Our Apartment Building and Views from the Roof

The first few pictures were taken from the roof of our building so that you can see the mountains outside Santiago and so that you can see what part of our city looks like. Then there are a few pictures of our apartment building. We live on the second floor on the right hand side with the pretty orange awning. We have a wonderful little balcony where we sit to eat our breakfast and supper since we don't have a kitchen table yet.

Cabarete Beach Trip

The first weekend we were here we went on a staff retreat to the beach at Cabarete. We spent the afternoon swimming or relaxing and then ate supper at a restaurant right on the sandy beach. Then in the evening we sang songs together and prayed. It was a good time of worship together. Here are some pictures of the beach scenes. You can also see a few pictures of us loaded into an open-sided Dominican bus to ride to church that Sunday morning.

A Trio of Sundays

The first Sunday we were here we went to a Spanish-speaking church. Rene, a Dominican worker from our school, and his wife picked us up at about 4:30 in the afternoon. The service began with some lively singing. Then people formed small groups with the people near them to have a time of prayer. After that was the sermon. Amy followed along by reading the passages in English and trying to pick out some words. Brian understood most of the sermon. Rene and his wife took us out to eat in a grocery store. It was kind of like a deli counter but there were tables nearby and a waiter would come to take your order. We had friend chicken and some rice.

The next weekend we were up at a beach town for a staff retreat. On Saturday night we spent a long time singing songs together as a staff in both English and Spanish. Then on Sunday we went to an English-speaking church in the next town. We got there in a "Dominican" bus with open sides and long benches inside. The building had a roof but the sides were open, almost like a picnic shelter. A nice breeze blew through during the service. Two tiny dogs attended the service too, up in the front row. After the service we rode in the bus to a tiny Dominican restaurant where we had chicken and rice and beans. It was delicious.

Last weekend we went to a Pentacostal-type church with Noemi who teaches at our school. The time of singing and prayer began at 10:15. The songs were very lively and fun. At about 11:15 the sermon began. The service ended at about 12:45. When we thanked Noemi for picking us up and driving us to church she said that she was blessed by serving. She is wonderfully kind and has offered to drive us wherever we need to go.

Spend an Evening with Us

What's a typical evening like for us? We come home from school on a bus that goes on a route dropping all the teachers at their apartments. We can take the 4:00 bus home or the 4:45 one. Since we're one of the first ones dropped off, we're home in about 15 minutes.

Once we get home we can begin making supper. First we need to prepare the fruits and vegetables. We take a big bowl and fill it with tap water. Then we add a half of a capful of bleach to the water. We soak the veggies and fruits in this water for about 15 minutes. Then we rinse them with pure water.

After supper we heat up some water on the stove for washing dishes since we don't have hot running water in the kitchen. Tonight I did the dishes while Brian worked on gluing screen material over the second window in our bedroom. It looks great and helps keep out the mosquitoes.

Then I usually call the neighbors to see if I can use their internet. Ours isn't hooked up yet at home, and I'm eager to spend a little time on the computer. James and Carol are very willing to let me come and use theirs for a while each night.

At about 8:00 I turn on the hotwater heater near the bathroom by flipping a switch on the wall. After about 15 minutes it's all ready for a perfect shower. I take a quick shower in the evening because it's been a sweaty day but I also like to wash my hair at night now. I just can't think of using a blowdryer in the morning. It's just too hot here.

Brian works on lesson plans in our "study" but he moves the fan nearby to get some circulation going. He often creates things on the computer and then prints them off when we get to school.

When it's time for bed we both put in our earplugs so that we won't hear the dogs, roosters, and music during the night. Lately our closest rooster hasn't been crowing. Has he been eaten? Or did he meet an untimely death in a cockfight? We don't know... but we don't miss him!

Call to Order Your Groceries

Last night we needed to get a 5-gallon jug of water delivered to our apartment. Brian called the local market to order it. You can also have basic groceries delivered like flour, pineapples, mango, sugar, or pop. It's delivered on a small motorbike by a young man. He carries it right up to the apartment door.

Last night Brian starting putting up screen material over our windows. On Saturday we had purchased all the supplies to do this. It looks great and soon the bugs will have a hard time getting us.

The Sounds Surrounding Us

We're in our own apartment, and we're getting settled. We're getting used to the sounds of our new neighborhood. A ringing bell coming down the street means that a local ice-cream man is coming on his bicycle selling yummy treats. A man's voice calling out over and over as he walks is often selling avocados that he carries in a large plastic bowl on top of his head. A rooster behind our apartment building crows from about 4:00 am until about 6:00 am. That's when we're glad for our ear-plugs!

We've Arrived in the DR

On Friday night we arrived safely in the DR. However, our four suitcases didn't make it! We were picked up by missionaries, teachers, and some staff members from the school. Most teachers are staying in their apartments, but our water isn't hooked up yet so we're living in our neighbor's guest room. Our neighbors, Bob and Janna Scott, have been lifesavers to us. Last night Janna fixed a delicious meal of cashew chicken for our supper. Their guest room has a comfortable bed, and we can shower in the attached bathroom.

Saturday we went shopping with all the new teachers. Dominican staff members came along to help us locate things. We bought lots of supplies for our apartment like buckets, a mop, a broom, a dish drainer, silverware, trash cans, a giant garbage can to store water in just in case the water to our area of town is off, and some basic groceries.

Today we're going to church with Rene who is a Dominican staff member at our school. His family will take us to church and then have us over for supper after the service. We're looking forward to that.