, but those are the circumstances. Teacher's have student's in their classrooms that come from broken homes, neglect, abuse, but it is still their job to teach them, amid the circumstances that they come from. It has been the same here in that there are still circumstances, though they may be different, I have to work around-- and I just have to try to do my best to help my students.

This is week 6 of school- and 4 weeks into my schedule-- I think I have yet to teach a week without a different schedule-- b/c I am constantly tweaking my schedule-- to try and fit more more times with my student's -- and work around the replacement classes I am teaching. We are able to pull student's from 1 Bible class, 1 Spanish Class, 1 Morning Meeting, and 1 day of Sci/S.S. I have 3 replacement classes I'm teaching-- which means I am their Reading/Math teacher (and taking grades)-- and the student's are coming with me during their Reading or Math class time. There are a few classes that have the times I can pull students, when I'm teaching the Replacement classes--so then it get's harder to find a time to see them. I also have a bit of a scheduling crunch in the afternoon, b/c both 2nd and 3rd grade have reading from 12:30-1:30, so providing in-class support is more complicated. In the past I've had para/aides go into classes 5 days a week, whereas here they are going in 2-3 days a week-- and can make a difference with helping students with independent work.

Last year, my Friday schedule was a lot more laid back-- though it was pretty hectic in the morning-- This year I have a back-to-back schedule all day-- with Reading Tests in the morning- and then 2 grade levels with Reading tests, plus my replacement class all at the same time. It definitely give me practice in balance and flexibility!

I haven't had my Spanish classes quite as often during the week, mostly due to scheduling-- (but it's still been a few days a week). Sometimes my teacher hasn't been free when I was able to do the class, or if I've waited too long to sign up for the class, and she doesn't have any open times. Last night we conversed in Spanish-- There are still a lot of words that I struggle with-- and I do need to take the time to sit down and study some of the more common words. I have note cards taped on my wall with words/phrases that we've worked on so far. But I am able to understand more-- and she said I have made improvement, which is encouraging.

There's the possibility of a hurricane coming here in the next several days-- I've been told that hurricanes usually don't affect us here in Santiago-- just a lot of rain-- but since we don't get snow days here-- it would be kind of nice to have a Hurricane Day! The map shows that it will probably go south of the DR, but we can only hope... 

School Has Started...

I'd like to say that this being my 2nd year here, that it's easier-- or that I know what the expectations will be... Well, not exactly....

Ideally, the first week of school is when I would meet with parent's to sign Student Support Teacher (SST) contracts that weren't signed last year, and then start to do baseline assessments with students-- I check students' fluency, phonics, and comprehension level to see where they are at the beginning of the year. The majority of the student's I haven't had before, so it's also helpful for me to see where they are at, to know where to start with their lessons I'll be doing with them. After that, ideally, I would start putting together their resources that I will be doing with them, during the year. I have 3 students that I'm going to be doing an alternate Reading class with them, so I start going through my resources to find a fluency, phonics, and comprehension plan to follow. I'm also trying to find Math resources for students that I will be doing pull-out Math, as well as an alternate Math class. Along with that, I'm trying to create my daily/weekly schedule-- and then figure out push-in services for the students-- with most likely being my aide. Now, it all seems very simple-- in theory-- and on paper... But does it actually go that way? 

Then this happens...

             

I get side-tracked-- and something happens to where I need to go talk to someone, or something needs to be done-- and my goal of what I wanted to get done, gets puts off to the side. 

And then there's scheduling... Scheduling is always something that tends to be stressful-- and for me, just makes my brain hurt-- trying to figure out the times of Reading and Math for all the classroom teachers, and then making sure all the students are covered during those times. You also have it where teachers have their Reading and Math at the exact same time, so you have to be in two (or four) places at once. There's usually 'Take 27' versions of the schedule, b/c something always happens or gets left out. And then somehow, it always seems to come together... 

Special Education in the States has a lot of rules and regulations-- you have the IEP that you have to follow and there are specific things that you can and can't do. But then you get to the day-to-day things, and there gets to be a gray area of "Can I do this/Is this allowable?" Most likely those rules and regulations were created because something was abused, and services weren't being given properly. (Not entirely, but usually rules are created because something has happened to have a rule put in place.)  The Dominican Republic doesn't have standard Special Education rules and regulations. There is no Individual Education Plan for students. What we do is based solely on what Santiago Christian School has created. I have discovered that though not having that 15-page document and the strict guidelines is somewhat nice and more flexible, having those rules and guidelines does make it easier of knowing what to do. There is more gray area here, and without those guidelines, there are a lot more questions. 

Today I'm starting my official schedule with doing my pull-outs and replacement reading and math classes. So now I am more confined to my classroom, and don't have the flexibility to just go see someone when I want to. I'm on more of a schedule/routine! :-) Which means I should get more done now! LOL 

Another example of the language barrier... (and why I need to be practicing my Spanish...)

I can use Uber here for transportation, and is a half as much as a taxi. I have to download an app for my phone, and then put my bank card number. When you want a ride, you request the card, put your location in and where you're going (via Google maps), and then they come and get you, and you don't have to give them any cash. It's deducted from my bank account. When I went to try to use it, it said that my card was invalid. After emailing Uber, they said it's something on my end, where my card isn't able to be used online (It's only my card that has the problem, b/c other teacher's have used their same card and had no problem). It seems like a very simple thing to do-- I need to go to my bank and ask them about the card-- but it gets to be more complex when I need to bring someone with that speaks Spanish to help me with it, b/c I'm not able to speak the language. I have found there are many examples of things like that-- things that seem so simple (or would be simple in the States), are more complex here. Not everything, but just more than I would normally have in the States. 

AC's, Bobbles, and Such Adventures...

This week has been well... a week... I've been continuing to do my Spanish classes, and they've been going well, for the most part. I've finally figured out which tutors to have (I have 2), so as long as I can have them, I think it will go okay. There's at least 30 different tutors, but if you jump around a lot to different tutors, sometimes it's hard to have the consistency and follow-through of the lessons. Neither of them were available on Saturday, so I have a new (though recommended) one. I feel like I've had more opportunities to use my Spanish these last few weeks-- and it may be that I'm (a bit) more confident with trying to speak/use the language. Wednesday I had a movie/dinner night with friends, and then Thursday was back to school inservices. My AC remote has been acting up-- it doesn't have a manual on/off switch-- I have to use the remote-- and I didn't want to turn it on, only to not be able to turn off the next morning-- so I actually opened my bedroom windows-- and slept without the AC. I've been a bit spoiled, b/c this was actually the first time I had slept without the AC. I was able to get the air/fans circulating pretty well, but it still took me awhile to be able to fall asleep. Thursday we had inservice-- with being able to work in our rooms, and then having our director talking about our theme for this year-- "The Story"-- Creation, Fall, Redemption, Restoration-- and what the Chapel services for Elem, Middle, and HS would focus on. After school, my goal was to get a new universal remote for my AC-- I took a taxi to Bellon (similar to Home Depot) -- and then to Ochoa (another hardware store), with finally finding a remote. When I got home the remote was able to turn the AC on, but I didn't press 'enter' immediately-- so the AC didn't recognize the code (though I didn't quite realize it at the time)-- so it cycled through the codes for about 3 hrs-- with never finding the right one. But thankfully the AC was ON, so I at least had that to sleep with-- it was a really warm night last night-- and for me, it's hard for me to sleep when I'm warm. I was a bit worried though, b/c I didn't want to leave in the morning with having to leave my AC on. I tried turning the breakers off in the morning-- but even that didn't turn the AC off! Miraculously though, about 5 minutes before I was supposed to leave this morning, I tried the old remote and it turned it off!

 Another thing-- If you know me, well, I'm a bit of (well a lot) klutz-- and a friend of mine says that I 'need to live in a bubble.' I seem to find these ways of hurting myself. So this is nothing new but-- I was going to bring the remotes to school to see if someone could help me figure out the whole AC thing-- so I was going to write down the model number of the AC-- which is above my bed. I got on my bed-- wrote down the number-- then looked at the number-- couldn't remember if it was a U or a V-- got back up on my bed, lost my balance, and fell off the bed, landing hard on my elbow, shoulder, and tailbone! After I did that I was actually somewhat laughing (and some frustration), b/c it seemed almost fitting that this would happen to me. Just another one of my klutzy moments! (And yes Mom I know you're reading this, and though I know you're worried about me, I'll be okay... I know you'll worry, but please don't... :-) ) I'm sore now, and probably going to be a bit more tomorrow...

My bus stop today was at 7:25 this morning, and in waiting for it, I forgot to put bug spray on, so I have about 4-5 more bites to add to the 10 (yes 10) that I have on my ankles-- note to self... make sure to put bug spray on in the morning... Next week the official year-long bus stop begins at...wait for it... 6:25 a.m..... :-O Last year the bus picked us up at 6:40. Now, I am a morning person-- in previous years I would actually sometimes leave my house at 6:30 to get to school by 6:45. But there's just something about when it's absolute -- that you must  leave at this time-- that seems to make it worse-- there's not flexibility... It usually doesn't take me that long to get ready in the mornings anyway... but it just seems ... early. Also I must remember that I'm on the bus for a full half hour-- and that I can't drink too much of my coffee beforehand, b/c I'm on the bus longer-- and we can't make a bathroom stop... I didn't move too far away from where I was last year, but just the way the pick-ups (and drop-offs) are-- I'm one of the earlier ones to get picked up-- and one of the last ones to get dropped off... So almost a full hour on the bus every day...

Going to try the AC remote again, and hopefully it'll work-- also going to try to use an app from my phone to see if that will work too. Looking forward to having down time, and trying to recover from (only) two days of inservice. School starts Monday!! I won't be teaching yet-- but meeting with parent's to sign SST (sped) contracts.

This is my 15th year of teaching-- which to me is so crazy-- b/c it doesn't feel like it's been that long-- every year is always different-- and b/c I've been in enough different schools/environments, I'm able to use those previous experiences to build upon the new ones. (Well, I guess that's true for where ever you're at...) Every one of those places/experiences have been a stepping stone God has used to put me where I'm at right now. If one of those 'stones' had been taken out of place, then the 'rest' would not have prepared me for the follow-through. Some years were better than others-- some I look back on, and can't believe I even survived...  But somehow, God got me through it...

Here's to another crazy, never dull, (klutz-free!!) hopefully wonderful year!!

I have been readjusting to be back here in the DR again--and so far it has gone fairly well. I started an online Spanish class on Wednesday- Baselang-- that was recommended to be another SCS family member. They are based out of Columbia (I think)-- I sign up for a 30 min session online up to 3 days beforehand(any day/time that's available with the tutors), with an assortment of teachers to choose from. Then we do the session via Skype. We have lessons that we go through, and I've found that I know more than I thought I did! LOL -- I need to find consistent teachers that I like, in order to help with the continuity of the lessons, b/c we have jumped around a bit. 

Wednesday our SST department met, and I think that I have a better understanding of what students I'll have this year. I will have some of the same students I had last year, as well as some new ones. It will be a different dynamic with a new Elem SST teacher, but I will have the same teacher's aide I had last year-- which will be nice to have the consistency. 

Some music from the DR... Vida Nueva (my church) and staff devotions...

The New Digs... and Settling In...

A Few Pics of the New Digs...

 Kitchen...

Bedroom... 

 Living/Dining Room..

 One of my walls...                          

 

                                        

   

                

The front door of my apartment...                                                           View from my apartment...

 

Views outside my apartment....

Across the street...

I will admit that it was actually a bit harder leaving the U.S. this year than it was last year. It could be that I had no idea what to expect last year, and the "unknown" seemed to be easier to handle. This year I know (somewhat) what to expect-- the heat, lack of transportation, the distance away from family and friends, etc., etc., etc. and it's sometimes overwhelming. 

I arrived in the DR Tuesday evening-- my flights were delayed some, but not b/c of weather. I was a bit nervous about my luggage, b/c all the other times my luggage has arrived relatively early. This time, however, it was almost the last ones for me to pick up. By Wednesday afternoon I had AC and wi-fi, so everything was (almost) settled... I had a leak in both my bathroom sink and shower faucets, and then discovered that when I flushed my toilet, a stream of water would come out onto the floor! Thursday, maintenance from school came to fix my bathroom, leaving for a few hours to get supplies from the store, leaving my toilet torn apart. It definitely makes you thankful for a working toilet! They returned, fixed the sink and shower, but the toilet was still leaking after they left. Thankfully they came again on Friday and it was fixed completely!! I was able to meet my new maid today for the first time, and we were able to communicate fairly okay. She worked for the previous teacher who lived here-- she doesn't speak any English-- so I wrote out everything I needed to tell her, using Google Translate-- which is the best thing EVER!!! 

We start inservices Monday, with a 2nd day of inservices Tuesday, and then actually 5 days off (well technically 7 with the weekend)-- b/c we don't go back until Thursday/Friday of the week after. We originally were supposed to start school Wed the 17th, but it got pushed back to Monday the 22nd. 

All in all it's going well so far... :-)