Week one...

What a week! First, we simply must say that Santiago Christian School has done an outstanding job making sure we are settled in and comfortable. I went to new teacher orientation each day which was very informational. So much too know about the school, the culture and the kids. SCS served us a fabulous lunch each day. Someone even overheard one of the teachers talking about loving yucca and changed the menu to include delicious yucca the next lunch. SO sweet!

Each day included a "field trip" to accomplish some daunting task like setting up a cell phone, getting our bank accounts and applying for residency which included a trip to Santo Domingo, blood/urine test and a chest x-ray. I cannot imagine trying to ANY of those things without the help of someone from here. It was easy breezy with the SCS team! This week on a personal note one or more teachers or staff from SCS helped us fix our stove, measure for screens, exchange our US dollars, set up a maid, take us to IKEA, loaned us tools to put together said IKEA purchases and ran out for a Gatorade when I was sick with dehydration. I'm sure I have forgotten something. Truly it is like an instant family. Brothers and sisters in Christ. I cannot imagine an international move any other way!

Little things this week:

We have had to acclimate to: (not complaints, just realities)
-NOT flushing toilet paper (Yup, it all goes in a little trash can next to the toilet.)
-hand washing and air drying dishes
-hanging clothes to dry
-driving worse than a New Yorker
-loud motorcycles setting off car alarms at all hours
-soaking our fruits and veggies in a bleach bath before we cut or eat them
-brushing our teeth with bottled water
-no air conditioning in our home
-applying bug spray 3-4 times a day
-booming bass out of 5 foot speakers in the back of a pick up truck
-very pleasant Latin American music played by our neighbors which we can hear of course because everyone keeps their windows open
-security guards and police carrying shotguns
-not texting on our cell phones
-having an employee test anything electronic or electrical before it leaves the store including light bulbs and televisions
-watching Phineas and Ferb in Espanol

Big things this week:
Well the truck we bought before we arrived was a bit worse for the wear for our comfort. With being here for awhile and wanting to take road trips on weekend to explore this beautiful island, we really weren't comfortable with possibly breaking down when our language skills are not quite up to par. So we reached out to our friend Ken George who ministers here through G.O. Ministries to see if he could suggest some options for buying and selling a vehicle. Lo and behold, he was selling HIS truck because he would be headed back to the US and not returning until 2011. His truck is 11 younger than the one we had and he also knows a guy here who put our old truck on his lot to sell. So we are now the proud owners of a 2006 Ford Eurosport. Of course, this was not on our financial radar so please pray our old truck sells quickly! :)

So this week we all start school. I start on Wednesday with an open house for my class and the boys start on Thursday full fledged. They have had some time on campus and have befriended many of the teachers so the last hurdle of comfort for them will be meeting their classmates. Pllease keep them in your prayers this week for peace and comfort and confidence in who they are as they seek out new friendships.

Thanks for all of your prayers and encouragement! Praise God for a blessed first week and our new Dominican "family."

Love, love, love!