Life After 3 Months

Alright, this is Becki. (Sorry, I know my writing is not as good as Jon's) I am writing to let you know what is going on here. Basically, our lives our very hectic and it doesn't even seem possible that it has already been 3 months here in the Dominican Republic. Everyday is completely different--some days are good and some are not as good, but I wouldn't say that there are any bad days.

School
Well, we just finished up our first quarter as teachers. We learned a lot in those first 9 weeks. I learned a lot about how to fail with flair. That's right FAIL! I failed a lot this quarter, but honestly I am glad that I did. It was very humbling. I came into this whole teaching thing with probably a little too much confidence in myself and not enough confidence in God. Math has proven to be much harder to teach than I thought. I understand it very well, but understanding and teaching are two completely separate things. Also, I learned that a lot of what I learned in the states about teaching can basically be tossed out the window when dealing with these kids. Being ESL (English as a Second Language) students, I have really had to alter my teaching philosophy. Textbooks are harder for them to understand. Tests are harder for them to take. When I give them a definition for a word, they don't always understand all the words in the definition. I have to do a lot more guiding and explaining than what I am use to. Also, coming into this year, I decided that rewards were going to be very few and far between in my classroom. I wanted the students to work hard and try their best because it was the right thing to do, not because there was a prize at the end of the tunnel. Well, that went down the toilet. The truth is, they need a little something to make them want to do it. It's like another teacher told me...We wouldn't work if we weren't going to be getting paid. TRUE!! So, I am trying to give the students more rewards and they seem so much more happier. I love my students so much. They are such a joy and I can never get enough hugs from them. That's right...I can actually hug my students here and won't get in trouble.

Well, with the end of the first quarter comes Parent-Teacher Conferences. SCARY?? No not really! I was actually quite excited. I have always felt that I am very good at talking to adults. Most of my conferences went very very well, but you always have that one parent that no matter what you do you can never make them happy. Yeah, I have one of them in my class. Supposedly, according to her, I have taken away her daughter's desire to learn and she thinks that I am way to uptight and strict. (Honestly, I wanted to be that way and I am quite glad that she thinks I am strict.) I don't know. All I can say from this first quarter is that I have a lot to learn.

Extra-Curricular
Well, enough about school. Maybe you want to know about what we do besides school..not much. We don't have too much time, because we do a lot of school even after school. However, we have managed to find some other things to do. Jon plays basketball at the school every Sunday afternoon with about 15 other guys. It just gives him a nice chance to get out some energy, get some exercise, and let some steam off from the week. It also gives us a chance to be away from each other for a little while. Although we are still madly in love, it is nice to get a break from each other every once in a while. I am sure all you married people out there understand. Also, Jon is going to be starting up some tutoring in the next week, which will not only get him more connected at the school, but it will also give us a little extra spending money.

Now, about me...did you honestly think that I was going to be able to make it a whole two years without some sort of gymnastics or cheerleading in my schedule. Impossible! Word came to me that the boys basketball team really wanted cheerleaders. So, I talked to the athletic director and we decided to hold an informational meeting to find out how much interest there would be. So we put out flyers and announced it at chapel. The truth is, they have tried cheerleading in the past but it has never worked so they kind of just gave up. Well, I had the meeting yesterday and only 5 girls showed up. Two girls said they were only doing it because their friends wanted them to and three of them said they only wanted to do it for the cute little outfits. So, I decided that cheerleading may not happen this year. SAD!! Oh well. The next thing up my sleeve is elementary gymnastics class, which supposedly have always had GREAT success at the school. I hope that it works out because I need something to do to get out some energy. Otherwise, I just might go crazy. For the past 8 years of my life I have taught gymnastics and cheerleading on the side as a way to excerise, avoid work, and let out some steam. I have quickly discovered that I still need that. Please pray that it gets started and that lots of girls would be interested.

Social
After about two months being here, we were starting to feel a little discouraged when it came to our social lives. We didn't really feel like we fit in with most people. Either the people were our age, but not married or they were married and were older or had kids. We were kind of in limbo land and were really wanting someone to hang out. Well, we decided that instead of sitting around and doing nothing about it (like we usually do), we would give some people a call and invite them over for a little something that we loved to do back home....play games. Well, it has been a great success so far. We have had two game nights with different families and they have all really enjoyed it so far. Also, last weekend a family at the school invited us to go to the beach with them. I attached a couple of pictures. It was beautiful.


Well, life seems to be going a little better here lately. We are starting to feel a little less homesick and a little more like part of the family here. However, with holidays and my birthday coming up soon, we might get a little homesick. Thank you so much for all of your prayers and encouraging words. It really does help. We love you all and can't wait to come home to snow on the ground.

The Teacher Man

If I had to make a list of my Top Ten favorite songs of all time, one of them would be Billy Joel's Piano Man. I like this song so much because when I close my eyes as I listen to the song, it feels like I'm transported to the scene. I can overhear Paul, the real-estate novelist talking with Davy who's still in the navy. I can hear the waitress practicing politics. I love the collection of characters this song has and how Billy Joel wrote it in such a way that you feel like you are there with them.

Here are some of the characters I have met so far in this scene called the Dominican Republic. Hopefully this gives you a better idea of what life is like for us.

Vicente - Every morning that I go to school, Vicente is working on the school grounds. He is an older man somewhere in his 60's. He is hunched over raking up leaves every morning at this time. He wears an old Pittsburgh Pirates hat that has been saturated with sweat. I walk to where he is so I can greet him. I shake his calloused hands. They are worn from years of hard work and many hours spent clutching his rake. We greet each other and wish each other a good day. I try to take my Spanish to a further level and ask him what he did over the weekend. I understand the first part but as his conversation picks up speed, he loses me as I take on the look of that deer in the headlights. There is one thing I will always remember about Vicente: his smile. No matter what job he is working at or how hot it is, he always smiles at me when he sees me. He always shifts the rake to one side and leans on it as he stops to talk to me. He never rushes our conversations to get back to his work. He takes his time as he says hello and smiles at me. I walk away from him feeling encouraged to do whatever work is before me.

Lorenzo - As I mentioned earlier, it is my job to take the trash out. Next to our dumpster is the entrance to a gated neighborhood. At the entrance is a security house where a man named Lorenzo works everyday from 7 in the morning to 7 at night. He is young, in his 30's, with dark, gelled hair. He greets me by saying "Hello, my friend." I reply to him in Spanish and then in English. He follows our greetings by telling me that I look very white today. "I know" I say, "I am very white everyday." He tells me this every time I see him so obviously 2 months here has not darkened my skin enough. He promises to teach me Spanish if I teach him English.

Simon - Simon is a 13 year old boy that lives in my apartment complex. He plays baseball in the apartment parking lot looking up to our window in an effort to catch my eye. If that doesn't work, he calls out my name. When he finally catches my attention, he asks in English if I want to play baseball. Of course, I can't turn that offer down. I quickly ask Becki for permission to go play, unlock the door, and hurry down the stairs to join him in a game of home run derby. He only speaks to me in English and I only speak to him in Spanish. We are both trying to practice the little we know of each other's language. We are unwilling to give in and speak the same language so we continue in our two-language conversations.

Manny - At the end of our street sit several taxi drivers waiting for their next customer to come by. They pass their time playing cards with the loser doing push-ups in the dirt. One of these drivers is a middle-aged man in his 40's named Manny. He always waves to us as we pass by him. He was born in Venezuela but moved to the DR after 6 months. He lived in New York City for 12 years working at a Mexican restaurant near Central Park. That experience has left him with a thick New York accent. He tries to teach us Spanish but I have no idea what he is saying. I just smile and nod because his Spanish is so rushed and slurred together. We ask him how he his doing and he replies with the same answer everyday "I can't complain." He always finds a way to work into the conversation the need for us to exercise. "You need to lift weights and walk around." We tell him that we will start soon. Then we walk off to the grocery store.

This is our life and these are the people who are here to share it with us. It is these people who make this foreign place feel more like home.

Lessons Learned

"I can do all things through him who strengthens me."

As a child, my family would pile into my mom's station wagon and drive to Wisconsin to see our grandparents. It's only a 5-6 hour drive to my grandparent's house but that was an eternity in my mind at that age. To pass the time, we had our family repertoire of cassette tapes to listen to. They were Psalty the Song Book, the Donut Man, and Steve Green's children's album. It was during these trips to and from Wisconsin that I first remember hearing the verse Philippians 4.13 found in a song on Steve Green's children's album.

Growing up, I always knew that verse although I never gave it much thought. In many ways it seemed like another cliche that was tattooed on a professional athlete's bicep. In my mind, it only applied to those individuals who were out in the world, accomplishing extraordinary feats. It didn't impact my life because I was just living a simple, ordinary life.

I have gained a different perspective of that verse over the past year, especially the last few weeks here in the Dominican Republic. I finally paid closer attention to the verses preceding Philippians 4.13:

"I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need."

It struck me that Philippians 4.13 is not meant to be just a trite answer given by those who have accomplished extraordinary deeds but it is a light at the end of the tunnel for the person who feels like darkness has overtaken him. Yes, maybe he is at his wit's end with no reason why he should have hope, but he knows that even in this low estate, he has a strength beyond measure. A strength that can only be supernatural.

We are doing well here in the DR. But after years of learning how to face plenty and abundance, we finally get the chance to face hunger and need. And in that, we know that we can do all things through him who strengthens us.