Doulos Blog [guest post]

So I wrote a guest post on the Doulos blog.

I know right…

ME a guest writer?!

Silly silly Doulos.  

Check it out because

a] you are interested

or

b] you know that I am interested 

or

c] you are really interested in stars and reading  

Either way…

Check it out! 

Doulos Blog [Reading Under the Stars]

Thanks folks.

I love ya too :) 

Gracias a Dios

Life lately has been full of laughter and tears.

There has been really good times.

There has been really sad times.  

I've let tears fall in the grocery store looking for pepperoni.

I've laughed on the side of a mountain with good friends.

I've sobbed talking to my family on FaceTime.  

I've giggled with my roommates late at night.

I've quietly cried talking with my boss on the street.  

I've laughed hard at the lunch table with coworkers.  

I'm realizing that this is life here,

at least for now.

It's quite amazing in the midst of being extremely difficult.

I'm finding that walking around this town 

gives me the chance to really dwell on the goodness of this place.

I am grateful for so much.  

Will you walk with me for a moment?  

[I promise I won't cry…] 

Thank you Lord for birthday celebrations,

chocolate cake, and simple gifts.  

Thank You for thoughtful and generous parents 

who surprise me and show me so much LOVE.

for Young Life, warm nights, 

basketball courts in the middle of town,

and leaders here and there that inspire me to chase You.  

Thank you God for these women who make this place 

feel a little more like home,

and for eating crap on my [BIG!] bed.  

for baseball and the way that it reminds me of You. 

[strange, right?]

for window curtains, a moto helmet, and a shower curtain 

all lent to me by selfless friends.  

Thank you Jesus for students who 

look adorable hold a baseball bat,

put a smile on my face,

and give me a run for my money.

for a trip to Santiago for groceries, house things, 

and of course sweet frog.  

It might seem like life would be perfect living on an island.

It isn't.

It surely is wonderful, 

but along with that it is incredibly hard too.  

I'm choosing to be grateful in it all.  

What have you been grateful for lately?  

Tour [the big move]

I am all moved!

When you are a new teacher at Doulos,

you live with a Dominican family for at least the first month.

After the first month, you can decide how long to stay.

It is wonderful to live with a family to help with

the culture and language, among other perks.  

I lived with my family for 7 months.

It was truly unforgettable.

My family was the perfect fit for me as I transitioned into this culture.

I cannot express how much I love and appreciate them.

[my new room before painting]

Some friends of mine (2 single girls) had an open bedroom 

in their apartment, and they offered it to me.

Throughout this year I would spend at least one evening a week

at their house watching "Parenthood" and making apple cider.

After Christmas break I told him I'd love to move in :)

[picking out paint colors]

It was a really hard and really wonderful move,

as I'm sure most moves probably are for people.

I was really going to miss living with my family, 

but I was so excited to live with friends again!

As the weeks passed…

My roommates and I painted my new room a 

beautiful gray...

… and I pinned tons of room ideas on pinterest :)

[I would love to build this bed frame]

The night before moving day

my family and I dressed up and drove the 4 wheeler to dinner.

It was a wonderful evening.

We went to the Columbian restaurant and it was SO yummy.

You should go.  

Soon.

I also received a sweet note and dessert.  

Again, my family is so wonderful. 

The next day was moving day!

Lexie dropped me off after school so I could finish up packing.

We made promises to keep in touch about the actual moving plans…

enter… power outage.

I packed up and assumed someone would show up to move me.

2 hours later, Lexie shows up.

That's how things seem to go here…

powers out… dead phone… no minutes… car breaks down…

yet somehow things get done.

weird.

Anyway, we packed everything up into Lexie's car.

[threw the back doors since her hatch wouldn't open]

Off we went, down the Avenida, to my new casa...

enter… stray dog

Sometimes stray dogs like to just chill in the street here.

Bad idea.

There were about 4 motos to our right, and a median to our left.  

There was no where for us to swerve.

Well, you probably can guess what happened… 

We eventually made it to my new home,

but with so many emotions.

Excited, sad, disturbed… 

[The picture above is Lexie and I after arriving at the new place]

After arriving, we got straight to baking.

[that makes sense, right?]

We had seen a picture of Elephant Ear Bread on pinterest,

and we couldn't say no.

Lexie, Alicia, Lorraine, and I got pretty close I'd say!

#PinterestSuccess 

Thanks to Curt and Dan I had my wonderful bed to sleep in my first night!

It.was.fantastic.  

Anyone have ideas on how to spruce up my room??

Let me know!

I am now officially moved and loving it! 

Thank you again for everyone who has supported me in this.

Whether you invest in my salary

or you carried my bed up a spiral staircase,

Thank you :) 

What funny / sad / crazy moving stories do you have?!

No, really, I want to know...