I've been back in the Dominican Republic for almost a month. I was ready to be back where I could soak up the sun and not shiver from the cold temperatures (I did love visiting the states though!). The second day I was home, I went to see these beautiful Christmas light displays at the monument. There were so many lights that I didn't know where to look first. There were short juggling/acrobatic acts that we saw, as well as a parade with beautifully decorated floats. It was a very memorable night (and I got my fill of Christmas lights for the year).

The following day I started helping our dear neighbor, Darlene, clean everything from her apartment after she had bad fire/smoke damage in her apartment shortly after Christmas. It was quite hard to return and see, in person, the loss she was trying to deal with. But God was so faithful through the whole process and she was able to save more than originally thought. We spent hours washing and rewashing everything that was blackened with smoke. We sorted and repacked things to go to Cien Fuegos (her church) to be stored or to our apartment for safe keeping. Many of her friends rallied together to help her through this process.

A few days after arriving back home, school started back up. It was so nice to see my students after a long break and hear their adventures. I think many of them, along with me, were ready for the school routine again.

When I was back in the states, my doctor put me on a new medication for the frequent migraines I had been having. It has worked quite well. I haven't had a bad migraine in three weeks (the longest I've gone in months without one). Life is different. I have been able to go out to dinner with friends, enjoy game/movie nights, do more with my students, go traveling, and overall feel alive again.

the  empty villa next to ours that
shared the pool

the stunning view as we
reached the coast

This past weekend we had a 5-day vacation. I went with three other ladies to Samana, in the northeastern part of the Dominican Republic. We stopped along the way at a reposteria (bakery) in San Francisco for donuts (our conversation in the car made us quite hungry for them). It was exciting to round the mountain and there was the ocean with its stunning colors. We eventually found the villa (Villa Noria) in Las Terrenas where we were staying for two nights. What is a trip in the Dominican without some wrong turns (thanks to the handy GPS)? The road we drove up was seriously the size of a sidewalk.

the narrow "road" up to Villa Noria

the view from our villa

There was only room for one vehicle, so you hoped you didn't meet anyone around the corner. We were the only ones renting on these days, so it was quiet. The view from the deck was breathtaking. We were up on a large hill, so we had a great view of the ocean. The sound of the waves and the birds singing were calming to hear.

our pool that we never swam in

The first day we hung out at the villa by the pool and relaxed. Later we went down into the town to scope it out and found a small restaurant on the beach to have dinner. The view was nice, the food was good, the company was great, and we even had a four-legged friend stop by for some handouts. The villa had wifi and cable, so we relaxed at the villa the rest of the evening.

inside our villa

the search begins to find the whales

The next day we were up and ready to do some whale-watching. We drove the windy road from Las Terrenas to Samana. We got our tickets, I took motion sickness pills (which I knew I'd need from my Alaskan experiences), and we loaded the boat. Three of us sat in the front of the boat: the best spot to feel the wind and ocean spray. The day was beautiful! It was sunny with a breeze and not too hot. It was early in the season and it took a while to find a whale to "watch". The best time for whale-watching is from the end of January through March. I found it interesting that we saw one whale briefly, but those we know that went in the next couple days saw a few more. Every day is different. That only means I will have to go again, which I would gladly do!

there is a dolphin just below the surface

the hump of the whale is barely visible

playing in the sand

In the waiting we did see a dolphin for a few short moments. The whale we saw would spout, dive for 25 or so minutes, come up and spout again, and dive back down. Only once did I actually see the hump of its back. In spite of not seeing much, it was a beautiful few hours. It was kind of bumpy at times, but I did really well with the medicine and sea bands they gave us for not getting sick. On board we had a marine mammal specialist, Kim Beddall, giving us some interesting information about humpback whales along the way. We were dropped off at an island, Cayo Levantado, right off the coast of Samana (in Samana Bay).

Samana Bay

We found a place to eat and ordered lunch. I wasn't hungry, so I walked along the beach and enjoyed the cool water. It was a beautiful beach, not real large. We only had a couple of hours to spend on the island before we were picked up by another boat to go back to Samana.

Playa Bonita

me and two of my traveling
 companions: proof I was there

There was still a good amount of daylight left after returning to Samana, so we stopped at Playa Bonita. It is one of my top favorite beaches to this day. The view was incredible as the sun was setting. I did notice that the waves were quite large at this beach compared to other beaches I had been to.



We walked along the nice sidewalk looking at our different dinner options. There are some really nice places to stay along that stretch of beach.

the moon in the midst of the palm trees

We decided we all wanted pizza, so we drove back into Las Terrenas and found a really good pizza place (that didn't look sketchy).


After dinner we headed back to our villa for the night, and by now we had figured out the correct turns to get there. The next day we packed up and headed back to Santiago. We drove along the coast stopping at several beaches along the way, including Cabarete, where we got really good smoothies and ate lunch at a great Mexican restaurant.

beach at Cabarete

We stopped at one last beach after this, which was a great surfer's beach. It was fun to watch the surfers catch the waves (or attempt to). One day I want to learn to surf. This beach was a great shell beach. So as the other ladies sat and enjoyed the view, I was collecting shells. I love using small shells in projects for our apartment and my family. It brings pieces of my trip back with me (and it's free). It was great to see another part of this beautiful country I call home and it was a privilege to spend time with these three wonderful ladies!

Monday we didn't have school because it was a holiday, so my two roommates and I went out to eat with Darlene at Jade Express. This restaurant has really good honey chicken. We went down to the market, but because it was a holiday a lot of the vendors weren't open. It was rainy and only in the 70s (quite chilly when your used to 80s and 90s), which made it a good day to stay in and read or watch movies.

My students and I had a great week. We are doing a science unit on deserts and are learning a lot about different deserts around the world. Our 100th day of school celebration is coming up and happens to be the same day as Groundhog's Day. We are doing many special activities and will conclude the day with a party. We also reviewed several stories from our Reading Street curriculum, one of which was about stars. We got into a great discussion about God's creation of the universe, how He is all knowing (which is hard for us to understand with our limited minds), his amazing power, and how He can be everywhere at once. As we discussed the awesomeness of our planet, solar system, universe, etc. the students began to comment on how small they feel in the vastness of things. It was a great opportunity to discuss that, even though we feel so insignificant, God loves each of us so very much. This may have been one of the best conversations we've had this year, and they were all so focused!

Yesterday was another first for me. I took a taxi all by myself. It may not seem like much, but I've been in the DR for 6 months and refused to take a taxi alone in fear of getting lost and not being able to communicate well enough in Spanish. Yesterday I decided it was time.  I'm learning that if two people can't quite seem to understand each other they will figure it out somehow. And we did. It is one step at a time, and yesterday was a small step.

Tomorrow Darlene is going back to the states for 5 months. She needs to visit family, her supporting churches, and regroup before coming back and starting fresh in July. Honestly this has been hard for me. She has been such a faithful friend during this transition time in my life. She listens, encourages, and prays for me. She is the first person I've shared hard news with. She's my puzzle partner, my walking companion, and my "dinner" company. She makes me laugh. She's shared bits of wisdom from her years of experience in the DR. It will be different, but change is not bad and she will be back. God has given me an incredible support team through SCS- my 2nd family. I was telling my dad recently that God is teaching me that it isn't necessary to understand all the whys in life. God just asks me to run to Him and find rest, believing He is good even when hard things happen.

It's hard to believe the month of January is already ending. Every day God is teaching me new things. I'm learning to be patient with myself and others. I'm excited to see what the next few months will bring. Tomorrow is another day, another month...