A Typical Day

Many people have asked me what my daily life it like here, so I thought I'd post about the more normal things I'm doing.

I wake up, get ready for the day, grab some breakfast, pack my class supplies, and wait for my motoconcho (motorcycle taxi) friend, Miguel, to come and get me 3 days a week to go to Centro Buen Pastor.  On Tuesdays and Thursdays I go with Sister Jean Gabriel in the car driven by her chauffeur, Julio.  On Monday, I have morning study hall, on Tuesday and Thursday there is Mass followed by study hall, and on Wednesday and Friday I teach 45 min of English to each 3rd grade and 4th grade before study hall.  Around noon, Miguel picks me up, or I get in the car with Sister  and we go back to the convent for lunch. Nidia, the convent housekeeper, makes lunch for us every day.  Usually there are rice, beans, salad, pineapple or papaya, and chicken or another meat.  Sometimes she makes plantains or meatballs or other yummy food.  She made us sweet beans that are eaten as dessert a few times and they are delicious!  I am very spoiled with her cooking.

The Sisters' Car

Julio and his son in the car

After lunch, I head back out to Centro Buen Pastor.  Miguel picks me up again and I have afternoon study hall class followed by English class with the junior high and high school students who signed up to take my class.  After that, I hang around with my friends at the Center.  We do our nails, play basketball, go online in the computer lab, and just generally enjoy spending time together.  When afternoon school gets out, the younger kids from church who know me rush over to visit with me for a bit before they walk back home with their older siblings who wait to meet them after my class.

Drying our nails under a fan

After that, Miguel picks me up again, and we generally go visiting other people, go to the grocery store if anything is needed at the convent, or go down to the water front.  Sometimes, we visit his neighbor who is learning English and likes to talk to me for practice.  We usually end up stopping for ice cream about once a week.  He then drives me back to the convent to grab a bite for dinner (leftovers from lunch or a sandwich), watch some TV, usually CNN International with Sister Jean Gabriel, and/or go on my computer for awhile before reading and tucking myself under the mosquito netting into bed.

How I Get Around!

Really, it is all pretty normal.  The difference isn't what I'm doing as much as it is what is going on around me.  Commuting to school is very normal, but riding on the back of a motorcycle while maneuvering through the labyrinth of dirt roads (or sometimes paths), pot holes, puddles, rocks, construction debris, stray dogs, kids in the street, pigs, chickens, and a random cactus that got stuck in the spokes yesterday is not.  The houses I visit are either block cement and concrete one-story homes with bright colored walls or older shacks of wood and sheet metal with concrete floors.  The people have little, but I am always offered the most comfortable chair, usually out on a porch or next to a fan, and they are quick to offer water and food.  I've had some yummy fruit off the trees of my friends' backyards (I always peel it to avoid getting sick) and its nice to just sit and chat.  Sitting and visiting has been fabulous for my Spanish.  I can understand almost everything now, and my vocabulary is growing daily. I'm usually still nervous to speak with new people, but I'm getting very good at conversing with my friends.  I've also learned useful skills like how to repair a flip flop with some kite string and a long needle.  Nothing is wasted here.  Things are reused, repaired, and recycled so that they can still be used.

There are somethings that I have not liked.  When walking around, everyone throws their trash on the ground.  If you buy a candy, the wrapper just gets dropped, if you buy a drink in a bottle or cup, the empty container ends up in the gutter.  They look at me like I'm a complete pain when I ask if we can try to find a trash can (which is always impossible) or I stuff trash into my bag to throw away later.  It is something I don't think I will be able to get used to, but I also don't know how I can make my friends change this habit.

Overall, I'm comfortable with my daily routine.  On the weekends, Saturday is a free day which can mean the beach or other fun outings or just hanging around at the convent.  Sunday I go to church, sometimes both San Esteban at 9:30 am and Centro Buen Pastor at 4:00 pm.  In between, I visit or get things done and Sunday night is low key.  My friends and I have talked about going to the movies in La Romana one Saturday and the youth group at Centro Buen Pastor wants me to help them coordinate a food sale at church one week.

Let me know if you have any questions or if there is anything you guys want to see pictures of!

Dios les bendiga.

~ Tina