A Sweet Reunion

After 7 long months apart, I was reunited with the lovely girls of Santa Ana once again and the entire NPH family in the Dominican Republic, for what was, hands down, the best week EVA. I also got to spend the entire week with Avriel (yep, we were inseparable) and I got to see Madelon as much as possible too! 

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After spending a night in the Newark airport, I arrived to Santo Domingo around noon on Saturday. I was so anxious and nervous and excited that I hadn't eaten anything or slept a wink...it felt like getting my suitcase and going through immigration was taking forever. But FINALLY, I had everything and was able to go out into the airport where I barely got out the door and literally Avriel, Madelon and Wilson were on top of me as my suitcases knocked to the ground and we got lots of weird looks...it was AWESOME. 

Las tres locas reunited!!! (And all with super long hair, I might add...)

Arriving to NPH was another sweet moment...as soon as the guagua got through the front doors, I jumped out of the door to the girls awaiting me and was greeted by tons of hugs. I was sooooo contenta. The girls rushed me up to Santa Ana where the greetings continued all afternoon as I got the chance to hear how everyone's doing and what's new. Let me tell ya, catching up with 250 people takes some time. So these greetings pretty much continued until Tuesday or so, at which point, I think I saw about everyone. I spent the next 8 hours or so just hanging out with the kids, it was the BEST.

We had so much to catch up on!! MISSED her and so proud of her!

Sunday was a "normal" weekend day at NPH, which was awesome. The day started off with misa, then a baseball game down at the play, a trip to the batey with San Pascual, and tons of catching up!

One of my goddaughters from confirmation--she was pretty much glued at my side throughout the trip! 

Didn't take long for the girls to get ahold of my hair...they still remember how to do the "cola de pez" or fishtail braid that my sisters taught them almost 2 years ago now!

Also glued to my side! 

Feeling the love at the baseball game!

On Monday, I got down to business and started working on about 4 different visa projects that are happening in the upcoming months. Needless to say, I didn't quite finish these projects in the week I was there, but progress was definitely made! I also got to see some of the Monday-Friday workers for the first time on Monday and I spent a lot of time with them--especially drinking coffee and gossiping with some of the tias :)

Hanging out in Santa Lucia--the baby house!

Long story short: I sent down a bunch of dresses to the girls last fall, including my prom dress from junior year. They're using them for graduation and Quinces. They had me put on my old dress just for the heck of it! 

Trying on a dress that Abby sent!

Trying on a dress Rachel Ward sent!

She's so grown up--straightening her hair now!

Tuesday included some more office work, a trip to San Pedro during the morning, and a special outing with one of my godchildren in the afternoon. The day ended with the lovely new-to-NPH meal of chicken liver and hearts. Needless to say, I "wasn't very hungry" that night. We also had a Saint Patrick's day party at Kieran's and Susana's!

Taking a moment to slow down and reminisce with my goddaughter! 

Hanging!

Doing hair! (Yes, they finally let me do theirs despite the fact that I'm so bad at it!)

Wednesday was another full day of work followed by misa at 5:00pm, a sizing session with the upcoming Quince girls (in November) and a birthday party for Josefina!

Post-misa pics!

Quince 2014 girls strutting their stuff!

I think her bunny face is so funny!

Siblings!

Hanging out in the park!

Besties!

Thursday marked a turn of events as we decided to go to the beach and then the capital for the night to hang out with Madelon! We rushed through some work in the morning and then around 11:00am took motos into town. That moto experience was a bit more stressful than expected for some people (Avriel) but I was totally fine (the tire just popped!) We got pizza at our favorite pizzeria in Boca Chica for lunch and then met Guillermo (ex-volunteer from Spain) on the beach! We ended the night by taking the guagua to the capital and going out dancing with the girls!

Friday was a chill day...spent the morning at Mad's apartment, got some lunch with some friends in the capital and then headed back to NPH for the rest of the day. On Saturday morning, I got the chance to go to Daniela's house--she was the Dominican I worked with and shared an office with in sponsorship. She made breakfast for me (including cherry juice...yum!!) and we spent some time catching up and looking at photos. It was a blast!! I returned to NPH just in time to catch lunch in the new special needs house with my parents godson. And then I took the Santa Ana girls to the batey in the afternoon. It was a super full, super fun day!! The only thing that could have made it better was if I didn't have to leave the next day...

Mellizas!!! Avriel and me :)

LOVE this family!

Lunch at the special needs house and playing with this massive tennis ball!

More quality time in San Marcos!

I'll always remember this girl...she was the first one to give me a hug on my very first day in the country in January 2012! 

At the batey...sisters!!

Chilling in the shade!

Photo shoot time!

She was super contenta to see some of her family!

Walk back to NPH! 

Me and the girls :)

Overall, the week went by WAY too fast, but regardless, it was AMAZING! As me and another volunteer from Spain were just saying the other day, sometimes it's really tough to have your heart in two places that are so far apart, but we wouldn't change it for the world! Hasta la proxima, mis amores...las quiero pilas!

A Sweet Reunion...in T-24 Hours!

It’s been 232 days since I last saw these faces. That’s over 7 months. So much has happened, so much has changed. I’ve worked 1, 2, 3 jobs. I’ve taken classes. I’ve moved to St. Paul. The girls have all started another year of school. They’ve celebrated birthdays and their Quinceañeras. They’ve moved houses.

But some things are the same. I still feel like these girls are my little sisters. I still want to know every detail about what’s going on with them. I still feel that connection, and I’m sure they do to.

Anxious. Nervous. Excited. Bouncing off the walls. Thrilled. Emotional. These are all feelings that have been progressively getting stronger as this trip gets closer and closer. I can’t sleep. I can’t eat. I can’t concentrate. Literally, that’s how excited I am.

I’ll be in the Dominican Republic from Saturday, March 15, to Sunday, March 23, and I’m going to enjoy every minute of it, even when I’m sleeping! There will be some tough moments, some emotions to deal with, especially after the loss of a special girl a couple of weeks ago, but there will also be sweet moments of happiness and joy after many long months spent apart. I’ll get to spend a wonderful 8 days with my girls, Wilson, and the greater NPH family. And I’ll get to see some of the ex-volunteers I gor so close with during my time there as they also take a trips back to the home.

I feel like I need this trip approximately as much as I need oxygen. I’ve never wanted to be called Kri-ten so badly! Hasta pronto, República Dominicana! 

My Twenty Reasons: A Summary of My Time in the DR

When it boils down to it, there are twenty very specific reasons that my time in the Dominican Republic was so fulfilling and meaningful. It boils down to the struggling, energetic, soul-searching teenage girls of Casa Santa Ana, whom I now consider my younger sisters. I left behind two younger sisters when leaving Minnesota in January 2012 and now, a year and a half later, I have added to those 20 even younger ones. In balancing the many different hats that volunteers wear, I always considered my number one priority to be my house of girls followed by my job in the sponsorship office followed by the numerous other responsibilities that no job title can even begin to describe.

When I reflect on the past year and a half, I remember many special moments mixed in with some very difficult ones. Some specific memories stick out: the two special needs girls in my house running up to greet me every time they saw me even if it had been just minutes since we last saw each other, an older boy giving a heartfelt thank you after a difficult day spent together at his grandmother’s funeral, a girl breaking down crying in my arms when her unreliable mother once again failed to show up on Visitor’s Day, and even one of the troublemakers in the house always remembering to fill my water cup at lunch before I could do it myself. I have some very fond memories of evenings spent in Casa Santa Ana dancing to the latest dembow song, listening to the girls’ silly love poems and jokes, attempting to restore order in the bedrooms and helping to sort the never-ending amount of laundry. These are the tasks that came to define my daily life and who I have been this past year and a half. Through these twenty girls, the mundane became meaningful.

I have changed so very much. I have adjusted not only to a new culture, but also to a new way of life. A life where electricity isn’t a constant, motorcycles and guaguas are the modes of public transportation, material items are never the focus and people don’t complain about having to wait or being uncomfortable. A life where people have babies very young, parents don’t stay together, and dads don’t always stick around.  A life where everyone believes in God despite the overwhelming daily hardships and isn’t afraid to share their faith in public whether it be on buses, street signs or storefronts.

Not only have I adjusted, I’ve learned and had my limits tested. I’ve learned how to have as much attitude as a Dominican girl, how to say no, how to discipline, how to show compassion, how to control what I say, how to wait and wait and wait, how to not complain about inconveniences, how to add si Dios quiere to every sentence I say and actually mean it, how to break the barriers cast by skin colors and money and be on the same human level as people who on the outside look so different from me but on the inside are the same. I’ve learned the importance of respect and how it really is something to be earned. I’ve learned how to live in the moment instead of always looking towards the future. I’ve learned what it’s like to live in male-dominated society as a woman, what it’s like to never fit in and what it’s like to be misunderstood by many of the people I’ve grown up with. I’ve learned the importance of a listening ear, the importance of being selfless and the difficulty of staying true to your values in high-stress situations. I’ve also learned more practical things like how to eat sugar cane, how to ride a motorcycle in a skirt, how to squeeze out a mop, how to negotiate the price of something on the street, and how to speak Spanish using Dominican street terms.

As we’ve each grown and learned and changed and matured, the twenty girls of Santa Ana and myself have all been there for each other. If I had to pick the most important lesson of all that the girls have taught me, it’s this: it’s never about what a person has, it’s always about who a person has. It’s about being there physically and mentally and truly caring through the thick and thin. When it boils down to it, those energetic, trouble-making, beautiful girls have taught me a million more things than I could have ever taught them. I will never be the same.

It’s Time to Say Goodbye…

Wow, I can’t even begin to describe how difficult it was to say goodbye to NPH. Without a doubt, it was one of the most difficult things I’ve ever done. I really feel like it’s my second family and home. As an ex-volunteer said (yes, you Wes), we might become well-traveled people, but one thing that nevers gets easier the more you travel is saying goodbye. Tough stuff.

Here’s some of the highlights of the last week!

Trip to Campo Azul Pools with Santa Ana

Well, since the girls have been asking since like day 1 of my time in the DR if I would take them to the pool for my goodbye party, I finally obliged. I arranged it for the 13 girls who were in Santa Ana at the moment as well as both of my tias and me to spend an afternoon at the nearby pools, Campo Azul. We splashed around all afternoon in 6 different pools and ate some yummy hamburgers. We even got a chance to get a game of dominoes in! It was a super special afternoon! Thanks to my Mages family (Forever Young!) for making that happen!

Que modelas!

Sonrisas!

She wanted to take photos so I had to take advantage of it!

Waterslide...a huge hit!

Enjoying the jacuzzi!

Sistasss!

So gorgeous!

Time for some jumps!

Such a cutie!

More jacuzzi fun!

Chilling!

They had some interesting decor there...

Hamburguesa time...

Family foto...

Some of the best!

I Turned 23!

On Monday, I officially turned 23 (no longer can the kids ask me how old I am, “22, una bebe” jeje…). It was a somewhat normal day wrapping things up in the office and what not until I got to Santa Ana that night and all of my girls jumped out at me and there was a table full of candy and treats! The girls, headed up by Tia Elena, took the opportunity to do a joint bday/goodbye party. It was SUPER special mainly because my tia worked so hard to make it happen and even planned ahead (not something that’s done too much in the DR!) It was a fun night of dancing, eating photo-taking and just being together!

Walking into Santa Ana...pure shock!

Pic with the food and decor as requested by my tia!

Yum yum yum!

Lighting all 23 candles!

Cutting the bizcocho (another tia-requested pic!)

The goodies (thanks DJ!)

Compartiendo!

Santa Ana volunteers!

My birthday buddy turned 10!

Birthday photo collage from Avriel!

Goodbye after Goodbye…

Other than those events, it was just a lot of going around and saying goodbye (or better said, “Hasta luego”) to a bunch of the kids and workers. Everyone from the drivers to the doormen to the kitchen staff to the tias to the kids were just so nice and thankful. It just served to show how everything was worth it (and how much I’ll miss NPH!)

Final Night in Santa Ana

I have been preparing goodbye gifts for the girls for months along with the help of some key people. I prepared little photo albums online (never will I ever try that again in a country with such come-and-go Internet) as well as some other trinkets (yes, chocolate was included). My mom also found some cute ornaments for each girl, and my grandma Mages really pulled through with some beautiful rosaries for each girl. It was so fun being able to give this stuff to the girls and see them gush over the photos of themselves. A great way to go out!

Gift time!!

Displaying her new rosary!

Checking out her photos!

She loved the ornament!

Sporting the rosarios again!

And she got the hoop earrings she'd wanted so badly...

And a new bracelet!

I finally left the DR on Friday morning accompanied to the airport by Pili and three of my favorite girls while I just barely held it together. The trip was made way easier by the fact that I got to spend my 16-hour layover in Atlanta hanging out with some awesome family friends, the Lapadulas, and eating some yummy Italian food. Yesterday (Saturday), I made it to Notre Dame University where I’ll be participating in a Volunteers in Transition program for a week, and then Friday, it’s back to MN to participate in Magesfest (and the rest of my life!)

Got my nails painted one last time by the girls!

Won't miss getting my hair constantly yanked at!

Jajaja, a new look!

Newest addition to Santa Ana...5 little birdies!

Thanks from the bottom of my heart to everyone who has said a prayer, sent a care package, messaged me on Facebook just to check in, visited, etc. etc. in the last year and a half. I am so so thankful!!

“Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.”

Dome at Notre Dame!