I feel incredibly welcomed in the Dominican Republic! I have a bunch of new homes. I have had opportunities to meet with multiple people in four communities and have invites from all of them to come back with or without my own team! Such hospitalitiy puts me to shame as an American.
Today I played with kids in an elementary school. I am amazed at how kids of all cultures have similar behaviors. If it were not for the language, different school uniforms etc I would have thought I was in Palestine or Malawi. Kids are kids across all cultures. Acting out for attention. Clinging to something familiar. Reaching out to the strange American. Posing for pictures (in ridiculous ways!) etc. etc. I am also yet again amazed at how children in other cultures are able to entertain themselves in the simplest of ways. a kid playing hacky sack with a bunch of rubber bands. A group of girls playing chinese jumprope with one that has been broken and remended more times than I could count from my vantage point. A group playing some kind of hand game that I had difficulty catching on to! Yet again, kids are kids and in the two thirds world this is especially evident. They play the same or similar games even though there is an ocean between them!
Finally, I am used to traveling with a team. I am used to being a part of a team whether in Jamaica when I first experienced another culture to Malawi with my summer service team. I thought it was going to be incredibly difficult to do so without a team. But God has graciously eased me in. I have two Americans that work for the Foundation for Peace http://www.foundationforpeace.org/ and we have had a chance to spend time together, talk, and pray together. They have included me without question and I feel so incredibly blessed!
On that note, I think I am going to go check out the kitchen and see how I can help!
love and God Bless,
beth
Kids pose in every country!!! see!
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