Four Names I Dislike

I want to apologize to any one who has one of these names (and those of you who are reading my two dislikes back to back).

Gustav, you gave us 24 hours of rain, no water for about half a day and knocked over some trees onto some Dominican neighbors' homes.

Hanna, you have brought us more rain and some wind, but thanks for staying out of our hair, and water supply.

Ike, man you are making us plan ahead big time as we make reserves for drinking water, bathing/toilet water and food. If you come this way, it'll be rice and beans for many meals. Please don't mess with the flights of staff nor the births of babies nor our fall retreat.

Josephine- here is your early warning- stay away from this island!

EDIT 9-3: Hanna, you are just sticking around, aren't you? I thought they said you would be closer to Florida by now, but you are actually closer to us then you were the past couples days. Thank you for really only bringing some occasional big gusts of wind.

Legal Driving

I am proud to say that as of Friday, I am now a legal driver on the roads in the Dominican Republic. And, what you ask, is required for this? (ok, you may not ask, but I want to share).

Let's take the easy one first: driver. I purchased my 1992 225 Yamaha Serow at the beginning of June from a staff member who was leaving. He gave me one lesson before he left and I went from there.

Now onto the legal part. According to a motorcycle policy with work, I always have to wear a helmet on a motorbike on campus. No problem. As of July 26th, Dominican law now requires all motorbike riders to have a helmet. It has been interesting to see them as this new law comes into action with those on the road. You used to be able to distinguish Americans (or Canadians) in missions here by the fact that they were wearing helmets on their bikes. Dominicans are now wearing them, though theirs are generally more like baseball helmets or old-school helmets (I think of Ralph from The Mouse and the Motorcycle) while our helmets are DOT approved.

The new law also requires drives to always have their matricula, or title, and insurance. Thank goodness the title got passed on to me. As for the insurance, I went on Friday to purchase it. With 300 pesos (about $10), my US drivers license, and about 5 mis, I had insurance. Now "that was easy"!

And as an extra, I got a new battery on my bike, so I now have lights to drive at night and can honk when I pass people on the road. It is so nice to have a pair of wheels here.

Exciting things of the day

1. I started to paint my room. I only got the primer coats up, but those are quite important when the previous paint was green and blue and Winnie-the-Pooh (and friends). I'm having to sleep in the living room b/c I fear I might die off the fumes in the night.
2. I got to ride the bike which I am buying off a staff member who is leaving tomorrow. I never took it out of second gear, but it was still fun. I am excited to learn how to change gears and all so I will have my own transportation.
3. I went out to eat with some friends and had some delicious chesse-stuffed pork with a chinola (passion fruit) sauce on it. I loved it.
4. I just made a post where every sentence started with "I." I'm selfish I know. I wish you all goodnight!

Welcome to Hurricane Season

Today is the first day of the 2008 hurricane season. In the past, this meant a new interest in the Weather Channel to see if any of these systems of powerful wind and rain would make their way into the Gulf of Mexico and head towards Galveston and Houston. This year brings a slightly different interest. Living in the Dominican Republic, I will have to keep track of any storms heading into the Caribbean. The good news is that people who have worked and lived here for a while say that it is not too bad here. Which makes sense Jarabacoa is inland and in the mountains. We'll see how it goes; I may get to meet Bertha or Gustav or Hanna or Teddy.

Cubs update: Top of the 4th, tied 1-1 and not looking good.
Music update: now playing 116 Clique Intro
Oh, and power just went off....

Carrots

I am standing in my kitchen, making a side dish for a birthday party tomorrow, with the rain pouring down outside. And I'm not in the greatest of moods. I am reflecting on things that I don't like about my life right now.

I don't like the rain. The rain flows in the streets and sidewalks and overflows into the good water supply for the town. Therefore, with lots of rain, we lose water in the apartment. No flushing the toilet (I have to force-flush it), no way to wash hands, cook, and shower. And my puppy doesn't like going in the wet grass and the rain. Therefore I get messes inside to clean up. I think that's all for the rain.

I don't have a way to transport myself. Ok, so I can walk, but groceries get heavy walking back home. And I could get a concho (motorbike-taxi). But I want my own transportation; I want a bit more independence.

I have nowhere to go to relax. At college I had plenty of places, indoors and out. However, here there are a few problems. The couch in our apt. sucks. It is a dinky little love seat thing with very uncomfortable cushions. I have tried the roof of the building, but that does no good in the rain. And I know no place in town to go. Plus, that gets back to the transportation issue.

I am in a job I was not hired for, have a degree for, nor want. All I have is the promise of a new position which fits those previous three requirements, sometime in the future.

And with all this stress, I have no one close enough to support me. I have no one here to hold the pieces when I fall apart. I have no one to re-energize me when all of these things drain me.

The only chord holding all the pieces which make up my messed up chandelier together is the ever-thinning knowledge that this is where God wants me. This is where I should be. As for why, I have no idea.

Carrots are ready...back to cooking.

Car Salesmen and Dominican Shopping

I have been to many car lots in the last 2 years or so. I was searching for the perfect car. Anyway, at all but one lot, it didn't take long before a salesman came up to me and ask if he could help. And generally they remained near me, showing me cars they thought I might like. And this is considered normal: very helpful, and sometimes over-helpful car salesmen.

I have discovered that shopping in the Dominican Republic is similar. You walk into a store in the mall (Santiago, is the only place I have been to a mall here) and if they don't greet you at the door, it isn't long before someone is at your side. They may ask to help you, but sometimes they just stand there, waiting until you ask for help or pick an item that you want. This is slightly weird, since I seem to gain a smaller shadow when I walk into a store.

But their helpfulness does not stop there. Once you have selected an item, they will either take it from you and hold it until you decide to pay, or they will go put it up at the counter. If it is clothes, they will find a dressing room for you. Talk about service! I have also experienced this in the fruit market in town. This is the normal service at stores.

I have yet to decide if I see these actions as a service or an annoyance. I think so far it has been the first one. Kind of makes me think that car salesmen aren't as helpful as I thought.

Random Things a Long Time Coming

Well Lent has come and gone and I guess I got so used to not blogging, since I gave up most internet usage, that I just have not sat down to do this. I am in the process of writing my thoughts on Lent and what I learned, but for now I have a few things I have been meaning to share.

I got a puppy on Feb 16th. Don't ask what kind of dog she is- I don't know. I picked her up when I was horseback riding near the river in town. She's a Domini-dog, aka a mutt. But she is cute :). Her name is Moca Late; it is spelled according to Spanish spelling (it would be Mocha Latte in English). But here is the best part of her name: 'late' in Spanish means "it bites". Therefore her name translated in "Moca bites". Which is so true right now (she's about 4 months old now).

In my classroom there is a white board where the girls can sign out so I know where they are. We also put the date up there each day. Earlier this month, one of the girls wrote the date as such "4+4=8". I thought it was clever. :)

I have a new goal in life (well, maybe not life, but at least for the time I am here): I want to find a perfect apple crisp recipe. I had been wanting some so I found a recipe online and made it. But I didn't like it too much and took up the challenge. If you have any suggestions or recipes, let me know. Oh, and I'm not looking to please a lot of people with this "perfect" recipe. My mouth is the only one I am concerned about.

I think that's all for now. Sometime soon I should have a post about my lessons from Lent.

Beans, beans, the musical fruit

The more you eat, the more you toot. Let me tell you, it has been interesting living where the staple food is beans and rice. It's been a bit smelly; around the apartment, the school and the dorm/houses. But beans and rice is good, though I am also enjoying the fruits and chicken.

Except for the chickens in the neighbor's yard. I have gotten used to them enough to be able to sleep through the night now, though it has taken me about a week. And sleep is a good thing, since I have been busy this past week and a half. I have had work, and then welcome dinners, eating in the girls' house and staff events, like going to Santiago or watching Grey's Anatomy.

It is amazing how much thinking and writing and reflecting I have been doing with new things all around me. So many changes and things to get used to. Friends to leave behind and new friends to make. What has been good is that I have been able to make some changes that I wanted to make in my life. That is the joy of new beginnings. That is why New Years is great. With this change, I have been able to read my Bible more, write and reflect more and read more.

I like the changes I have been able to make. Now I just have to hope, as time passes, I will like the changes that have happened around me. It takes time....

"I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."
Phil 3:10-14

Leaving on a jet plane...

...don't know when I'll be back again. The plan is to leave the house at 3am, get to the airport around 5am, flight leaves at 7:30am, arrive in Santiago around 3pm, get to campus around 4:30pm.

Hopefully I have more soon. Now I need to go to bed.