Here we go again!

I am happy to report that my first five weeks back in the Dominican Republic have been going smoothly. It feels great to come back to something familiar, but there are also a lot of changes this year that make every day different!

I had spent my spring and summer planning an arts class for the teenagers in the batey. I had noticed that some kids really had a talent for the arts but no training or exposure to it. I also thought it would be a great way for them to build their self-confidence and release stress. I've just finished my first two weeks of art classes, and they're actually going really well. The materials that generous donors have helped me buy are quality and I really think it makes a difference in the way the kids are valuing and working on their art. I have several truly talented kids. It's amazing the ability they have without any exposure to the arts. I've also had lots of surprises. I have far more kids than I expected (one of my classes has only about 9 kids but the other has about 20). We don't have enough space (let alone chairs) but we're making it work somehow. On top of that I have to balance my art lessons with helping another group of kids who enters at the same time with their homework. I've been doing elementary art projects (geared towards 3-5th grade), and even though my students are from 11-17 years old, they're finding it difficult to follow simple directions. One of my students (age 13) had trouble drawing triangles. My classes have required a lot of planning and preparation on top of my other duties as a normal teacher but I think a lot of wonderful things can come of it. Please pray for my students and me—I am not the most ept person for the job but I really want them to have this opportunity.

This is also my first year working with the pre-school and kindergarten children. Last year I had my special class with older kids while the younger kids came. I prefer working with older kids, but this has certainly been an eye-opening experience. These kids are nuts. On top of that, the government has required that the school day be four hours, even for our kids who are not even four years old. It's brutal. Most of my time is spent chasing kids, getting bitten, sitting them down, and asking them not to punch other kids. We even have to kick kids out—can you imagine kicking five-year-olds out of school in the states? Most of the kids are out of control, but we have quite a few kids who also have severe special needs such as Down syndrome, a complete lack of socialization from home (so no ability to talk or interact with others). We even have a kid we think is schizophrenic. I don't know what he is but he is something. Anyways, it is a tough job, and it is definitely not my calling. I love little children, but playing with them is a lot more fun than teaching them. Anyhow, I'm doing the best that I can, and as nuts as it is, it's often hard not to laugh. One of the little ones insisted that his name was niňo (child). We found out that his real name is Luis Miguel but he won't respond to it—apparently no one refers to him by any name. Another every day occurrence is watching a kid walking around or working with his pants around his ankles since none of their pants fit. A couple of our kids' uniform shirts literally go down past their knees—even more hilarious.

In addition to the changes at the school, we have two new volunteers here! One of them is my good friend Sarah from BU, and another is Martha, an elementary teacher from Wisconsin. They're adjusting really well to life here, and we're getting along really well. I think it's going to be a great year!!! Keep us in your prayers!