welcome back

I flew back into Puerto Plata New Year's Day with a new group from the Austin Stone, they have been helping us get the school ready by doing some major cleaning all throughout the property. We finally got shelves put in the storage closet, so we were able to organize all of our school supplies. Some helped Miguel build a storage box that now hangs in the office to store all of the PE equipment, and many helped clear some land where we will eventually start a garden.

Robin, Cara, and I have moved into an apartment near the school which has been so nice being so close to the school and the people we interact with daily. I must say though that it has been weird not seeing the groups as much in the evenings. I am grateful though for more opportunity to spend with my students and their families outside of the classroom.

Friday we had a welcome back party for all of the students. The group brought Christmas gifts for each child from ASCC in Austin and made sandwiches to pass out made with homemade Haitian peanut butter.

The day before the group went to visit the families in Pancho Mateo and Chichigua after their work at the school was done. I started feeling poorly around midday, I ended up going to our apartment to sit for a minute. Good thing I did because I got sick so I spent a few hours resting. Whatever I had passed after vomiting and I soon felt better.

Saturday afternoon Kate and I took a bus to Santiago to meet another group that was flying in. We took them to see the Makarios farm Sunday afternoon, and they headed to the north coast on Monday to help us prepare for school. Classes begin Tuesday, the weather has been poor, but hopefully we will have a good turn out for the first day.