Professora Wilcox

Hello, allow me to introduce myself. Miss Wilcox, Spanish Teacher.

This school year I've taken on many different roles as a substitute teacher. I've taught every grade Pre-K3 through freshman. I've taught library, art and, music. 

Today was different. Today was the first time I've been a Spanish Teacher.  Now I wasn't just teaching Spanish, I was teaching in Spanish. I have to admit it felt pretty great. :)

Okay, confession time. I wasn't completely by myself.  The (real) Spanish teacher was still in the classroom, but she'd injured her back and was in a lot of pain.  The first class I couldn't do much. It takes a bit of warming up before my brain switches to Spanish. By the last class of the day, I'd seen the same lesson twice already and had gotten my warm up in talking to students in smaller groups. When the last class came in I asked the teacher if she wanted my to take it.  She let me and I went for it.

Today, the first and second grade classes learned the j and g sounds.  Our practice words were; gemelos, girasol, jefe, and jirafa. I even learned something new about Spanish myself.  In Spanish, the letter g changes sounds depending on which vowel it is with.  When g is with an e or an i it makes the equivalent to the English h. However, when g is with a, o, and u it sounds like the English g. For example, gato, gomas, and gustar.

Hopefully, for her sake, our Spanish teacher can return to school on Wednesday without any back pain. I told her, however, if she's not I can manage the classes--just don't count on me being fully fluent by then :P

Semester 2

I've been back in the DR for just over a week after a wonderful Christmas break in the States. It was wonderful to be back in the States after nearly 7 months here in the DR. Here are a few of my highlights:
--seeing family: parents, brothers, sisters, cousins, aunts and uncles
--decorating my parents' house for Christmas
--2% Milk,
--seeing friends
--Thrifting with friends
--snow

Family: Goofing off with my new webcam

So glad there was snow for me to enjoy

A few lowlights are
--not getting to see certain friends
--not going downtown Chicago
--and not going ice skating
Those last two had been planned for weeks, but once I got to IL we quickly realized that the weather was just too cold for such a trip to be in enjoyable.

New Year's Eve with the friends I did get to see
and the one's I'd hoped to go to Chicago with.

Now that I'm back in the DR it's has been nice to start getting back into a routine (even though I miss getting to see my little brother everyday!)  Here's a few things I've enjoyed since getting back:
--a laptop, finally! It's so nice to have a real computer again after my broke last Spring. Writing this blog is sooo much easier and you get pictures now :)
--I have stuff--I hadn't exactly planned on living and working here when I packed in May.  While it was definitely worth going without some things last semester, it feels a bit more like real life to have my own personal things again. My pillow, bedding (I'm so thankful for this; it's much cooler here now), work clothes--teaching work, not messy work (I'd brought plenty of those for my internship), dishes, decorations, and more.  All stuff I didn't need or was provide for me during my internship.
--my roof.  I love love love my rooftop.  Its beautiful--great view looking down on the city, mountains all around. It's a great place for afternoon devos or chatting with friends while watching the stars.

View from my roof: Sun bursting through the clouds

Until next Tuesday!! PS--I didn't proofread this.

Christmasy Things

Hello Friends--

If you read my blog from last year, I mentioned that I've been covering for a 4th grade teacher who is sick. She's still too sick to be a school, but thankfully she's out of the hospital. That dengue stuff is no joke. Pray for her, she's been sick eight days now.  Well, tonight is the elementary Christmas program, so I am not only subbing during the school day but also I'm with 4th grade for tonight's performance. Students are to be back by 5:30 which didn't leave me enough time to go home and return after school.  I'm taking the extra time as an opportunity to get this blog written. It is Tuesday, after all; my blog day.  It's rather nice being able to type this on the desktop here at school with my 'Christmas Playlist' on YouTube playing in the background.  My iPad typing skills just aren't this fast yet; nor do I know how to multitask with it that way.

Its starting to feel a bit more Christmasy around here. Sunday my church had a special Christmas service and lunch afterwards. I always love a chance to experience a new part of this culture.  Rice, stemmed veggies, chicken, and pork aren't what I consider a typical Christmas dinner.  I didn't even have to ask what type of meat the pork was--the pig's head with the apple stuck in it were sitting front and center on the serving platter.  As a appetizer, while we were waiting for the food, we are grapes; something I haven't had for a very loooonnnnggg time.  Grapes and apples are typical Christmas foods here.  Since they are so expensive to buy in the DR these fruits are usually save for special occasions such as Christmas.

Last night my Bible study group went Christmas caroling around to homes of various staff members. It was such a fun time for all of us. Several times we had the Dominican neighbors of the staff member come out to listen to us.  At one point we even had two different strangers videoing/taking pictures of us. One staff member we visited sent out an email today thanking us and shared that a visiting, unsaved relative was impressed. What a fun way to be a testimony to the real meaning of Christmas.

I have 3 1/2 days before heading back to the States for Christmas.  It's really strange to think that I'm going to be back in the States.  I haven't been there since May!  What will it be like? Culture shock-maybe, cold-definitely.  Strange, confusing, welcoming, joyful--I don't really know.  Probably a bit of everything.  Can't wait to see everyone :)


Here's one last thing before I finish---the staff at school got together and planned a "What doe the fox say?" flashmob for the students.  You can check out the video here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deBRKsqmzOE.  I'm on the very end on right,  I'm cut out of the frame until towards the end when we start to circle up. 

Happy Tuesday and Feliz Navidad!!!

It's great. I love it! Part 2

So often I'm asked if  I like the DR or how my job is going. And while this title is true, I have a hard time explaining why I feel that way.  I love being here yet I can't really say any specific thing that I love. I just love the combination of everything. 

One day some students asked if I liked the food.  I eat most of it and it's good but I'm not crazy about it. At home, I just cook American foods that I like; but that could also be because that's what I know how to cook. Plus we have Dominican food every day for lunch at school. For all my adventure-ness and traveling I'm pretty content to stick with foods I know I like. I am kinda a picky eater.

I love being around Spanish. Hearing it and being able to speak it--even though I don't very often because tengo vergüenza (I'm shy).   I'm learning more little by little. I've found a church without other Americans and my friend is the only English speaker.  I'm looking forward to getting more connected next semester and using lots of Spanish.

I love, love, love singing worship songs in Spanish.  My roommates from last year were probably tired of Spanish worship because I played it so much. My church plays some songs I know in English, but many are of the Spanish songs are new to me. I love that. I feel like it gives me a chance to experience how Dominicans worship, rather than American worship in Spanish. Once while listening to Spanish worship a friend said, "I love this. It's so happy!" Another friend replied, "It makes me want to dance." Perfect summary right there.

I love teaching. Even though I'm a sub this year I am still able to do some of my own ideas and plans.  Last week our librarian was away for a training conference for a day.  For the kindergarten lesson she gave me the book but let me create the activity. I fully enjoyed finding a worksheet to go with it on Pinterest.  Then I adapted it to find the kindergarten level and amount of class time we had.  This week I was in fourth grade for most of the week (one of the teachers is sick).  This was such a great learning experience.  Surprisingly, I've never worked much with kids at this age level so everything was new to me. This was really my first experience with upper elementary kiddos. I have so much knowledge and experience with younger kiddos that it's pretty easy to make something up on the spot and go with it when I need to. This week with fourth grade was just so different. They don't like the same things younger kids do, they don't respond to things the way I expect. Every day got a little easier as I learned a little bit more about how to interact and teach this level.  If I have my own classroom I'd still want  lower elementary but I'm glad for this experience and the chance to learn something new.  Who knows? Maybe if I spend more time in fourth grade it will grow on me.

I love that it's 80 degrees out while friends back home are posting picture of 18 or 4 degree weather.  I just Skyped my family and they showed me a foot of snow out the front door.  I love that snow, but the cold, not sure how I'm gonna handle that when I get back next week. Brrrrr....

I love that I work at a school that makes it possible to live in the DR (I even get paid this time!) while helping those less materially blessed than us.  Last Saturday I helped carry concrete for a new floor at the home of one the school cleaning ladies.  Previously, she'd had a  dirt floor.  SCS was able to raise the money for the concrete through a Jean Day fundraiser. When I arrived four or so of her family members were working.  Several other staff members were also there to help out as they could.  My  legs were covered in concrete and my arms ached the next day but I loved serving were I could.  I've heard stories all week from different staff members sharing this lady's thankfulness and joy for her new floor.  She's the only believer in her family, but we pray this act of kindness will soften some hearts. 

I love so much about being here, being in this culture, but if I kept adding to this list I'd never post this blog.  Gracias por leer.  ¡¡Feliz Navidad!!

Tuesday, Blog Day!

Over a month ago, probably more like two, I scheduled for myself Tuesdays as blog writing days.  Since then I've written maybe one blog post.  Something always seems to come up: my roommates last week, out to dinner, shopping trip, or a Skype call.  The busyness (or the nothing-ness) of life gets in the way quickly. So before this makes yet another Tuesday without a blog post, I want to quickly write something. This isn't the '"It's great. I love it" Part 2' post I've been wanting to write, but I'm trying to make a habit.

Wisdom teeth and Thanksgiving.  Exciting, right?   Okay, maybe not so much.  This makes two years in a row that I've spent Thanksgiving in the DR.  Sunday night was the SCS potluck Thanksgiving dinner at the directors home.  Turkey, gravy, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, and apple crisp, plus tons more that didn't make it on my plate. We have these all staff get together once a quarter and I love that we all gather in a huge circle in the yard for a time of singing and worship.  After the food and the worship, I got to hold a teacher's newborn baby for at least thirty minutes while she caught up with another staff member. That made my night, I would have kept her longer if possible. :)

Wednesday was a half day at school with bunches of kiddos dressed up as Pilgrims and Indians.  After all the time I've spent in Latin countries and their camps/youth groups I shouldn't be surprised but how much they get into costumes and dressing up, but I still am. They always go all out.

Wednesday afternoon I headed to the dentist to have my wisdom teeth removed, all four. Oh, I wasn't put to sleep either; my headphones were my best friend. When I first meet with the dentist in planning this he told me it would only take 20 minutes. That seemed a bit fast to me. I timed he; he was done in 17.  Numbing shots and all that, excluded from 17.  My appointment was at 2pm and I was walking out by 3pm.  My family had a real fun time Skyping me that afternoon as I tried to figure out how to talk while all numb. I spent Thanksgiving day reading The Two Towers and watching the Macy's parade on TV. I was able to eat mashed potatoes for dinner still.  That's the nice part about Thanksgiving food; most if it is still edible on a soft food diet: mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce.  

Everything about this has gone great, even compared to what I've heard from people had heir teeth out in the States. I love having all this extra space in my month now, but my teeth are all very sensitive now as they're adjusting to take advantage of that space.  Other than that, I really don't have any pain.  I get my stitches out tomorrow :) 

If you're thinking about having your wisdom teeth out it's super cheap here, and the dental office is very clean, modern, and up to date. I've had no complications.  Unfortunately, your flight would be more expensive than the surgery.  

Hopefully, you'll see another blog post on each of the two Tuesdays before Christmas break.  And hopefully, I'll see YOU over break.  I'm coming back to the States just five days shy of a full seven months here. 

"It was great. I loved it!" Part 1

This past weekend I had the chance to return to Juan Dolio to visit with SCORE International and also visit Freedom International Ministries in San Pedro de Macoris.  On that trip I was frequently asked, "How's your school? How do you like Santiago?"  And when I returned I got, "How was your weekend?"

The continual questions made me realize I should have a better response than "It was great. I love it!" which had become my typical response to both questions.  

What was great about it?  Why do I love?  Those aren't easy  questions to answering.  Here's my best attempt to answer that without just giving you a boring outline of what I'm up to.  (Thursday I rode the bus. Friday I went to school. That night we had youth group.  That doesn't really tell you  much and it's definitely boring.) 

Visiting the Freedom school gave me a chance to see and participate in a ministry I've been watching grow since 2008.  My very first visit to Freedom was after my student teaching in December 2012.   It has been nearly a year since then and I enjoyed the chance to see all the precious kiddos again and meet new ones.  While waiting for school to start Friday morning,  I made it my goal to learn as many names as possible from the PK4 class.   Many of them were familiar from Freedom's frequent Facebook posts (alliteration unintended).  It made the rest of the morning so much easier since I was able to address nearly all the students by name.  I'm definitely going to take the time to do that when I sub in elementary classrooms from now on!  On Monday, I did the same with the K5 class. Once I'd finally gotten the  names of two or three kids straight I'd mix them up on purpose.  That joke was a guaranteed burst of laugher, no matter how many times I pulled it.  :D I suppose if I wasn't a teacher, just sitting at a school for half a morning could get really boring, but I loved it. I'd ask students "Do we start making letters at the top or bottom of the line?" I'd show them how to turn their notebooks right side up--more than one of them were tracing letters with their books upside down!  I helped with centers, puzzle building (hey, when you're 4 its hard work to put those foam pieces together and even harder to be okay with connecting your pieces to some one else's),  read a story, and practiced the months of the year. One girl claimed me as soon as she got on the bus Friday morning and ran straight to me when she saw me on Monday. So precious!  I'd have to check my pictures from last year but I think she might have been with me then as well.

One of the things I love about my visits to Freedom is seeing what it would be like to live in San Pedro and work for that ministry.  Ever since high school, that possibility has been in my mind. Friday after school, I had a chance  to stop by Freedom's land and see how their building project is coming along.  It's just a skeleton of a building right now.  Digging through coral to pour the footers is slow going. They just recently poured the first few columns  for the walls which really gives some shape to the building.  One cool fact I learned is that Freedom modeled it's building off Santiago Christian School's layout; that made it really easy to 'see' what the finished building will look like. I  even got a few pictures of myself in what might be my future classroom.  If that happens those pictures will definitely be hanging on my classroom walls. :) (Before anyone asks, this is just a someday idea.  I'm still planning on being at SCS for at least these three years.)

The other half of my weekend was filled with a visit to SCORE.  This gave me the chance to see friends from this summer and hear how the different ministries and people I worked with have been doing since I left.  I spent Friday and Saturday night with my friend Sarah and her husband Robersy.  We managed to pack so much adventure, fun, ministry, and laughter into two days.  I started off Friday evening with a short visit to see my Lily House kids.  Most of them were gone because of school, but I was able to see one of my special girls, a 4 year old with Cerebral Palsy.  I loved visiting her this summer, talking to her, and giving her a chance to get some exercise (she can't walk or even sit up on her own so she's in her wheelchair much of the day). Resources for special needs individuals are almost no existent in this country.  It's my dream and prayer that some how she could receive physical therapy daily for an extended period of time.  As I was holding this special girl on Friday, her 5th grade sister walks in from school.  The instant she sees me she yells, "Kelsey!!" and came over for a hug. It meant so much to me that she remembered me and my name despite the hundreds of Americans she must have meet over this summer and since.  Sometimes I wonder how these kids handle the constant wave of visitors.  

Friday night it poured just before youth group turning the dirt road between SCORE and the church into sticky, yucky mud.  I think  I had about 5 pounds of mud on each shoe by the end of the night! The rain meant youth group attendance was low, but that gave us the opportunity break into small groups with the students for a few minutes.   Sarah had a women's mission team  she was translating for this week so I joined them for Saturday and Sunday morning. A huge blessing from this was being with the group when one of the ladies from Lily House shared her testimony.  I'd known this lady all summer and never heard her story.  Honestly, it's a horrible story.  She's been through things I can't even imagine.  Yet, I see her healing revealed in her ability to share now when she didn't this summer.   Later on, I went with the group to put up flyers advertising the opening of the Lily House businesses, Leche y Miel Plaza, to the public.  I loved being a part of that and seeing these business grow beyond customers from visiting mission teams. I'm not a business major but to me it seems that this salon/spa, gift shop, and bakery will be much more sustainable as public business. On top of that, I made a contact with one of the ladies from the mission team about creating a website for Leche y Miel for tourists and vacationers, a goal Erica and I had talked about way back in August. 

Saturday afternoon Sarah and I took their truck to a Dominican car wash to get all the mud from Friday night off and surprise Robersy.  It's always a fun adventure to have a new cultural experience--this definitely wasn't what you'd get in American.  After that Sarah and I got to crash guys night with Robersy and the only 3 male intern/GAP student/MK around SCORE.  We headed up to the Capital for a movie and dinner afterwards.  It was so much fun to just hang out with a friend and be on my own (no internship director to get permission from).  It really did make the DR seem so much less like a foreign country and make working here seem more like real life.  This isn't just a temporary 3 month visit; somehow visiting a friend in another city on the weekend and going to a movie made that more real.  

Sunday morning the women's team, Sarah, and I when to Pasitos de Jesus to give the girls a Sunday School type program. Once again I was blessed and surprised by the number of girls that remembered me.  What a joy it was to see those girls again, hug them, hear them sing, and take pictures with them! Sunday afternoon Sarah and I spent a couple hours wandering around the shops and beach near her apartment just talking, laughing,  and catching up.  

This has gotten so long already and I didn't even get around to answering the "How's your school? How do you like Santiago?" questions. That's gonna be Part 2, so keep an eye out for it :)

Huelga Day=Jarabacoa Visit

Preface Uno:  Last year I student taught 1st grade at a school in Jarabacoa.  I've wanted to go back to visit Jarabacoa since the day I knew I was returning to the DR (even when that was just Juan Dolio for the summer). My job at SCS moved me to Santiago, about an hour from Jarabacoa.  Since then, I'd been hoping for a chance to visit Jarabacoa when my students were in school. Visiting during the school day is really the only way to see nearly all my students. Unfortunately, I quickly realized, that would be nearly impossible since all my days off are the same holidays that school would have off. It was looking like my only option would be to take a personal day.

Preface Dos: Huelga! I experienced a strike at the Nicaraguan/Costa Rican boarder about 5 years ago.  Truckers blocked the road for miles with their semis seeking easier conditions since they cross the boarder so frequently. They stopped traffic for about 8 or so hours. We just waited and waited and waited until finally they allowed traffic to pass.  The strike last week stopped traffic again, but by different means and for different purpose.  The neighborhood near my school would like the government to fix the road that leads to it. That also happens to be the same road my school is on.

Monday morning I arrive at school like any other Monday--excited for staff worship. Riding to school I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary that would make me suspect anything. (Well, I did see a SWAT truck but that looks just like the National Police except black instead of camo. A little different but it didn't seem like something that would end up affecting me.)  I get to staff worship and that's when I first here of the strike. The community is blocking off the road with rocks and lighting tires on fire. About 5 minutes later we're informed school is officially canceled and to head home before the road is completely impassible. 

I'm back home before 8:30am. I'm sitting on Facebook (because what else is there to do on a Huelga Day than post a status about it?) when suddenly it dawns on me--this is the day I've been waiting for. I'm off work but there no reason why JCS (my school in Jarabacoa) wouldn't be open. I think it over for a few minutes and quickly realize this would be one of those things I'd regret if I didn't go for it. I ask one of my house mates (apartment mate, suitemate?), she's in and we leave about 20 mintues later. Both if us like to have a plan and know all the details; this had spontaneous written all over it.  But worse case scenario we can't visit at the school so we have a few hours to hangout around town. It was a win-win situation. Having lived inn Jarabacoa for 3  1/2 months, I'm plenty familiar with town to wander around for a while (and there's always Yogen Fruz for backup).

Turns out we didn't need any of those Plan B's.  We got our buses, got into town, and walked to school without any problems. We stopped by the office and I'm able to head straight to the 2nd grade classes.  I poke my head in both classes and ask the teacher it they have some free time for me to visit with the students.  Both teachers agreed and give me a time to come back.  I visit with some of the other teacher while I wait.  The first class only had about five minutes for a break,  but  that was enough time to take a few pictures.  This only had three or so of my students from last year.  The other 2nd grade class, which  is almost my entire class from last year, had a 30 minutes afternoon recess. 

One of my favorite things last year was recess duty days (weird, I know).  I loved having a few minutes to just play with the kids-run around, soccer, whatever.  That's exactly what I got to do on this visit for their whole recess--lots of running, tag, and races.  Of course, that was with my camera in hand the whole time.  Each time I tried to take a picture, EVERY girl tries to be in it.  It's crazy how quickly they all notice the camera when it seems like most of them aren't even paying attention to me at that moment.  There were so many wonderful things I got to do and experience.  This was all more that I could have ever thought possible the day I left Jarabacoa last year.  Back then, I didn't even know the  next time I'd be in this country.  Here's some of those super special moments.

1.  My 'little mouse' student running up to give me a hug every other minute. I remember last year her tiny, little whisper and cuteness that resembled an adorable little mouse or 'ratoncita'. 

2. They Speak English!!  My goodness, I was blown away by how much English they've learned since I left.  Students who never spoke in English to me last  year were able to do so without a second though! I'm so proud of them :)

3. My special needs student--Last year I had a student with some type of Autism Spectrum Disorder,  possibly Aspergers. He quickly became so dear to me. I loved seeing his face light up after accomplishing a typical easy task.  He would have this look of pure amazement, as if he was genuinely surprised at his ability.  Without a special ed department, however, there was also good deal of challenges. Hitting other students, leaving class, refusing to come to class after recess, refusing to do class work, and the list could go on.  He lives with his grandma and I don't think she had any idea what ASDs are.  I left student teaching without any hope of him getting the help he needs.  Pretty discouraging and heart breaking.    During my visit last week, I was able to talk with both his classroom  teacher and his grandmother.   The situation has improved  beyond what I could have hoped for.  His classroom teacher said he is doing much better with his behavior in school.  Talking with his grandmother was almost like talking to a completely different person than last year.  The harsh "he's a brat' attitude is gone. She says she knows he has special needs and she's  working together with his classroom teacher and the school psychologist. (Last year the psychologist left part way through my student  teaching.) I'm overjoyed to hear that he's getting support, especially in a county where special education programs are nearly non-existant. 

4.  I Speak Spanish!!  I left this visit shocked by how many people I had spoken to in Spanish. I just saw them and started a conversation without even thinking about.  Many of those conversations where with people I almost never talked to last year, because I didn't speak nearly as  much Spanish then and they don't speak English.  It's so easy to look at how much I still have to  learn and get discouraged.  When your in the same places, it can be hard to realize the progress that's being made.  It was incredibly encouraging to me to be able to have such tangible (if it's possible to consider language  tangible) proof of  the progress I've made in my Spanish since returning to the DR in May.   :D

5.  Timing.  God's timing truly is perfect.  Especially in the ways it worked out for me to see so many people, things that I never would have been able to plan for.  Teachers from last who have  moved on to other jobs that I just happened to run into.  The ONE student that was absent just happened  to be playing outside his house when we just happened to walked by.  All those 'just happened's are really God's perfect timing. 

Have I mentioned I'm feeling blessed?  This story is just one of the many, many blessings since I took this job at SCS.  Thank you, Jesus!!