It’s been a whole 6 months since my last update! Sorry y’all. I’m still here in the DR. A lot has gone on. In Mid-June, we had our 8th and 12th grade graduations. This was a really big class of students. I was proud to see a few of my recently graduated 8th graders going up to receive their diplomas. They started the new school year with a new uniform: white button-up shirts and navy slacks worn by the high-schoolers!
I went home at the end of June for about a week and a half. I had some vacation time left so I figured I’d go home. I spent the 4th of July there, and was able to get super full off the holiday Soul food that I always miss so much. For the first time in almost 3 years I saw my Grandmother, who was up visiting from Florida. We had some interesting and entertaining conversations. I loved hanging out with her and really enjoyed our time together. She taught me how to make a Red Velvet Cake from scratch. I burnt it just a little, HaHa but it was still pretty good. It felt sooo good being back in my hometown and being able to catch up with my family and a few friends.
After making it back from NY, I ran over to see my Santa Ana girls. They always ask about my family so I wanted to give them a few updates. Upon arriving, I found out that at 5am the next morning they, and the Santa Rosa house, would be traveling up to Samaná to spend the weekend with an NPH tía (what we call the caregivers). They invited me to come too, but I was reluctant. I was running only on about 1 hour of sleep and the last thing I wanted to do was have to set my alarm clock to get up early the next morning. On top of that I still had to unpack and wash clothes…and sleep! But, I realized that if I didn’t go with my girls up to Samaná, I’d be bored for that weekend because they weren’t at NPH. So, at the crack of dawn the next day, I boarded the NPH guagua and made the 3 hour trip up to Samaná. The tía lived out in the countryside, the air was fresh, and there were hiking trails that led to beautiful look-out views of the Samaná Bay. It was very tranquilo! We took the kids to the beach and to a river to cool down. My girls enjoyed talking walks to pick mangoes and other fruit from trees. I had a good time and I know my girls did too. It was nice to take a road trip with them.
Mid-August, after celebrating Padre Wasson Day and after a fun summer of vacations, internships, and camps, everyone was back to work! At this point the university kids were back working hard in their majors, the recent high school graduates had begun their Year of Service in various areas of NPH, and the high school and elementary school students were continuing to work hard to get good grades. Not to mention that our new group of volunteers had settled into their roles, growing more and more accustomed to NPH life and Dominican culture.
At the end of August, I had a resort weekend with two of the best girls I’ve met in DR: Tianna and Jessica. It was our last “turn-up” weekend as a unit in DR. These two would both be moving away to cities in Spain for school and work. Tianna found a good Groupon deal for our resort and I cannot remember the name of it but it was really nice there. I couldn’t complain about the food or service of the staff there. The first day there we didn’t have a beach day because we arrived right in the middle of tropical storm Erika, so entering the ocean was prohibited. We were able to relax though, and eat (a lot). We later went to see some of the shows that the resort put on. That night we were actually able to hop in the pool because the rain had stopped entirely. The next morning we were able to have our beach day! Erika was gone and the sun was shining! We all had a good time together. I’m happy that I was able to spend that rainy weekend with them. I wouldn’t have chosen anyone else.
The month of September was pretty stressful for me. Since coming back from my vacation I had made the choice that I would stay in the DR longer with hopes to find work. I had been living in the countryside of San Pedro for over 2 years at this point, so I really wanted to find another job in a city, preferably Santo Domingo. I spent the month of August trying to perfect my resume. I was lucky to have 3 friends who were former human resource majors/managers to look it over. I hadn’t updated my resume in almost 3 years and I had a lot to change! So, fast forward a little, I had finalized my resume but then realized that I had to translate it to Spanish. That took up more time, but I got the job done. In September, I had emailed my resume to at least 10 different organizations. My friend referred me to two schools that I ended up having interviews with. One was for a substitute teacher position, and the other was for a 3rd grade teaching position. Both interviews went well. One was in English and the other was in Spanish. I ended up being hired for both positions! So, at the end of September (after 2 years, 4 months, and 15 days) I officially finished up my service as an NPH volunteer. I felt good, my time with NPH has had many highs, not too many lows; I’ve gone through many phases here and learned so much about myself. I wouldn’t trade that time for anything. Ever. I remember telling myself that I wouldn’t even apply to be a volunteer with NPH because 1 year is too much time to commit to. But here I am, over 2 years and counting. Looking back, my experience as a volunteer has been incredibly fulfilling. I really wish more people took time out while they’re young to travel and/or volunteer. I wasn’t as sad to leave NPH because I knew that I’d be coming back to visit, so for that moment I said, “Hasta pronto”.
So, I had accepted the position as the 3rd grade teacher because it offered more stability. I’m teaching at a really small private elementary school. There are about 80 children that go here. It goes from nursery school up to 5th grade. The majority of the students are in 2nd grade and below. My class has only 4 students. I teach basic subjects (in English), and they have a local teacher that comes in to teach them (in Spanish) about Dominican History, Spanish Language, Gym, Music, and Computer. My kids are fun too. I’m happy to be there to help them improve their English. They are all really smart, energetic and have strong personalities. We have our days, but they are still the coolest kids in the school if you ask me.
Things at the school are going…okay, overall. I mean, since starting I’ve had a lot to adjust to and am still struggling to adjust to certain things. Before even starting at the school I was stressed out after accepting the job offer because I had no idea where I would live. I had about 10 days before my first day of work to find a crib in Santo Domingo. This proved to be difficult while I was still working and living in San Pedro. Luckily, I was able to crash at a friend’s house in Santo Domingo until I was able to get on my feet and find my own spot. I planned to only stay about a week, two weeks tops, which should’ve been more than enough time to find my own spot. But it took me longer because I had absolutely NO time to do any “go-sees” during the day. For my first 3 weeks I was working from 7:30 am until 6pm, Monday through Friday. I did NOT see the sun during the day since my classroom doesn’t have a window to the outside. It was dark when I arrived to work and dark when I left. I had not been getting a lot of sleep at night, I had to figure out public transport, and every day was just a constant learning experience in this new teacher role and in life post-NPH. On top of that I was worried because I still hadn’t found another place to live. I was completely spent every day while at work, simply exhausted, sometimes falling asleep in class. At 2pm I had an hour break, I used that time to eat and sleep. After work every day I’d get stuck in the same damned traffic jam, making a 30-minute commute turn into almost 2 hours. Life was grand. -_- Finally after a month, I found a new spot to move into. It’s in my budget and has everything I need. I’m also now only working until about 4:15pm, which means I don’t get trapped in the late-afternoon traffic! Woot Woot! This, plus everything else I’ve gone through since moving to Santo Domingo, has been a real-deal roller-coaster learning experience.
So it’s obvious that I needed a break, right? Back in November I decided to take a day trip to Isla Saona. I hadn’t gone to the beach in almost 3 months! I had wanted to go to Saona for a long time. I found a good price with a tour group, it was pretty cool! We took a catamaran over to the island. During the trip over there were drinks, people dancing and relaxing, and the sun was shining high. It was a beautiful day. But a short one, and I still need another break, HaHa!
Although it’s been almost 3 months post-NPH, I’ve been able to go back to visit a few times for Visitor’s Day and for the annual Quinceañera party. It always feels good to go back and see my group of teenage girls. They always have millions of questions for me: “How long are you here?” “Where do you live?” “Do you have a boyfriend?” “Will you be here for la noche buena?” “How’s your Mom?” “When are your friends coming to visit?” Question after question after question. I have one who is 16; she’s like a nagging little sister. She’s so sweet and funny, and loves to bother me! When I visit she lets me know upfront that she has to REALLY bother me to make up for missed time. Another one in particular, also 16, has been like a friend to me, she’s the little sister I never had but always wanted. She’s been so cool since the day I was assigned to the Santa Ana house. She’s really the bomb dot com. I’m always happy to go back to NPH to catch up with her and take turns trying to beat each other’s score in Subway Surf.
It feels good to be back in the countryside with them. It’s weird, I find myself missing my life in the campo. When I was living there, I couldn’t wait to go “turn up” and explore cities. Sometimes I was sad to have to go back to work. Now that I’m in the city, I find myself wanting some countryside tranquility. Who would’ve thought? I miss seeing the sun rise/set without the view being interrupted by tall buildings. At night, it was fun going up to the roof and looking up and identifying a few constellations, spotting shooting stars, and getting perfect views of the moon. When it rained, it was perfect. It was quiet out there: no noisy horns, no loud music from cars, no nothing. It was peaceful. I am officially on vacation and, needless to say; the places I’m planning to visit are in the countryside or low-populated beaches. Hopefully I’ll get to go explore. Vamos a ver.
-DeeJay ❤