We're doing it live!

Hello to all! Sorry I haven't written in a while, it's been busy, busy here! Are you ready for a juicy filled update? Hope so! Sit back, relax, and read. Here we go, BOOM. 

Two of our girls, Mireya and Debora, just graduated from High School which is a HUGE accomplishment for them. They had quite the fan club at the ceremony, from volunteers, staff, and employees from the home. It was huge for them, for us, and it really was a such an incredible moment, one I will never forget. To see the smile on their faces, how proud they were to be in that cap and gown, and receive that diploma was absolutely amazing.   They are driven and motivated beyond words which is so inspirational. They will give one year of service back to the home before going to University. 

The morning of graduation, I went with two of the older girls to get beautified before the big event. Hair, nails, and girl time. It was beyond awesome. We did the normal girl talk, aka boy talk, had coffee, and just hung out at the salon for 4 hours. I really enjoyed my time with them.  They are like having Clare and Hannah here. I don't have to discipline them, they are on the same page, they are respectful, and it reminds me of my sisters at home, so it's great to be able to have them here and play that role in my life. Plus, they both make me laugh, not like Clare and Hannah do, but close. With them, I don't sit in the corner and make jokes that I think are funny and laugh to myself. They laugh with me. (Clare and Hannah, I think I made the yearbook here. WATTUPPPPP.) 

Anyway, I got my hair cut, which I really like how the lady did it and will definitely go back. She washed, cut, blew dry, and straightened it for $300 pesos which is roughly $7.50. BARGAIN! Awesome considering I usually spend at least $40 in the States for the same thing. Besides that, the girls I went with, Wisilina and Kenna, were very into me getting my hair done and watching my every step. Of course they were giggling through it all because they knew I had never gotten my hair cut in the DR before and it is a little different than the salons in the US. But nonetheless, I loved what she did, just what I wanted, and I will definitely return. 

Pictures of the 'new-do' and graduation with the girls! 

Marileen and I 

Marileen and I 

Kenna, Me, & Marileen

 

All the vols and graduates! 

Peace Corps Dan & I 

Remember outreach camp where the kid pulled the machete the first time? Well, I have been back twice since and it has been MUCH better. The kids are much more attentive, our kids are doing great as leaders, and it’s nice to break it up, get out of the house, and really experience Dominican Culture. Not to mention, it’s really good for our kids to see what life is like here outside of the NPH walls. They are doing great and I am so proud of them.  


I have been playing more of a supervisor role, which has been great. I have made a little buddy, her name is AltaGracia, and she is just the sweetest. She is quiet and shy, but is so attentive and loves to read stories, play, and color. On the flip side, this wittle pip squeak can hold her own. No means no and when another kid is bugging her, she makes sure they know. Too funny. She usually comes out of no where and grabs my hand, well, more like my finger, to just hold onto while the activities are going on. Can you say Snuggle buddy? Precious. 

Josecito & Jose (NPH Leaders)

AltaGracia, my new buddy from the Batey. Such a sweetheart! 

Reading Corduroy in Spanish. Classic! 

Ricardo, NPH Leader, doing an AWESOME Dynamica! 

Avriel and some of the Leaders. 

This video is a must see! Some of you may have seen it on my Facebook, but it is one of the many videos that instantly puts a smile on my face. Josecito and I playing. I won, naturally. :)

Lastly, Hannah comes on Wednesday! We are all SO excited to have her. One of my boys, Sebastiancito, said to my tía yesterday, "Tía! La loca viene!" Meaning, Tía! The crazy is coming! And she was like, what? Sebatiancito said, "Hannah. Magadalena's sister is coming Wednesday. She is crazier than Magdalena!" We are so excited for her to be here as well as the group of students from my High School. It's going to be a busy next couple of weeks, but I am excited for all of the craziness. It keeps me busy, the kids happy, and the drive I have to be here. It's the experiences like these where I love for people to come see what I do. It's a full time job, not one where I can sit back, kick my feet up, and go to the beach when I want. It's demanding, tiring, but you get so much back in return. And you can see that on the faces of the visitors when they come, which to me, is everything. This is the life I love. The kids here have touched my heart and everyday is a new adventure. Sun up to Sun down. Just keep going and live every second of it. 

That's all I have for now! Big update next week when Hannah is here! 

Hasta Pronto

and so it begins!

Hello to everyone! Thank you so much for all of your kind words and support pre departure and for my arrival here. It’s been busy busy busy, but this week is my first official week as a big girl, working in the office, and I even had my first meeting. whoaaaa watch out world. Other than that, right now I am working with the fundraising office to contact local foundations, donors, and planning for some events we have coming up in the fall. Basically I am spreading the word, our mission, and philosophy to help further the lives of the children at Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos Dominican Republic (nph.org). 

Other than that, last weekend was my free weekend. How it works, is I work 11 days straight, 8am-8pm, and then have 3 days off. Last week, a handful of us went to a beach about an hour away, Bayahibe, which is a small fisherman’s town and absolutely beautiful. It was great to lay on the beach, be in good company, and have the time to reflect about this adventure I am embarking on. We went from Saturday to Sunday which was perfect and exactly what I needed. Here are a few pictures: 

The Friday before we left, we had a group of baseball players come meet the children, play, and learn about our organization. Just so happens this group was from Minnesota and to be more specific, they were from Minnetonka, Minnesota! I actually knew a few of them, which was crazy. One family, I went to grade school with her oldest son, and her 2 younger sons were in the same grades as Clare & Hannah. The mom, Mrs. Hoopes and her son, Tommy, both came, we caught up, showed them around, and it was just so great to be able to share something I love with people I know. Mrs. Hoopes and I were walking and she said something to me that really stuck out, in fact, it gave me goosebumps. She said, “You know, 2 years ago when we started fundraising for this trip and they asked me to go, I told them, the only way I will go is if we give back. This is a great opportunity for these boys to bring their passion to another country, but not only that, give back to those in need.” Their visit was just what I needed and beyond filled my heart with joy, happiness and excitement. Especially considering the first week of something new is always tough, so it was nice to have someone I know, someone who knows my family, to be able to be here and share the love I have for the children. 

This week was full of activities as well. I went roller blading with some of the kids, which was quite the shocker because they all were like, "Magdalena you're going to fall". I didn't. BOOM. roasted. Roller Blades are the new hit, I have to say. It's a big deal when you have them on. I also played basketball for the first time in a while with the older kids. yes I was the only girl because here it's a 'boy' sport. 

My friend, Avriel, who is the Communications Officer here, and myself took 5 of our kids to do a summer camp in a local Batey, which is a Haitian Migrant camp. It is a community in which is poorer than poor, kids running around naked, no running water, and puts a soft spot in my heart when the realities of my life are so much different than theirs. We took 5 of our children and put on a mini-summer camp for the children of the Batey which was kind of crazy. It was the first time we had done it and next week we now know how to tweak it. The kids had a great time, however, since there is no structure within the community at all, it got to be a little much at times, especially when the kids were fighting. For example, two kids started fighting and one of the kids pulled a machete on the other. I was in complete shock, as I had no idea if he was going to actually hurt someone or if he was doing it for attention, so I got in the kid's face and asked him to leave. I mean, C'mon! This is a kids camp. However, these are one of the realities of the life they live. It's tough, the kids are tough, but it's part of our world. All in all, it was good for our kids to see, because I think it teaches them to appreciate what they have here at NPH. 

Finally, I want to show everyone around the home. Although it’s virtual, I think you will get the idea about where I am :) 

The volunteer/visitor house.  Where I live!

The house where I volunteer in, Santo Domingo.  20 boys ages 9-14 full of energy

The office where I work

The chapel

I will show the school, multi-use area, park, kitchen, etc another time, but to wrap everything up, I have a video of Brito, one of our children, showing off his musical talents.  It'll make you smile, so be sure to watch! 

Enjoy!