First trip around town

On Saturday, we went into town to go grocery shopping. We left the car in front of the grocery store and walked around town to go to the fruit market, then the vegetable market, then returned to the grocery store before stopping at the meat market. A lot can be learned about a culture and a society by visiting the local markets.

On our way to the fruit market, we stopped and got some ice cream. 2 cups of ice cream and 1 large slushy cost a total of $ 100 (100 pesos- yes, they use the $ to indicate pesos, but RD$ 36 = US$ 1) making our ice cream stop less than 3 dollars for all three of us. Not too bad.

In the vegetable market, we were not allowed to choose our own produce. We told the worker what we wanted and he got it for us. After carrying all of our fruits and veggies back to the car, we went to the grocery store.

The store was small, but had a lot of products. Many products were items typically found in the United States. I had a lot of fun looking at the prices. Prices were a lot cheaper than they were in Venezuela. I was able to find things like Macaroni & Cheese (US $1), pancake mix (less than US $2 for a box), and even lactose free milk (less than US $2). While I have not yet had to go shopping on my own, this helped me a lot to figure out how I can go shopping and how much it will cost when I do begin.

Accreditation committees

Today was an in-service workshop for all staff members. Classes do not begin until Monday. Part of the workshop today was the formation of committees for the development of the plan for getting the school accredited with the Association of Christian Schools International. This is going to be a long process. I am on the committee that involves student services- particularly for those with special needs. This is going to be a long process. If anyone has any experience working with obtaining accreditation, please let me know!

Staff Mini-Retreat

Today (Thursday) we had a mini-retreat for all the staff that is in town. A few people are still returning from the United States, but most of the staff came. This was my first opportunity to meet the people with whom I will be working over the next several months. It was a bit overwhelming trying to meet and remember names of so many people.
The retreat took place at the house where I am staying. Everyone arrived at the same time in 2 taxi vans. We began with a time of worship and hearing a message from The Word. We then had a time of personal reflection and time alone with God. Everyone was instructed to go outside and walk through the steps of this reflection in the stillness and silence of the hills and mountains around the house. Thankfully, the rain subsided in time for this and then began again right after lunch.
After lunch, we had a time of fellowship and games. This was a great time to get to know some people. I will hopefully meet the rest of the staff tomorrow.

Can't see the mountains...

I woke up today to a blanket of dense fog covering the mountains and the valley. I can only see about 100 feet out in either direction. It gives the feel of a mystery novel- not quite knowing what is out there. I love it.

Evenings in Jarabacoa

Evenings and early mornings can get a little chilly. The temperature got down to about 50ºF last night. Now I know what those of you in the heart of winter are thinking…. I WISH we had 50ºF right now. The thing with it getting to 50º is that if it is 50 outside, it is also 50º inside. There is actually one room of the house that an outside room- it has bars but no screens or windows. This room is connected directly to the house with no way of closing it off. So, whatever the temperature is like outside, it is like that inside as well. Who would have thought that my sweatshirt would become a necessity in the tropics???

First look at Doulos

I had my first look at Doulos Discovery School. It was amazing seeing the buildings and school grounds in person- the ones I had only seen in pictures before. I did not get to see the whole school yet- just a glimpse. However, I am looking forward to seeing the rest, meeting the staff, and seeing the kids.

Picture of the Week

For all of you who want to get an even better look as to what I am seeing while here in the DR, I will be starting a Picture of the Week emailing. Every week, I will email out a picture taken that week and an explanation or the story behind that picture, as well as an update about what is happening here in Jarabacoa. These pictures WILL NOT APPEAR ON THIS BLOG. They will be exclusively for those on the mailing list. If you would like to receive the Picture of the Week each week, please leave me a message with your email address or email me at jyll@schenault.com or jyllschenault@yahoo.com.

Travel and arrival

The long wait is finally over. I have arrived in the Dominican Republic. My travelling went very well. All flights were on time, except for the last one, which was delayed due to a broken headlight. During my time in the airport, God teamed me up with a new friend. Her name is Kathy.

Kathy is from Ohio. She was on the flight from Cleveland before my flight, traveling to Chicago just like me. I met her while boarding the plane in Chicago. She is a full time missionary in Bolivia. We spent the layover in Miami talking and getting to know each other.

She is from Ohio and is supported by Parkside Church. She knows several people from Hudson Community Chapel. She also knows a few people who are teaching at Doulos- the school I’m working with here in the DR. She has been in Bolivia for the past 8 years in the same location that some friends of mine in Oklahoma go to a few times each year.

What are the “chances” that this was just “coincidence”? Highly unlikely. God is great! He put us together for a reason. I plan on keeping in touch with her and we hope to get together again in Ohio this summer.

I arrived in the DR and was picked up by Krista- the director of Doulos Discovery School. I am staying with her and her family until my housing situation is arranged. She has a beautiful house. She lives away from town in a very secluded area. It is quiet and peaceful here. Mango trees and citrus trees are dotted around the property. Palm trees rustling in the breeze. What a place to live!

A funny thing happened on the way to the airport…

Well, it was time to go to the airport. The massive amounts of snow were not going to stop me. My sister and Dad drove me to the airport. God gave us a break from the snow overnight, so the roads were not too bad. However, a rain/sleet/snow mixture was falling in the morning. We scraped the ice off the car windows, went slow, and made it just fine. Almost.

On the way there, the driver’s side windshield wiper picked up some ice and was not cleaning the windshield. Not a good thing when driving 50mph on the freeway. My sister rolled down her window to try to knock the ice off the wiper. She grabbed the wiper in mid wipe and all of a sudden, the wiper flew off the car, out of her hand, and went bouncing down the highway! She just stared in shock. We couldn’t believe that just happened. What do we do now? Dirty window. No wiper. On the highway.

We got off the highway and pulled into a parking lot, where she took off the passenger wiper and tried to attach it to the driver’s side wiper. No luck. However, we were only a few exits from the airport. After cleaning off the windshield with a glove, we were back in the car and back on the highway. It started to get bad again just as we arrived at the airport.

We arrived at the airport on time. Actually, with time to spare- since there were no crowds there. There was no line to check in and only a few people in line for security. Where were all the people? I’m not sure. Checking in took 1 minute and security screening took 3 minutes. After more goodbyes to my family, I am off on another adventure with Christ!

Attempting to Escape

Well, the time has finally come. I leave tomorrow for the DR. Maybe.

We have had intense snowfall for the past several days. The roads are treacherous- highways are as bad as side streets. The snow just keeps coming- with no signs of stopping.

It will be really nice to escape the snow and head to the Caribbean. However, I have to be able to make it to the airport and fly out of Cleveland. I trust that God will keep me safe and that I will arrive in the DR in his perfect timing.