week one, check.

hey everyone!!

thanks for all your emails -- it has been so great to hear from you!! i am thinking about and praying for you all the time, and ask you to continue doing the same for all of us. keep the emails coming... they are SO wonderful!

things are going GREAT at orientation. since i last wrote, we've been SO busy with sessions on counseling, crossing cultures, social analysis, morning and evening prayers, catholic social teaching, safety and security, realities of developing countries, mental health and more!! it

i also found out where i'm living: in AJS! antonio jose de sucre is one of the neighborhoods in duran (check it out on the rostro de cristo website) that is most developed ... the roads are paved, good landline connection, etc. the 'cyber' (internet cafe) is nearby, as are MANY of the neighbors rostro is close to. i'm living with tasha (vu 2010 what what, a spanish and edu major), jessie (who just graduated from depaul), celso (BC, from the DR, who studied theology and biochem) and mark (an accountant from california). we're so excited and community meetings have been going great!

arbolito will have brendan, jon, kipp, caitlin, tierney and christina; mt sinai will have jeff, jenn, marita, aaron and becky. we're thinking about things like whether or not to do the 100,000 challenge (100 situps and pushups each, every day, for the first 100 days we're there), possibly raising chickens (to be in solidarity with our neighbors -- many of whom raise chickens themselves and can teach us!) and some of the logistics of spirituality nights, morning prayer, community nights and house dinners.

all 49 of us have been getting rather close, esp thanks to a massive dance party during 'mandatory fun' (to the connections people -- "dynamite" did come on, yay!), bananagrams (cambodia, holla) and apples to apples at night, and mass with animated storytellers (Pido reminds us: "you aren't listening to Jesus!"). the rdc group has had a blast at storytime with the asst director, playing with the plastic cups after dinner, etc. meeting rdc alum has been awesome too -- it REALLY is like a family.

i think we're all a bit "what on earth did i get myself into?", but SO excited for these new experiences, relationships and perspectives. all the volunteers on the alumni panel last night shared about their biggest challenges, yet still would go back in a heartbeat and are so excited for us. the community thing is really great -- so wonderful to go somewhere like this with other people.

some orientation pictures should be tagged of me on facebook (from megan, our AWESOME in-country director, who also happens to love fb/photos) so you guys can check them out! enjoy, ttys, love you all!

beth