No School Sept. 24! Why? Because it's the 392nd anniversary of the proclamation of la virgen de las mercedes as the patron saint of Hispaniola!

Wow! There really is never a dull moment teaching. I feel like life is crazy here all the time. Not even just at school, just living in a foreign country is always full of challenges. Walking down the street is an adventure even! You have to make sure you don’t fall in potholes, don’t get hit by cars or run down by motorcycles, avoid getting hit on too much, and watch out for the occasional donkey.

The new high school building is finished. It’s really nice! (Well, compared to something in the States, maybe not, but by standards here, it’s really good!) We moved over about two weeks ago. 10th through 12th grade have classes there, and 9th grade moved into the old 11th grade room and out of the science lab. It’s so nice to have some more space!

I taught my first science lab on Tuesday this week. It went really, really well actually, despite like everything else being an adventure. First, I had to go to the grocery store to get some yeast for this experiment. Trying to explain to a worker that you need yeast when you don’t know the word for it is quite interesting. He kept giving me baking powder and telling me it does the same thing. Eventually he got one of his buddies to find it, so that was good. Then, I had to figure out what to do since I don’t really have much equipment at all. I ended up kind of making things up as I went, but got the yeast cells broken up enough that the enzymes were released and activated, which is what I needed for my lab. Everything else we actually had at school, including Benedict’s reagent, which surprised me. I tested the lab twice before we did it with good results, so I was pretty pumped. Doing it with 25 ninth graders was a little more challenging. Especially things like measuring 1.5 mL for example with a 50 mL graduated cylinder. Fortunately precision was not vital in this lab. All the kids got really good results which was good! It’s a pretty cool lab with really neat color changes if everything goes as planned. So, it was pretty fun to have a successful first lab.

Cheating is a huge problem here. It’s so frustrating to have to deal with it nearly every day. So if anyone has any good suggestions as to how to deal with it, let me know! I caught one of my seniors cheating on a chemistry quiz a while back. One of my ninth graders came and found me after school last week and told me, “Miss Scislow, I want to tell you something before Mr. Hernandez does. I was copying someone’s biology workbook, and he saw me…” Then, I’ve caught quite a few other kids cheating for other teachers classes. It gets really frustrating because I don’t go out of my way to look for cheating, yet when they are dumb enough to do it right in front of me, it obviously needs to be deal with. So like I said, any suggestions? Let me know!

On the plus side, my ninth graders are really starting to come around. Juan, my little trouble maker that HATED me at the beginning of the year because I “got him in trouble” over something he wrote, is one of my favorite students. He does his work, participates in class, listens well, answers questions, and is really good for me. I know he still causes problems for other teachers, but he’s really helping turn ninth grade around for me. They are still loud and talkative, but are doing much better. Eduardo, my senior tutoring charge, I figured out is not as dumb as he tries to make people think he is. He’s actually really smart, just lazy. He got an 89% on my pre-calc test today though, so that’s exciting! And definitely promising! My eleventh graders also told me I’m their favorite teacher today and that they really like my classes, so that’s always nice to hear! One of my senior girls, Alana, brought me an apple on Thursday for being a good teacher, which was super cute. I thought only happened in make-believe! Haha! Anyways, even though it's a constant challenge, I'm loving teaching!

Oh, I’ve got two interesting stories that are slightly connected. First, my ninth graders were giving group presentations last week. At recess, Oasting and Marcel come up to me and angrily tell me that George (their other group member) was refusing to present because he said his braces hurt too much to talk. So, I asked if they could do it without him, and they said that of course they could since George hadn’t done anything anyways. So, they presented without George, who mumbled something to me about how his braces hurt. I told him when I handed back grades later that I couldn’t give him a grade because it appeared to me he didn’t help his group much (I didn’t include the fact that both his group members, who are friends with him, and separately given him a 0 out of 10 for group participation.) This was Friday, so I told him he had to present on Monday, by himself, to me at recess and that he better be ready. So, later that day, when I don’t actually have a chance to talk to him, I notice something a little weird…. That doesn’t quite fit with his not-believable braces excuse... So, I decided to call him out on it on Monday. At recess, we went to the lab so he would present, and I was like, “Ok George, I really don’t appreciate getting lied to.” And he responds with, “I don’t know what you are talking about…..” as he can’t make eye contact. So I told him that generally, I’m pretty easy going when I know what is actually going on, but that I know his braces weren’t the problem. The reason he couldn’t talk all week was because he had just gotten his tongue pierced. Smart kid, huh? He did his presentation well though at least! So the next day, I was chewing on a paper clip while my tenth graders were working on geometry activities. I was walking around helping, and like always, I was chewing on something. That day it just happened to be a paper clip. And Chris was like, “Miss Scislow, you have your tongue pierced?!?” And I was like, “No, what are you talking about???” Apparently, the whole class thought I did because the paperclip in my mouth apparently looked like a tongue stud. How funny is that?

So, like I said, life is never dull here! I fly back for medical school interviews on October 7th (October 8th: University of Minnesota-Duluth; October 10th: Creighton, Omaha, Nebraska), so wish me luck and say some prayers that they go well!

"If you don't stop hitting on me, you might have to sit in the hallway!"

I know it’s been a long time since I’ve updated people on what’s going on here. School has been keeping me super busy lately, but hopefully I’ll get settled into a better routine pretty soon. I teach all four levels of high school, each that have their own rewards and challenges.

I have biology with ninth graders this semester. My ninth grade is probably my most difficult class at the moment. There are twenty five of them, and we have class in the science lab right now since the high school classrooms aren’t finished, and it’s just way too small of a space for them. You can hardly walk up and down the rows which means they are so close to each other that they just have to poke each other and touch each other and hit each other and throw stuff at the people sitting next to them…. I mean, what else can you do? They get very loud, very fast, and it’s very hard to get them quieted down. So, it’s a little challenging at times, but they are a nice group of kids except when they cheat, which is another whole issue there. I had a chat with Juan, the ring leader of the naughtiness, the other day. That seemed to help things a little, so I think I’ll keep working on that one and figure things will only get better if I can get some of the naughty ones on my side!

Next come my tenth graders. I have geometry class with them. To start with, they were my least favorite class, but they are really starting to grow on me. They are another pretty big class, but listen better than ninth graders. They are a nice group of kids, and there are definitely characters in that class. Chris, for example, told me he is a professional skater. Mike is a quiet one that sits in the back, but always has a smile. JP is the chubby kid who likes to play soccer and is just a general goof in class. Little Eduardo doesn’t speak much English but works really hard and is just so eager to learn. It will be fun to keep getting to know those kids.

My eleventh graders are a bunch of characters. I teach them algebra 2 and biology. They are for the most part, a very smart group, and at least so far have been pretty motivated. The girls seem like they could get really catty with each other, but so far seem to be ok. There are 11 kids in that class, and only three boys. The new boy, Michael, has blue eyes, and all the sophomore girls think he’s dreamy. It’s pretty funny.

My seniors are another bunch of characters. I have chemistry and pre-calculus with them. The girls in that class are very smart and very motivated. They work hard, ask questions, and always do what they are supposed to. They are genuinely nice girls and always tell me they like my clothes. Christie is probably the smartest one out of the bunch. She is very intelligent and applies herself, but yet she’s not nerdy at all. Alana is just a genuinely nice girl, and you can tell all the younger girls seem to look up to her. The boys are good kids too, but a handful. I have to tutor Eduardo every day after school in algebra 2 and junior chemistry both of which he failed last year, while at the same time trying to teach him pre-calculus and senior chemistry. It’s a little difficult, but we are making it work. Henry tries to hit on my call the time. In the middle of class yesterday while I was doing examples of pH calculations on the board, he raised his hand and says, “Miss Scislow, I have a question. Can you please smile? We were just discussing what a beautiful smile you have.” Awkward! German is another character. He is just a big flirt in general, but not quite as blatant as Henry. I’m pretty sure he thinks he’s the next Rico Suave or something.

So, like I said, each class is very unique and has it’s good points, yet also it’s challenges. I think it will be a really difficult year at time, but also a really rewarding one. I’ll try to update more about what I’m up to. Send me e-mails to let me know what you are all up to too!

Also, if you didn’t get it, I have new Facebook pictures up that show my daily “walk to school” basically. The link is http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2008132&l=d78c1&id=88400178.

School Starts

This past week has been super busy! On Saturday, our seventh (that's right, seventh) roommate got here. Jessie is going to be student teaching first semester and is living with us. Fortunately, she's really cool and fun, so that's good. We were worried.... Haha :) So, Jackie and I took Jessie around a little last Saturday when she got here, showed her The Monument and Calle del Sol.

On Sunday, Kaitlyn and I went to church in Moca. I absolutely love it there. Pastor Alex is really nice and gives really good sermons. They are in Spanish obviously, but he speaks very clearly and is easy to understand. His family is really nice too. They are in the process of moving, but he told us once they get settled in, they will have us all over for dinner. For the most part, Moca is going to be our "home" church when we are here.

Then on Monday, we had an open house during which students and parents could come in and meet the teachers. Since I don't have a classroom, I kind of wandered around and met as many of the high schoolers as I could. Then, the rest of the week, the students were at school for half days for "Orientation Week." It was kind of a nice way to get to meet the kids, play some getting to know you and team building games with them, and start getting into the school routine without having to teach. I think I am going to have some really good days and some really challenging ones. The students seem like typical high schoolers. The ninth graders are super excited to be in high school but still very squirley and loud. (And there are about 25 of them!) The tenth graders think they are super cool, way too cool to participate voluntarily in stuff, but decent kids. The eleventh and twelfth graders seem like they will be the most fun to teach. They are old enough that they don't have to prove their coolness anymore, have their friendships established, and and also a good bunch of kids. A lot of the kids don't really have typical family situations, so that will be interesting to work with. A lot of them have parents that live in the States and are living down here with grandparents or aunts and uncles, stuff like that. So, it will be interesting to see how the year all pans out. I start real teaching on Monday with ALL six classes so say some prayers it goes well and wish me luck!

Last night, Jackie, Danielle, Jessie, and I went out with Keith, Rosanna, Lissette and her husband, and Gleyvis to a dance club. I really enjoy dancing merengue and bachata, probably because they are pretty easy yet fun to do! It was a good time. Now, I'm off to Selina and Nalia's house. I know them from when I was here in high school and they invited me over for the day and to spend the night. So, hopefully I'll get some good food, some Spanish practice, and hopefully get it set up to volunteer at a hospital here because Selina works at one! I'll keep you posted on how that goes.

Oh, for those of you who don't know yet, I got offered a med school interview at the University of Minnesota - Duluth, which is one of my top choices in schools so I will be flying home the end of September or the beginning of October for that! Say some prayers that it goes well and that I get accepted! Miss you all tons!

Chicken Ambush

The Dominican never ceases to unveil new surprises. On Sunday, we went to church in Moca. Moca is about twenty minutes or so outside of Santiago and there is a WELS church there with a national pastor Alex. The service was awesome. I loved it there! I think that is probably where we will end up going. The church is an old house that’s been converted into a church building and is located on the main road through town. Alex is very easy to understand and gave a great sermon. However, right in the middle of the sermon, a car drove by blaring “apple bottom jeans and the boots with the fur.” Not quite what you expect to hear in church!

Today, walking home from school, a man turned the corner in front of us on his motorcycle. Now, this is a pretty normal site. Tons of people drive around crazily on motorcycles. Except this man, was holding something with one arm while steering with the other. And that something, happened to be a washing machine. Then, after going running, Kaitlyn and I were walking to the colmado (A colmado is basically the equivalence of a convenience store doesn’t have the gas station part. Most are very small, but this one has pretty much what you need for daily grocery runs.) The walk there and back was pretty uneventful for the most part, the usual catcalls, garbage all over the streets, making sure you don’t get hit by one of the crazy drivers since pedestrians have no right of way, until we walked by a garbage can and out jumped a chicken which royally scared us. The chickens run all over here and cluck loudly. But that’s ok, it was pretty hilarious to get ambushed by a chicken.

So, things never cease to surprise you here. We have the rest of this week to plan, and then next week is orientation week. The kids have half days of school and then we get to plan for the afternoon. Then, a week from Monday, real school starts. Say some prayers that everything goes well! Also, please keep the mission in your prayers. The Santiago church was broken into on Tuesday night/ Wednesday morning for the fourth time even though they added extra security to the building on Friday. This was the fourth break in a relatively short amount of time. So, please keep the members and everyone here in your prayers. Miss you all!

Which side of the donkey do you pick?!?

Every day here seems to present new challenges, experiences, and adventures. I really like it here, although it’s kind of hard sometimes too. Here is a brief re-cap of my week.

On Monday, we were rearranging desks in the classrooms. (I still don’t have classrooms yet although they are coming along much better! We will be in make-shift classrooms like the lab, the teachers’ lounge, and the library until they are done.) So, we were carrying desks up to the second floor, and I was wearing a skirt and really slippery flip flops. So, I’m carrying two desks up the stairs, and Manuel, the Spanish phy ed teacher was behind me. And me, being incredibly coordinated as I am, totally wiped out and started falling down the stairs holding two desks. It was pretty smooth…. After he made sure I was ok and carried all the desks to the top of the stairs, he laughed at me really hard. It was ok though because I wasn’t actually very hurt, just a little scraped up, and it was pretty funny. Monday was also laundry day… In case you missed it, see the previous post.

Yesterday, was quite an eventful day. Walking to school, the road is fairly narrow and there is no sidewalk. So, answer this question for me… When there are cars coming and also a donkey, which side of the donkey do you walk on? If you walk on the ditch side, you could fall in and risk injury… If you walk on the street side, you might get run over by a motoconcho (one of the motorcycles that tear around and are very dangerous)… So, it’s kind of a toss up. Kaitlyn and I picked the road side which turned out to be a fine decision that time around. Then later, Rosanna, the Spanish math and science teacher, and I were cleaning and organizing the science lab. I opened up a box full of magnifying glasses and got a little more than I bargained for. Out of the box came TONS of cockroaches that ran all over the lab. We had to run all over the room stomping on them. It was pretty gross. Fortunately, we’ve only found a few in our apartment. Just so you know, no matter how clean you keep things here, cockroaches and ants seem to find a way in. But, it’s all part of the experience I guess J Keith, one of the American teachers who is an aerobics teacher at a gym here too had a kickboxing class for us after school. It was actually pretty fun! I was pretty proud of all us Americans. We made it through the whole kickboxing “class” just fine and the PE teacher, Manuel, had to quit about half way through. Now I guess I have something I can laugh at him about! After dinner, two of my roommates and I went over to fellow American teachers Micah and Kaitlin’s apartment and watched the Olympics, had snacks, and played cards. So, it was nice to be able to get out a little bit!

Today, we were walking to school with our paraguas. That is one of my favorite Spanish words by the way because it just makes so much sense. “Para” in this case means “for” and “agua” means water. So, it’s a “for water” aka an umbrella. So, Kaitlyn and I were walking to school with our paraguas and ended up talking to these two cute ladies. One was really old and was wearing house slippers and was shuffling down the road. The other I believe was her daughter. They were very friendly and didn’t try hitting on us once! PS: We get cat-called at all the time. Some interesting things we’ve heard are “I love your mommy!” “Mi amor” “Que bonitas americanas”, etc. Its ok though, we are getting used to it. At school, one of the Spanish teacher’s brothers-in-law came in. He is the principle of a high school in New York City and teachers in a master’s in education program in a college there too. He gave the American teachers a presentation on giving lessons. For me, it was pretty interesting since that wasn’t what I went to college for. After that, he gave a presentation to the Spanish teachers about critical thinking. Keith and I stayed for that one too which was good practice for my Spanish. I was pretty proud that I understood the whole thing!

Tonight, we are going to one of the missionary’s houses for pizza and a welcome to the DR get-together. So, that should be pretty fun!

Laundry

So, doing laundry here is pretty much the greatest. It's so easy and convenient. Once you've read my description of how our washing machine works, I'm sure you will all be insanely jealous and wish you had one just the same.

So, to get started, you pour your laundry detergent into the left side of the washer and add your clothes and water. To add the water, there is a hose that comes out of our wall. You stick it in the washing machine and hold it in there. If you don't hold it, it can come spraying out all over. That would not be good. Then, you shut the washing machine and set the timer for 15 minutes. There is a spinner in the bottom that spins the clothes for about ten seconds then lets them sit for about ten seconds. This continues for about 15 minutes. Then, you switch a little dial on the front to drain and take another hose that is on the side of the washer into a five gallon pail and allow the water to drain out. There is no drain for it, so we have to drain it by hand. Then, you take the bucket that is full of filthy water and dump it into the tub. You have to take out about three bucketfulls until it is empty. The last one, you have to tip the bucket sideways because otherwise the water won't drain. If you forget this, you might end up bailing out the washing machine with cups. That's what happened to my roommate Kaitlyn when she was doing laundry last week. Anyways, so after you drain the water, you have to turn the know back. If you forget this, water leaks all over the floor, and you have to mop it up. So, you have to fill the washing machine back up with water from the hose coming out of the wall and let it "wash" for another 15 minutes so you get your clothes unsoapy. After this, you follow the same procedure to drain the washing machine. Then, you take your sopping wet clothes out of the left side of the washer and transfer them to this spinner thing on the right side. You pack them in tightly and hope the weight is balanced. Then, you close it up and let it spin super fast for 5 minutes. This gets most of the water out of your clothes. After this, you need to drain the machine again because of the water that game out of your clothes. After this, you are done with the washing machine and just have to go hang your clothes on the porch area on the lines we have out there so it will dry. It's pretty much fun and amazing to get to do laundry!

Are you all super jealous of me know? I hope so :)

School, Facutly Party, and the Beach

Well, this week has sure been busy! At school all week, we've just been having meetings and planning for our year. My classroom is starting to get some more walls, which is a good thing. The high school is an addition to the cafeteria/ kitchen and is not yet done, so I'm not quite sure where I will be teaching in two weeks because I don't know that it will be done.... So, it could be interesting when school starts!

School from the front

The new addition part.... The second floor where there aren't finished walls yet? That's where I'll be teaching.

Where my classes will be

The science lab

The science lab again

On Friday night, we had a faculty party at Eva's (one of the preschool teachers) house. It was really fun. We sat around and visited, drank some Presidente, and danced. I know how to dance merengue some, but I also learned the basic step to the bachata as well. Some of the teachers are amazing dancers! It was really a fun night!

Me, Natalie (a fourth grader at school and Alexandra's daughter), Danielle, Kaitlyn, Alexandra, Dahianna, and Noemy (in front) at our faculty party.

Dancing with fellow American teaching Keith.

Today, we went to the beach in Sosua. It was absolutely gorgeous and really relaxing. We hung out, swam, drank pina coladas, and swam some more all day long. It was about a two hour bus ride from Santiago, so we were able to spend basically the whole day at the beach, which was pretty amazing.

The beautiful beach at Sosua.

The beautiful Atlantic Ocean

The Americans on the beach :)

Me and Danielle, one of my roommates

I hope things are going well with everyone back home! E-mail me at KLSoccer57@aol.com if you have any questions. Or even, just let me know what you are up to! I love hearing from people.