SNOOP DUKIE-DUKE
HEY
Well after much thought I've decided to continue with my blog-doggery. We've been back in Canada for a month now and it's time to get off the couch and start moving...slowly. No for real, we've been real busy. But I attended a seminar last week by
Coop and
Jeb on "Digital Culture in the Church" and I was inspired to keep on keepin on. I'm sure my life in Canada will be every bit as exciting and weirdo as it was in the Dominican. Coop's havin a blogger party tonight...weird. I'm gonna go though. Ok I just wanted to get it going today so those bloggers won't pick on me...next I must crash course myself on star trek and star wars trivia. Nice to see you again.
In the meantime check out
Corb Lund...saw the concert in Regina...best discovery of the summer.
WE'RE DONE, WE'RE DONE , WE'RE DONE!!!!!
In the words of the immortal Ozzy Osbourne..."Mama I'm comin home". Schools done. Grads done. It was a huge project and a huge success. Praise God. Now we are at the beach and here shall we stay until wednesday, then we come home. We dont actually get back until friday but the point is...we're comin home. This has been a wonderful and hard year but we experienced much victory this week and we were able to see some fruit for our labours and some reasons as to why we were sent here. I'll talk more of it when I get home...I dont imagine I will blog much this week as I do not plan on thinking or moving much these next few days only plan is to be flat on my face sleeping on the beach...I cant wait to see you guys back home. Thanks for your prayers and encouraging words. See you soon.
Brooke will probably write more than me this week so check her out.
Hey. The computers at our school have been down for a week so sorry for the lack of blogging. They are still down but I noticed our principals computer was working today...I smell scandal...anywyas I've snuck into his office to give you as much goods as I can. Ironically these last few days have contained many worthy story to share and I've been hankering to tell these tales. Unfortunately you'll get the short version cuz I dont have much time...first was friday the last day of classes before finals...the senior class came to our apartment the night before at 2 in the morning and played their stereos and screamed and danced in our parking lot til we got up...it was hilarious, our neighbors are cool so it was fun...so we hung out with the students in the middle of the night for awhile. Then when we got to school the seniors had spray painted their class logo and thier names HUGELY on the elementary wall. It looked really cool but the elementary principal was pissed...he's new here and I guess this happens every year and the seniors paint over it the next day...anywyas the principal was trying to expel them and withhold their diplomas...it was ridiculous...I fought all day for those kids and we came to a compromise. It was hard day but without question the best day I've had as far as relationship building and hanging with the kids. Oh yeah...that same morning while we were all gawking at the huge "vandalism" we noticed that none of the seniors were at school...where were they we wondered??? All of a sudden the school gates swing open and a fire engine rolls in with it's sirens blasting and the seniors riding it....these kids own the city so they can do whatever they want...best entrance ever...okay I need to get going...but we went to Haiti on the weekend...greatest experience of my life...we saw the citadel...a huge castle/fortress built at the top of Haitis highest mountain...7 miles up. theres a cobble stone path and you can walk/ride horse...one of the seven wonders of the world they say...only six more to go...ahhh I'm not doing this justice and I have to go but I'll tell you more later...it was incredible.
IF YOUR NAME IS MELISSA WIDGER YOU SHOULD NOT READ TODAYS BLOG
My good friend Russ phoned yesterday. He's living in Hawaii. It was cool to sit in my kitchen in the DR and talk to my friend sitting on his deck in Hawaii...sometimes technology amazes me...do we still consider the telephone modern technology??? Anyways I was just in the middle of telling russ how loud this country is...it's conchos, motos, roosters, dogs and merengue music...and all of a sudden I heard the loudest most awful scream I''ve ever heard... a squeal of horror actually...and the giver of that squeal was a pig...they had a pig in our parking lot...a young pig tied up and they were gonna kill it for this big party in our building tonight. So Brooke runs out and valiantly tries to save the pig...first with reason and rationale with our dominican neighbors and then with zealous vigilante justice...she was trying to set the little pig free and all the neighbors were laughing at her..."He's my friend" she cried, "You can't eat my friend!!!" "I am angry with you"
That pig squeal has to be the worst sound ever...I hung up on Russ...sorry Russ...and grabbed my camera and ran out to capture the moment but as i got there I saw them hurl the pig into the trunk of a car, slam it shut and drive off...
Anyways it was good to hear frome Russ. He's getting married to Tanya in September in Canmore AB and I'm doing that wedding...very fun.
In other news...Maggie the Prohet monkey has picked the Mighty Ducks to beat the Devils. Can't argue with that...congratulations Anaheim.
FOOD POISONING
Saturday night was the annual Junior Senior Banquet. I was the speaker and I think it went pretty well...but then Sunday...food poisoning...everyone who was at the banquet got sick...lots of students and teachers stayed home today. Brooke didnt eat so she is fine...me on the other hand, I did eat...alot. Usually diarrhea is a socially taboo subject and nobody wants to admit when they got it, but when everybody has it and everybody knows that everybody has it than we are able to open up and share the experience together..teacher to teacher, student to teacher...everybodys talking about having the runs and no one is ashamed cuz everybody has it right now....interesting lesson in there about sins and weaknesses...we never talk about the personal stuff with each other... we find it hard to share our sins with each other...too proud to share our weaknesses with each other...too ashamed to share our uglies with other even though we should...but everybody's got them, I do and you do. If we really knew how sick our neighbors were, we would feel more comfortable sharing our sickness with them and we really "bear each other burdens". Unashamed...You can bet that the person you open yourself up to is just as sick and broken as you are...My name is Kelly graham and I am sick. Sorry if this seems a little weirdo deep but I've had alot of time on the can...
We had supper last night with Alicia and her husband Ramon. Alicia is our maid, even though I don't like to call her that...she is a friend. She introduces us to her friends as her "boss". They took us to Chimi Jose, a dominican restaurant in some dirty downtown barrio. We were nervous, cuz these are the places you shouldnt eat if you have a North American tummy so we prayed and loaded up on acidophylous and headed out. The food turned out to be really good, although I never did try the sweet pig ears. I don't believe in sweet pig ears. At the end of the meal Alicia insisted on paying for us. It was humbling as the bill came to almost as much as we pay her in a week. Anyways it was a great evening and neither of us got sick. Alicia's husband Ramon is a pastor here in Santiago. They are great people. It's amazing to see how much Spanish we've picked up this year as Ramon and Alicia speak no english but we were able to communicate all night.
Today one of the teachers went home sick so I got called to sub in second period...no problem except it was anatomy class and wouldn't you know it they were talking about the ole reproductive organs...you know the ones...it was right out of a bad dream or bad eighties movie...
LAst night we were having supper at Lax and these three Haitian kids came to our table...Haitians must be the most beautiful people in the world...they are hated in the DR however. Anyways they were selling some sweets and peanuts...buckets on their heads, walking up and down the beach. Our friend Dave speaks creole so we chatted with them for awhile...their names are Mackenzie, William and Benji, all about 8 or nine years old. Great smiles and laughs. They sell this stuff all day and cant go home until they have 50 pesos or they get beatand cant eat...they are slaves, theres no other way to put it. So we played some games with them at our table and by the end of the evening we had given them probably 100 pesos each...50 pesos for today and fifty for tomorrow...so I thought. We saw them a few minutes later and they had each bought one of those cheesy glow sticks and were havin the time of their life on the beach. Black sky and black kids...all we could see were these glow sticks running around. It was nice to see these kids be kids...they have rough life and it's gonna get rougher as life in the DR conitnues to decline theyll probably get rounded up and sent back to Haiti where there is absoulutely nothing for them. I sure wish we could pack em up and bring them to Saskatoon...it's sad when you know a place where they "could" go and be free and loved. I'd put a picture of them on here but it would only break your heart (plus I dont know how to put pictures on this thing)
We decided last night that we go to Haiti on the last weekend in May. Dave and Michelle have done the trip many times so they'll take us. Very cool.
