Mail me!

Here in the DR, I am actually able to receive mail. We get mail delivered here from the US every 2 weeks. A missions organization called Missionary Flights International delivers mail here from their base in Florida. Any mail sent to me would be sent to Florida and then delivered by plane to the DR.

I would love to hear from you. Letters and cards only require a regular, first class, US stamp. Packages can be sent to Florida via the post office, FedEx, UPS, etc. However, I would like to ask anyone sending packages to include $1.50 per pound (personal check is preferred) to help cover the costs to send it from Florida to the DR (which I have to pay in order to receive it). (Please remove items from their boxes or packages before shipping.)

The address is:

Jyll Schenault
Doulos Discovery School
Unit 3017 - DDSDR
3170 Airmans Drive
Ft. Pierce, FL 34946

I hope to hear from you soon!!

Some pics of Doulos

I know I haven't been posting any pics from the DR. Sorry about that. Here are a few pics from the school and a pic of the cemetery in town. They don't bury people underground and people are only buried for a short time. They have to rent the space for so many years and then vacate it for someone else to rent. I believe the bodies are then cremated.

Anyway, I will try to post more pics as I take them. You can also sign up to recieve my picture of the week email, which will have pics that are not posted on this blog. If you would like to sign up, just send me an email at jyllschenault@yahoo.com or jyll@schenault.com or leave me a message here.

This is the 5th grade class that I have been working with. Sometimes they are sweethearts and sometimes they are little devils, but I like them!

Things I've learned...

I have been in the DR for over 2 weeks now. There are several things I have learned during these two weeks.

• The electricity is not very stable. Frequently, the power goes out for no reason whatsoever and stays off for 5 minutes or 5 hours. The water does the same thing.
• Holidays are movable. A holiday that falls on a day in the middle of the week has a good chance of being moved to a Monday or a Friday in order to have a long weekend.
• A man named Duarte was the one who liberated the country and is considered the national hero. He is bigger here than Washington is in the USA. Lots of things are named after him. His holiday, Duarte Day, is January 26. This year, it was moved to January 25 so that there could be a long weekend.
• The primary mode of transportation here is motorcycle. There are more motos here than cars. They even use motos as taxis. After motos, the primary way to get from place to place is walking.
• Gas is expensive here. It is currently about $5 per gallon.
• Many things here are measured in English measurements- pounds, gallons, etc. However, some things are measured in the metric system- kilometers, etc. Good luck figuring out what is measured with which.
• Prices of items in a grocery store are similar to prices in the USA and some things are cheaper. Imported items from the USA tend to be more, but they are still WAY CHEAPER than prices in Venezuela.
• There is a prejudice in the DR against Haitians. Many Dominicans do not like Haitians and consider them to be a lower class of people. However, since the earthquake, many Dominicans have shown a desire to help Haiti with needed supplies and materials.
• The Spanish here is slightly different than the Spanish I learned. Some basic words (vocabulary) are different. For example, passion fruit in Venezuela is called parchita and in the DR is called chinola. At times, I struggle to understand Dominican Spanish.

First hugs

I officially began working on Tuesday, starting with the 5th grade class. When I started there, the kids were a little nervous (I think). The teacher, Ciara, said they were really well-behaved on Tuesday and Wednesday- more so than usual. Well, yesterday and today, they have begun showing their true colors. They are now used to me. They are also starting to like me.

Yesterday, I got my first hugs from the kids. Many of the girls (and a few of the boys) came up to give me hugs yesterday and today. I really like to see that they are no longer nervous with me being there and are responding to me in the same way they respond to Ciara and other teachers that they have.

Today, I also met the mom of one of the students and she has invited me to come out to her house. I told her I am not sure when I can (since I am still not living in town- but up in the mountains), but that I would love to go to her house for a visit. I will keep you updated when this actually happens.

Because I'm just so sweet...

AAAHHHHH!!! I am so itchy. The mosquitos here love me. My feet and legs are all bitten up. It doesn't matter if I am wearing long pants- they bite right through. My feet are the worse. There are several bites on each foot. Why do they like me so much?? I guess it's just because I'm so sweet!

Earthquake in Haiti

As you probably already know, there was a major earthquake in Haiti yesterday- just outside the capital city of Port au Prince- which registered at a 7.0 in magnitude. Here in the Dominican Republic, we were able to feel the earthquake. I was out to dinner with my host family when the quake struck. The ground began shaking slowly, then picked up in intensity. We immediately got out from under the wooden structure, out into the open, where we watched the ceiling fans and lights sway back and forth. The shaking lasted for about a minute. There was no damage in our area and everyone here (including me) is safe, but the devistation in Haiti is enormous. Please keep them in your prayers.

Let the work begin!

I have officially begun working! I have been observing and working with the students in the 5th grade classroom. Of the 18 students in this class, I am monitoring 7 of them for various thing- ADD, ADHD, Learning Disabilities, Language difficulties, and even one possible Asperger's Syndrome.

The kids seem to like me so far and Ciara, the 5th grade teacher, loves having me in her classroom.

I now also have a desk in the Administrative Office of the school. I have been told that I am not a full time teacher, but a part time teacher and part time administrator. Not only will I be in the classroom working with the children, but I will also be developing the entire program and getting everything in writing for the ACSI Accreditation process.

There is a lot to do. I have only been working now for 2 days and I already feel behind in my work.

Orientation

On Monday, I had my official orientation as a new staff member of Doulos Discovery School. This orientation lasted all day and thoroughly discussed every aspect of the school and everything I needed to know before working. I also got a campus tour and even a little insight on some of the future development of the school. I still have not yet seen where I will be located on campus (they aren’t exactly sure yet), but I should be able to get into the classroom tomorrow. I will begin with observations and working with the 5th grade class. Ciara, the 5th grade teacher, is excited that I will be working with her class first. I was also asked by the first grade teacher if I could check on a student of hers, who seems to be behind the rest of the students in her class.

Besides working with the students, I will be developing the special education program with proper documentation for the accreditation process that the school is working on.
I haven’t officially started working yet, and I already have quite a bit of work to do.

Iglesia Comunidad La Vid

Here in the DR, if you are Christian that is not Catholic, then you are considered Evangelico. And if you attend a church that is not Catholic, then it is most likely charismatic in nature. There are varying degrees or levels of charismatic behavior in the churches. Iglesia La Vid is not overly charismatic, but it still has that level of energy that allows you to know that you are definitely in Latin America.

It is a small church- less than 100 people. Services are outside, on a covered patio. The children (there were quite a few) remained in the service through the worship time and then left to go to their classes just before preaching began. Everything was in Spanish, but the sermon was translated into English due to several people in attendance not knowing Spanish. Service lasted for about 2 hours, but it did not feel very long. Overall, it was a wonderful time of worship and hearing from the Word with my new neighbors.

Saturday Night Bingo

Saturday evening, I accompanied my host family on a visit to their neighbor’s house. These neighbors live in the capital city of Santo Domingo and have a vacation home here in Jarabacoa. They come out for the weekends.

At this home were the 2 gentlemen who own it, along with several members of their family, all older- mostly women. We were given some hot tea that they were brewing and after sitting to talk for a while, we were invited to play Bingo with them. When we sat down to play, we were informed that they were playing for money. One of the men paid our poker chips- 10 pesos per chip, 10 chips total.

These ladies were very serious about this game. They wanted to make sure that everyone paid for their games and the chips were carefully counted at the start of each game. They also wanted to make sure that nobody was cheating. Every number had to be checked when someone called Bingo.

In the middle of the game, we lost power for about 5 minutes, but this did not stop them from playing. They just brought out candles and kept going.

We played with them for about an hour and a half before calling it a night and heading back home. What an interesting neighborhood visit we had.