Felizidades el Dia de Gracias!

First of all I want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!  I was fortunate enough to spend the afternoon with my "Dominican Family".  Chuck fried a Turkey, and some of us others chipped in for to make the other fixin's.  Meal was great and the company was just as good!  (Momma, you would be proud to know that I made everyone at the table say one thing they were thankful for, just like we do at home!)  

Things are changing around the Jungle.  Megan is finally getting settled in, and doing very well!  Kory, the volunteer from Canada has returned to the tundra. (I'm sure glad I will be here through the worst of the winter!) So Meg and I are working just the 2 of us until the new volunteer arrives on Dec. 4. The baby monkeys are almost 2 months old now, and they are starting to venture off the backs of their momma's.  It is darling to see them climbing on their own and wandering around!  And we are all anxiously awaiting the approaching "high season".  I'm looking forward to being busy as the days go by more quickly that way and also hopefully making some more money in tips.   Chuck & Candy pleasantly surprised me with a raise, which was very much appreciated!  Chuck said that they were very pleased with the way I have become part of the team and the hard work that I've put in.  I have never accepted compliments well, but this was nice to hear!  It is such a different work environment down here.  And its been a little hard for me to adjust tot he "island time" mentality even at work!  Everything is much more laid back and slow paced, and being a type A perfectionist like I am, its been hard for me to slow down and accept that things will get done in their own time.  I'm constantly having to remind myself, "It's not wrong, its just different!"  

I have been going to the gym the past week or so after work!  I pay 100 RD ($2.50 US) for my day pass and even get to use the machines with electricity upstairs!  I've actually really enjoyed it!  I'm no gym rat by any means, but it does make ya feel good to do some exercise!  

Well, sorry I dont have much more to report!  Other than I'm getting very excited to have my family here in January!  

XOXO

Continued Discovery & Growth

I know its been a long time, (I feel like the last 5 blogs have started this way!)  I apologize!    I wont make any promises this time as I have in the past.  Lets face it, I'm not great at keeping y'all up dated!  BUT, here's the latest!

I have recently decided that I am going to extend my stay until March.  I'm approaching 5 months in DR, cant believe its been that long already!  As I look back on the last 5 months, I'm extremely humbled by so many different things; experiences, personal growth, opportunities, relationships.

I want to start by thanking my amazing parents, for making this a possibility for me, and for always supporting me in my frantic and crazy life!  You have truly been a blessing to me in so many ways, I cant even begin to express my gratitude.

I have had so many wonderful experiences here, things I will forever remember!  I have been pushed out of my comfort zone in so many ways, trying new foods, riding on motos, meeting new people, showering (& toileting) with out running water, cooking for 7-10 hungry men. (I have finally been told by the guys that I can cook rice like a Haitan! I was pumped about that.. cuz boyyyy their rice is gooood!)  I'm continually humbled by the everyday life of the Dominican & Haitian people.  They live with so little and work so hard!  At least once a day I see men in their 70's or 80's walking miles to and from work with machete in hand, a sign that they are likely doing hard physical labor.  Likely these men are only bringing home a few hundred pesos for the whole days work.  That's the equivalent of no more than $3-8 US Dollars.  I cant imagine supporting a family and in most of their cases a "grand" family on that amount of money.  But they are happy!  They have no worries about paying the car payments and credit card bills.  They live in the moment and for today, enjoying every minute of it.

I also want to thank the friends I've made here.  And thank them for their honesty.  As I've said before I have had a lot of personal growth as a result of my time here.  And a lot of that has to do with the genuine relationships we've made and the honesty of the people I call my family here!  A close friend from home brought to my attention that I have spent much of my life running from something.  It was hard for me to hear, but the more that I thought about it, he was right.  I'm not sure if I'm running form or searching for something, but I know that my time in the DR has helped me to clear my head, and discover more about myself and my crazy quirks.  I'm hoping that my remaining months here will be filled with just as fun, excitement and personal change as the last 5 have been.

It is a sad for me to think about spending Thanksgiving and Christmas away from my family again, as I did this for many years in Georgia, but I am looking forward to celebrating the Holidays with my "Jungle Family".

Please pray for the next few months, we are approaching high season and from what I hear things get CRAZY at the Jungle.  But more importantly pray for my continued growth & discovery.