I'm Here!

I have arrived in Jarabacoa safely and simply amazed at my birth country. My first glimpse from the sky took my breath away.

The trip was easy, only one delay (in Miami: border control took a family off the plane, then had to find their luggage in the nearly full plane), so I arrived in Santiago at 5:00. By 6 I was on the road to Jarabacoa with the director’s husband, Joel. I met the 3 girls already here and unpacked just what I needed for the night. Early on, I became frustrated with my lack of Spanish skills; all of the staff speaks fluent Spanish, as well as the 2 girls who are here. I can understand about 70% of what they say, but responding in Spanish takes a lot of brain power, and I got frazzled quickly. I’m planning on just listening for the first week or so, speaking mostly in English, before I really break into my poor attempts at a solid conversation.