MLK's original speech

So I taught my kids about Martin Luther King, and for their homework I asked them to finish the sentence "I have a dream that...". I told them to think BIG! Think of their dream for the WORLD, for EVERYBODY. I told them not to write "I have a dream that I will eat chocolate ice cream". After I explained it I asked, "Do you understand?" and they said "Yeeeeessss"

"I have a dream that the Jonas Brothers come to my school and give a concert"
"I have a dream that the milk talk"

No they did NOT understand!

The other day I went to my first hastily put up carnival in the DR and it actually turned out quite well (I'm alive for one)! The price was discounted 1/2, and that sort of bad business started the worrying. There were maybe 15-20 rides, and about half of them were closed because they weren't working. Bad sign #2. And some of the fun houses that were open should've been closed . If the most you can offer me is 3 uneven steps + 1 fat mirror, then you're too lame to be open. And a slide you can't slide on, even after greasing it up with bug spray before sending me down? Come on now. Considering the fact that safety didn't really seem to be a big priority at this place, I'm happy with my experience (and for making it out in 1 piece)!

Then I got to try paintball for the first time! Boy that game is intense. My favorite part was in the first 3 minutes of the game, when a rush of bravery compelled me to run and slide behind an obstacle, thus causing me to drop 150/200 of my paintballs. Awesome

Super Bowl Sunday coming up! I am looking forward to some high quality US commercials. (It's been too long!) :D

Hope all is well! Miss you! (Yes, you!)

January brings holidays!

Though I was worried a bit that January would be rough, after having just spent 2 1/2 glorious weeks soaking up the sun and doing nothing but reading and relaxing, I needn't have been concerned. This month we have a couple holidays and yesterday we took advantage of the time off to go white water rafting in nearby mountain town Jarabacoa!
We got there early and stuffed ourselves with some good ol' Dominican mangu (smashed plantains) before wetsuiting up to brave the rapids. Our group was 10 strong, so we split into 2 boats. The first part was Class III rapids, and definitely came with its share of terrors. I was personally not a fan of the part where I fell out of the boat and bruised my body tumbling over pointy rocks, though I guess I should count myself lucky that I wasn't in the other boat that went headfirst into a cliff wall. Good times good times
It's the only place in the country where you can white water raft, and the river wound in and out of green scenic rolling mountains and sleepy barrios. Quite picturesque when you weren't cringing at the trash littered all along the side. The adventure company supplied you with (somewhat ill-fitting) helmets and life vests-about the safest I've ever felt down here in the DR! True our guides didn't speak much English aside from "Get down get down!" but that's really all you need to know, right??

My teacher assistant's birthday was last Friday and for that I had the class throw a little "surprise" celebration for her (though since I let both classes do it the emphasis was less on the "surprise" part for the 2nd group in the afternoon). We had confetti and kazoos and a princess crown ready for her to wear. Judging by their level of excitement and lack of attention span the rest of the day, I would venture a guess that it was the first time any of them had ever seen confetti. They seemed to really like rolling around on the floor in it. Cheap entertainment

My favorite student journal entry so far this year:
"What are you going to do this weekend?"
I gif Teacher Lesa uf cis.

Another holiday coming up on Monday...working 4 days off 3? Really not such a bad life :)

Conquering 27 fears

Today I went with a group of friends to overcome my butterflies about 27 Charcos (Waterfalls). Unfortunately it was raining so it wasn't as picturesque as it maybe could be, but even still it was so awesome!

Essentially it's this natural awe located more or less in the mountains. It's 27 consecutive waterfalls (though for some that word is a stretch in my opinion) and you climb up all 27 and then jump down all 27, and the adventure takes about 2-3 hours depending on the size and fear level of the people in your group. Now first I should make this known. I do not like heights. Not in the least. Sure I don't mind them when I'm safely strapped in or surrounded by secure walls, but free falling is not my thing. AND YET I DID IT! I hardly slept at all the night before because I was so terrified, but I lived to write about the tale!

A knowledgeable guide takes you up the waterfalls, showing you where and how to get up. A lot of times they end up pulling you up through cascading water or dragging you by the lifevest (you get a helmet too! about the safest you can get in the DR!) and it's absolutely ridiculous how strong they are. And how crazy they are too! They do it all without lifevests or helmets, jumping from even higher points and doing fancy dives just to show-off. Some waterfalls you jump, some you slide down. Only 2 of them are pretty intimidating heights, but luckily my friends were awesome and didn't express even the slightest annoyance when they had to wait for me to get up the courage.
You can get pretty banged up on those rocks, and it's certainly a hiking work out climbing up and over everything. But definitely well worth it, and I was so proud of myself for taking the plunge (literally!) and just going for it, even when my brain was not the least bit sure that was a good idea. (And in a way I didn't have a choice, because after you've gone all the way up the only way to go down is to jump!)

The day ended with me being able to cross one more thing off my "to do" list for the DR: banana boating! (Note: me and my friends not pictured) Definitely as fun as it looks



2009 is starting off oh so great! :D

Sextons in the DR

Now that things are back and are settling back into full swing again, I finally found some time to catch you all up! And I know you're been clamoring for more

Christmas break was fantastic, if not solely because I got to see my family! :D
I was able to show my sister a little bit around Santiago, after which she was well informed and able to give my parents the full report of life around here. We took a day trip to go horseback riding, and while she enjoyed it I have found out that horses and I only agree when BOTH of us have our feet planted firmly on the ground. I misinterpreted the set-up for the outing and we were stuck with all our bags, thus lading down the horses with so much stuff they were starting to tilt. So naturally I wasn't thrilled when I discovered my horse liked to gallop. Especially since he seemed to have no awareness of the fact that low-hanging branches affected me more than they did him. Flash to me getting a mouth full of leaves after going full canter through a forest path (all the while trying to control the bouncing around of the suitcases). Exhausting physically and mentally

Then with the whole gang down to Bayahibe for a week at an all-inclusive. If you ever get a chance to stay at an all-inclusive, DO IT. The food was amazing food-5 star dishes every night. We were lucky and got to try all 4 of the hotel restaurants-Mexican, Japanese, a Steak House, and Gourmet. The wait staff was so attentive and helpful, even when the language barrier was painfully obvious. But a lot of the people at the resort could speak at least a bit in 4 languages (Spanish, English, German, and French) because it was such an international place-popular with the Europeans. The activities staff was more energetic than I would've thought coming from people who work 16 hour days. Salsa, bachata, and merengue lessons; ocean aerobics; morning strolls; Step classes; and everybody's favorite: Bingo! We got to try snorkeling (always fun until you get sick from downing too much salt water) and scuba diving (free 'bottom of the pool' adventures to get a taste for it) and were lucky enough to attend a baseball game nearby. And since baseball games down here are nothing like those in the states (a little more...rowdy you could say!?) I think it was a great way of showing my family a taste of the Dominican culture.

It did certainly felt weird being out of the States for Christmas though. Even though crazy NC weather means I've already experienced a couple 70 degree Christmases, it still didn't seem quite the same down here. But the hotel did a good job of making it feel like the holidays, with lights strung around the palm trees lining the walk ways and a Christmas tree and a manger scene. And the stockings my parents brought down made it all that much sweeter!

I guess this past Christmas was more a reminder than anything, of what it's all about. Family and love and support and closeness. And even though there are always plenty of family tiffs that plague any extended vacation, I wouldn't have traded it for anything. Thanks Mom, Dad, and Dianne, for making the trek down here and spending Christmas with me. I already miss you all :)