Ew

So unfortunately, the ugliest dog on the island, perhaps the world, has found its way to my garage. He is disgusting. He is skinny, losing hair all over, gross, and the worst part is that he won't leave. Anytime I go near he growls so it's quite hard to kick him out. Even harder is keeping him out because he's scrawny enough to fit through the bars on the gate. I hope he doesn't die in my garage...

Retreat!

What an incredible weekend! I went on my first Dominican church retreat! It was so fun. I was a little nervous as I don't know people that well in the church yet, but that was one of my main reasons in going. Anyhow, it was so much better than I expected (it always goes that way) and I made lots of new friends and got to know many more people. We slept little and played a lot but it was well worth it!

As I shared a cabin with Dominican women, I also learned a few things...mostly about hair! I stepped out of the shower and as I was walking to my bunk I heard one lady say in shock "she got her hair wet!" You see, Dominican women wash their hair about once a week and otherwise keep it dry so that it doesn't get all kinky. Anyhow, they were also amazed that I don't have to dry my hair and keep it in rollers to straighten it, and that I can even go to bed without doing anything...they wrap their hair around their heads every night to keep it straight! Oh, the things that I'm learning! What a fun weekend!

Bye bye Etheridges

As quickly as they've come...they had to leave. Today we spent the afternoon in Playa Dorada which was so beautiful. It was amazing to have them here, it meant more than they will ever know! It's been so long since seeing them and hopefully won't be that long until the next visit!

Photos

So I thought I better put some more update photos on. The top two are baby Jessica who's already a month old. She's chubby and happy and doing really well. It's fun seeing how quickly she has changed and watching her grow! The bottom is of Princesa and her older brother, Julio, who loves her and kisses on her everday at school. It must be so confusing why his little sister is raised by someone else, but at least he knows her and loves her a lot. And of course, a photo of the amazing sunsets here... one of the great things about living in the D.R.!

Visit to the village

I got to take Dan and Sarah to show-and-tell at school yesterday and loved it! We walked around the school and to Caraballo and through the village. They played with kids and we had lunch with all of them and it's so fun to see them loving on the kids I get to love on everyday!

Etheridge time

It's been so fun having Dan and Sarah here...we've gotten to play a lot and just chat. We've been to beaches and waterfalls and the mountains and it's great! Really special to have them here with me. We're going to the village tomorrow which is always the best part of having anyone here!

Smiles

Yup, THIS is what makes me happiest each day.

Etheridge visit

The Etheridges have landed! Dan and Sarah flew in from England last night and will be here for 2 weeks. It is amazing to have them here, it's been a very long time since last seeing them. We've already had a bit of time to play in Sosua and catch up...but I'm excited that we still have 2 more weeks ahead. Dan managed to get himself a nice sunburn in the first 24 hours of being here, but hopefully that'll be brown soon. Looking forward to all that is ahead.

Princesa

I LOVE this kid! The good news is that she's back onto loving me...for awhile there she only loved Zeneida-mom. We had fun at school today and got to play and cuddle. It's so great being back in school!

Can you hear me now?

So I was just talking to my mom about cell phones and it made me think...LOTS of people have old cell phones. Do you know we need cell phones?? Okay, so if anyone has a phone they're not using, SEND IT! It doesn't matter what brand it is, as long as it isn't ancient. We just take it to the phone store and they do some magic and it's ready. Chargers would also be great to come with the phone...otherwise it isn't that useful after a few hours. So let me know after you dig them out of the closet (you're not ever going to use it anyways!) and I'll tell you where to send it to. We'll use them at the school for keeping in touch with various people there (kitchen staff, construction staff, professors, etc.). Don't think everyone else will just do it, YOU do it! Thanks, from all of us that are hoping to talk soon. :)

Uniforms

Yesterday was Uniform Day where all the kids got to come in and receive a big bag of goodies to get them ready for school. The biggest thing they received, thanks to lots of fundraising of those involved, was the uniform! Each and every kid walked away with a new shirt, new pants, and a pair of sturdy shoes. It's exciting to be able to do that and give the kids something that truly helps them get to school. It was also exciting because, well, I got to see my kids and...I missed them. School starts at the care center on Monday and I'm looking forward to it!

Gazebo

Look how amazing our gazebo is! it's coming along so well and I can't wait to be in it! The work is so hard though, these guys sit on top all day nailing the thatch to the boards. It's the first actual place the kids have to go when the sun is beating down...as it always does. And for the off-chance that there's rain, the kiddies will stay dry. The classrooms/bathrooms are also coming along well. Can't wait to have more kids be able to come to school.

Baptism day

Today little baby Jessica got baptized and it was special to get to be a part of that. Sometimes I wonder how I got so lucky, or is blessed the better word, to get to be here. To be welcomed so openly into their family, to come alongside them...it's not actually easy to describe.

It was interesting to see how it's done here (or at least in the village), with a little branch dipped in saltwater while the pastors says prayers over the baby whilst wiping the wet branch around her head, mouth, hands...like I said, interesting.

I can't wait until she's old enough for sleepovers and to learn English. I've got a lot of plans for this kid!

Change

Remember when the school looked like this: Now look at what we have!!!

Just flipping through photos today and couldn't actually believe all the changes that have happened in one year at the school. We've got a new cafeteria, lots of new paint on everything, bathrooms, classrooms, a gazebo, and speaker system...I can't wait until all these things are done and for all the projects ahead. Even more, I can't wait to see all the kids at school.

Growing

So this kid went from baby to girl overnight! I can't believe how big she is getting. It's just that I love her SO much...she's pretty much the best baby (except now she only wants to go to Zeneida, but I'm working on that.)

One year

525,600 minutes
How do you measure
Measure a year?

I can't believe I'm doing this...

So I hate these things, I really do. But it's Sunday afternoon, Alison had "tagged" me and I really have nothing better to do so here I go:

1. I have to post these rules before I give you the facts
2. Each player startes with 8 random facts/habits about themselves.
3. People who are tagged need to write a post on their own blog (about their eight things) and post these rules. (If you don’t have a blog, email me)
4. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
5. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

#1 I like strawberry-flavored things. I didn't know this until Josie pointed it out to me, but it's true. Stawberry Dinos, strawberry icecream, strawberry SkimIce...

#2 I love sugared cereals. I tried to deny it for awhile and buy things like Muesli and wheat Chex, but have now fully embraced the fact that I love sugared cereal. In fact, the more colors it has, the better it tastes...Fruity Pebbles, Fruit Loops, CoCo Puffs, Reese's Puffs...and the new favorite Marshmallow Safari.

#3 I go to the bathroom quickly. I was once told it is one of my best qualities. I often beat boys out of the bathroom.

#4 I am living my dream job but never knew this was the job I was dreaming of! I get to love on Haitian and Dominican kids all day, I get to tell others about Kids Alive, I get to mend knees and de-parasite kids, I get to help raise babies...who could want anything else??!!

#5 I love mangoes. They are the fruit from heaven.

#6 I don't like sunbathing. I love the beach and ocean dearly and spend a good amount of time there, but don't like to be in the sun. I'm white and have come to realize that that will never change. I go from white to red and not a lot in-between. I love the beach when it is raining and storming. In my heaven, I will have a beach and be there all day.

#7 I love babies. Thankfully I am in a place where I am surrounded by babies. If I have a hankering to love on a baby, I do. If I want a baby to stay the night, they do. Maybe someday I'll get my own, but thankfully I've been placed somewhere to fill my arms with endless amounts of babies!

#8 I listen to songs on repeat. If I like a song, I play it over and over and over until it's time to not listen to it for awhile.

Okay, that's it. Now I'm supposed to tag some people so it's going to be: Pamela, Allison, Josie, Naomi, Kylee, Bekah, Lauren, and Jonathan (yah right!)

Play day

We got to have a great day yesterday! We went to a beach called Las Canas with friends and had a nice getaway. This is one of the beaches that is completely empty...we didn't see anyone else the whole time which is a big difference from the other beaches in the area! We had a BBQ of sorts (more of an oven maybe) where we made hot dogs covered in sand, we got to play and swim and nearly drown in the waves...it was a good day. I'm definitely thankful for my friends here and amazing beaches and time to play and get out of the house for a bit!

Hungry babies

This is Jonathan and "Mini Spice" who were both being starved by their families...

They have had great care over the last weeks and are now doing so amazingly. I love to be a part of this and see their recovery and how much their personality changes as they are given constant care and love. It's hard imagining what their lives were like before, but it's encouraging seeing that they are well-cared for now.

To compare

Q:What's worse than sleeping without a mosquito net?
A: Having a mosquito trapped inside your mosquito net!