tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84007453665948964862024-03-13T17:52:43.441-07:00Let's Build Bridges to Each Other.Margie Ewaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01600852440862491713noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8400745366594896486.post-76566404901732978552012-08-01T09:16:00.000-07:002012-08-01T09:16:21.972-07:00A Wooden Heart Inside this Iron Ship<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It’s been a while since I’ve written, I have been super
busy and working to figure out what’s next for me after I leave this place. I’ve
had a couple of interviews with a few opportunities and one with City Year in
Miami looks really promising. I have a second interview the day after I get
back into the States, so I would appreciate prayer in that. I’ve been thinking
a lot lately about what it means to follow God’s calling in my life, especially
in this time of transition and making decisions about where my life is headed
next. I just want to be where I’m supposed to be. </div>
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Yesterday morning I translated from Spanish into English
for the first time in front of a group of like 50 people. It felt awesome! We have
different staff members share their testimonies, or their stories each morning
so that the American volunteers who come down can get to know them better and
hopefully take something away from knowing what others have been through.
Alberto is Dominican and knows a lot of English, but I understand full well how
difficult it is to try to share your heart in a second language, so he spoke in
Spanish and I translated for the volunteers. It was far from perfect, and I had
to have him repeat a few things, but it felt so good knowing my Spanish is at
least good enough to try. That was a huge accomplishment for me, though I didn’t
even know I was working towards it. </div>
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Last weekend we only had one day off, because our last
group is a one week team and they arrived on Sunday, instead of Monday like we
have been used to. To relax on Sunday afternoon, we visited some friends who
were staying at a hostel with a pool. It felt so great to be out in the sun and
to be with new friends. I got a little sunburned (figures) but it was so nice
to be able to relax with them. </div>
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On Saturday last weekend we went over to Vanesa’s house. She
is the staff dentist here who runs her own clinic. She had a few of us over to
teach us how to make a few Dominican drinks, including Morir Sonando (means “to
die while dreaming”), pina coladas, and Dominican coffee made in a stovetop greca.
Again for that day, it was great to get off base and do something other than
what is scheduled into our normal routine. Vanesa’s husband Jose works at a
Young Life camp on the other side of town and the recently installed a giant
swing on their campus. Vanesa hadn’t done it before, so we decided to go over
there to try the swing. SO FUN! I went up with Vanesa and another intern,
Ellie. We couldn’t figure out how to pull the release cord so when we finally
went, it was awesome. It also started to rain while we were up in the swing. It
was actually super fun to get stuck in one of the trademark Caribbean downpours
of rain.</div>
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This week I have a really cool opportunity to drive out
to a tiny rural community to pick up volunteers early for some activities they
are doing. The community is called Mata Gorda and while I was here in 2010, the
drive out there was one of my favorites. It’s way out in the mountains and
there is a 20 minute drive to get out to the preschool that SI has out there. I
love driving on the ridiculous dirt roads and just being a spectator in the
lives of those people, if only in passing. Yesterday while I was driving, I found
myself wishing that my eyes could be cameras so that I could show all of you
the beautiful life that these people live. I saw an older man shaving his face
outside of his hut, children playing with cars made out of old oil bottles,
cows resting in front of a house and the clouds rolling in over the mountains. Driving
out there leaves me so in awe of this place, and of creation. I will miss this
beauty. </div>
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This morning while doing our morning routine I had a
really cool opportunity to hear from some of the students about the things that
they are learning and the experiences they’ve already had. Hearing some of those
words helped me to know that what we are doing here matters, and that we are
making a difference in the lives of other people. one of the students was
really impacted by the way that people here living in poverty have found ways
to be incredibly satisfied with their lives, regardless of the fact that they
are materially in poverty. It reminds me of what I learned while I was here in
2010 about there being different types of poverty: material, poverty of spirit,
emotional poverty, etc. Another student commented on how it is possible for two
people to connect with little or no use of a shared language. I know this well
having lived here with little Spanish experience, but a smile or other small
gestures go a really long way and two people can change each other with
something so small. It makes me think about the small ways I am being
intentional with other people to show them that they are loved or that I care. </div>
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It’s been hard to know that the end of my time here is
coming soon, because as a rule I’m pretty bad at saying goodbye and finding
closure in my experiences. For two days next week we will be at a resort on a
beach where we will do some debriefing activities that will hopefully help all
of us to say goodbye to this place and this experience. I will dearly miss
being a part of such a beautiful community. I will miss the sense of adventure
here and knowing that each day will be different and full of something
exciting. There is no such thing as monotony in this country or in this job, I will
miss that. I will miss speaking Spanish, and meeting new people all of the
time. I will miss feeling like I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be and that I have
purpose in being here. I will miss the way that deep and honest conversations just
come up effortlessly and regularly. I have a feeling in my heart that when I leave
the Dominican Republic next Wednesday that it will be the last time I am here. It
will be sad to go, knowing the impact this place and these people have had on
my life in my two experiences here. I am so thankful for the beautiful
opportunities and memories I’ve had here, RD will forever be in my heart. </div>
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This is a song I’ve been stuck on the past few days, I hope
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<br /></div>Margie Ewaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01600852440862491713noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8400745366594896486.post-9011036881454333812012-07-18T09:22:00.001-07:002012-07-18T09:23:10.338-07:00You're the Only One Who Brings me Peace.<br />
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So sorry I skipped out on posting last week. I’ve been
researching nonstop to try to figure out what I’m doing after this summer. My tentative plan is to have a gap-year of
some sort (work, internship, discipleship program) and then go to graduate
school in the fall of 2013. I feel like I’ve scoured the internet for programs
that are interesting to me, and are paid for, and I’ve come up with some pretty
good options. I’ve had two interviews over the phone and I still haven’t found the
one that sounds perfect to me, but I’m praying that God will lead me to where I
need to be. It’s exciting and overwhelming at the same time to feel like I have
a lot of options, but I know that it will all work out. </div>
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This week will be our last full two week outreach, the
final group for the summer is staying just for one week. After that we will go
to the beach for a couple of days and then I’ll be on my way back to the
states! Just three more weeks! I feel like this summer has absolutely flown by!
The group that we have here is the biggest group we’ve had all summer, which is
actually super fun. They are high school students, so I feel like they kind of
just do their own thing and they’re really excited about everything, makes me
job really easy!</div>
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Last weekend we went to a beach called Cabarete on the
north side of the island. It’s so nice to be able to get away for just a day
and be somewhere absolutely beautiful. We ate at an Irish Pub on the beach
(kind of an oxy-moron) and I spent the afternoon walking and talking with
Ellie, one of the beautiful interns here. The waves at that beach were a little
bit bigger so it was really fun to play in them and sit on the beach. Cabarete
is one of the more touristy beaches, which was actually really fun for us
because there was just more stuff there. The beach we went to two weeks ago was
more of a best-kept-secret kind of thing, this was nice because there was good
food and some people did some shopping for their families at home. </div>
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Over the past couple of weeks I feel like I’ve really
been able to have good quality time with people here. Vicki and I have found a
few spaces of beautiful conversation and good time together. I’ve been sharing
my story with a few of the interns here, it feels good to be known. Her beautiful little girl Julia, who was born the day after I got here is beautiful and growing quickly. It's been a while since I've been around an infant regularly, and I absolutely love it. She is so loved.</div>
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I made a list the other day of things that I love. I know
it sounds cheesy, but I was feeling kind of down and it was just an exercise in
thankfulness. Feeling known by other people is something I’ve realized is very
important to me. I want to feel understood, as well as to understand others. As
I’m looking towards my future, I know that this is something I need to keep in
mind. My heart beats quickly for building community and getting to know other
people’s hearts, and to have others know mine. Although this is not necessarily
a job description, I know that I want to be able to drop roots somewhere and
build honest relationships. </div>
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There’s a Dominican woman who works here at SI who has
been an incredible encouragement in my life lately. Her name is Miriam and she
is an older woman who works at the microfinance site. Her job includes
processing micro-loans for women in poor communities so that they can start
small businesses and support themselves. Over the past couple of weeks I’ve
gone with her a couple of times into the community, and she just has a special
way about her when she is with people. She is soft spoken and kind, has an
awesome sense of humor and she genuinely cares for people. She makes me feel
safe and loved. If I have a mother-figure here at the base she is probably it. One of the life-goals for many Dominicans is
to move to the US and make more money than they could here, but I have heard
Miriam say that she never wants to, that she is happy here, which is a huge
testimony to the Dominican women she serves about being content where one is
at. Last week she stopped me after a meeting and pulled me aside kind of
awkwardly and simply said, “<span lang="ES-US">Margie,
tu futuro está en la mano de Dios, no te preocupes in eso</span>.” “Margie,
your future is in God’s hand, don’t worry yourself about it.” afterwards she
walked away, and I was left knowing that I will never forget that moment. I hadn’t
talked to her about my worries about my future, she didn’t know that I have
been struggling with knowing what’s next. She’s a special lady and I am honored
to know her. </div>
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I’ve been extremely impacted by this song lately, my God
is the only one who brings me peace in times of stress, trouble, exhaustion,
frustration. So glad I have a hiding place, comfort. I feel like God has been
asking me to simply wait and listen for his direction for my future, for the
next year and this song has been super comforting. Listen for a minute if you
have time. </div>
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<br /></div>Margie Ewaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01600852440862491713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8400745366594896486.post-60865715345873440392012-06-29T08:27:00.002-07:002012-06-29T08:27:39.079-07:00my DReams are these sails that i point toward my true north<br />
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What a long week! It’s
hard to think about what I’ve done each day because my days here are so long
and so full! I’ve been getting up at about 6:25 each day and going strong until
10 at night. Each day for me here looks
different, sometimes I have more office work to do, other days I spend more
time out in the community. The group that has been here has required a lot of
extra care so that has been a big part of what I’ve been up to this week,
driving people around and caring for people who are sick. The general consensus
is that this team has been more needy than most, and we have had a lot of
obstacles in the past two weeks. We had a break-in on campus followed by the
trial, a girl had a seizure, a man broke his finger, most people have been sick
and high-schoolers are just plain difficult to deal with sometimes. A big part
of my job is to encourage others in their work, so I’ve felt especially drained
in encouraging others in the face of such a difficult group. </div>
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Like I said, there was a robbery in one of the cabins of
girls here on Saturday night while we were all in town. The 16-year-old boy was
caught by our campus caretaker/guard and he was taken to trial in La Vega,
which is kind of like the seat of the county. It was found out that he is from
a financially stable family, he robbed the cabin as a kind of dare or gang
initiation by some other young boys. Because he is so young, he was sentenced to
return all stolen objects, and to work on our campus pay-free for 30 days. The girls
whose cabin was broken into were able to meet the boy, talk to him, and forgive
him in the end. Although I wouldn’t necessarily wish this experience on anyone,
it is cool to see the way that God works all things for good. I hope that the
girls have learned much about themselves and forgiveness through this, and that
the young man benefits from his time here, both as a person and spiritually. It’s
so cool to see when a bad situation is turned into a beneficial and helpful
one, only by God’s grace. </div>
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Last Thursday afternoon I was able to go to my old house
and see Denis and Channey, my Dominican mom and brother. I was nervous to go,
but it was so perfect when I got there. My Spanish came to life and I was able
to say (most of) what I wanted to. They made some more changes at the house,
the floors and walls in the kitchen and bathroom are tiled now. The house is
built on the edge of a steep hill and they are building an apartment underneath
Denis’ house for her oldest son, Aneudys and his wife and kids. Although I have
two mothers in the States, there was a feeling of coming home when Denis hugged
me. I continue to be thankful for the time I spent here in 2010, and it
continues to change me. Channey is walking again since his bad moto accident
last summer. It’s good to see him more the way that I remember him. When I was
here in February, he had just had the metal brace removed from his knee that he
wore for 8 months which kept his leg completely straight. Denis showed me off
to a few of the ladies on her street, she is so proud that she has an ‘American
daughter’ and that I have returned to see her twice. I am constantly reminded
of the blessing that they are in that they treat me as one of their own, I am
completely accepted with open arms. I find joy in this, but also sadness as my
heart longs for the time that I was completely theirs. It is a difficult thing
to be back in this place where I had a completely different experience, and to
not wish to be back in that space. I have had to adjust my expectations for my
time here, because this time things are different, though not bad by any means.
Looking back, I can see clearly that my time here was a turning point in my
life in many ways, I am so blessed to be back in this place. </div>
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Last night I stayed up way too late with two of the male
interns and they shared their stories, their testimonies of faith with me. I am
blown away and so thankful for this on a number of levels. I am grateful on the
most basic level that I am building trusting relationships with me, where they
felt comfortable to share the hardest parts of their stories with me. I was
also encouraged in my own faith in hearing what God has done for those two young
men, the redemption, peace and forgiveness that they have found. Josh did an
activity with the interns (there are 8, 5 girls, 3 guys) last night where each
person wrote an encouraging note to all of the others. It’s so cool to see the
relationship these young people have built in 6 short weeks and the trust they
have in one another. It’s been beyond amazing to be a part of a Godly community
of young people again, I didn’t realize how much my heart missed it after I left
school. I miss being in relationship with people who push me and make me think.
Dare I say that I miss assignments that cause me to question what I believe? It’s
so nice to be part of a group of people who are loving and encouraging and fun
and deep all at the same time. I am again reminded of the part of me that is
created to live in community with other people. “Our hearts are a bridge, let’s
build bridges to each other.”</div>
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I have been feeling drained in a lot of ways, every
possible way really and these past few days I have found energy in my faith. A
friend of mine sent me a link to a sermon series called “<a href="http://www.thevillagechurch.net/sermon/the-question#.T-3E96Nqp5A.blogger"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">The Question</span></a>” where the pastor talks about
the lack of passion that is so common in American Evangelicalism. As I sat on
my bed and listened to it, <span style="color: red;">CONVICTION </span>hit me
like a brick wall. I want to act out of a passionate need for intimacy with my
Creator. Like David wrote in Psalm 42 and 63, I want to be dependent and
utterly broken without intimacy with my Abba. Some of this may not make sense
those of you not inside my brain and heart, and I know it sounds backwards to
desire to be in need, but I consistently fail by my own strength. “I want more
than this world has to offer.”</div>
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Over the weekend I was able to acquire the motorcycle
that I will call mine for the rest of the summer. It’s a 125cc scooter with no
clutch and a heel and toe shifter – confusing! Also, it says “happy” on the
side <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span> I
am so thankful I took the NIU motorcycle class before I left, getting on this
was a breeze. It’s so fun and freeing to have my own transportation. Traffic patterns
here are WAY different than in the US, so it’s been interesting learning to
drive here, no problems though! On Tuesday this week, I took the day off during
the daytime and I met up with my friend Courtney. She was here with me during
my semester, and recently started working with another organization in the
area. We got lunch, went to the river and visited Josh, Vicki and Julia. It was
so good to see an old friend and to be able to talk with someone about the
frustrations I have with my responsibilities here. I have been feeling a weight
on my chest for the past two weeks, and being with Courtney helped a lot. The weight
is that there is a desire in me (I would argue in everyone) to be known. It is
so energizing for me to be around a person who knows me, knows my heart. I know
that these kinds of relationships take time and require trust, so I have been
feeling impatient and lonely in a sense in my relationships with the interns. All
of that to say it was incredible to spend time with Courtney where I felt like
less time was spent on telling the back story of things and were just able to
connect. Also, I am proud to say that I had a passenger on my motorcycle for
the first time ever, free of mishaps, though every single Dominican stared at
us because BOTH of us were wearing helmets (they NEVER wear them here). </div>
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T his weekend, we will finally have TWO WHOLE DAYS OFF. Everyone
is really excited about being able to relax and not have such a crazy schedule.
On Saturday we are going to a beach on the north side of the island, where I believe
we can go snorkeling. For Sunday we talked about going to the upper waterfall
on the Jimenoa River to spend the day relaxing. When thinking about where I am,
I have these moments of clarity that absolutely blow my mind. When I walk out
of my house in the morning, I am greeted by the view of the mountains in the
morning air. When I am outside on a clear night, above my head lies the most
beautiful night sky. I am entirely amazed at the beauty of this country, praise
God that I get to be here. So thankful. </div>
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My heart has found hope in these moments.</div>Margie Ewaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01600852440862491713noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8400745366594896486.post-10344778425656258052012-06-20T11:29:00.001-07:002012-06-20T11:29:07.887-07:00Same Mind, Same Love<br />
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My experience thus far has been interesting to say the
least. For the whole summer, we have groups come down for two week trips, and
we had just seen the last group off on Saturday morning when we found out that
one of teams here for the next 2 weeks came down 2 days early. 30 extra people
to care for 2 days early, needless to say there was some small freak-outs, but
everyone pitched it and we made it through the weekend. I am so impressed by
the people, especially the interns, that I am working with. The staff here gets
Saturday afternoon through Monday afternoon completely off every other weekend,
and that is their only official time off during the summer. I am so impressed
by the interns here who just jumped into action and said very few negative
comments about missing out on their weekend off. I was glad for the timing of
my arrival because I was still feeling pretty rested and fresh (not anymore!)
for the weekend. </div>
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Since they are back in town, I have been able to meet with Josh
a few times, which has been super helpful. Josh and Vicki are the missionary
couple who I am helping this summer, and he is back (finally) from his week of
baby leave. It’s nice to have someone to give me more direction and to let me
know what I’m doing well and what things I need to work harder at. Josh and
Vicki are super good at their jobs, and they’ve really created and developed
the position they have, so there are a lot of things that they just do that others
don’t exactly realize. This is okay, except for when both of them are out of
town and I’m trying to learn the jobs that no one but they can teach me <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span> Everyone here has been
super helpful and encouraging though, so that’s good. I thought that for
interest’s sake, I would post a typical schedule for myself if anyone was
interested in reading it:<br />
<br />
6:00 – wake up<br />
6:35 – quiet time<br />
7:20 – announcements, worship, staff testimony<br />
8:00 – breakfast<br />
8:45 – see teams off to their work sites for the day<br />
9:00-4:00 – odd jobs including emailing and office work, binding books,
preparing hostess gifts, taking photos of
volunteers at work, helping Josh and Vicki at home, etc.<br />
4:00-6:00 – free time, spent with the volunteers or the interns<br />
6:00 – dinner<br />
7:00 – evening activity – culture night, team time, game night, dinner in the
community, etc.<br />
10:00ish – bed</div>
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I do most of the announcements for the groups, as well as
some of the base orientation when they first arrive here. The job that I am
helping with is really a catch-all kind of thing. I basically help with
whatever needs to happen to make sure that the teams run smoothly and that
people get the most out of their experience here. I answer a TON of questions,
important ones and other not so seemingly important ones. It’s interesting to
have arrived here so recently and to know that people are counting on me to
know things about the base operations or the culture here, even the plant life
on base <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span> Another
important part of my job is to be in relationship with people. I ask a lot of
people how their days went, how they are feeling, or interesting things they
saw that day. It’s been strange and exhausting for me sometimes to be outgoing
all of the time, making me painfully aware of the fact that I am naturally an
introvert. I think that I am being stretched and pushed in many ways already,
and will continue to be all summer, making me (hopefully) a better person. I know
already that this is incredible work experience and that I will be proud to put
this experience on my resume, as I know that it is well worth mentioning. </div>
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I have had some beautiful moments with Dominicans here
already, reminding me of the beautiful time I spent here in 2010. Roughly half
of the staff here is Dominican, and I love being able to speak with them (in
very broken) Spanish. I am still so amazed by the way that two hearts can
connect even when we do not know all of the words to say to one another. </div>
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On Friday, I was able to spend the afternoon in El Callejon
at the social work center where I worked when I was here for my semester. At the
beginning of May, they were able to open up a new building for the women to
meet in, and it brought tears to my eyes when I saw the new building in person
for the first time. It is probably the nicest building in the whole
neighborhood of El Callejon, and it makes me happy to know the beautiful things
the women see, hear, make and talk about while within those walls. I saw some
girls and one woman who I had worked with while I was here, and it brought me
such joy that they remembered me, also that I could come up with the right
names for them! I spent the day with Daisy and Kim there, helping them to make
a craft and a lesson for the 11-12 year old girls. It was such a fun space of
being with both new and old friends, passing a whole day together the way Dominicans
are so good at doing. </div>
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I have been appreciating small things about the culture here,
things that I have missed without even consciously knowing that I missed them.
My heart is happy when I think of these things and remember my time here before.
I love that I receive warm hugs often, which is so beautiful and encouraging
(sorry Becky). I love the smell of the laundry I did today that I hung out on
the line to dry in the sun and the breeze. It rained all of last weekend, which
was a bummer except for the fact that I got to listen to it falling on the tin
roof all of Friday afternoon. I love the food, rice and beans, chinola juice,
coke in a glass bottle. The way that when I look out to the mountains in the morning,
the beautiful colors are slightly muted in the morning mist. </div>
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My heart is happy and light <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></div>Margie Ewaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01600852440862491713noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8400745366594896486.post-79723778844479800502012-06-13T12:01:00.001-07:002012-06-13T12:01:05.986-07:00Here's to beginnings :)Today is my first full day here in the Dominican Republic, and it's as beautiful as ever. My day of travel yesterday was pretty uneventful. I met a girl on my plane from O'hare who is also coming to Jarabacoa for the summer, but she is doing a 6-week study abroad program through her university. What are the chances of meeting her?! Talking with someone going to the same place was so encouraging to me as this is my first big adventure as an adult and without a big group of travelers with me.<br />
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The missionary couple I am helping this summer, Josh and Vicki, went to the hospital Tuesday morning to be induced into labor, so I haven't been able to see them yet. So looking forward to seeing them again and meeting their beautiful new daughter, Julia Marcela :) I got in last night around 9:30 and the caretakers here showed me to my apartment. I'm in a different place than they had planned on putting me, but it's actually better and more private where I'm at, which is awesome.<br />
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This morning I went with Brian, the program director here, to visit Los Higos, one of the mountain communities. The ride up that mountain is so worth all of the stress and energy and planning and money that it took to get here. Sorry I don't have a picture, but it is absolutely breathtaking. While Brian fixed the toilet at the social work center there, I talked with the girls and met the summer intern working there. We had lunch at a woman named Mary's house. She's incredible, one of those people who kind of holds the community together and knows and cares for everyone. There are no quick visits here in RD, but I am glad for it. It's nice to just sit and talk, and also to notice how lacking my Spanish skills are, though I'm sure they will come back quickly. I hope.<br />
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I got a list of some of my duties this morning. I have quite a bit of office work, stuff with applications and journals. But I think it's a good balance with time spent interacting with people. One of my jobs I'm most excited about is that for a few days each week I will be taking photos of the volunteers at their work sites. This means that I will be out in the community more than I thought I would, and I also like taking pictures. Win-win.<br />
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I'm so looking forward this summer to being able to build relationships with people. I know that this place and this experience will once again change me, making me more into the woman that God wants me to be. I can't wait to see what this experience has in store for me :)Margie Ewaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01600852440862491713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8400745366594896486.post-69276302867055578702011-04-12T21:42:00.000-07:002011-04-12T21:42:49.731-07:00[dreams] as big as vultures eyesso many thoughts. i met a new friend through an old friend here at school tonight and i've just been thinking. i was sharing with him over coffee what i think about community and relationships, and he asked me if i thought it was even possible in the US. wow. i feel like it's possible to recreating God-fearing community here, but it would be downright hard. there are a number of christian communities like this in the states, i just wonder if i'm called toward something different. maybe not. maybe i'm supposed to stay here and serve and love the very people i feel frustrated with sometimes. our conversation tonight at my favorite south bend irish pub started me thinking once again about my future and what that looks like. it would be a tragedy for me to have experienced what i did in the Dominican and to turn around and pursue the American dream. that has nothing that i desire. i feel so dissatisfied right now. that's not to say that i'm not happy, that i'm not incredibly blessed or that i don't have beautiful relationships. i just wonder if there is something so much greater in this life than graduating from college and starting the career ladder. there has got to be more for me than that. i'm realizing that i serve a God who desires for me to dream big. so i'm dreaming big. my heart is open, all of my options are open, i feel that i have been created for something great. god, lead me. <br />
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i've been thinking a lot about that "American Dream" lately. timing is interesting becuase we are talking in my US History class right now about how the american people started to lose sight of that dream in the 70's with Vietnam and Richard Nixon, up until this day, in this economy where for some people there is no hope or sight of that dream any longer. i just wonder what that dream really is. i'll be quick to admit that i still catch myself wanting money, things, popularity and a lot of friends on facebook. i'm not saying any of this out of a spirit of judgement or from a different platform. i am so much in the midst of it. i'm just questioning the point of this "dream". i mean, is there even one thing about the american dream that is biblical? security? maybe. happiness? not usually. status? yes, but does that matter? there are just so many questions i have about whether my goal in life would be to go to church on sundays but on monday join in on the rat race where there are winners and losers, and people who are left behind with hungry kids and cold fingers. i don't think king david, a man who is said to have been a man after God's own heart, wanted to have a new volkswagon or the biggest house on the block, complete with in-ground swimming pool and an environmentally friendly heating/cooling system. so why should i? i don't buy into the idea that the times have changed and that the american dream is the new normal or what God desires for us. i learned in the Dominican that i am not called to a life of comfort. why do i get to be comfortable when others are cold and hungry? because i'm white? becuase i'm an american? i thank God that i was blessed with these comforts, but i no longer require them. <br />
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i often ask myself that if God called me to leave everything and follow him, just as Jesus called the disciples in the New Testament. i'll be honest in saying that some days i feel like i would say yes, but most days i would hesitate, exposing my true heart. right now i'm finishing up Dorothy Day's autobiography. talk about a woman who left everything and followed God's calling in her life. now don't get all caught up in the fact that she was a Catholic or a political radical for a time, but think about her obedience, her commitment to her call. she only allowed herself a few years of her own life to 'live the dream', which she willingly gave up for her faith and her calling. reading about her life and her passion makes me feel like i just coast through life in a constant state of apathy. what was hers she gave away, welcoming others into her home, starting a movement which still to this day aides the poor and homeless in America. what a beautiful legacy. a legacy becuase she was obedient and did not allow her desire for comfort to get in the way of the vision that God placed on her heart. God, give my courage like hers to do the things you call me to do.Margie Ewaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01600852440862491713noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8400745366594896486.post-8259154549410373372011-03-30T11:38:00.000-07:002011-03-30T11:38:50.607-07:00Just Open up Your Eyes and Look Past Your Front Doorthese are some thoughts that i had today after my first class:<br />
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i think i am learning tha tthe end result of all of these changes that God is making in me is not that i would become bitter or jaded. as God develops my sense of discernment and i learn to see right and wrong in my life, my college campus, the church, the point is not that i reject those things becuase i see wrong or sin in them. it's all about love right? i think the point in my newly developed heart of discernment is so i could be in love with the things that break my heart.<br />
LOVE IT UNTIL IT LOVES YOU BACK<br />
so many people get so bitter towards the hypocrisy on my college campus, but what would it look like if instead of turning my back on Bethel in judgement, if i embraced and loved on those people who claim one thing but live another way? i think bitterness, judgementalism, or escapism is just a cop-out, just as bad as being a hypocrite. i mean, all sins are equal before the throne of God right? more than hypocrisy, i am becoming disgusted by christians who abandon their brothers and sisters due to self-righteousness, judgement and superiority. it is <u>not</u> acceptable to claim Christ and reject our brothers and sisters. i have been so guilty of this sin in the past, but i so see the evidence of God speaking to me softly in this area. love. that's what it's about right? that's what i've been saying. it's so much easier to love the poor and the marginalized, becuase when we truly love our brothers and sisters in Christ, we are forced to face our own ugliness, our own filthy, broken souls. oh, that i would have the strength and courage to love the broken hypocrites around in me in this place, because i am nothing more than one of them. i hope that i will continue to be broken in this way. the destruction of my pride and self-righteousness. the destruction of my desire, and ultimately my very ability, to judge others. how can i go about desiring, yearning for community when i so quickly reject the very community that i live in? i am starting to see some of God's purpose in bringing me back to this place. to learn to truly love.<br />
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one of my professors showed us a video in class today of a pastor speaking on the crucifixion of Christ. it rocked me. his throught were that God's wrath was poured out on Christ as he hung on the cross. what is that even? throughout the old testament, i read about God's wrath and punishments and have often wondered why we do not experience that today. the answer is Jesus Christ. Jesus was not sweating blood in the garden before he was crucified because he was afraid of the physical pain of being crucified, the injustice of being sinless and on trial, or the embarassment of being before a crowd for unjust reasons. no, none of those things caused that kind of stress. Jesus sweat blood because he knew that God's wrath was about to be poured out on him. God's past wrath, his present wrath, and the biggest of all, the wrath, anger and fury for all of the sins yest to be committed against the law of God for all of the rest of history. what would it feel like to die for the future generation, to die for people that had not yet been created or made those bad decisions? this thought of God's wrath rocks everything i have learned about the crucifixion before. how we have cheapened Christ's sacrifice. Jesus' expereince was <u>so</u> much more than physical pain. this explains too why the martyrs of the first century endured horrific physical torture for the name of Christ, but Christ's sacrifice was the one that atoned for our sin. i don't understand what it would feel like to be one of mind with God but to still voluntarily bear the weight of God's wrath. what courage. <u>what love</u>. with this understanding, how could i ever again doubt that God loves me so much, so unconditionally?Margie Ewaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01600852440862491713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8400745366594896486.post-55694534600275718592011-03-24T22:05:00.000-07:002011-03-24T22:05:12.087-07:00I've Built a Wooden Heart inside this Iron ShipI thought that last post was the end of this blog for a while, but even if no one reads this I need to get these thoughts out. Just as a disclaimer, I think that this blog will no longer serve as a way to let my friends and family know what I'm up to, but will now become a way for me to write down my thoughts. There are infinite ways in my life where I see the impact that my trip had on me. Everything, I mean absolutely everything is different now. Some of those things are incredible and encouraging changes, ones that I would never reverse, but some are heartbreaking and require a daily decision to change or work through. I have to daily check and make sure that I am not showing an attitude of superiority or judgement because many around me have not had an experience like the one I had. I also have to check myself and remember that not everyone is in a place of incredible growth and renewal as I am, some people are stuck in a place of complacency, even as I was for so long. <br />
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One thing that has been radically changed since my return from the Dominican is the way that I view the Holy Spirit. While I was gone, I read the book "Forgotten God" by Francis Chan, which talks all about how we have forgotten to teach about, to listen to the Holy Spirit. Growing up, I always knew that there was a third part of the Holy Trinity along with the Father and Son, but I never knew what the purpose of the Holy Spirit was. I heard a sermon recently where the pastor talked about the Holy Spirit, saying that what we normally call a "concsience" is really the Holy Spirit speaking truth to us and leading us in the right and healthy direction. The Holy Spirit is speaking to us when we feel guilt, shame, or regret, but also when we have an indescribable urging. My mentor and I talk about how we know it is the Holy Spirit leading us because he often asks us to do things completely out of our comfort zone or normal action. I think the first time that I am absolutely sure that I felt the Holy Spirit leading me was when I asked my mentor to begin meeting with me. I ws terrified, but I couldn't leave class that night without talking to her. Hands shaking, eyes tearing, I walked up to her after class and asked her for help. If any of you know me really at all, you know that I hate asking for help. The Holy Spirit asked me to do something that I did not want to do, and I totally see the fruit and blessings that have already resulted from that relationship. Looking back, I would say that the first time I talked to her about myself about a year and a half ago, I say it was one of the "Holy Moments" that Francis Chan talks about. A moment where heaven meets earth and I know that I am exactly where I am supposed to be, even if only for a moment. Beautiful. <br />
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The topic of the Holy Spirit has always been one that is difficult for me to grasp, because as we read in 1 Kings 19:11-13, the Holy Spirit speaks to us in quiet whispers, not on billboards or through megaphones. I so struggle with the idea that I have not heard God's voice, it frustrates me that I have asked for it and it has not been given to me. I mean, I'm not asking God to move a mountain, but simply to hear a whisper saying "Beloved, I am here". I will be honest in saying that I often find myself jealous of people who can say that they have. I had some beautiful conversations this week about what it looks like to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit. For me, it may look like gradually developing the ability to discern between my thoughts and the voice of the Holy Spirit speaking to me inside of my own mind. I'll admit, I'm a little discouraged by the idea that this will happen at time, because I am the perfect example of what our instant society creates, but I know it will be a skill well-worth developing. <br />
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I so often doubt the presence and the work of the Holy Spirit in my own life, but since returning from my adventure, it seems almost impossible to ignore the changes that have taken place within me. I care. That's different. I want to be the best version of myself that I can be. Before, I was so content to settle for "good", but now that's not even an option. I want to be better. I long to be closer to my Abba, to read my Bible, to have beautiful honest conversation, to wake up early to pray. One of the ways I am continuing to learn about the Holy Spirit working in my life is that I am in a Bible study on my college campus. We are reading through the book of Acts in the New Testament and discussing each time that Scripture records the activity of the Holy Spirit, which, by the way, is all the time. It's been so beneficial for me to feel comfortable asking questions in my group and to really take a deeper look at what God is showing us. I am in a group with a professor, and four other students, both girls and boys. It has been such a great thing to be able to study God's Word in a group that is diverse like this. All of us have different backgrounds, which allow us to each bring out own view to the table.<br />
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This leads me to the next thing I have been experiencing in a whole new way: COMMUNITY. What a beautiful idea. I learned so much about community in the Dominican, and I have been looking for ways to build Godly community here at school, which is not an easy task. Being in a Bible Study is a beautiful type of learning community where we offer our own opinions. I also have been blessed with a couple of incredibly unexpected friendships. It's so refreshing to be able to be honest with another person and to know that there is no judgement. We spend time asking difficult questions, ones that are not acceptable to ask in certain Christian circles. I have also been learning that community isn't always easy and wonderful, but that is part of the beauty of it: that it is sometimes difficult but there is such reward when we stick with it and continue to invest in relationships, becuase people matter.<br />
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I went to a show in South Bend last week with a friend. It completely rocked my world, again. Dan Smith from Listener and Derek Zanetti from The Homeless Gospel Choir visited us and shared words between songs. Dan was talking about difficult circumstances when he shared with us that when we are faced with situations that are difficult, testy friendships, difficult classes, non-ideal work situations. When we have these rough places in our lives what we should do is to "LOVE.. UNTIL IT LOVES YOU BACK". Wow. Over the past 10 or so days this has made itself true to me in so many ways. This idea requires that I take an active part in my life instead of sitting back with a "woe is me" attitude complaining about everything in my life that is not easy. We have never been promised an easy life, I don't know why we all get so consumed with that desire. But in those moments when things are hard and a certain person requires and extra dose of patience, or another thing you do at work goes unnoticed, love. Love it until it loves you back.<br />
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Because that's what it's all about right? love? You're probably all thinking of that certain popular Beatles song in your heads right now, but as I read through the Bible this year and look especially into the life of Jesus, that's what the Gospel message is all about. I have a friend who is doing a research project with homeless individuals in South Bend, and he could tell you so many stories and proofs that what those people truly need is not a hot meal or a place to stay warm at night, but what their hearts really desire is to be loved, to have a person to talk to and care for them. I went last weekend to meet and hang out with some of those individuals at a homeless shelter, and I was struck by the beauty of their friendships. They look out for one another and care for each other dearly. Love. <br />
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Another thing that I heard at the show last week which has been running through my head is something that Derek said. He said that there is so much in this world that we could be worried about, that we could spread ourselves to thin failing to fix. But the truth of it is that we can only do so much, and that we should start with trying "TO BE THE BEST SELVES WE CAN BE". This isnt' some selfish desire to focus only on our own problems or successes. The result that I see from this in my own life is that once I begin to work on myself (the plank in my eye), then I begin to desire to see those around me do the same (the speck in theirs). Once I begin to experience what it looks like to be close to God, to listen to the Holy Spirit speaking truth and direction into my life, there is no doubt in my mind that I will want others to experience that as well. I have already begun to have difficult conversations out of love for my friends and family, with the desire to see them be their best selves. <br />
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I never knew that two 30 minute sets of music could change and effect my thoughts so dramatically, but they did. Those were Holy Moments in my life.Margie Ewaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01600852440862491713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8400745366594896486.post-31199584286149498132010-12-15T20:14:00.001-08:002010-12-15T20:14:42.213-08:00Our Lives are a Bridge, Let’s Build Bridges to Each Other.<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It’s so strange to know that I am writing this on my last day here. I can’t believe this semester flew by so fast. This was one of the best experiences of my life and it’s hard to take in the fact that it’s over. We spent two days this weekend at an all-inclusive resort on the north side of the island. The way that our leaders talked about it made me think that I was going to hate it and have a really bad attitude about<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the other people staying there and the resort itself. I think because I was expecting to feel that way, I didn’t. I wouldn’t want to stay at a resort like that for a vacation, but I have a feeling that it will be the only down time I will have for a while, so I took it in anyways. People said we might struggle with things like the idea of wasted food, living in excess and general rudeness of people, but I think I expected that so it didn’t get to me when it actually happened. I hope that my attitude will be that good when I get back to the US.</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Yesterday night we had some time where we were able to say goodbye to the other members of our team. Before we did it, I thought it was so weird to be saying goodbye to people that I would still be with for two days and people that I hope to see all the time at school next semester. After having that time though, I see the purpose. After having such an incredible experience with a group of people, I think it is important to be intentional about telling them the things you have enjoyed about them or the ways that they have impacted you. I am terrible at goodbyes and I hate them more than anything, but I think having that time will provide a good feeling of closure for me on this part of my experience. It was so great to have a space where I was able to tell people what I love about them and how they’ve affected me. I wasn’t sad about that yet, though I’m sure that time will absolutely come.</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Yesterday night we had some time to say goodbye to the other people on our team. At first I thought it would be really weird to say goodbye to everyone two days before we actually left, but it ended up being so good. I think that I was intentional with people in a way that I wouldn’t have been had we not had specific time for it. One of the hardest parts for me about realizing that this experience is over is that I know that I will never be the same again. I will never return to this place and be with the same group of people again ever in my life. I feel so sad about that. I feel like there is going to be a avoid in me when I leave this place because I have been looking forward to this trip for so long, and I have been living it for the past four months. There will be such loss when this is all over. </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">One of my opinions that has changed dramatically since coming here is my view on poverty. I know I’ve blogged about this before, but I still feel that it has been so important in my experience here. I feel that since I’ve worked in an impoverished neighborhood, and by some standards, lived in poverty myself, that my opinion about poverty was bound to change. Instead of pitying people who live lives with less money, I’ve exchanged that for feelings of compassion. Pity requires an attitude of superiority or judgment and having lived and worked with people in that life has shown me that they are not lacking in so many ways. They still eat, sleep and work just like we do. They have incredible relationships and other things that they experience so much more richly than we do in American culture. The people that I’ve known here who live on much less seem so much happier than a lot of people I know who make significantly more money. There is something so profound in that. </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The community of El Callejon has taught me so much about community as well. I’ve realized that we don’t have community in the states like they have here. People here would drop anything to help a friend out. If someone doesn’t get paid until Friday but needs dinner on Wednesday, people open their homes and kitchens to one another. Granted there are some negatives to this kind of community, like everyone knowing your dirt, I still think there is so much to be learned from this community style of living. I hope that when I come home I will incorporate some of these ideas into my friendships and the community that I have at school. </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">One last thing that I have been thinking a lot about lately especially in light of the fact that I’m going home right before Christmas, is the difference between need and want. I’ve learned a lot about what I actually need to live on while being here, and it is so much less than what we would call “comfortable” in the US. I only actually need two pairs of jeans, or a few pairs of shoes. We are so accustomed to living in excess in the US, even with things like food, electricity and water. Just something to think about..</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It’s hard to finish up a blog about an experience as large and influential in my life as this one. I think this will be my last blog on here, at least until I take my next grand adventure. This experience has been one of the best that I have ever experienced in my life. I have learned so much about myself, my family, poverty, community and God. I hope that when I look back, I can see that this was a turning point in my life, that I was forever changed by this experience. </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Peace and love from the Dominican Republic for the last time.</span></div>Margie Ewaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01600852440862491713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8400745366594896486.post-45288347779875012652010-12-12T04:33:00.000-08:002010-12-12T04:33:25.371-08:00A Catalyst in this Stagnant Generation.<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">There have been so many changes in the weddings in El Callejon in the past week. As of right now, none of the three couples are legally married and a new date for the wedding celebrations is yet to be determined. I probably won’t be able to be at the weddings, and I am so disappointed about that. For any of you who want to read the next few paragraphs, I’ll let you know about the messed up governmental system here and the reasons why each of these three couples are having so much trouble getting married. A little bit of information, each couple needs a valid birth certificate and their “cedula” which is an identification card. When they go to sign their marriage license, they need two witnesses to be present to sign with them.</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Tona and Cencio are a couple who have been living together as a couple for 18 years. They have four kids and have lived in El Callejon for a long time. To marry them, we needed to get valid birth certificates for each of them, because they can expire. We got Tona’s last week in Santiago, it only cost 6 dollars. Cencio’s birth certificate does not exist, his parents apparently did not register him with the government when he was an infant. We have visited at least 6 different government centers looking for a way to get his birth certificate and we finally found out on Friday that the only way to get a birth certificate for him would be to go to Santo Domingo and have them make him one for the first time. That’s where it stands with them right now.</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Kathy and her boyfriend are a young couple who recently moved in together. Kathy is the daughter of Tona and Cencio and she is only seventeen years old. Because she is only 17, she doesn’t yet have her identification card, and she sent away to get one. However, doing this will take 2 months unless she goes to Santo Domingo to get her ID number before they send it to her. Another thing that she will have to do when she has her ID is that she will have to go with Cencio, her father, to Santiago to have him sign a document, approving her marriage as a minor. Kathy is waiting right now and that is where it stands with her and her boyfriend. </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The third couple is an older couple named Sila and Jose. They have two grown sons together and have been living as a married couple for over 30 years. They are the couple that is the closest to actually being married. They have all of their paperwork and have done their interview with the lawyer. They went to sign their marriage license on Thursday but their witnesses couldn’t make it so they had others come and the lawyer would not let them sign for the marriage. </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This whole experience with these weddings has been so exciting from the start, but there have also been so many let downs and disappointments in the midst of it. I am so excited that there are three couples from the community of El Callejon that desire to follow God’s will and be legally married. Daisy told me recently that two more couples have come to her recently and told her that they are interested in getting married as well. The work that we are doing with these weddings matters and it is making an impact on many people’s lives. We had a talk with one of the leaders at the base today and he encouraged Daisy and Caroline in the work that they are doing in El Callejon and the work with these weddings. It would be so easy for them to get so discouraged because nothing seems to be working out correctly. I think that it is important to remember that we are trying to change a cultural custom, and change that big does not come easily. These couples are living together without being married because that’s what their paretns did before them and it’s also what all of the other couples in the community are doing as well. Many of Dominicans do not understand why it is important to be legally married, and I also understand so well now that many of them don’t want to go through the hassle of getting married. The government here is obviously not interested in helping people be married. It costs 2,500 pesos to get married and only 300 to be divorced. I feel like I have learned so much from this wedding experience, about patience, about perseverance, and about disappointment. </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Last night we celebrated my sister Katherine’s wedding. One wedding I was planning on having actually worked out! It was so incredible. It was white and a dark red, the decorations were all so gorgeous. Some of the ladies made fresh wildflower arrangements for each of the tables outside, and they made walls out of palm fronds. It was actually really tropical. While Katherine was walking down the aisle in the church at the ceremony, she had a microphone and seven or eight girls in front of her. As she was talking, she sent each girl to Julio, her husband, with a gift for their marriage. She sent things like love, happiness and her purity to Julio through the girls that walked down the aisle. It was such a beautiful visual of their hopes for marriage. I have so many beautiful pictures of the couple and the decorations, but no time to post them, so ask me if you want to see them </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It was so weird to say goodbye to my family and my friend Amy’s family while at the wedding. There were so many people there and not enough space. It was chaos. We missed out on having dinner and cake, but we were able to visit with a lot of people too. I was kind of glad that our last day was spent doing something, because it would have been awful to have just sat around the house all day waiting to say goodbye. It was difficult saying goodbye knowing that there is a good chance that I will never see those people again, but I also know that I have learned so much from them and have had such an incredible experience with them. </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Our last week here will be full of team exercises and debriefing. We are going to stay at an all-inclusive resort on the north side of the island. Going to somewhere really nice where they treat us as tourists is part of letting go of our time here and to help us start thinking about American culture again. I am so excited for our excursion today, we are going to a place called 27 waterfalls, where we will hike and do a number of cliff jumps during the morning. I am looking forward to spending a lot of time with the group this week and just thinking about finishing up this experience well.</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It is so difficult coming to the realization that this trip is 4 days from being over. I have been looking forward to it for so long, planning for it, saving for it and now experiencing it. There will be a huge hole in my heart after finishing out this experience. It has been incredible and I have learned so much. I have been so blessed by my time here, I’ve loved every minute of it, well almost every minute. I wouldn’t trade my time here for anything and I would do it again if I had another chance. Being here makes me think about my future. Who knows, maybe I’ll end up doing something like this long term..</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivWunLpYnSzPPf8vFC7adX3TmD5SAbWB_YOoFCJKJagR0fzofoZ-QPuXy_gICm1NSm42nCE1i9142mEDHFuS8WZ_68FlXT77Cz3Gs4O8O9L8BjigBIrIEhbnb8Gzg0o7vq9_mv0aMJKEM/s1600/WEDDING+189.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivWunLpYnSzPPf8vFC7adX3TmD5SAbWB_YOoFCJKJagR0fzofoZ-QPuXy_gICm1NSm42nCE1i9142mEDHFuS8WZ_68FlXT77Cz3Gs4O8O9L8BjigBIrIEhbnb8Gzg0o7vq9_mv0aMJKEM/s320/WEDDING+189.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Margie Ewaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01600852440862491713noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8400745366594896486.post-67386296638934515332010-12-05T12:46:00.001-08:002010-12-05T12:46:30.559-08:00I am Seen, I am Known<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Last Saturday, after our Thanksgiving weekend together I went with some friends to Santiago (a big city about an hour away) to just get away and hang out. It was so nice to be with some different people, because even though I love my group so much, I have been with the same 20 or so people for the past three months, so it was nice to have a change. We went to a mall, and it was so strange to be inside a place that felt so American. It wasn’t bad or uncomfortable; it just felt weird to be in a place where everything cost so much money. We went and saw a movie and went bowling, we did so much! It was fun to experience the Dominican with a different, smaller group of people and just be able to do what we wanted, not to follow a schedule or to get home by a certain time. Freedom, I miss that </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Last night, our group had a Christmas party together. Some of my family members will be glad to hear that I watched Holiday Inn and Elf and am planning on watching White Christmas this afternoon at a friend’s hose. I have successfully watched three of my favorite Christmas movies; I just have a couple to go when I get home. We made and decorated sugar cookies, listened to Christmas music, and had Pica Pollo for dinner (which isn’t Christmas-y at all, but it was delicious). I am getting so excited to come home and celebrate Christmas with my family. I can’t wait to get home and smell a Christmas tree, or see the snow (I’ll probably regret that comment really quickly). There is a “Christmas feeling” and I’m starting to have it. I’m also so excited that Christmas will provide a great way for me to see a lot of my family all at once. I’m praying that it won’t be difficult to have to make decisions about which families I have time to see, that’s the hardest thing about the holidays for me. I hope that it works out that everything is spread out enough that I can do it all. We’ll see I guess. </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">All of last week we worked on getting things ready for the weddings next week. There have been some difficulties that have come up with getting everything together with the marriage licenses. Each individual needs two things to get a marriage license: a birth certificate and their ID card. Some of the couples don’t possess both of these items, because they really have no use for them. We had to go to Santiago one day last week to get two people’s birth certificates because they didn’t have them for themselves. For another couple, the woman is under 18 so she needed to get special permission to get married, and it also cost more money. There have been a lot of legal complications with the couples, and I now have a better understanding of why people don’t get legally married here. It is difficult and expensive. They don’t believe that it is necessary anyways, so I understand why many people don’t bother. By Friday though, many of the problems started fixing themselves, with much work done by Daisy, and it looks like we should be able to have the weddings on schedule next week on Wednesday. I hope that they’re beautiful and that the couples have a wonderful time. </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I have been making so much progress on the policy book that I am putting together for the social work center. I don’t remember how much I’ve written about it before, but<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Caroline and I are working on a resource book that topically gives some ideas and Bible verses about common problems in El Callejon. Some of our topics are adultery, gossip and parenting. The book isn’t meant to be something that a person can hand out to another as “self-help”, but it’s meant to be a resource to start a conversation and build a relationship. The book itself is almost 85 pages long and it should be an incredible tool for people working at the social work site to have. I will format it before I leave, but in the future, Caroline will also translate all of our work into Spanish so that Daisy and other Spanish speakers can use the resource as well. </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I think that one of my biggest fears about leaving here is that I will look back and it will feel like it was all a dream. I want to look back on this experience with clarity, remembering lots of the small details and the little things that made me fall in love with this place. I hope that writing blogs every week and keeping a journal will help me to this end, but I know that it will be different. Because Dominican culture is so far removed from American culture, it’s so different that it will be hard to remember what it feels like to live here. I don’t know what kinds of things that I can do to remember with clarity my time here, but I’m hoping and praying that I will be able to. I don’t want this to be a trip I took once, but an experience that changes me forever, a turning point. I hope that it is. </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The next time I write, I will have said goodbye to my family for the last time. I am kind of terrified of this, because it will probably be goodbye forever. I hate goodbyes more than anything, and it will be so much harder knowing that it’s so final. There’s a lot of anxiety for me about leaving too because my family has started to put the pressure on about staying in contact. Katherine and Denise have started asking me about how much I’m going to call them on the phone when I get back, and this week I am going to have to sit down with them and be realistic about the fact that it will not be very often, if at all. The hard thing is that my family had a student live with them last year, and they still talk to that student probably once a month. First of all, I don’t know if I will remember any Spanish by then, and I also can’t afford to call down here. It’s ridiculously expensive to call here. It’s not that I don’t want to stay in touch with my family; I just don’t know if it’s possible. There aren’t really good alternatives to calling either, there is no mail system and they can only get internet at an internet café or something like that. This is just a frustrating thing that I will have to deal with as it comes up, but I am not looking forward to having that conversation. </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">At this point, with one real week left here, I feel at peace about coming home. I feel like I’m ready and I’ve accomplished all that I felt that I needed to here. We have about 5 days of team time and debriefing here after we move out of our host homes and it will be so hard to say goodbye to everyone in our group. 7 of the 15 people from our group are from other schools, so I know that I won’t be able to see them very much, which is so hard. It’s so strange to think about something like this coming to an end, because it will never be the same again. There will never be the same group of people in the same place ever again in this life, that’s so sad to think about. I’m starting to mourn the fact that this trip is almost over, because I know that I can never truly revisit this experience. </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">However, I am so excited to come home for other reasons. I finally have all of my Christmas presents ready to bring back to the states. Graham, you were the tricky one, as always. Talking with friends and family and being able to start making plans for when I get home is so exciting. I think that being away for this long and on this type of trip has really strengthened some of my relationships, or at least made me value them so much more. One of the things I have really missed being here is just being able to be with friends who know me well; who I am completely comfortable with. I am looking forward to just being comfortable with the people around me, that and having carpeting under my feet </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This week ahead will be a lot of “last times” for me, but I am looking forward to coming home and reconnecting with everyone. Less than two weeks everyone, prepare yourselves!</span></div>Margie Ewaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01600852440862491713noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8400745366594896486.post-507609200132913222010-11-26T19:25:00.001-08:002010-11-26T19:25:08.239-08:00Guard Your Heart and Watch the Wind<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This week has been incredible as life here always seems to be. I feel so blessed and excited that I am still in the process of making memories, and being intentional about continuing in my relationships has truly paid off. I haven’t checked out yet from being in this place, though it is so exciting to think about going home and being with friends and family for the holidays. I’m kind of afraid that I’m going to look back on this entire experience and it’s going to feel like a dream. I am so far removed from anything normal or familiar; that I feel like when I am back home and comfortable again, that looking back on this experience will seem surreal. Granted, there are absolutely still moments where I have a difficult time believing that this is my life and I really do live in this beautiful place. </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This week in El Callejon, we had all of our Christmas parties. They were all so much fun, and it was great to see everyone dressed up with makeup on, looking their best. It’s interesting too to observe the women at the parties. There were some women who were there to genuinely invest their time in celebrating Christmas and their relationships. It was sad to see however that there were a number of women who were clearly there just to receive the gifts that Students International collected for them. Daisy and Caroline tried to compensate for those women who don’t attend class and just come for the parties for special days by making their gifts different or smaller than the other women’s. </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">All of the parties this week were really bittersweet. Although I’ll be working in El Callejon for two more weeks, we won’t be having any classes with the girls or the women. I’m sure that I’ll see them around town, but it won’t be the same because I won’t have time to spend with them as much. It was so sad to say goodbye to the teenage girls. I saw all of them twice a week for English class so I felt that I was able to build stronger relationships with them than I was with any of the other classes. At the end of our party, two of the girls specifically said thank you to me for spending time with them every week and being a good teacher. They then told me that they want me to come back in January to teach them and two of the girls said that I could stay at their houses if I wanted to. It was so sweet, and incredible to know that even though the girls probably didn’t learn a lot of English, they had a good time and we were able to get to know each other and laugh together. </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Starting on Monday, we’ll begin working with the couples in El Callejon that want to get married. We will hold the weddings at the social work center during the week before I leave. Some of our preparations will be giving facials and manicures/pedicures to the women, as well as making decorations for the social work site to make their days more special. As of right now, there are 4 couples that are planning on getting married. If you think of it, if you could pray specifically for two of the couples, that would be great. The girls are under 18 and Daisy was unaware that it would cost significantly more to get a marriage license, as well as a trip to Santo Domingo to get special permission to be married. I hope that this will not discourage the two girls from getting married, because they are so young and it would be so beneficial to them to be in a more committed relationship. I am so looking forward to being a part of this journey with these women. Most of them have so little security and trust in their relationships that the fact that their boyfriends are willing to get married means that they are ready to truly commit to them. </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This pattern of moving in with a boyfriend and never getting legally married is a thing that has been going on in El Callejon for a long time, and most of the people don’t see the value in being legally married. Daisy and Caroline’s purpose in starting to host weddings every year is to break this cycle and to help the women especially see the worth in being legally married. It will be more difficult for their men to simply walk out on them and their families, and hopefully the men will think more carefully before cheating, which is also a huge problem that couples face in El Callejon. Their ideas about marriage and relationships are so different from ours in America, it’s interesting to talk to the women and try to understand their perspective. The way I see it, legal marriage insures a sense of security and shows that both people are committed to the relationship. They don’t see it that way here. To many Dominicans, legal marriage is unnecessary and expensive, they don’t understand the deeper implications of being bound legally to another person.</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Spending Thanksgiving here was actually not as weird as I thought it would be. During the morning I went to my site leader Caroline’s house and spent the morning with her husband Ryan, and his interns from our group at the microfinance site. We watched the Thanksgiving Day parade, the office, played Settlers of Catan and ate a ton of pizza for lunch. It was a very American morning, so don’t think I missed out because I was here. We went to El Callejon for a party in the afternoon with the teenage girls, but then we went back to Ryan and Caroline’s to hang out some more before dinner. We had the ultimate American dinner here at the base, complete with turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, corn, salad, rolls and pumpkin pie. It was incredible! All of the Students International staff was invited to dinner with us as well, so it was fun to talk with them and share the Thanksgiving tradition with the Dominican staff. We had a few minutes to talk with our tables about the things that we are thankful for, and I am amazed at how blessed I am. Being in this situation, it would be ignorant and obnoxious to not realize that, but I am blessed beyond measure in so many more ways than just having this opportunity and experience. We had some coffee to counteract the tryptophan sleepiness, and were able to spend the rest of the night hanging out.</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">For my day on Black Friday, we drove up to a beach on the north side of the island called Cabarete, which was so nice. It was a little bit touristy, but not nearly as bad as Boca Chica, which we went to during travel week. It was a perfect day to be at the beach, sunny but not too hot with a little bit of wind. I found peace in knowing that while many people were out in the cold shopping like maniacs to get the best deals for Christmas, I was sitting on a beach chair relaxing and enjoying the incredible people that I am here with. I definitely had one of those surreal moments where I couldn’t believe that I was there.</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’ve been thinking a lot about the Bible verse in Romans 12:18, which says “So far as it depends on me, live at peace with everyone”. Thinking about what this means in my life is really convicting, because it means that I need to do my part to resolve conflicts. I need learn to do the best thing in all of my relationships, laying aside my pride or my hurt feelings, which can be really hard. It’s so convicting in light of certain conflicts during this trip. It’s encouraging though because I know that I can only be held accountable for my part of a relationship. It takes two people to make a conflict, and I know that I can only be in control of my actions and beyond that is not my fault because I cannot change it. I don’t think that this is asking me to allow people to walk all over me or to not voice my opinion when I’m upset, I think it’s just saying that I need to be mindful of doing the right thing in all of my relationships, even when it’s really hard sometimes, just a thought.</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">As always, I’m so looking forward to seeing everyone when I get home in less than three weeks!</span></div>Margie Ewaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01600852440862491713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8400745366594896486.post-92139999861716938022010-11-20T10:42:00.000-08:002010-11-20T10:42:02.124-08:00Some Things Only Shine With Time..<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’ve recently come to the realization that I have less than four weeks left here. Coming with that idea is a grand mix of excitement and mourning, but I’m trying not to think about it too much because I don’t want to take away from what time I have left here. There have been three sunny days this week, which is apparently a miracle here. For some reason, we’ve had a really cloudy fall here; everyone who lives here is saying that it’s not common to have this much rain and so many cloudy days. It just makes me more grateful for the days that we do have sun; it’s so encouraging to feel the sun on my face. </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Something that has given me great joy while being here has been teaching my Dominican mom, Denise how to say certain phrases in English. My sister, Katherine, is almost finished with her yearlong English class, so Denise always asks Kara and I how to tell Katherine to do things in English. She always wants to be reminded how to say “wash the dishes”, which ends up sounding like “wach da diches”. My personal favorite is when she says “Katherine, pay attention to me”. She always points with one finger and squints her eyes to look really mean, but she says “Kafreene, pen ten ten chu me”. I have spent so many nights laughing with her about her attempts to speak English, and we have plans for this Sunday to make videos of her English. I’ve tried to get her to let me record her before, but she refuses to do it until her hair is done, and she has makeup on and nice clothes. Love her </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I have had to keep myself in check this week about thinking about leaving. I’m realizing that something that I do when I know that relationships are going to come to an end is that i begin to pull away before I leave to make leaving easier and less painful. That is such an awful way to end such a beautiful semester. I have been reminding myself to be intentional with my family, with spending time with them and enjoying them while I can. I think that my pulling away is a defense mechanism that makes things hurt less when I have to leave, but it’s so unfair to my family and friends that I have made here. It has become a daily decision to spend time with people and keep making sure that I’m pouring into my relationships here as much as I can. </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">For a long weekend this weekend there are a group of Bethel and Taylor University professors here to check out what the program down here looks like for the semester students. Last night we had dinner with one of them at Paula’s house. It’s interesting to see the way that the teachers interact with Dominicans, because life and customs here have become so comfortable to us. It’s also interesting to see how they have interacted with our families as many of them don’t speak Spanish. It’s such a different experience because they can’t communicate and speak in order to build relationships, which is such a huge part of Dominican culture.</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Last week I was able to find time with two of the teenage girls in my English class, Annerys and Patricia, to just talk to them about themselves. It was such a great time! Because we’re always in class and working on projects, I feel that we don’t get that much time to just sit and talk to each other. I was able to ask them about their families, school and their dreams. Annerys wants to be a singer/actress/model and Patricia wants to be an actress. It’s so sweet to hear about their dreams and how they plan on getting there. It was so nice to be able to talk to them without an agenda or a lesson behind it, just talking like friends. </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Something that I’ve been thinking about as we’re preparing for Christmas parties in El Callejon next week is the idea of giving gifts. I’m only talking about it specifically in this context, because I think it’s a really different scenario. It’s hard to give gifts that the people know are from Americans, because there is such a stereotype that all Americans are rich, so I think the gifts are more expected than they are appreciated. We talked a lot before we came here about we, as Americans and part of their stereotype, need to be careful of how we give to people and the ways that we use our money in front of people who don’t have much. All of the gifts that we are giving to the 100 plus women and girls that come to class every week are the result of donations from America throughout the year, which is incredible. On Friday Caroline and I put together so many gift bags with toothbrushes, toothpaste and then a bunch of smaller age-appropriate gifts. It’s been a hard stereotype for me, as well as the long-term missionaries to overcome that we all have money, though it’s cool that people are starting to understand that we’re not here to give them material things, but rather to build relationships with them and spend time with them. Those are the kinds of gifts that we have brought to give; I am giving myself to these beautiful women, not just things bought on clearance in a store in the states. </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Kind of following that, we read a book before we came here about how a lot of short term missions can actually be harmful to people rather than helpful. When a group of people go to a poor community for a week or two weeks, they do some good, but sometimes it can teach people learned helplessness, that if they let things go long enough, that eventually someone will come in and do it for them. Something that we have talked about a lot here with our ministry is that we should never do something for an individual that he or she could do for themselves. Think about that. We shouldn’t hand out money to someone who is able-bodied and capable of finding a job and providing for himself. That’s a hard thing for me to reconcile with when I see dirty children and clothes little better than rags. A much more valuable and lasting way to live is to pour into relationships with people, “teaching a man to fish”. This goes back to my idea that there is a poverty here of spirit that is much more pressing than a material poverty. There are deeper roots to material poverty, and throwing money or materials at people does not solve the problem over the long-term. Sorry if none of this makes sense, just some thoughts I’m having about whether or not I’m actually making any impact here.</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">On a closing note, if any of you were wondering, I have absolutely no regrets about climbing El Mogote last week, and I’m so glad that I pushed myself so hard to do something that i never thought would be physically possible for me. Now that the soreness is gone, I can really appreciate this view and look back at what an incredible experience it was:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFwc3ZI7iBC8DJVcwug9rJxhzX9uq2VVyBcKcXAY_wQHlaP_SeoSGxJBbM6a7vEuGVA4dxENQYA-AvXth5SINYNf7HVdV_fupkfee22mTB8qu72MPRF4SkqwKCAhU2S3V5Jiww5KHQzjY/s1600/DOMINICAN+028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFwc3ZI7iBC8DJVcwug9rJxhzX9uq2VVyBcKcXAY_wQHlaP_SeoSGxJBbM6a7vEuGVA4dxENQYA-AvXth5SINYNf7HVdV_fupkfee22mTB8qu72MPRF4SkqwKCAhU2S3V5Jiww5KHQzjY/s320/DOMINICAN+028.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Margie Ewaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01600852440862491713noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8400745366594896486.post-29336075860652413212010-11-14T10:37:00.000-08:002010-11-14T10:37:06.038-08:00Hear Me Willow and Weep for Me<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Hello world! These past few days have been so full and so incredible. I am still in awe of the fact that I live her e and I have a life here. I have been making so many more relationships with the people who live in El Callejon, there are always women greeting me by name and wanting to talk to me as I walk through town every day. It’s such an incredible feeling to be a part of something in this way and to be recognized by name, not just as the American who works with Daisy. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Next week is my last week of regular classes with the women at the social work site. I am excited to tackle next week and then have four days of Christmas parties with all of the classes. After that we’ll have two weeks to prepare for the weddings in El Callejon, which I am so excited about. Daisy and Caroline have been meeting with a number of couples about their interest in becoming legally married. It’s such a privilege for me to be able to see all of these different times at the social work center. I get to see their regular classes and be a part of their normal routine, but I also get to contribute to something really special in their community. I feel like it’s such an honor that I get to be here during this time. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">For some reason, all of our classes this week were really crazy. I don’t know if the women are realizing that we’re getting close to the end of the year, but they were nuts! We started a new project with the women, a Christmas decorative pillow, and I think that all of the other classes might be kind of jealous of it, which is probably some of the problem. It’s so great to see the women get really excited about something that we are doing. This project is also a lot simpler than the ones that we have been working on finishing, so I am a little relieved for that. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">As I think some of you know, the girl that I was working with named Rachel had to return home to the United States a few weeks early because of some medical problems. It has been such a different experience at my ministry site without her. I miss her dearly; it’s hard sometimes to know that I’m the only one there and that I don’t have another American to share my experience with. It’s been hard having her gone too, because for a lot of reasons, she was my sanity. It’s definitely been an adjustment going from expecting to be with a friend all semester to doing more things on my own. Daisy and Caroline have been so incredible with working with me and lessening the load of things that I do each week. I am so blessed to be surrounded by such incredible women who are committed into pouring into me as much as I am committed to pouring out to the women here. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Something that I’ve been thinking and praying about for when I get home is finding a church to go to. I’ve struggled for the past three or more years about finding a church that I like. I’ve been kind of disillusioned with church, church can be such a judgmental legalistic place, and I think I’ve been running from that judgment instead of honestly seeking a place where I can be comfortable. Another thought that I’ve been having is finding a way to serve my community weekly. I think that when I get back to school, I want to find a soup kitchen, homeless shelter or tutoring center where I can volunteer once a week. While I am at school, it is so easy to get caught up in my own life and my homework and grades and forget that there is a whole big world out there. It’s so easy to live in my safe little dorm room on my safe college campus and forget that I live in a community where people are hurting and don’t have places to sleep, food to eat, or parents or siblings to help them with their homework. Being in a country where there is so much need has opened my eyes to how selfish I can be when I am at school. Going to school is a great thing, don’t get me wrong. But I feel like I am called to so much more than that, and after having had this experience and living in the conditions that I have, I don’t think that I can go back to being so selfish. These are just some thoughts about changes that I think I need to make when I get back. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’ve realized in the last few days that we really only have four full weeks left here. There are so many emotions that come with that idea. The one that hit me hard today is that I only have four weeks to finish all of the homework that I have, so that is why I’m alone at the base today, locked up in a room working hard. It’s so strange to know that this experience will come to an end, I have gotten so used to being here. The day that I have to say goodbye to this place will be a sad one, but I find joy in knowing that I will go home and be surrounded by people that love me so much. I’m so excited to see all of you!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">One really fun thing that I did this week is that I climbed a mountain yesterday, literally. It is the highest peak near Jarabacoa, though I don’t know how many feet exactly. It took us 2 ½ hours to climb up and 2 ½ hours to climb down. It was muddy both ways, and I’m pretty sure I slid most of the way down instead of hiking it. I think it was the most physically demanding thing that I’ve done in a really long time, maybe because it was over such a long period of time. I climbed on Saturday, and as I write this on Sunday, most of the muscles in my body are sore. I hit my knee pretty hard on a rock so it’s a little swollen and bruised, but otherwise I made it. Overall, it was incredible! There is definitely a new meaning for me in the phrase “mountaintop experience”, because it was such hard work, but totally worth it in the end. I’ll probably have even better feelings about it when my body stops hurting every time I take a deep breath. At the top, I had another one of those moments where I couldn’t believe that I’m here and these are the kinds of things that I get to do on the weekends, I’m so blessed! </span></div>Margie Ewaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01600852440862491713noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8400745366594896486.post-35218443163976986002010-11-06T06:49:00.000-07:002010-11-06T06:49:04.277-07:00This time I hope it's different. This time I hope I change.<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Well I’m sure that all of you have been worried sick about the tropical storm that is in our area. </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> You shouldn’t. It’s been rainy all week, but we didn’t really catch any other weather from the storm besides that. It was kind of interesting thought that all of the public schools and many of the private schools were cancelled on Friday, because that was the day that the hurricane was closest to us. I think that hurricane days are a lot like snow days in the Midwest. I do however think that Dominicans view rain as a legitimate reason to not to go school, to work or to meetings. Dominicans hate rain, being wet, and ruining their hair, so they just don’t go out when it’s raining. It’s so different from the US, where we go to work or school every day, rain or shine because we committed to being there. </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Everything has been so wet the past week because of all the rain that we have gotten. In late summer it rained fairly often, but it would just be an afternoon shower with sun most of the rest of the day. It has been overcast here for days; I’ll give credit to the hurricane for that one. Our Dominican mom did laundry for us on Monday and it took until Thursday to dry because of the rain and the humidity. It was the first time that Kara and I had to wait so long for our laundry to be done, but I think during the rainy seasons here that’s just a fact of life here. I guess I’ll have to learn to ration my underwear better next week when she does laundry. I’m realizing that any time I feel homesick it’s for the comforts of American life. I’m not trying to say that I don’t miss my family and friends, but the things I miss are simple. I miss heated dryers that shrink my clothes that are getting to big, and I miss the convenience of driving or transportation that we have in the states. I miss my cell phone and being able to get ahold of people instead of making plans a week in advance and hoping the other person remembers. It’s an adjustment here to not have small comforts like that, and I’m at the point where I’m feeling a little bit exhausted by it. </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">On a much more positive note, on Thursday night this week Kara and I went out with the boys from the microfinance site to celebrate our victory dinner for winning the photo scavenger hunt last week. It was so fun to be able to eat American food and hang out with friends. We played games at Ryan and Caroline’s house, the husband and wife couple who are the leaders of our two sites. Ryan taught Kara and I how to play Settlers of Catan, and though it’s been said that that’s a “boy’s game”, I’m a huge fan of it. We also watched a few episodes of the office after we had dinner, which was straight up food for my soul. </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This week I worked on an article that I am sending to be in Bethel’s Semester Abroad/Task Force newsletter. I was asked to write a one page article on some aspect of the Dominican Republic or my experience here that has changed or affected me. Wow, talk about vague. It was really difficult to try to sum up my experience in one page or to choose just one thing to talk about to give an honest representation of my experience here. It’s something that I need to start thinking about because I know that every person that I talk to when I get home won’t want to hear about each and every experience that I had here. We’ve talked before about having a 2 minute summary of my trip, a 10 minute summary and a 30 minute summary, and I don’t know how to come up with any of those time frames. It’s so hard to think about summing up my trip with any amount of time, but to try to put it into one page or two minutes is kind of overwhelming. Yikes!</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This week has been kind of a long week. It’s been a focus of mine to try to find some ways to relax and release stress. On Sunday I went with a group of people to play ultimate Frisbee and that was an awesome way to release stress. It’s nice to meet different people and just change up my routine. I spent the night again with my friends who graduated from Bethel and are now teachers at one of the schools here. It’s so great to just be able to sit and talk with people and share about our lives her e and our experiences. Another way that I have been focusing on relaxing is making sure that I find time to be quite and ready my Bible each morning. My favorite place to do that is on our front porch at home, because I get to see the new morning sun and smell the fresh mountain air. It’s so still in the mornings and it’s been great to just have that time to be still and relax. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m learning a lot about what it means to really relax; I think that’s something that culturally, America is bad at. When we have time off we want to do something, to be with friends or go somewhere. But I think there’s so much value in just having a conversation with someone else, or reading a book in a quiet place to just calm your mind. Hopefully this philosophy will come home with me when I reenter college life </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">On Tuesday night of this week, Daisy and Caroline started having weekly meetings for the couples in El Callejon who are interested in getting married this winter. They said that about 6 couples went, but that there are probably more who didn’t come because of the rain (there’s that excuse again). Last year they had about 10 couples who were interested, and three of them ended up getting married. I’m excited to see what this year’s weddings have in store for us, I don’t know exactly what to expect but I am so excited to be a part of something so beautiful.</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This past week has been a great time for building stronger relationships with our site leaders, Daisy and Caroline. I’m learning more and more about what their hearts really are for El Callejon and the women living there. Daisy has this wonderful way of asking great questions that make me think so much more deeply about the women, about poverty, about change in general. This experience would be great without questions like that, but they cause me to form my own opinions about what’s going on in the community and what work the social work is actually doing there. </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Another thing that has been a really great learning experience is leading Bible studies in Spanish and teaching English classes. We lead Bible study for two groups of young girls and two groups of teenage girls. It honestly wouldn’t be that bad except that I’ve never led a Bible study before and I’ve definitely never done so in Spanish. We have talked a lot about “heart languages” and the way that your first language is your heart language because it is what you know best. With that first language you can best express yourself and talk about your feelings and what is deepest within you. Trying to connect with people in this way while speaking a language that I am only just learning is a daunting task. It’s been interesting to try to express myself and share my heart with these girls while trying to do so in broken Spanish and incorrect words. It’s definitely been a stretching experience!</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This week has been kind of a long, hard week, but I think it’s just part of this process. I never expected this to be easy, and I never expected to feel great all the time. I’m not saying that I hated this week; I just think that this was a week of growth where I was stretched in a number of ways that were uncomfortable. I am grateful for this struggle because I know that the hard times are when I grow the most, I am so looking forward to coming home as a changed person, hopefully all or most of that change will be for the better.</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This is the waterfall that we went to last weekend, so gorgeous :)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4dMhatEAi6eAswKDtO5iJZH2apKkkfX14-T3dRkLFDCQqJ-TtDeQ61fDKSWWdiKnynHAicNozg98Qa1xpzWSo5dcEAX7eLQBtdUy01VI0iznVHFzc9N2Vn7AfJe4iGrTn2b_HuurmcCo/s1600/DOMINICAN+157.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4dMhatEAi6eAswKDtO5iJZH2apKkkfX14-T3dRkLFDCQqJ-TtDeQ61fDKSWWdiKnynHAicNozg98Qa1xpzWSo5dcEAX7eLQBtdUy01VI0iznVHFzc9N2Vn7AfJe4iGrTn2b_HuurmcCo/s320/DOMINICAN+157.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div>Margie Ewaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01600852440862491713noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8400745366594896486.post-6679815199921649032010-10-30T06:06:00.000-07:002010-10-30T06:06:40.771-07:00i need your sun to dry up the rain.<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It’s been so great to be moved back in with my Dominican family. I was a little bit anxious about moving back in with my family, because I knew that it would be an adjustment again to go from living at the base all the time with running water and always having electricity, to moving back to the “campo”, or country where such basic things cannot always be counted on. My readjustment was significantly easier than I thought it would be. It felt in a way like I was just coming home, or back to a place that I was already comfortable being myself in. I’m so glad that I didn’t have to change homes in the middle of the semester, because it would have been so stressful to have to adjust to a new family at that time, but I love my Dominican family and I can see that I have been placed perfectly with them. I love that my siblings are my age and that we don’t have any crazy kids running around all the time, only on the weekends. </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> My house is a very peaceful place and I’m learning to love that so much. I am so looking forward to reading more this part of my semester, and I can’t wait to learn to relax even more. </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Yesterday marked the last day of my first week at my ministry site. I work in a very poor community called El Callejon, which literally means an alley. There are about 400 – 500 people (which is about 120 families) that live there without permits. They are squatters who have constructed their houses out of boards, tin and whatever other materials that they could come up with. The level of poverty is pretty high there, similar to what I was picturing in my head when I decided to go to a third world country. The level of cleanliness and respect for one’s property is pretty low, though the level of relationship and connectedness within the community is so incredibly strong. I am working each day at a women’s social work site, where we meet with women and girls and have Bible studies, and then spend some time making crafts and things that they can display with pride in their homes as something that they did. It is a beautiful place to make relationships and learn about a different way of life. </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This week has been incredible! It’s been a kind of stressful an emotional week for a number of reasons, but I am blown away at the beauty of the women that I have the privilege of working with each week. There are six groups of women that come to the social work site each week: a group of adult women (25 – 60), a group of young married women (16 – 25), two groups of teenaged girls (13 – 20), and two groups of young girls (5 – 12). Our days are split up by the mornings and the afternoons, and we often have one group in the morning and another in the afternoon. The group of women is the only group that comes twice a week, once for a Bible study and the other time for crafts. All of the other groups are split half and half with their hour and half that they spend at the site. This week we started all of the women on their Christmas projects, because they only have three more weeks until we have our Christmas parties and then are finished for the year. </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">After all of the women stop coming to “class” at their regular times each week, we will be working to prepare for the six weddings that Students International is conducting this December. In El Callejon, many people live together as couples but are never married. Individuals could live together for 30 years and call one another husband and wife, but one of the goals of the site that I work with is to promote healthy relationships. A marriage relationship cannot be fully functional until there is a level of trust, respect and commitment to one another. Many of the relationships fall apart because of cheating, fighting or the man just leaving. All of these problems are less easily committed if there is more of a commitment present in a relationship. Six couples have signed up so far to become legally married, and the group of people that I am working with is going to make a special day for them. In the two weeks before the wedding celebrations, we will be making decorations with the brides and giving them facials and manicures/pedicures to prepare them for their special day. I am so excited to be a part of this journey for them, because for many of the women it’s a giant step in realizing their self-worth and recognizing their need for security in their relationships. </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">On Wednesday we had a photo scavenger hunt in El Callejon. Our team consisted of Rachel and I from our social work site, along with my roommate Kara who works at the preschool in El Callejon. The other team was the three students from our group, Nate, Neil and Amy, who are working at the microfinance site. The two Students International staff that we all work under at each of our sites are Caroline and Ryan, who are married to one another, so needless to say there was a little bit of healthy competition. It rained for the first hour or so of our competition, but it was still so fun. It was so interesting to see the ways that people wanted to help us. We had to take pictures we certain people, touching a pig or standing in certain locations. Because we are very new to the community, we had to ask for help from people in the community. An 8 year old girl named Rosa and a 15 year old boy named Francis went with us almost the whole time and helped us find people, things and specific places. It was so interesting that people were so quick to invite us into their homes and to take pictures with them or with a special item of theirs. It was also interesting to see how Rosa and Francis knew each person or special thing that we needed to find. I think this just illustrates further the closeness that they experience in their community. It is so beautiful! At the end of our two hours, our team ended up demolishing the other team, earning almost twice as many points, thank you very much. We won a lunch or dinner at Pizza Pepperoni in town within the next few weeks. More than winning that though we made some great memories and continued down our path of building relationships with people in the community. </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Although I have only been going to El Callejon for a week now, I’m realizing that the more time I spend there, the more that I am accepted. It’s been beautiful to be able to start saying hello to women by name because I have spent time with them at our social work site. There are probably about 100 women who come to class with us, and in a community of 500 that’s a lot of people that I have met and spoken to. It’s so exciting to walk to work and be able to see familiar faces and be recognized by young girls and old women. I feel like I am less of a spectacle as an American if people know who I am and see me regularly. I am so excited that I feel like I am becoming part of a community and less like a visitor. I am starting to build those relationships that drew me to this country, and I am so excited to continue getting to know these beautiful people!</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">As I’m sure you all know, I celebrated my 21<sup>st</sup> birthday here on Thursday. It was a cold rainy day; apparently the Dominican weather wanted me to feel like I was at home for my birthday. </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> I woke up in the morning to a huge hug from Denise, my Dominican mom. I opened up some gifts and letters that were sent with me from home, which both encouraged me and saddened me at the same time. It was totally bittersweet to celebrate such a special day away from home. At the morning at my site, Caroline and Daisy gave me a plate of brownies that they made for me, which is a super special thing here because none of the chocolate here tastes like normal chocolate. I eat lunch every day at Rachel and Amy’s house, two girls from Bethel who live with a family who is really close to El Callejon. When I got to Paula’s house for lunch on Thursday, the microfinance students were there, along with Rachel and Amy’s whole Dominican family. They all sang happy birthday to me as soon as I walked in, and we all had a really nice lunch together. </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When I got home from work in the afternoon I was kind of bummed that I didn’t have plans to go out for dinner or doing anything special at night for my birthday. Kara and I decided that we would get a taxi and take our family out to dinner in the city. We asked Denise about it and she was really vague in her answers. When my sister Katherine finally got home and we were ready to go, I went to the bathroom real fast and when I came out they had turned all the lights out. They started singing happy birthday and they showed me the cake that they had made for me, which said “Felicidades, Margie” or congratulations. They had planned a little surprise party with our family. Our older brother, Aneudys was here, along with Katherine’s fiancé Julio. They had the most ridiculous collection of “American” foods for dinner. They had doritos, plain potato chips, plain white bread sandwiches with pineapple jelly, cheese and salami cubes and orange Fanta soda. Denise also made this “salsa”, which I’m pretty sure was just ketchup and mayonnaise mixed together, but they all loved it. It was such a fun time! We put some music on and talked and laughed and ate. It was pretty late when we got done so we watched part of a movie and then Kara and I went to bed. Reading all of my letters from friends at home made me a little bit sad that I wasn’t home today, but the lovely party that my family here threw me wiped all of that sadness away. I feel so loved and accepted by them.</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I think it’s interesting that all day on Thursday; no one actually gave me any gifts. I love that birthday celebrations here are centered on spending time with friends and family. Also, it is centered on food! I love that people celebrate one another by being with them, and taking time out of their day to make someone else’s birthday special. They show one another how they care by being physically present during special times in each other’s lives, not by giving gifts or sending cards. I love that this is yet another example of how relationships are so important in the culture here, it’s so beautiful!</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I have been thinking a lot about poverty since I’ve started working in El Callejon. I’ve been thinking about not just what poverty is, but whether or not it is God’s will, what starts poverty, what other types of poverty there are besides material poverty, and how living in a state of poverty affects people. Daisy and Caroline asked Rachel and I the question on our first day about whether we think that it is God’s will that people live in conditions such as those in El Callejon. Biblically, God promises that our basic needs will be taken care of: something to eat, clothes to cover our bodies and a roof over our heads. Beyond that though, we are not guaranteed a life of comfort or luxury. The people of El Callejon have those necessities, even if just barely. God desires progress in the lives of these people, but he does not promise that money will fall from the sky and they will all have rich futures. It is hard for me to think these thoughts and write these words knowing the circumstances that I come from, but I think that my opinions of what I actually need are being radically transformed by this experience. </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">More than material poverty, the thing that seems more pressing to me in the lives of the women that I’m working with is a poverty of spirit or relationships. Many women do not recognize their self-worth. They stay at home cooking, cleaning, taking care of children and are given little or no thanks for all of this hard work. It is a cultural expectation for them to do these things and to do them without thanks or praise. I think it would be hard to have self-worth if no one ever told you thank you, or told you that you were beautiful. Another type of poverty that I see in the lives of these women is a lack of positive and healthy relationships. Friendships where encouragement and accountability are present. Relationships that are not conditional on completing certain tasks. Friends that can laugh until they cry and trust one another with complete honesty. We as human beings have been created to be in relationship with other people, and when these positive relationships are not present in our lives, I think there is a serious deficit. The work that Students International is doing in this community is in the business of redemption, in redeeming these different types of poverty and restoring right relationships. I am so excited to be a part of something so beautiful and full of hope.</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">One beautiful story of redemption in El Callejon is the wall. There is this wall in El Callejon that was constructed years ago to basically stop the community from growing in one certain direction because some view it as an eyesore. Maybe it was too hard for people to view that kind of poverty and sleep well at night, but for whatever reason it was built to keep the people of El Callejon within certain limits. It used to be this long, grey, ugly concrete wall about 8 feet high and many hundreds of feet long. The beautiful thing is that in the past few years, a group of people working with Students International, along with people who have come here with short term trips have started painting murals on it in small sections. Now, instead of being a shameful wall, it has been turned into something beautiful, something to be celebrated. I love the testimony of redemption and change that can be taken from that story. Something that was once shameful and ugly has been turned into something beautiful, something to be proud of. What a beautiful model of my hope for my time in El Callejon. I don’t expect to revolutionize the entire community, but I hope to help just one woman or young girl realize her own self-beauty and self-worth, changing her thoughts about herself into something beautiful, something of great worth which is meant to be treasured. </span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-PKRu_78u6EmOC36JrPUXBWBu_-wW3e_UHBpN30a8ZQQNjgJGUhc4Z_hS0AdZ1jFCHdI8w267Ga3Sm44TtxN-kGGJJp2TaD6FvtDs4DI7RexmMrxdQjJAjRHlFO3AsuvCFi3fvOFtixQ/s1600/DOMINICAN+033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-PKRu_78u6EmOC36JrPUXBWBu_-wW3e_UHBpN30a8ZQQNjgJGUhc4Z_hS0AdZ1jFCHdI8w267Ga3Sm44TtxN-kGGJJp2TaD6FvtDs4DI7RexmMrxdQjJAjRHlFO3AsuvCFi3fvOFtixQ/s320/DOMINICAN+033.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Margie Ewaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01600852440862491713noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8400745366594896486.post-90292173224449970232010-10-23T13:10:00.000-07:002010-10-23T13:10:01.779-07:00save up your hopes, friends.<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This morning I went white water rafting with five other girls from our group. I was absolutely terrified but it was so much fun! Dad, I'm glad that I took your advice on going :) Our guides, Luis and Carlos were telling us that the river we went on, El Yaque, had some of the best rapids in the Dominican Republic. We went down a ton of drops and each of us jumped off a 7 meter high rock, which is about 23 feet into the river. I was the only one who fell out of the boat, but our guide was super fast with helping me get back in because the boat would have gone over me. Carlos took a bunch of pictures for us so I should be able to post pictures from it soon!</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">There has been great community within our group in the past two weeks. Being at travel week with everyone and a week here at the base, we have really gotten to know one another. Before, we saw one another every day at Spanish class, but spending time with one another all the time really helped us to bond as a group. I love the community that we have with one another and the relationships that I am building with each person that is going through this experience with me. There were a lot of really great times of conversation and honesty in the past two weeks which really allowed for our group to grow closer. I’m so glad that I am here with such an incredible group of people, I think my experience would look a lot different if the people around me weren’t so caring and fun. </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">There were three days at the beginning of this past week where a professor from Bethel was here to teach us for the ministry credit that we will receive this semester. Kent is such a fun professor and was able to make 6 hours of class each day interesting. At the end of the class we had a question and answer time with Kent (who was a missionary to Russia for 13 years), Lowell (the director of the base here), Josh, Vicki and Jim Ralstin (a Bethel graduate who works here with shoeshine boys). It was really interesting to understand more about long-term trips and to learn more about the difficulties and realities that come with them. Overall ministry class was good, though it was at times difficult to sit in a hot room all day.</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">For three more days we had culture class with a Dominican man named Samuel Luna. He is the founder of a ministry here called NET (nations in transformation), which helps “to end the cycle of poverty” through various services that they provide. Samuel grew up in Santiago, but has lived stayed for extended periods in more than 40 countries. He was a really interesting teacher because he has experienced so many different cultures and his worldview is very broad. He took us to see the Mirabál sister’s museum. I recommend that if anyone is looking for a book to read or a movie to watch “In the Time of Butterflies”. It’s an incredible retelling of the impact that those four women had on the history of the Dominican Republic. </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Samuel also took us to a local coffee factory just outside of town. The brand of coffee they make is called “Monte Alta” (High Mountain) because they grow all of their coffee beans high up on the mountains here to prevent any contamination of the beans. It was a really interesting experience to see what a small, locally owned factory operated in a third world country. There were 23 women who worked there 8 hours a day and made about 300 pesos for an entire day’s work, which is about 8 dollars. They sorted the beans which were then put into the best roasts or the less expensive roasts. None of the coffee made there is sold here unless you go to the factory; most of it is exported to seven different countries, including the US. </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This whole week we were staying at the base with three other groups that are just here for a week. It’s mostly adults from different churches who went out to the ministry sites here for five days and don’t know that much Spanish or very much about Dominican culture. On Tuesday night we took the group into downtown Jarabacoa for an hour of shopping and then dinner in town at a restaurant. We went with them because they didn’t know their way around town and most of them speak virtually no Spanish. I had a really difficult time with this experience. It wasn’t that the people that we were helping didn’t know Spanish or didn’t know their way around town. It was hard to realize that they were completely ignorant to the culture here and were often really rude in the way that they interacted with shop owners or servers. I saw in action the way that Americans can impose their culture on other people, even when they are in the middle of another country. This was an experience that has been really hard to find peace in, because I know that is the culture that I come from. I know that I haven’t acted in ways like that, but I pray that I do not grow bitter towards people like this. </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I am realizing more and more that one of the biggest sacrifices that I’ve made in coming here is that I have put all of my relationships on hold. It’s kind of a bummer to get on Facebook and read about all of the good memories that people are making and the other relationships that they are building, though I know that I am absolutely doing the same thing and having the time of my life too. The hard thing is that while I’m away, I am changing, and everyone else is changing too. I know that I am looking forward to going back home and digging into my friendships and relationships again, but I’m beginning to expect that there will be a period of adjustment for a while after I return. </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I hope this satisfies all of my readers. Next time I post I will be 21!</span></div>Margie Ewaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01600852440862491713noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8400745366594896486.post-18215410968499331702010-10-16T19:06:00.001-07:002010-10-16T19:06:44.733-07:00I Will Use Love to Overcome this Dark World.<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">How do I even describe all of the things that happened this week? We spent a week travelling the island a little bit. We spent three nights in Santo Domingo, the capital, in a hostel in the colonial district. We visited a lot of museums and important historical sights while we were there. It was incredible to see and visit buildings that were 500 years old. Santo Domingo was an important place in the voyages of Christopher Columbus, and is home to the first Catholic cathedral in the “New World”. Although I wouldn’t call myself a history buff, it was really interesting to visit all of these places that were so full of history. Unlike a lot of American museums and historical sites, we were allowed to enter into most of the homes, forts and the cathedral. The history of the city was very accessible to the public, whereas in America I feel that museums are much more guarded. </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We also visited a number of caves. We are studying a people group called “Los Tainos”, which were the indigenous people of Hispa<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">n</span>iola before Columbus landed and colonies were established. Within about 25 years, the population of Tainos went from 400,000 to roughly 2,500. The caves that we visited were important because all of them had cave paintings from the Tainos. Most of the paintings were about 2,500 years old, and were very basic and crude. We questioned the authenticity of some of the paintings, because some of the lines were very dark or bold where others around them weren’t. It was interesting to think of us entering into another era and place where people had lived so long ago.</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">After we spent three days in Santo Domingo, we went to the northeast side of the island to a resort near Los Haitises, a national park. The resort that we stayed in was so gorgeous, probably the nicest and most interesting place I have ever stayed. They redirected a nearby river so that it feel through a series of pools on either side of the resort. The cool thing was that the pools were specifically shaped to be used as swimming pools with steps in and out of them and places to sit. The bottoms of the pools were kept clean and the crystal clear chilly water felt wonderful after the unbearably hot days. The first day we were there we took a 4km hike through the park and were able to climb through a cave. We had a guide who told us a lot about the history of the park and the wildlife that live there. We were able to taste coffee beans off the tree and the fruit that cocoa is made from. It was a really fun hike, and we were able to learn a lot as well. When we reached the end of our hike, a boat from the resort was waiting for us and drove us through the Bay of Saman<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">á</span> to a place in walking distance from our hotel. The water was gorgeous! The next day when we were in the bay we saw a pod of dolphins swimming and we were able to kayak into the bay further. </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We returned for the last night of our trip to Santo Domingo again where we went to a few more museums before leaving to come back to the base on Friday. It has been so good to be able to spend time and build relationships with more people that I am here with. We stayed awake a lot of nights learning ridiculous group games and doing life together. I learned to play the greatest game called silent football, and it can be counted on that I will bring it back to the states with me. So if you want to play and learn, just let me know. Building this fellowship and community never really happened until this past week because we spent all of our time together in class over the past 5 weeks. It has been incredible to build relationships with different people that I haven’t been able to in the past. There are so many good memories and funny jokes to remember for a long time. </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Something that I thought was really fun about being in Santo Domingo was bartering. If I didn’t like the price of something I could just name a different price, and eventually we would land on some kind of agreement. I bought a hammock this week, though I don’t exactly know where I’m going to put it, and I was able to reduce the price of it by 200 pesos, which is about six dollars. It’s kind of fun to see that the girls in our group often got better deals on the same items, as well as the prices that different types of personalities were able to negotiate. Because Dominicans can tell from looking at me that I am an American, they would double or triple the price of something before selling it to me. Each time before I would buy something, I would “research” it at different vendors before buying it for a good price. </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Dominicans assume that I am an American tourist with a lot of money to blow on cheap souvenirs. It was interesting to watch their reactions when they saw that I knew what it was talking about. Many people were also surprised that we spoke Spanish at all. All of this just makes me think that there are a large number of tourists who come to the Dominican Republic with no or little knowledge of its culture or customs. I feel good knowing that I am not one of those people who enter into life here ignorantly. </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">During this next week, we will stay at the base. A professor named Kent Eby is here for this week to teach us our ministry class. For the next couple of days we will have class for five or six hours each day to get some class time in for the semester. Later in the week we will go to Santiago to visit a museum about the Maribal sisters, and we will also visit a coffee factory. Something that I find interesting about Dominican history is that it is all very recent. From 1930 – 1961 there was a terrible dictator here named Trujillo. Although he brought economic stability to the country, he was also the cause of the deaths of many people who disagreed with him. This was a very turbulent time in Dominican history. It is interesting to me because this history is very recent for them. There are many people who are alive now that experienced the pain of Trujillo’s rule. We are going to a museum about the Maribal sisters (“In the Time of Butterflies” is a movie about their lives if anyone wants to watch it) next week. Our trip leaders told us that the fourth Maribal sister is still living and she spends a lot of her time at the museum, and there is a chance that we will be able to meet her. It is so different from the US because a lot of our very important history is far in the past for many of us, but here it is very recent. </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">One of the things that was very different while we were in Santo Domingo and Los Haitises is the way that we were identified and treated as Americans. While we are in Jarabacoa, we stick out as a minority, but we are treated as a novelty. People want to talk to us and get to know us. While we were in the capital, people saw us and assumed that we were Americans, but they simply viewed us as a huge dollar sign. People wanted to sell us stuff, and they wanted to make a lot of money. It was a very different experience to be treated as a tourist rather than a new person to get to know, it was kind of awful actually. </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Something that I have been learning about a lot is strength. I think that because of certain things in my life growing up, there are certain parts of my life where I have become ultra-independent. An example of this is the way that I hate asking for help, I hate it more than anything. However, I have been reading in my Bible in II Samuel. The end of chapter 2 verse 9 says, “it is not by strength that one prevails.” This is just an interesting encouragement to me to stop trying to go it alone, or to be too independent, or prideful at times, to ask for help. There is such beauty in building community and relationships, I cause myself to miss out on this beauty when I tell myself that I can do it alone. It is a humbling and vulnerable thing to ask for help at times, and I think that is good for me. Vulnerability is difficult because I have been hurt a lot of times. I think a lot of people can relate to that, but my response to it has been to stop being vulnerable with anyone. </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I am also learning about the way that my family growing up has shaped me into the person that I am. I have struggled a lot through my life with different emotions with my parent’s divorce and growing up in blended families. I can see now that I could have ended up very bitter and angry, but I think that my story has turned into something beautiful. I am so thankful that I have had my faith and a wonderful group of people to surround me as I grew up. </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">These are only two of the things that I am learning about myself while I’m here, and trust me, there’s a lot more. There is a song that has <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">been really speaking to me through all of these changes. It’s called Hallow Eyes and it’s by a band called Take It Back!:</span></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">And now I realize<br />
That all of this means nothing without action<br />
I will not just sing<br />
I refuse to just sing songs about how hard life can be<br />
While others lead lives that are more difficult than I can imagine<br />
I will be a source of light in this dark world<br />
A catalyst in this stagnant generation<br />
I will use love to overcome this world</span></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Reading and listening to lyrics like this validate for me the reason why I am here. i will be honest in saying that one of the reasons that I am here is for self-transformation, but more importantly I am here to reach out. I want to impact or make a difference in someone’s life. Like the lyrics of this song, I don’t just want to talk about the injustices or tragedies that I see in this world, I want to go and do something to make a difference in the lives of those people. I don’t expect to end poverty or war, but I do plan to bring joy and light to people’s lives. Oh that I would make a difference..</span></span></div>Margie Ewaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01600852440862491713noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8400745366594896486.post-48655752221120512272010-10-08T19:25:00.003-07:002010-10-08T19:25:08.576-07:00there's a train that's bound for glory!<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’m sitting at the base right now getting ready for travel week. In the next few days we will be in Santo Domingo, the capital, going to museums and experiencing a different side of the culture here. We will also spend two days in a place called Los Haitises, which sounds like a time when we will spend outdoors more and some time at the beach. We will be experiencing a different kind of Dominican culture, the tourist side. My experience this far has been as close to regular, ordinary Dominican life as possible. I have lived with a normal family in a city that is exciting, but where a lot of wealth isn’t present. Although I always stand out here as an American, we will stand out in a different way in the capitol, being seen as tourists with a lot of money. I am excited to spend time with the whole group and the opportunity that we have to build different relationships. </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Another thing that is exciting right now is that we had our graduation party for Spanish classes. Not to sound too dramatic, I don’t think it had really hit me that we’re done. Spanish class has been such an intense stretching experience. We crammed so much information into 5 weeks’ time and it’s such a relief that it’s over. For the most part, I don’t have a lot of homework left for this semester. Only one more paper is due when I’m here and I’m just excited to be able to spend my evenings from now on enjoying my family instead of working on papers or homework assignments. We’re done!!!! During our end of class party tonight, our Spanish program director Arelis said a few words about our program. It was so nice. She told us that working with students with us is why she is a professor of Spanish. She told us that it brings her joy to be able to help students learn a way to make connections and build relationships with more people. It’s always nice to hear that a teacher or professor cares deeply about the work that they are doing with their students. It’s hard to make that connection with a professor right when I class is over, but she did invite us to spend a day at her cabana!</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I have been thinking that there are certain things about my time here that I want to make sure that I remember, like the sound of the frogs all croaking together at night after it rains. It’s kind of a beautiful sound out in the country where nothing else is breaking the dead silence of mountain life. Although I love the way they sound, we had another frog in our house last night, which threw all of the other girls in my house into a panic. Another thing that I love about being here is the way that all Dominicans play their music super loud. If a Dominican has some music on, all of their neighbors can hear it. Maybe they just want everyone to be able to enjoy their music with them </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> Dominicans also love sitting on their front porches. It’s one of the ways that they pass time with each other. If a family has a few minutes to spend together, they’ll sit outside and watch cars pass. Maybe it’s because they’re a breeze outside, but it’s another example of the way that Dominicans just enjoy spending time together. </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I have been noticing some of the differences between my American worldview and the Dominican worldview lately in small ways. One of those is the way that Dominicans are extremely superstitious and have local myths about ridiculous things. For example, last Sunday my sister had a friend over and they were blow drying one another’s hair for the week. Sunday was ridiculously hot so both of them were working outside just sweating. After they were ready to switch, Katherine came inside to get a drink, but she asked me to get the water out of the fridge. I didn’t really think about it while I was doing it, but when I handed her the pitcher, I asked her why she wanted me to get it. She told me that she didn’t want her face to freeze. I won’t deny that I laughed, but I didn’t understand that she honestly believes this. Some Dominicans believe that if your body is really hot from working or exerting yourself, that if you open the fridge and the cold air hits your face, that your face will freeze in whatever position it was in when you opened the fridge. They also believe that if you shower when your body is really hot that you will get really sick. I have a hard time understanding that they actually believe things like this. I want to just think that they just trying to trick me, but the look in their eyes says that they honestly believe what they are saying to me. </span></div>Margie Ewaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01600852440862491713noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8400745366594896486.post-8447384838020754742010-10-04T07:46:00.001-07:002010-10-04T07:46:58.045-07:00i will go plant little flowers..<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’m posting this on the last Monday of classes for this semester. It feels so good to say that! I can’t believe that we’ve been here for over a month already. There is this weird feeling of relativity of time here, because it’s going so fast but at the same time it feels like forever ago when I said goodbye to my family or when we were on the plane coming here. I’m so thankful for my life here and I’m trying to take in every minute, every sight, every smell, every smile and every new vocabulary word. </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Last Friday our grammar teacher and the language school director Arelis asked us what new things we learned through our program. Everyone else said some vocabulary and a few different tenses of verb forms that they had already learned. I had to honestly say that everything but two of the grammar topics that we covered were completely new for me. Needless to say that this Spanish class experience has been something that I have had to work for and study hard for. For any of you who know anything about Spanish, subjunctive almost killed me. I am excited to finally use what I have learned though. Knowing all of the different past tenses has been really useful in telling my family how my day was, but I’m excited to start at the social work site in three weeks and really be able to put all of this knowledge to practice. That hope is what really got me through these past four incredibly intense weeks of Spanish class. It is kind of cool to say that I took 11 college credits of Spanish in 5 weeks though. Hopefully I will come back to all fluent and rolling my double r’s like a pro.. probably not but it’s good to dream, right?</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This past week I have spent a ton of time with friends from the group. I realized that after our Spanish classes are over there will be less opportunity for us in our group from Bethel to see each other. Once I start working at the social work site in the middle of October, I will walk about a mile to and from “work” every day. We will work at our sites from 9 to 4 every day with a little less than a two hour break for lunch. Kara and I will walk our mile or so to and from work every day. Because of this, we will only see the entire group on Tuesday nights for Bible study and then on Saturday when we take our weekly excursions. Because of this, I have been trying to spend extra time with other people from our group now before we are all split up more. On Monday, I ate lunch at my friends Corrie and Brittany’s house. They live in town and their dad is an artist. Their house is full of beautiful paintings that he has done. They have three younger siblings, the oldest of which speaks English. The atmosphere of their house is so different just because there are younger kids around, I’m sure it is hard to get homework done in their house. On Tuesday Kara and I ate lunch at our friends Jenna and Rachel’s house. Their home life is so different also. They have a younger brother who is 2 ½ and he is such a handful. Their mom cooks lunch for a local school every day and their dad works, so Jenna and Rachel are left home a lot. They live close enough to the base that they can walk to the base during the mornings and do homework there. On Wednesday night I spent the night with my friends Johanna and Mandy, who are Bethel graduates who are now teachers at a Christian school here in Jarabacoa. They both went on this trip with Bethel three years ago so it was fun to talk to them about their experience here and the kinds of things they learned from being here. Johanna was my RA at school my freshman year and it was so refreshing to spend time with them. They live in an apartment with another roommate and there are other American teachers who live in the downstairs apartment. Their living situation is very different from ours because they speak English at home all the time and are kind of isolated from the Dominican community. On Thursday I spend the morning with the only two boys from our group, Nate and Neil. We spent some time in downtown Jarabacoa, which was nice because I only get to go there when I get a ride there. I ate lunch at their house with them, which again was very different from my home life here. They live with a family with all boys. Because of this, their mom seems a little distant, and not as ‘motherly’ as other Dominican moms are that I have met. On Friday night Kara and I spent the night at our friends Rachel and Courtney’s house, which again was totally different. Their family is pretty wealthy. Their house has all tile floors and their kitchen and bathroom looked just like normal ones that we have in the states. Their family was really nice, but I noticed that they weren’t very patient with our broken Spanish and didn’t try to explain things to us if we didn’t understand. </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Although my week has been incredibly busy, I have been learning so much. Spending so much time in these different houses has really allowed me to appreciate the family that I have been placed with. I can see that my placement here is a perfect fit. I don’t always have the patience or energy to live with young kids, and I appreciate that my family helps me with my Spanish. My Dominican mom is very connected with Kara and I, and I feel like se genuinely cares about us and wants us to be living in her house. This week has been a lesson for me in being content and satisfied with the family that I live with. I sometimes struggle with the physical location of where I live, Kara and I are the ones that are furthest from the base. We live up a mountain, and though it is so beautiful, we are pretty isolated from the rest of the students we are here with. Our family doesn’t own a car and we aren’t allowed to ride the moto that our family does have. So although there are still things that aren’t my favorite, because I think I’m a city girl at heart, I’m learning to be satisfied and totally blessed by the family that I live with. Sometimes when I walk outside in the morning I wonder how I could ever be dissatisfied with the place that I live, the mountains are so beautiful. But I think that sometimes I just crave that community and the excitement of meeting lots of new people in the city. </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This weekend we went on an excursion that was way more relaxing than they have been in the past so far. In the morning we went to a place that Josh and Vicki called “Jacuzzi”. It was just a place in a river that had a lot of calmer pools of water so that it was more relaxing than the river experiences than we’ve been having recently. We didn’t have to walk through waist deep water with an intense current or risk our lives going down rapids in intertubes. We got to sit on rocks with our feet in the water and play “never have I ever” like we were in middle school again. Even though that game is normally played by middle school girls, it’s actually a funny way to get to know people because facts about them normally come out through embarrassing stories. After we got back from the river, we went out to lunch at this great ribs place. Brent told us that there was some extra money in his budget, so he treated us to this gigantic meal. It was so nice to sit with everyone and eat family style as a community. </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’ve been thinking a lot about coming home lately, not that I’m homesick but I think that it’s going to be really rough actually. After talking to Johanna and Mandy (my Bethel graduate friends who both did this semester program three years ago) about what it was like to transition back into American society, I’m realizing that that transition will probably be more difficult than getting used to living here. I don’t just mean the fact that I only have sandals here and will have no warm clothes to wear home from the airport in Decembe. </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> I mean that I don’t want to be bitter towards American society when I get back. There is so much consumerism and materialism. Dominicans here are happy with so much less than we are in America. It’s almost overwhelming to think about it. Since my family moved into our house in Woodstock, I’ve always thought that my bedroom is too small. But living here has shown me that not only is my room big enough, but it’s cool that I have my own room and my own things. Thinking about all of these changes is especially rough because I’ll be walking back into America at Christmastime, when this materialistic mindset gets almost manic and out of control. I am praying for preparation for these obstacles. Maybe I’m just getting ahead of myself because we’ve only been here for a month, but I think it’s also good to start, even now, to prepare myself for the obstacles that are ahead of me in going home. </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Also, just as a last side note, I wanted to let you guys know that there is one more opportunity this semester to send me a letter. One of our teachers at Bethel will be coming down here the week of October 17<sup>th</sup>, and he has offered to bring down any letters that are in the semester abroad office by the end of the week of the 10<sup>th</sup> (so by Wednesday October 13<sup>th</sup> or so to be safe) for the students here. The only thing that he asks is that they’re only flat letters, so that his luggage load doesn’t get out of control So, if you wanted to send me a letter of encouragement or something (which would all be so much appreciated) you can send it to this address:</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Semester Abroad Office at Bethel College</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Attn: Margie Ewald, Dominican Republic</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1001 Bethel Circle</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Mishawaka, IN 46545</span></div>Margie Ewaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01600852440862491713noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8400745366594896486.post-22921245884186043582010-09-28T06:15:00.000-07:002010-09-28T06:15:37.684-07:00They Told me that the Classics Never go out of Style.<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It’s been a while since I posted last... A lot happens here in a week! I thought that I would start this week with just sharing some observations that I have been making about the culture here. One of these is the way that people just are. In the states, I realized that I am constantly going and getting ready to go to another place and do another thing. Here, it’s not that way at all. People spend time together because there is nothing better for them than investing in their relationships. Friends and family just show up because they value spending time with the people they care about it, and there is no inconvenience on the receiving end of those visits. I wish we were more like that in the US. At first, I struggled with this a lot, I wanted to know when we were going to go somewhere or do something, but it has taken me a few weeks to realize that “being” is a very active part of life here. Talking about daily things or eating food together is such an integral part of family life that I think I look over it sometimes. It’s beautiful the way that people here can just be, and be content with that. It’s been a big lesson for me in slowing down. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Another thing that I have been learning to love are siestas. There was no difficulty for me adjusting to this; in fact, I think we should implement them in the states</span></span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">. Each day, from 12 to 2, everything shuts down and people go home to eat lunch and rest. Most of the stores close and the streets are almost empty. I love the idea of taking time to take care of oneself by eating a healthy (usually homemade) meal, and I also love that people here recognize the value of eating lunch with one’s family. Lunch here is the large meal of the day, dinner being late at night, around nine or so. So lunch and siesta are really when people reenergize themselves for the rest of the day. Lots of days, I enjoy a nap during this time of rest, or just spend time with my family here. It is a beautiful thing!</span></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Otherwise though stuff has been pretty crazy here. Spanish class for us is over by next Friday, meaning that all of us are cramming to get extra assignments done and to stick with the brutal pace of our Spanish classes. My family, along with my roommate, has told me that my Spanish is really improving, but there are times when I just feel frustrated. Sometimes I feel like the more I learn about Spanish grammar, the more I forget about the more practical uses of Spanish. Before coming here, I didn’t realize how intensive our Spanish program would be, but I find comfort in knowing that after next week, we won’t have to worry about subjuntivo and mandatos </span></span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Last weekend, the group took a tubing trip down a river. I didn’t go because I have heard horror stories about this trip. Instead of lazy river style tubing, it’s really white water rafting in a tiny intertube. Everyone who went came back limping and bruised, quite literally. So instead of going on a death trip (everyone had to sign a release which actually had the phrase “in case of death…”) I stayed back at the base and spent some time with a few other people there. We ended up walking into town, which is a treat for me because I live up the mountain and only go to town when I get a ride especially for that. We went to a few stores and the panaderia (bakery) where they sell the most heavenly treats. One of the things that are different about being here is food. I know that probably sounds so obvious, but even things that are supposed to be like American food are different. Chocolate here doesn’t taste like chocolate from home, so when we find a place that sells sweets that taste good to us; I think all of jump at the chance to eat there. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 85.5pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 85.5pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">On Sunday I went to visit El Callejon for the first time. This is the community that I will be working in at a women’s social work center. The neighborhood that it is located in is called El Callejon and it is a pretty impoverished place. I think that this type of neighborhood is what I was picturing more when I think of third-world countries. Dirt roads with dirty house water running into them, naked kids (kind of funny actually), and tiny, broken down houses made of whatever material a family could find. The thing that surprised me though while just walking through this community is that people where actually happy. There was a group of young boys that were playing a game of baseball in the midst of cinder block piles and mangy looking dogs. Lots of the adults sit outside and watch other people walk by or wait to see someone they know to talk to them. In the midst of all of the trash and strange smells, it really was a beautiful place. The people there have found a way to have joy in what we would call disgusting circumstances. It is so convicting to me to see people living like that and know that there are times that I still want more: more money, more things, different food. More than anything though, I am so excited to be a part of this community and build relationships with people that live there. I will be in touch with those people every day for seven weeks, and I couldn’t be more excited to become a familiar face. I felt like a tourist when I walked through the other day, but I know that in the future I will be familiar, and I am so looking forward to that. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 85.5pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I was realizing the other day that I’m a little homesick, but not in the way that we normally think of that word. I miss fall. I mean, I miss my family and friends too, but what I really miss is the smell of leaves burning and the way that it’s so wonderfully cold in the mornings. I keep seeing pictures of people in jackets and of the changing leaves, and I feel little pangs of jealousy. When I think about this, I know it’s completely ridiculously because I have the joy of living in one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen with my own eyes, but fall is my favorite and I’m just a little bit bummed that I won’t be around for it this year. We were talking to my teacher yesterday and I guess winter here is pretty rainy all the time and a little cooler. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">There were a few questions after my last blog about my Dominican sister Katherine’s wedding this winter. She is getting married to her fiancé Julio on December 11<sup>th</sup>, the weekend before we leave to go back to the states. She actually moved her wedding up a week so that my roommate Kara and I can be at her wedding. Weddings here aren’t like they are in the states though, couples don’t book a venue months before they get married. It is usually done in their local church and is much smaller scale. Family and friends help to make food and the cake for the wedding, and the reception is normally at the house of one of the family members. They will be married in the church that we all go to every week, which is about a mile from our house. They have been renovating the church since we got here so it should be absolutely beautiful for their wedding in December. Katherine has been telling me some of her thoughts about it. She said that she and Julio want to find a house to rent that is nearby where their families live now. Family is incredibly important to Dominicans, even after they have married. Katherine asked me and my friend Rachel to take pictures of her wedding for her because she doesn’t have a camera and can’t afford to pay for a photographer. I feel so honored to be included in something so important in her life, even though I’ve only known her and lived with her for three weeks. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I hope this blog kind of gave some more insight to what it is like to live in this culture, not just what I have been doing. I already can tell that I am being changed by this experience. I have been surprised at how easy it is to adjust to some things. Like today, I showered with three gallons of cold water. Hot showers are an easy sacrifice, and I can already tell that it will be difficult to readjust to American life after spending so much time here. That doesn’t mean that I won’t be taking a few extra-long, extra-hot showers when I get home, but I’m realizing that some things that we think are necessary really aren’t. The simple life that people here live is becoming increasingly more beautiful to me each day I experience it. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEr41tb6KvVphPEhNIl2-M9CwrEmOu_s7PT93TL7B5T93skLG4opu1gagVtVe25518zmSP8v5hyLHXY05lfO4PjFl-DsfUHp3xBNyHr55k9vLhoEXOMvfr9Ypm-TtqFcG4m81bVYrvzVg/s1600/DOMINICAN+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEr41tb6KvVphPEhNIl2-M9CwrEmOu_s7PT93TL7B5T93skLG4opu1gagVtVe25518zmSP8v5hyLHXY05lfO4PjFl-DsfUHp3xBNyHr55k9vLhoEXOMvfr9Ypm-TtqFcG4m81bVYrvzVg/s320/DOMINICAN+003.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This is my Dominican mom, Denise, myself and my 18 year old sister Katherine, aren't they beautiful?!</span>Margie Ewaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01600852440862491713noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8400745366594896486.post-227282255661546432010-09-20T10:58:00.001-07:002010-09-20T10:58:52.321-07:00Wake Up in the Mornin Feelin Like..<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">…feeling like I still can’t believe I’m here and this is my life! Now that I feel physically healthy, I am so excited to be here and I can’t wait to start each day anew. We have the most incredible views from my house because we live up the mountain, and every morning I go outside before I do anything else and I just look around at this beautiful place that I have the privilege of calling home for a time. I brought my computer home this weekend so I have a little more time to write.. don’t expect future blogs to be this long </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Last Saturday, for our excursion we went to Santiago, which is a larger city about an hour northeast of where we live. We went to a museum there, which was a mix of history of the country and an art museum. It was a really interesting place and even though the tour guide spoke to us in Spanish for over an hour, I felt like I learned a lot about their culture and heritage from that experience. After the museum, we went to “El Monumento”, which is a large monument in the middle of the city. It looked almost like a lighthouse, so went we went to the top of it we were able to see the entire city because we were so high up. It was gorgeous! Santiago is closer to sea level, and I think that it was about 10 degrees hotter there than it was in Jarabacoa, so we were all thankful for the wonderful breeze that we felt up so high. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The past week has been so good, there have been so many funny stories and beautiful moments. Like last Friday night, Kara and I were both absolutely exhausted from a hard week of classes, so we decided that we weren’t going to do any homework that night we were just going to play Uno and Dominoes with our family. We were playing and having a good time until I went to the bathroom and realized that there was a frog in the shower. It didn’t really bother me, I mean, I wouldn’t actually be nervous about a frog unless it was on my body, but it’s a totally different thing here. Dominicans are really superstitious people, and there are a host of superstitions surrounding frogs. So I told my sister Katherine to come into the bathroom and look. She freaked out and ran back into the living room, and utter chaos erupted in our tiny house. It turns out that my mom, Denise, who is one of the strongest, hardest working women that I have spent time with, is absolutely terrified of frogs. Cockroaches and spiders don’t even phase her, but frogs are another story. So we closed the bathroom door and we were going to wait for my brother Chanel to get home to get the frog out of the bathroom. When Chanel got home he took a grocery bag into the bathroom to catch the frog. He thought he had it but I guess the frog got out of the bag somehow and went into the kitchen. When we realized the frog was out of the bag, my mom, my sister and Kara were standing on top of their chairs, freaking out. Until we caught the frog the next day, Denise looked behind and under and around each thing she picked up in the kitchen before she ever touched it. It was such a funny experience because Kara and I have had our run ins with being afraid of bugs and lizards and other creatures, but it was the our family’s turn to be afraid this time </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Another great experience that has happened is that yesterday I was able to go on a walk with Katherine alone. She has such a beautiful heart and some really great dreams for her life. She is in English school right now and she wants to become good at English so that she can go to nursing school and be a nurse in one of the clinics here that lots of the Americans go to. She understands the worth of being bilingual and she is working hard to become so. She told me that Sundays are good days to walk places because we don’t have classes or homework, and there is more time to just be. I think in the future we will have more Sunday walks, and we plan on going to see our brother Aneudys and his wife, Carina at their house. They have a son who is about a year and a half old, and Carina is pregnant and due at the end of this month with their second son. We also have plans to go to her grandmother’s house, her friend’s house and a colmado (a small convenience store) which is about a mile away. But this week we walked about a mile or so up the mountain into a really secluded poor neighborhood, and we talked the whole time. She is really great about being patient with my Spanish and because she knows a little bit of English we work it out so that in the end, both of us understand what the other is saying. She is getting married to her fiancée, Julio right before we leave in December. She has told me a lot about what he does for a living and where they are going to live once they are married. I loved just getting to know more about her dreams and hear about her excitement for her wedding and that new phase of her life. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The past few days have been so encouraging in light of the fact that I still have three months here. Some days, I struggle a little bit with that idea, three months is a long time. But it is beautiful moments with Katherine and funny frog stories that are making all of this worth it for me. I can’t wait to make more memories and relationships in the coming months.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I know that everyone wants to see pictures, but the 40 or so that I uploaded last week took almost an hour to load, so in the future when I have even less time to be on the internet, I think it will be fair to say that won’t upload a lot of pictures. Also, I want to have some new stuff to show all of you when I get back and it won’t be as exciting if you’ve already seen it all. I know that as always, my thoughts are all over the place, so ask me specific questions if you have them!</span></div>Margie Ewaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01600852440862491713noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8400745366594896486.post-71602930116748060852010-09-14T06:52:00.000-07:002010-09-14T06:52:43.941-07:00Come on and Dance in the Rain..sick. that is the single word that best describes the last few days of my life. i spent the night last night on the SI base with Lowell and Cheryl, who are the directors of the base here and they took care of me and fed me "homey" food. it was a lot like being in a home away from home, very americanized and comfortable. i've been sick for about a week now, i contracted a parasite and getting better has just been super drawn out. the doctor on base, Fernando, finally figured out that the medicine that i was on for the parasite was making me sick, so i stopped taking it yesterday and i can already see changes this morning. thank goodness! it's such a bummer to look back on my first week here and know that i was sick for almost all of it. but i'm getting so much better and i can't wait to feel like myself again! thanks so much for all of your prayers!<br />
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all of this aside, the past few days have actually been really good! on saturday we had our first excursion with the whole group. we have little adventures every saturday all over the island so that we can have fun and build community within our group. this saturday we went to the river, at the place where two smaller rivers join together and form a bigger one (sorry i don't know the names). the excursion itself was called "creeking" so i was picturing something like turkey run state park where there really isn't much current and the water is only up to your ankles or so. boy was i wrong! at the most difficult crossing point, the river was up to our waists and the current was incredible.. it was such a work out! when we finally got to the point where we stopped for lunch, a woman named Mary was waiting for us with incredible food! she had cooked rice and beans, chicken and potato salad over an open fire for like 20 people. it was so good! we were able to just spend some time at the river floating back and forth a little bit before we went back upstream.. which was significantly more difficult than going down. i was so exhasuted by the end of the day.<br />
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the rest of my weekend was spent resting and doing homework. my dominican mom Denise has been really worried about my health, so i think that she will be very relieved that i will be coming back to her better than i was before. being a part of this new family has been such an exciting experience. they're incredibly welcoming and they've just pretty much adapted Kara and i as part of their family. i was able to spend some time alone with Denise on sunday when everyone else went to church and it ws so nice to be able to be with her, and talk with her. i can already see improvement in my spanish, though i think a lot of it is that i'm just willing to make a fool of myself to try to get my point across. i'm at the point where i'm willing to mess up and botch the conjugations, but i think everyone appreciates that i'm trying and they try to help me speak correct spanish.<br />
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we had our first grammar test in our spanish classes yesterday, and our teacher said that everyone did so bad that she's not going to count the first test. i don't know if that's encouraging or not, becuase the first grade she has for us won't be terrible, but i'm sure that she's not going to make the next test any easier. for class, we have a different teacher for grammer than is our normal class teacher, and Arelys is a teacher that is constantly pushing her students. i appreciate that, but for right now, it's just not very easy. i have about two to four hours of spanish homework each night, along with managing my time with some other assignments that are due around the time that spanish classes end. a lot of times i feel like i just do my homework, go to bed, get up and do more homework and go back to class. i find encouragement in knowing that this part of the trip is only 5 weeks long, and academics will lessen significantly for our final seven weeks when we are at our ministry sites.<br />
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as always, all of my thoughts are just kind of jumbled together, so ask me questions if you have any! i love you all and miss you!Margie Ewaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01600852440862491713noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8400745366594896486.post-68859103904528136302010-09-08T11:13:00.000-07:002010-09-08T11:13:10.986-07:00Through mostly vacant streets..Hello world! Sorry it's been so long since I've written, the internet here is sketchy at best. The past few days have been such a rollercoaster! I moved in with my new family last Saturday. My mom, Denise, insists that I call her Mami at all times, and nothing else. She makes me feel like I belong in her home and like she wants me to be there. I have two brothers and one sister, but the oldest brother, Aneudys doesn't live with us. It is actually his 22nd birthday today and he told me that he is going to hit two home runs for his birthday at his baseball game tonight. My other brother, Chanel, is 20 and he loves to run and play jokes on my roommate Kara and I. My younger sister, Katherine is 18 and she is currently in English school so she always asks Kara and I about english in the best accent.<br />
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Our house is in a community called Piedra Blanca, which is about a ten minute drive from downtown Jarabacoa. We live up in the mountains where there is always a breeze, the view from our window is incredible, and there are significantly less bugs than lower down on the mountain. So much has happened in the last few days that I don't even know what to write about. It has been a fairly easy transition into living with a new family. Our house only has water every other day, so I have only taken cold bucket showers so far. We have to flush the toilet with a bucket of water. Our mom did our laundry yesterday, and it smells so good because it was hung out to dry in the fresh mountain air. <br />
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I'd like to think that my spanish is improving. Sometime I really botch my words, but there are times that I put together these really awesome sentences and I think that I must be improving. Spanish classes started on Monday, and they are pretty difficult. But we are cramming a semester's worth of work into five weeks, so I expect nothing less. I have been having some trouble eating, I haven't really had an appetite since before I got here, but I'm praying for a change in that area of my life. For the first time ever, I have to give a stool sample today.. so sick. But I guess it will be better to have it taken care of now before it gets worse or I have to life with being sick longer. <br />
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I tried to upload some pictures but with so many people trying to use the internet at the base, I think it would take a few hours.. sorry! I don't know what else to write, so ask me some questions if you have them and I'll make sure that I respond to them next time I write. I love and miss you all!Margie Ewaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01600852440862491713noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8400745366594896486.post-84983778595337052642010-09-01T19:44:00.000-07:002010-09-01T19:44:57.205-07:00A Life Left Half Behind.As I write this, I am sitting on a patio, at the Students International base, in Jarabacoa, Dominican Republic :) As I'm sitting here listening to the new sounds, cars and motorcycles on the street, dogs, young children, crickets, a weird sounding bird, I can't believe I'm acutally here.. it's really surreal. <br />
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The past few days have been insane!!!! We went through two chaotic days of orientation at Bethel to start this week off. Meeting the students from other schools and getting to know the other students from Bethel has been such a fun experience. I went on a zip-line for the first time.. so fun. There has been so much information thrown at us that I'm having a hard time processing it all. I can't wait to put all of it to action though as I start my life in Jarabacoa. The thing I'm most looking forward to right now is meeting my host family and building relationships with them. <br />
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Today, we spent about 12 or so hours travelling from Prairie Camp to Bethel to O'Hare to Miami to Santiago and finally Jarabacoa. Long day. It was a weird experience to call some of my family members and know that it might be the last time that I heard their voices for a few months. I have only felt excitement, however.. no sadness :) I wish we could have flown in here during the daytime becuase I'm sure that the drive from Santiago to Jarabacoa was beautiful. We met our team leaders Vicky and Josh tonight and they already laid down a couple of ground rules for us until tomorrow morning including:<br />
no drinking water from the tap<br />
no flushing toilet paper (yikes!)<br />
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Tomorrow we start orientation here on base, and will have that until Saturday I think. On Saturday we get to meet our host families and hopefully move in with them. That's when the real adventure begins. Hopefully this satisfies some of the need to know what's going on with me.. I don't know how often I'll be able to update, but I'm here and I'm loving life!Margie Ewaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01600852440862491713noreply@blogger.com6