Summer in the DR

Collectively, as a family, our batteries were nearing empty by June. We felt the weight of a year of online education, the loneliness of missing family, and the chaos of our own heightened emotions mixed with those of our boys.

Daily life here is a much longer process than in Canada. There are many variables that play into our daily routines. By June we had vehicle parts that needed repair, plumbing we needed looked at, grass cut, oil changed, and cockroaches terminated. In our North American world, we could have easily taken care of all of these in one week, maybe less, and many of them we could have done ourselves. However, we don’t own a lawn mower here, we can’t fumigate the house on our own. Getting the oil changed means Matt needs to be present to say what he wants with the vehicle while I translate, which also means both boys come with and restlessly bounce around, roll in oil puddles, find stray hammers, make friends with the mechanics, or scream strapped into their carseats. Sometimes the oil gets changed right away. Sometimes the oil is gone, the mechanics are on lunch break, the tools went missing, or they simply don’t have time that day. Plumbing is no different. We need Matt’s brain to tell them what is wrong, my Spanish to translate, and both boys are obviously tangled between our legs whining or fighting or licking things at the same time. Usually one of them has pooped, and the other is hungry.

Other weekly tasks that contribute to our “always-on mindset,” are getting water, groceries, or filling in gas. They will get easier, and they HAVE gotten easier. A yellowish water comes from our taps and stains our toilet bowls and sinks. We bleach all our dishes after we wash them, and we bleach our toilets often. This means we need to buy drinkable water, and a lot of bleach. The average temperature these days is about 35 degrees, so we drink excess amounts water. There is no air conditioning in our town, so to cool off we (you guessed it) just keep drinking water. Water can be bought in giant bottle jugs that we flip upside down into our water cooler. We own 6 of them, and load up the empty jugs and bring them to a local water-refill store when they are empty. Each corner store, fruit stand, or water-filling spot has their own brand of water jugs, and we have to refill the jugs with the same brand we already have- which ensures consistency in their customers. This is great for them, more work for us.

For example—- we loaded up all 6 of our water jugs into the back of our Prado this week. We loaded up the kids who were tired, hungry, and overheated. We made Sawyer put a diaper on for the drive, just in case– he was mad because he wanted his underwear. Hayden didn’t want underwear at all because he is in the middle of a growth spurt and “they are too tight ALWAYS.” Both boys were strapped in and crying. We were dripping with sweat. We wear pants up town to be respectful to the more conservative culture in our town, which means my jeans were stuck to all areas of my legs and getting wetter by the second. We arrived at the store. The last time we were here they were short on bottle brand Peña, and had given us 4 Peña and 2 of a different brand. I went in to explain we wanted to refill 6 water jugs, 4 of the water brand Peña, 2 of the other. They were out of water altogether because it was a holiday weekend and everyone from the capital was in town, so most water suppliers were out.

We went home.

The next day we replayed this same scene, but this time they only had Rangel brand, and wouldn’t exchange our Peña for the other brand. It’s complicated. This is all to say, regular daily routines are a lot of work for us, and they are exceedingly de-energizing when we need Matt to explain the knowledge piece and me to translate, and both kids are along for the ride, and we are all so hot we feel we will die. 😛

The last week of June, as we hoped and prayed and planned for Mom to come at the beginning of July, we happened to be direct contacts with an entire family who tested positive for covid. We quarantined, got tested, and prayed extra hard that Mom would still come. I was at the end of my happy-go-lucky-self. The majority of our friends had left for the states for a summer of refreshing friends and family. We were hot. Worn out. Tired.

Mom came. And a mother, I have learned, is much more than a friend and a mentor and a cheerleader and a listener. A mother is a home. I cannot tell you the shrieks I shrieked and the tears I shed when she crouched down in the middle of the outdoor airport runway with open arms to hug my sons, and instead I shoved them aside and tackled her onto the ground like a grown woman child. I felt like I was 5, and I cannot tell you the home I felt in her arms. This month of July has been no different. We have brought her to our favourite waterfall, restaurants, beach, smoothie shops, grocery stores and greenhouses. And after that, we have just played. She has dug in the dirt with my boys, blown more bubbles than she ever has in her life, played 100 games of Uno, and built countless towers. She has ran in the rain with them, played board games with Matt and I late into the night, and sat on the deck in the hot sun with out. I have asked her all of the questions I’ve wanted to ask her in the last 362 days without her, and I have asked her for all the advice of cross cultural parenting.

Mom leaves tomorrow. 😦 We are so sad to have her leave, but have soaked in these holy moments with a summer of Nana.

Matt and I will leave the boys at home with a sitter while we head across the island to Punta Cana (the farthest airport on the island). We will drop mom off at 1, and board the exact plane that will bring Kelsey here from Toronto. We will wait for Kelsey to finish customs and find luggage, and then we will say goodbye to mom and hello to Kels. We will arrive back in Jarabacoa around dinner time, leave Kelsey at her apartment with her new roommates (one of them is my cousin Taya), and head home to the boys. Sunday we will pick Kelsey up mid morning, show her around town, get her groceries, and have her over to re-familiarize with the boys a bit. We will wash bedding, clean the house, and grab groceries for a few other American families returning to the island this week.

Monday we are back on campus for full days!!!!

Please pray for us as we begin on Monday! Teaching Kindergarten in Spanish through Project Based Learning is my happy place, but it is definitely in the zone of most discomfort for Matt. We plan to begin FULLY in person!!! This is exciting for me, but again, most nerve wracking for Matt as this is his first experience in the school system as an educator. Please pray for Kelsey and Mom as they travel! Please pray for our boys as we head into a new transition full force, and for our hearts as we begin another school year. Kelsey is coming without a salary, on her own dime to volunteer for a year. We will share your generous monthly donations with her to help cover her living costs, but if you feel led or know someone who would like to get involved, I know it would be tremendous to bless her with financial help as well.

Thank you for your prayers and for furthering the kingdom of God with us!!!

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