Hola again!

  What an interesting culture I live in! I don't think that I will ever have such an opportunity to give up all of myself and all of my expectations as I do here.  Every day I am reminded that yes, I am different and yes, I cannot hold my standards to the people of the Dominican around me.

For example, the unwanted male attention that Tamara and I receive as white American females is sometimes overwhelming and difficult to deal with. A little Dominican culture for you here, when Dominicans want attention of any kind they hiss. It is not a cute little pst… either its along drawn out "there's a leak in the gas hose" hiss.

 I know that the devil is using this tactic as a distraction tool and as a demoralizing tool. But instead every day I am reminded of the emotional protection that my Father provides for me.

 And a little encouragement came in a very unusual form the other day. You see we have befriended these two little boys, Emmie and Jose Manuel. Jose was sitting on my lap during a meeting of ours when some of this unwanted male attention arrived and began pushing its disheartening effects on me.

 As thisunwanted visitor grabbed my chair arm and began pulling his face in closer to mine Jose Manuel gave the man a good rapping on the knuckles all the while yelling POW-POW. (Which is customary for parents to say when disciplining a small child.) Shocked and a little angry the man glowered and leaned in which was met equally with a growl and swift kick from Jose Manuel and his watermelon flip-flops. That ended the argument and the man left, defeated and irritated. I have a new hero!