Back home again...

   Ok, so I wasn't really home, but we were in the United States, so I'm not complaining. Last week we were able to go to Rochester, NY to see Nick's family and go to Jackie & Dino's wedding. We had a great time with everyone! One of the coolest things we did was wear traditional Indian wedding clothes for the rehearsal dinner, followed by delicious Indian food! Dino's mom gave me a sari to wear...I loved it. I never thought I'd get a chance to wear a sari, so it was pretty fun and definitely different than any other wedding experience I have had. I am also excited about it because I will get to use it next semester in my high school English class when we read a book about a Bengali family. Here is what we looked like:

Yep, Nick was wearing a turquoise shirt. I might have been a little jealous of his color choices, but my sari was pretty cool too!

Here are some reasons we loved visiting the States:

-It was so great to spend some time with Jackie, Bree, and Nick's parents and grandparents. 

-As much as we love teaching, it was refreshing to take a week away from Doulos and rest.

-We were able to get a few things we have really been wanting for our house. (the garlic press and the swiffer are our new best friends)

-Delicious food cooked by Nick's parents and grandparents.

-Showers with hot water. Must I say more? 

   And what I love is that I was not counting down the days before we got to go to the States, and I wasn't devastated when the time was over and we had to come back to the Dominican Republic. Basically, I have realized that I am content here. (Which is good, because I still have nearly three years to go). While there are times I miss seeing my family regularly, owning a car, not having to sweep every day of my life if I don't want the bottoms of my feet to turn black...I am happy where I am. I find purpose in what I do everyday, and the days fly by because I love my students and I see that what I do makes a difference in their learning, attitudes, and lives. The lack of huge convenience stores (which I really do miss at times), AC, and hot water are small prices to pay for the great life I am living.

I am so thankful.