sarita

Easter :)

2008-04-11T16:22:00.000-07:00

So I'm doing things a little bit backwards... but I've been wanting to post some pictures of my family and friends on Easter!

Matt and I getting ready to ski! (Notice his new jacket... a very special Valentine's Day present!)

With my best friend.

Decorating Easter eggs with the fam! :)

Being creative with our family photos

Sisters :)

Poor Lilly, ha!

Not looking forward to my flight back to the city that evening....

Megan's Visit :)

2008-04-10T16:50:00.000-07:00

Some photos with Megan (and Joy) in the city!!! :)

Outside the New York Times

This is where I walk to the subway every morning... on Saturday they were having a little festival with a bunch of tent shops! .. Shopping... YAY!!! :)

In a 60s glasses botique

Megan outside Coyote Ugly (the bar from the movie "Coyote Ugly")

Natural History Museum

"Dumb Dumb wants Gum Gum"... isn't that what he says in the movie Night of the Museum?

Don't we look like Mermaids sitting in that shell!?? :)

In the apartment getting ready to go out!

Dancing with Joy and her friend Dave! :)

Joy and I had to take a picture with this guy... he was dressed like a mine (even with makeup on) and dancing like crazy with this funny face (I'm trying to mimic him) ha.
Anyway, we had a fun night out dancing till late in the night on the West side! :)

My first famous person!

2008-04-10T16:35:00.000-07:00

So this afternoon it was 75 Degrees and Joy and I wanted to go for a run along the river. And you'll never guess as we were running down East 4th at about Ave C, we ran right by Chrstian Siriano (winner of project runway)!!! So, I made Joy turn around with me and follow him back to his apartment, which just happens to be... ON MY STREET! haha. CRAAZY! Anyway, after our celebrity siting we, we ran almost all the way up to 42 street on the bike path along the river (on the East side). So here's a photo of that... (see below)
Anyway, tonight when I got home, I looked him up and found his myspace and actually sent him a message... like an "I think we're neighbors" message. Ha. I'm going crazy! But anyway, just one more reason why I'm so glad to be living in NYC!! :)

Texas

2008-02-29T14:28:00.000-08:00

I haven't posted in a while because during my February break, I went to TEXAS to visit my bff AMANDA!!! :) El Paso, Texas was where I was originally planning to move before I ended up getting a job in NYC. It was cool to see where I could have lived... and boy is it BEAUTIFUL! Amanda's apartment is huge, she even has her own washer and dryer... and the poool, it's beautiful and Amanda is absolutely amazing!! Anyway... I LOVED Texas, but I know God had a reason for me to come to NYC- so I'm happy to be here. But, I am certainly glad that I had to opportunity to check it out and see Amanda!!! :)
Here's some pictures of my trip!!!

Matt and I on the plane for TEXAS!!!

Welcome to EL PASO!!

One of the first things we did was lay out! Ahh the weather was BEAUTIFUL!!!

I cannot imagine living like this every day!

Matt and I hiked up this mountain to a cave

Amanda and Wes standing outside her apartment

Standing outside a Mexican restaurant

A beautiful spot...

My best friend :)

Beautiful...

Matt and the sunset

Manda and I at the ranch/restaurant

Mwah!!!

Seeing Myself as a Missionary

2008-02-03T11:23:00.000-08:00

Today after church I took a walk...
...We learned about about what it really means to be a Christian in church today, how important it is that we see ourselves as a missionary in our city- the most influential cities in the world...
...I ended up at Herald Square, a little park next to Macy's on 34th Street. (See picture) The sun was shining perfectly at this table, so i sat down to spend some time with the Lord.
I started to pray- worshiping God for how great He is- HE is my provider and I am so blessed! There are days that I feel so alone in this big city, but God is always with me and HE can fill that void.
Then I started to pray that God would change me. I want to be a missionary in this city. Did you know that only 1/20 people in NYC actually call themselves a Christian? That means that when I walk in a subway car, I am most likely the only person in that whole car that is actually saved... WOW!
I want to serve my city- I want to be a missionary.
Pray for me- would you?
Pray that God will use me here- Pray that I will make a difference in this city for as long as the Lord keeps me here!

Matt and some cool photos :)

2008-01-25T20:14:00.000-08:00

Union Square- Matt wanted to see it because I am always here shopping and this is where I babysit. Matt bought a picture on the street and we got free Pepsi teeshirts.

Matt and I in Little Italy, where we ate a FABULOUS meal. The guy at the restaurant took this pic... we told him we'd eat at his restaurant only if he took our picture first!

New York City Firemen!!!

Taking a break from skating... yup, Matt took Joy and I ice skating in Central Park! :)

Here's the most complete T-Rex skeleton in the world in the Natural History Museum.

At "The Bean". Matt's favorite coffee shop a block from the apt.

Eating at an amazing Greek restaurant in Greenwich Village. (We ate a ton the whole weekend)

Kissing on 6th ave. :)

Sunday Sermon

2008-01-16T13:25:00.000-08:00

As you all know, I've been attending the Journey (on 34th btw 8th and 9th ave) since August. It's been super easy to get involved there... I have already become a member, I'm in the worship team and co-leading a bible study group this spring semester.
Anyway, this Sunday, Pastor Nelson and Kerrick preached together. I thought they did a really good job, and I wanted to share a little from their sermon with you! :)
The series they are doing is titled: Embracing my City. New York City is the most influential city in the world... if we could change NYC, we could change the world. How do we change NYC? We need to change the hearts of the people here. As apart of the Christian church it is MY responsibility to take part in the changes that need to happen to change the world. I am a missionary.
The title of their sermon was called: "Taking Responsibility for My Spiritual Growth". Pastor Kerrick talked about how there are three types of people who sit at the table (metaphorically speaking) in our church. Those three types are: those who are not yet followers of Jesus, those who are new followers of Jesus, and those who are growing followers of Jesus. Those who ARE growing followers of God have a special responsibility. We don't need to be fed constantly by others (like a baby christian would)... but we need to serve those who still need to be "baby fed". I think he has a good point here, because so many times we, as mature Christians, expect others to feed us and take no responsibility for our faith! We need to be able to feed ourselves spiritually, take responsibility for our spiritual growth, AND serve our fellow believers who are new in their faith!
So, how do we take responsibility for our spiritual growth?
1. We need to see spiritual growth as a life changing relationship. My relationship with God should be the most important growing relationship in my life. I need to do whatever will help me grow in my relationship. For some people, they wake up an hour before they have to do devotions or pray in the morning. Others will just breathe multiple prayers through out the day. Some will commit to reading the whole Bible multiple times in a year, while others read just one section at a time and really ponder on what it means to them. Other Christians may find that they can grow closer to God by doing some sort of service, joining a Bible study group etc. Whatever it maybe... Pastor Kerrick encouraged us to not fall into the trap of routines. I know for me, reading my Bible every day has become a routine instead of something that is helping me grow closer to the Lord. I realized that I need to keep myself in check every day... that what I do, whether in devotions, prayer, service, etc... at the end of the day, I need to ask myself, "Am I closer to God?"
Anyway, I'm writing a book here.. and I only got to #1, but I will share the last three points and end it at that....
2. Search for people who will help me grow.
3. Stay faithful to God in the small things. (don't base your relationship on the big stuff, like mission trips, conventions, etc... focus on the little things you can do every day to grow)
4. Start taking responsibility for my growth TODAY!

"For God is working in you, giving you the desire to obey him and the power to do what pleases him." -Philippians 2:13

So Stinkin' Cute!!

2008-01-10T15:59:00.000-08:00

ChRiSTmaS in BuFfaLo!!

2008-01-06T16:14:00.000-08:00

I almost forgot! I didn't post any pictures of my Christmas and New Years in Buffalo!!! We had an awesome time!! :)

Matt threw an awesome party

Mom cooked some amazing meals!! :)

Met up with my girls out on the town!! :)

Saw my bestest country line dancing (which is fitting since Matt and I are going to visit Manda in Texas next month... and hopefully we'll get some country line dancing in there too!!!)

We went CURLING in Rochester! (Here's Matt sweeping with Dan)

Yup! That's me!!! Nice form... eh?

Went skiing with the fam....

...and the "Brown family wanna-be" came too ;-)

Spent New Years party hopping...

Happy New Year!!!

Christmas Lights in Brooklyn!!!

2008-01-06T13:39:00.000-08:00

On Friday night Joy and I met up with our friend Dennis for dinner. After, he wanted to show us something really cool that nobody would ever think to show us, so he drove us to Brooklyn to look at the Christmas lights in the residential area. It was actually really cool... I couldn't believe the work that must have gone into setting up these decorations. Most of the houses actually hired home decorators... and probably spent $20,000 to do it all! But, I'm not going to lie, it was pretty impressive.....

Joyful and I in front of a house

We sneaked up the the front porch to take a picture on the Santa chair!!!

And here we are sitting on the lawn... it felt wierd to sit on grass... haven't seen any in the city... like ever. ha.

Our fearless tour guide! :)

Kisses!

And the best of all... the nativity scene!

This Santa was 20 ft tall!!!

After went to the edge of Brooklyn to see the skyline of Manhattan, it was beautiful but freeezing because of the water!!!

Merry Christmas!!!

2007-12-25T13:50:00.000-08:00

65 Year Old Subway Car!

2007-12-16T13:19:00.000-08:00

Today I got to ride in a subway made in the 1940s... and it's still running... CRAZY! :)

Friday Field Trip!

2007-12-15T20:06:00.000-08:00

Class 3-200 went on a field trip to Rockefeller Center on Friday! It was a little intimidating walking around the crowded area with 20 third graders... some who don't even know their home phone number or address! All went well... the kids got to see all the pennies that they and other NYC school kids raised. It was really nice to be in Manhattan with them. I doubt they get very many opportunities to venture in Manhattan. They were all very impressed when we drove by Central Park and all the store fronts decorated for the holidays on the way to Rockefeller Center. Anyway, here's some pics of the kids! :)

Alicia in NYC :)

2007-12-10T17:19:00.000-08:00

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! :) And no better way to spend it than with the famous Miss. Alicia! We enjoyed ourselves out in the cold visiting all the sites at Christmas time!!! One Friday, we went to the lounge Joy works at and chatted, warming up from the wine :)... then walked ALL around (like 20 blocks) through time square and saw the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center! Then, we stopped at the Madison... a club on 21st and 5th ave for a short while to get our boogy on :) Saturday, we SLEPT IN (woohoo!) then went to see the Statue of Liberty and then China Town. We spent ALL afternoon and evening in Chinatown and bought some great fake Christmas presents! (lol) Then caught dinner in Little Italy and went home.. attempting to re-group and get back out there... but ended up staying home and watching this horrible movie... Closer. (I don't recommend it... my neighbor did.) Anyway, Sunday we went to church, and stopped over at the Toy Store before Alicia had to leave. We had a great time and... of course, here's some pics!! :)

Ice Skating at Bryant Park

2007-12-03T14:31:00.000-08:00

My Growth Group went ice skating on Wednesday!

This is Bryant Park on 42nd street. It's beautiful with a bunch of shops all around and the skating rink in the center. (Alicia, I cannot wait to take you here!) :)

Here we are on the ice rink... unfortunately the photographer didn't get our ice skates!!!

The happy group! (No, mom, I'm not in this one... so don't bother looking for me... But aren't my friends from church cool?) ;-)

I took this with my cell phone!!!... even tho it's not allowed to hold anything on the rink... (don't tell!!!)

Home for the Holidays :)

2007-12-01T17:18:00.000-08:00

Last week I left NY to be with friends and family for Thanksgiving. It was so good to be back in Buffalo where I know people really care about me!!! As usual... here are some pics from the weekend :)

Alicia had a fabulous thanksgiving party the night I got home... she did everything by herself and even baked 7 pies for dessert!!! :)

The whole fam together for Thanksgiving! :)

Visited Michael and his family for a Thanksgiving after party. That's us with his little brother and cousin... I love those kids! :)

Matt took me to the Sabres game and we had WONDERFUL seats!!! :)

And here we are! lol

I LOVED hanging out with my favorite little sis! :)

A Great Weekend w/ Matt Carson! :)

2007-11-04T17:06:00.000-08:00

It was nice to have another b-lo friend to visit me last weekend and we got to do some really cool touristy type stuff. Although the weekend was pretty exhausting, and I now have a cold, ha, it was definitely worth the fun we had!!! :)

We ate at a really good Italian Restaurant in little Italy

Hugging the big bear at Macy's (it was Matt's idea... the bear just looked so soft and cuddly, he couldn't resist) :)

SUBWAAAY :)

Dressed up for the Hummus Restaurant

Matt got a little excited cuz the skeleton was giving him spankings

Gazing into each others eyes

Matt and I got wigs to go to our Halloween party on Saturday :)

I love eating food off the street! :)

Elvis...

Being silly

Matt, swimming in the picture

Sneaky, sneaky! (oh dang) ;-)

Waiting in line for the Empire State building

Empire State building

Pray

2007-10-26T19:04:00.000-07:00

Hey guys... could you pray for one of the paraprofessionals in my class? Her 80 year old grandmother was in the hospital all last week and they were going to surgery on her but there are too many complications, so they sent her home. The paraprofessional and I have been talking a lot about everything going on, and in our conversation a lot about God has come up. My heart goes out to this woman and her Grandmother... I am praying for a miracle and their salvation. So would you pray with me?

Hiking

2007-10-20T21:16:00.000-07:00

This weekend Joy and I wanted to spend some time away from the city so we decided to go with our church on a hiking day trip. We had a good time and met some really cool people! :)

Boston

2007-10-20T21:07:00.001-07:00

Went to Boston last weekend. Here are some more pics :)

I love my Kasey! :)

Friends Visitting NYC :)

2007-10-20T20:58:00.000-07:00

So, I've been having a few friends coming to visit :)

All the ladies :)

With my Brit :)

Tony took us all out dancing :)

Saturday afternoon sailing

Brit and I bought new hats in China Town :)

Aren't we such a good lookin class? :)

2007-10-09T20:03:00.000-07:00

Here's a pic of my 3rd grade inclusive class. Mr. Leibowitz, the man on the left is the regular classroom teacher and I'm (in the back!) the special ed teacher... aren't we so all so cute!? :)

Mets Game

2007-10-09T18:22:00.001-07:00

So, this post should have been written a while ago since obviously, the mets are out... BUT I did get to catch a game before the finished their season. A new friend I met recently and I were talking one time about baseball and I mentioned that I had never seen a game before. A while later he called me and told me he had a surprise for me and to invite joy. I had no idea what the surprise would be. Anyway, we ended up at Shea Stadium and I had no idea STILL that we were going to watch a BASEBALL game... let alone the METS (Evan, the man I teach with LOVES the Mets... we even have a Mets tissue box in the classroom). Sooo... I went to my first Mets game. We lost, but still, I had a good time. :)

Joyful and ME

With our buds at the game :)

Teaching in the Bronx

2007-09-28T13:54:00.001-07:00

A young man asked me this morning while I was walking from my bus stop to my school if I was a teacher. I said yes, and asked him how he could tell. He said: "You look different".
I'll take that as a compliment.

Best Buddies Benefit

2007-09-23T17:13:00.001-07:00

So one of the men, Cass, that Joy and I met while sailing invited us to a fund raiser for this organization called "best buddies", which helps teen boys with hard lives in the city. Anyway, tickets were $150/person... but we, of course, got in compliments of Cass :) ... and woah, this party was pretty fancy. It's crazy to see the difference btw people and the environment here in NYC in comparison to the DR and Africa. It's kinda difficult to process it all... I mean, I feel like I am pretty adaptable, I fit in the ritzy scene, but I also felt like I did more or less in the DR and Africa. I'm sure most Americans would prefer the NYC ritzy lifestyle... but I don't know...
Anyway, here's some photos of the night:

Roommate picture! :)

Joy and I with our new sailing friends Cass and Sarah

Some guy from the Sopranos who hosted the auction part of the night

Joy with some friends :)

Look how crowded it was!!!

With Cass

Sailing in NYC

2007-09-18T19:17:00.001-07:00

Joy and I have been taking advantage of all that NYC has to offer!! This past Sunday, after the guys left we met up with some awesome people to go sailing! It was super fun hanging out on the water with the city-line in view as well as the statue of liberty!!! Check out some pics! :)Yup! There I am with the statue of liberty behind :)
My roommate and I
Some nice men ;-) ha!
Hanging out with Bulent
Ladies on the boat!
Eating...

And here are some pictures Cass took of us... (like a little photo shoot) haha.

Dave and Aaron's Weekend Visit!

2007-09-17T18:40:00.000-07:00

So Dave and Aaron came to visit the city last weekend. We had a great time, checking out some NYC dance clubs, resturants, statue of liberty, wall street, and the guys were even able to change their flight to go to church sunday morning with me! :)

Here's Joy and I excited about going out!

The flowers the guys bought for us! :)

Our first night with the guys... meeting up with some friends! :)

Aaron's new sunglasses!

Oh the subway.. ;-)

Waiting for the 6 train! 6!!!

Little Italy

On the ferry

My beautiful roommate

All dressed up!

Painting the Apartment

2007-09-17T18:16:00.000-07:00

Yup! Joy and I've been painting!!! It's funny because I was so adament about keeping our "red" wall... which we realized after moving in, it really isn't red, but pink, HA. So not even two weeks later, we painted over the pink wall... We decided to try rag painting... using plastic bags and it actually turned out pretty good. In addition, we were about to paint a real red wall in the front hallway. Check out the pics! :)

Picture Update! :)

2007-09-13T18:13:00.000-07:00

Here's a quick update of eveything going on in NYC! I'm all moved into my new apt and everything is so wonderful... I love it!!! Mom and Dad came up for a weekend to see the sites and help me move all my crap! :) It was pretty crazy... walking up two flights of stairs to get there but Michael Brinker pulled through and was able to help dad get the heavy stuff up those stairs.

I started teaching and I LOVE it! I'm working with this awesome second year teacher, Evan who is great with those third graders! I'm learning so much from him and we work so well together. God is good! :)

The Journey (my new church) is great. Today I went in to help get things ready for this Sunday's service... figured it was a good way to meet some people there and occupy my time, since we didn't have school today. They had ice cream, pop, and chocolate bars, which was my dinner :).... but it's okay cuz I JOINED THE GYM down my street... so I'm actually heading out to go burn those calories! HA.

Here's some pics of the past few weeks! :)

Mom and Dad helping me move into my new apt!!! :) And yes I am sitting on the stairs that lead to our loft... where Joy and I sleep! :)

With Joy's Bible study group eating some gooood food :)

Laying out with Joanne in Rosevelt Island

This is Roosevelt Island... how cool is it that the Grimms (who I stayed with) can simply walk out of their apt and see this!!!

At Columbus Circle with Joanne (I love this girl!)... Look how pregnant she is!!!

The Journey

2007-08-28T19:07:00.000-07:00

Today I got an email from Pastor Nelson at the Journey. I almost deleted it before even opening the email but ended up opening it and read a personal letter to me! He invited me back next week and told me that he would be praying for me this week... it was nice to hear that and I was impressed!
Anyway, the Journey is an awesome church. Last Sunday I got to the Journey (which is right in Time Square)... walked in this building and waited in line with a bunch of young New Yorkers for the elevator to get up to the 8th floor where the service was held. There was a refreshment table with Krispy Cream Donuts and coffee (which was great since I was hungry!) and everyone was super friendly. In the service, we had a cool band play for worship and a guest speaker. Pastor David Crosby spoke from Pocono Community Church about dealing with disappointment. At the end on his sermon, he told this story that I LOVED... it was about a man who walked on a stage in front of an audience of guests to play a beautiful piano piece. The whole auditorium was in dead silence as this man played. When the man had finished, he walked off the stage to a loud applaud and standing elevation. Backstage, everyone encouraged the man to go back and play another piece... but the man refused! "Why not?" they asked, "Everyone loves you!" But the man said "not everyone... look at that man"... and he pointed to an elderly man sitting in the balcony with a straight face. "He doesn't know what real music is, don't worry about one person!" they said. But the man said "No, you don't understand, that man is my teacher, if he is not pleased, I have not really succeeded."
The pastor related this story to our lives as Christians... even if the whole world encourages us to continue something but our Lord and Savior does not is it really worth continuing? I hope I live a life in honor to the Lord pleasing Him despite the world's approval/disapproval.

I found an apartment!!!!

2007-08-27T16:38:00.000-07:00

So, after some VERY exhausting days of looking around for apartments, Joy and I finally found the PERFECT place to live!! Here's the story... on Sunday, Joy was supposed to arrive. I was able to find some open houses that day before she was coming in so I woke up semi-early :)... went to check out an apartment on the upper east side (which was way too expensive), stopped in for the 1:00 PM service at the Journey... (my new church... I'll write more about that later!) and then went to another apartment open house in East Village/Greenwich Village Area. I fell in love with it the moment I stepped foot in the door. It is a one bedroom with a 3 foot LOFT above the bedroom, a little kitchen area, a RED WALL in the living room area :) and beautiful bathroom. Everything looked fresh and new and just felt like home. I quick called Joy and started taking pictures on my camera phone to show her. So she ended up looking at it that night with me also and loved it too! We decided that although the loft is only about 3 feet high, we could put air mattresses up there as our "sleeping room" and use the whole bedroom for "office space"... since the bedroom really wouldn't fit two beds anyway. Also, this would open up more room to put a dresser down there and a book case. Anyway, I was so excited about it... the only problem was that it was going to be a long commute for me... we've finally figured it out to be about 45 min... but for most of that commute I'll be on the 5 express train and I figure I can sit there and read or do lesson plans/grading papers... so it will be fine! :) This apartment is in a PERFECT location... there are little shops all around, a gym 3 store fronts away on my street, AND a laundry mat pretty much right next store! I was so excited. Altho we didn't take it Sunday... we decided to check out some other apartments today (just to make sure)... but THAT was exhausting! We went around all Manhattan with some French guy: Franswa (sp?) who was hilarious to be with... but we didn't really see anything that stood out to us... and all of them were at least $200/month MORE expensive than what we wanted to pay... not to mention the $3000 we'd have to pay in Realtor fees ... BLAH! Finally, we decided to call Peter... the Realtor who showed us the one in Greenwich Village and call it a day... taking the apartment.. and talking him down his fee to 2,000!!!! :) And, you know, I was worried at first, like if we took an apartment I may regret it, or wonder... what if there is something better?... but as I sat there and signed my name off to the 120 East 4th Street I couldn't have been happier! PRAISE GOD! :)

So Joy and I treated ourselves to some subway.. even got the whole meal and drank pop AND ate a chocolate chip cookie... and then opted to take the tram over the river in the Roosevelt Island to get home.. check out the pics below! :) Anyway, God is SO GOOD, He has worked out everything perfectly and I can't wait for all of you to come visit! (but please, not all at once! ha :))

Week #1 in NYC

2007-08-25T15:12:00.000-07:00

Things have been crazy this first week in NYC. I keep joking that living here this year is going to give me early gray hair and wrinkles! I have been so grateful to live with the Grimms on Roosevelt Island. They have a beautiful apartment that is spacious for me to camp out in the living room without being in the way.

(Walk from the subway on Roosevelt Island)

Nevertheless, I have been trying to find an apartment non-stop. Friday afternoon I went to 99th Street (which is basically Harlem.. and def looked a bit shady) and met a little man named Tito who showed me his crummy, run-down apartment about as big as my fingernail. Ha. Gosh, I was so discouraged... but as I went home I was reminded that God is in control and He works in fabulous ways... all we need to do is trust in Him and He will provide the perfect apartment for me! (thanks mom! :))

Anyway, I have fortunately been able to catch up with some old friends here in the city, which has been great! The first day I arrived, I was able to see Michael Brinker to catch up in Times Square AND Dave Steele, a good friend from college. Dave was visiting his brother and sister-in-law, who were on vacation checking out the city and happened to be staying until Tuesday, the day I arrived. We met up at the World Trade Center and had dinner/coffee at Starbucks.

Last Wednesday I met Michael again at the Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square for an ice cream brownie Sunday which was delicious! :) I really enjoyed walking around Time Square and seeing all the lights... and it only took a 10 min subway ride to get there!

Friday night I decided to go out on the town and visit with some friends, Sevan & Henry, from Columbia whom I met when they were vacationing in the DR last April. We met at a cute little Italian restaurant on Amsterdam and 122nd street near Columbia college. I ordered a wonderful green salad (since I hadn't eaten any veggies that day!) After, we stopped at Henry's apartment which was really nice and got stuck watching some fashion runway show but eventually made our way out for a NYC Hooka Bar... something I've always wanted to do!!! It was such a cultural experience! The people, music and feel of the bar was nothing I've ever seen before... but a very middle eastern feel. I ended up staying there much longer than expected and the guys said it was not a good idea to take the subway home... soooo I had to take a $17 cab ride back to Roosevelt Island instead... What a bummer to have to spend so much money!!! :( But, good incentive to not stay out so late next time (good thought, huh mom?) :)

(with the guys at the hookah bar :) )

Today I woke up at 11 this morning to check out some more apartment leads with Joanne who so graciously accompanied me. Wow that girl is def a New Yorker trugging along in mad heat and with her 8 month pregnant belly!!! We had a fun time riding the subway and talking about baby Nichole moving around in her stomach! :) It was such a blessing to have a friend walk around with me all day and give me advice on apartments!

Tomorrow I plan to check out an apartment on 94th Street between Lexington and 3rd Avenue at 12, then meet Michael at the Journey for church at 1, and then check out another apartment in Greenwhich Village at 2:45, and then meet up with Joy when she comes in to look at more apartments... so needless to say, I have a very busy day in front of me! I'll be excited to write about the Journey... which may be my new church :) so expect to hear from me soon!!!

Last Days In Buffalo

2007-08-22T17:15:00.000-07:00

So although I am so excited to move to NYC, it's sad to leave some really good friends behind. Here's some pictures of my last days in BUFFALO!!!

Friends playing cards on my last night in BUFFALO!!!

Hanging out with Mike Stock! :)

Me with Alicia!!! I'm going to miss this girl!!!

And MATT too!!! :(

Some good friends from EPIC

Alicia baked me this cake for my "going away party"! It's a wishing well to "wish me well" as I move to new york! :)

With my parents at the air port saying goodbye!!!

Melissa giving me a goodbye kisss! :)

My last few days in Buffalo were so nice... I was able to hang out with a ton of friends, playing cards, volleyball, going to the beach, out for coffee, shopping, etc!! As I am leaving,I have come to realize what awesome friends God has blessed me with. From a wishing well cake to a $50 check a good friend just randomly gave me to start me off reminds me what true friends are and how much God has blessed me with these solid friendships. (I'm gonna miss you guys... come VISIT!) God is so good and he has orchestrated everything so perfectly! The job I have in the Bronx is exactly what I was looking for and I know He will work everything out with finding an affordable apartment, church, good friends, etc. Anyway, please be praying for me in these next few weeks... as I am thinking and praying for all of you!!! :)

A New Chapter Begins...

2007-08-09T21:31:00.000-07:00

Soo... as of yesterday I was officially hired a teaching job in NYC!! I have been looking for jobs since I got home from the DR (July 1st) and i'm not going to lie, it's been pretty ridiculous. Here's what I did... well a long long time ago (like last October) I applied on the NYC Department of Eduction website to teach in NYC. After I finally received my NYS teaching license (long story) I was able to start calling schools to ask if I could fax my resume and come in for an interview. Well... I found a list of all the schools in NYC through insideschools.org... (check it out, there are hundreds of schools)... then, went through the list and called each individual school. It was horrible, I'm not going to lie. I devoted hours and hours to calling these schools saying the same: "Goodmorning/afternoon, my name is Sarah Brown. I am dually certified for childhood and special education and speak Spanish fluently. I am wondering if you have any open positions at your school for the 2007 - 2008 School Year". (Eventually, I dropped the last line and went straight for the kill: "I would like to speak with the principal.") As result of doing this, I got a number of "fax me your resume's" a couple on the spot phone interviews, and about two or three "come in and let me give you an interview". So I did. This week, mom and I drove to the Big Apple, stayed at some Comfort Inn in Brooklyn and went to these interviews... in addition to a job fair in Brooklyn, which I attended after a few morning interviews this past Tuesday. Now about this fair... I was wasn't originally invited to it... BUt was able to squeeze my way into it by sending a suck-up email to the Director of Recruitment, Mr. Samuel Cheung, also a Houghton Alumn!!!... who was able to personally walk me past the guards into the fair so I could go "get a job!" ha! Now about this fair... wow, what a ridiculous mess!!! People were being offered jobs on the spot without ever even seeing the school that they would devote the next year of their life to... I was so overwhelmed and discouraged. Anyway... ended up doing all that with little success... but DID receive a second interview the next morning... Weeeell, on my way to that second interview... we got stuck... for about and hour and a half in stand still traffic- gotta love NYC rush hour traffic! Needless to say, I didn't make that interview. So, randomly I called two schools in Spanish Harlem that a girl I had met recommended and ended up re-routing our trip to pass by these schools to drop off my resume and HOPE for an on the spot interview. First school, no luck... but the second schooool........ four hours later... I got the JOB!!! Now altho this job wasn't exactly what I had wanted... it is a "tough group of 5th graders that will do everything they know how to eat me alive" (yes, I am quoting the principal). But it was a job, and I felt up for the task. Well... shortly after being hired, I got a call from the principal... apparently when she went to register me in the NYC system... I was already in... hired by another school! Let me tell you about THIS school... it was wonderful... a school in the Bronx in a nice little neighborhood. The principal was wonderful and I could tell right away that he was the type of man I would love to work with and learn from. Sooo... to make an even longer story a bit shorter... I ended up taking the OTHER job in the Bronx... which I will be a Special Education Teacher Co-teaching with a second year male teacher in a third grade inclusive class. I'm so excited about this and I know it is the Lord's work to make all this happen!
Please be praying for me over the next few weeks as I prepare to move (by August 27th... when I start!) and begin to adjust living in the city.

Expect more posts to come... as my life just got interesting again :)

Last Weeks in the DR!!!

2007-08-09T21:15:00.000-07:00

Joy and my weekend visit to Samana... my last week in the DR!!!
Paradise!!!

Joy and Alfred picking fresh mangos along the road...

I can't believe I lived in this country!!

This is where we went!!! (in Samana)

Yup that's me, riding on a HORSE!!!

Mission work in Guajimia

2007-05-18T14:29:00.000-07:00

This is looking down on a part of Guajimia.. we have to climb down over 100 steps to get there.

This is the church... it´s connected to the pastor´s house... infact, the pastor actually ripped out a wall that used to be their kitchen area to make the church room bigger... over the past few months the church has grown a lot.
beislyn getting some stuff ready for the service...she´s one of the teachers at my school and pretty much leads up this whole wed night children´s service

this is my class, we meet right outside the church and sit on cardboard boxes... i have the 9 year olds... but a bunch of 10 and 11 year old boys came in my group too for some reason... i have no idea why....

so that little boy next to joy is def not wearing any clothes... fortunately the pastor told him he couldn´t enter the church unless he changed

this is one of the cutest girls i have ever seen... she has such a beautiful smile... unfortunately those marks on her teeth are holes from her teeth rotting away... aw man, how sad

two girls in my class

cute kids

Sooo, I suppose I do miss America...

2007-04-10T17:54:00.000-07:00

Soooo, like I said, I suppose I do miss America... never thought I would say that... but it's true. Let me explain why... here's a couple stories... My first one is called: "my purse got stolen", ha... I was actually just walking down the street with a girlfriend like in broad daylight and these two dudes on a motorcycle were coming towards us on the street, and the one just hopped off when they got close to us and just walked right up to me and grabbed my bag. For about 30 seconds I held onto it as we wrestled to have it there on the street. I felt like I was 5 again fighting over a toy with my sister… but it was much scarier than that. Ha. Anyway, then as I started processing everything… that is, that the two guys could definitely beat my friend and I up, I finally let go of my purse and started crying. I was so bummed… my cell phone, favorite earings and purse were stolen! Fortunately tho, (again, God is good)… I only had about $5 worth of pesos and no identification. But still, now I am so scared walking on the street always assuming the worst. It’s a horrible way to live, and I hate it. Anyway, I was thinking that day about America, and how if something like that had happened I could call the police and they would be there in like 5 min and maybe they wouldn’t be able to get my purse back, but they would make me feel a whole lot better at least. Here, if I called the police they’d probably laugh at me. And if they actually did come, I’d probably get harassed because I’m a young American girl. Guys can be so gross. Anyway, situations like that have certainly colored my experience here… and I am super on guard now.
Now my second story... this is called: "Riding Taxi's Alone": The other day I was taking a taxi, and I was by myself (as stated previously in my title, ha) and while we were on our way, the taxi driver pulled over and called out this other man… so I asked him like “what is going on”… (normally the taxi drivers always drive like they are in a hurry and now this one is stopping to chat with a friend?) anyway, he got out of the car and went up to this other man and they were both talking and I was just like “ohh gosh, these men are going to kidnap me and there is nothing I can do” my heart was pounding so hard. Then he tells me to get out of the car and takes me to the other man and to get in his car. I was like WHAT!? Who is this man? They were trying to explain to me what was going on but I didn’t understand them cuz they talked so fast and I was so scared. Well I asked the man if he was an Apollo taxi too, and he said he was, and showed me his Apollo sign, and I really didn’t know what else to do, so I just got in the car with him. Then over their little walkie talkie thing I kept hearing comments about how the American that they are taking to Merador Norte (which is the town where I live) but still I was soo scared. Ha, but it turned out okay tho… the man just took me to my appt… and I am still alive and able to write this blog. ha. but let me tell you, I hate feeling so incapable here. Like I'm always so worried.
Anyway, today I gave a formal letter to the school explaining my plans for next year… which is not to return. The reasons really are not for what I explained above tho…. I really want to get my masters and I do need to pay back loans… I just don’t know how it’ll be done if I stay here… and my best friend from High School just invited me to move to El Paso Texas with her. She goes to West Point and that is where she’ll be stationed next year. Anyway, I looked up some teaching jobs in El Paso online the other day and a normal salary is about $40 – 45,000 (I could buy a CAR with that kind of money... and pay back my loans!) ha (WOOHOO!) sooo anyway, that’s the plan right now… I’ll return home and live with the fam for the summer and then hopefully get a teaching job and move to TEXAS! (I'll keep you posted on how that goes ;-) )
But anyway, for the record, God is so good and I'm so happy that I am here right now. I have made so many friends and grown in ways I never would have in America, and for that I am so thankful. I know that my eyes have been open to so many things I was so sheltered to and also, most importantly, feel that I have grown to a new level in my relationship with the Lord. So, for that I am so thankful... even if I do have to get a little paranoid here... God really is soo good, and I trust him that He's got this all in control, my life is in His hands and I can't stop thanking Him for taking care of me. :)

God is good

2007-03-28T12:23:00.000-07:00

So I haven´t written in a while because, well first, my computer crashed and is in America getting fixed... but second, because I have had a ton of friends coming to visit me! (praise God!) it has been such a blessing to do things here with Americans and catch up with friends from home. Anyway, here are some pictures of the past month :)

My Parents Are Here!

2007-02-28T06:16:00.000-08:00

Hence, why I haven't been using this thing... But here are some pics of their time here! :)

It's been great to have mom, dad, and kate here. They have had opportunities to visit my church and meet my friends, but also to give me a chance to get out of my appt, sleep in an awesome hotel, enjoy some nice beaches in the DR and speak English to some very familiar faces! :) It has truely been such a blessing and all I can do is thank the LORD for giving me such wonderful blessings here in the DR!!!

La escuela

2007-02-06T06:51:00.000-08:00

No, I don't just go to the beach every day... ha, so here are some pictures of my school...
It's great. Every morning all the students meet out on the front court for anouncements... it's outside and I always wonder what they would do if it were raining. But anyway, it's an easy way to take attendance and check to see who's absent. Presently, (until teacher Michelle has her baby) I am working with students who are behind in an intensive PAP program (whatever PAP stands for... I still haven't figured it out). Anyway, apparently it's a big deal... the parents paid to have their child in the program and the school keeps talking about it. Basically, all I do is take students through out the day from each subject to work on their English and other subjects they are behind in. I have also started teaching 5th Bible. They are the worst behaved class in the school, so I am very strict with them. HA. I keep assigning them essays and memory verses every week and make them re-do their work if I think it is incomplete. Anyway, it is a lot of work, but I'm enjoying the challenge and am learning a lot about the Bible as I prepare my lessons each week.

These pictures are some at the school (and the papers I have to grade!). The one with the teacher in the black dress (teacher Michelle) is the room where I will be taking over the 4th grade class! :)

Teacher Michelle's Baby Shower

2007-02-02T04:10:00.000-08:00

Last night we threw a baby shower for Michelle, the teacher whose fourth grade class I will be taking over. All the teachers in the school were invited... Two of the male teachers came and seemed to jump right in on all the bingo, word scramble, and 'measure the belly' games. HA! (see photo below). While we were in the middle of some baby word game, the power went out... as if it was normal (which it is.. that is, to have power outages) everyone scrambled for their cell phone for light so they could win the game. HA, I think Bethany and I were the only ones who were like, "What happened to the lights...?" It just comes and goes sometimes. HA. Anyway, when we were saying our goodbyes, I thanked Michelle for having a baby because... when you think about it, that baby boy has completely changed my life. I would not have been here in the DR if it wasn't for him. Ha, he has already made a difference in someone's life and he's not even born! :) God certainly does work in extraordinary ways :)

La Romana

2007-01-31T04:14:00.000-08:00

Blog written by Bethany Dowling :)

" I don’t really know who the guy is, but I’m thankful for the long weekend for a founding father’s birthday. The hour and a half car ride was worth the wait to La Romana! We met a pastor and his family (see pictures below) in a beautiful little apartment and headed out with them for the beach. Fernando then told us how the pastor had been in NJ for 20 years but was unable to show his papers to immigration when they came through to check. I’m not quite sure what happened, but the paperwork was all wrong even with a lawyer so this misunderstanding resulted in a 9 month hunt for the correct legal documentation all the while being separated by prison walls from his own family. His young daughters were not allowed to hug him for more than 5 seconds before they were told to leave. What are we doing with immigration in the US? Are we actually a country that welcomes diversity or are we closing the doors? It seems like the beliefs that we were founded up (personal freedoms) are what’s biting us in the tail now. Of course I want to fight terrorism, but at the expense of imprisoning a pastor? [off my soapbox now]

"We arrived at La Marina where $800K weekend apartments lined the cute shopping area in Casa de Campo. A lady from the church, Klaudia is a shoe and clothing designer that owns 2 shops down there so we had access to this private community because of her generosity. She sells Christian books and CDs in her high class fashion shop. What a testimony! I can’t imagine that the majority of the people on those yachts lining the shore are as happy as she is. Money can be such a curse. It was nice to see one using her blessings and gifts to benefit others. I have never actually seen paradise until today. The palms swayed in the perfect breeze in the perfect temperature on soft sand next to clear blue water. The restaurant was open with fabric panels blowing in the gentle breeze setting a calming mood to our lunch. Beyond our table laid a dreamscape of the beach that welcomed relaxation and our little siesta before we left. Just before the pink sunset, we went to Altos de Chavon where the third best art school in the world has a Busch Gardens appeal with different ancient civilization styles for the buildings (Greece, Rome, Mexico). The view is breathtaking over the Chavon River. We walked through all the little shops were the students sold their amazing work. After dinner, the pastor’s daughter (8 yrs?) turned to Fernando and asked him to remember to pray for all the people who aren’t saved to come to church. “Out of the mouths of babes…” We are so blessed to be experiencing all this luxury!"

Guajimia

2007-01-24T07:06:00.000-08:00

Last night we went with John, the other American to the town Guajimia to help with a children's church service. I couldn't believe my eyes... it was very poor. The church sanctuary was connected to the two room house that the pastor lived in. Could I really live there? Everything was so filthy and there were mosquitoes everywhere. But the children, the children were wonderful. Throughout the service, it was an encouragement for me to see these children with so much faith. After John preached, we had a prayer time. We moved all the chairs and stood around the "sanctuary" in a circle and held hands to pray for the church and the town. We prayed for the leaders in the church, the children and their families, and we prayed for a revival in the town. That night Bethany and I were talking about this prayer time. We were both amazed at the faith of these children as they prayed for a revival in their town. They believe that God is going to do something big in their area and they are putting their faith in Him completely that He will provide for them and move in that place. They believe in God that He can do a miracle. How much do I truely believe that God will do a miracle like that? Do I have a child-like faith, like these children, that a passion for God could spread to all the people across that whole town? I want to have that kind of faith.

Domingo: El dia de Dios

2007-01-23T11:58:00.000-08:00

Sunday morning we woke up and went to church. The church has three services, one at 8:30, 11:00, and 7:00. We went to the 11:00 service, which started at 12:15 and ended at 3:00. The service was awesome… a little charismatic, and it was super fun to experience. Also, the sermon was great, very scripturally based and we got a translator, which was super helpful. After church, the pastor and his wife (who is the principal at our school) took us out for a fancy lunch with their two daughters and another family in the church. The pastor and his wife told Bethany and I that now, we are their daughters. And the pastor is our father and the pastor’s wife is… well, she wants to be our sister. Haha. Anyway, they invited us over for lunch again tomorrow and Bethany and I will start tutoring their daughters in Math and Linguistics.

I cannot stop thanking God for all of the blessings He has given me here. The people here blow me away. They have such a servant’s heart and really exemplify to me the way that brothers and sisters in Christ are supposed to treat one another.

The Colonial

2007-01-23T11:45:00.000-08:00

Sunday night Alqui and Fransia wanted to take us to the Colonial again, since we didn’t really get to see it when we were with John. First, we stopped at “La casa de Colón”, which means “the house of Columbus”.

Then, we walked around the area and checked out all the old buildings and tourist restaurants. They are all along this strip by the water and it is beautiful, definitely an ideal vacation spot… and we even got to see some Spanish dancers along the way! Woohooo! Haha.

Tres gringos en la Playa

2007-01-23T05:34:00.000-08:00

This Friday Bethany arrived and I was ecstatic. Since she is only here for one month, we decided to make the most of our first weekend and got John, the other American here, to take us to the beach. It was so much fun! Since, obviously, none of us have cars, we first took the guagua (the public bus here in Santo Domingo) down to another bus that took us to the beach. In all, our bus fee to the beach was only $1.50… not bad! Although it took us quite a while to get there, we had an interesting experience being squeezed in a van of sweaty people, ourselves included! But it was worth it, the beach was beautiful! Here are some photos of our day!

(You were right Jer, you do have to be careful taking pictures at the beach so that you don't get any topless girls!) ha

After the beach, we took another bus and unintentionally ended up at the colonial. It’s beautiful… (Grandma and Grandpa, I think you should come here!!!) We caught the lowering of the flag at the Puerta de Misericordia... which was super cool. Then we walked around some cute shops and I bought Kate’s first Birthday present. (Kate, you’re going to love it, I’m going to wear it until I mail it to you!) haha

That night we went to Erica’s house (who is a girl who works in the school) for a party. She had this cool computer program that took our pictures.. check it out... haha

My new home...

2007-01-18T11:13:00.000-08:00

So here I am, in the Dominican Republic, excited about the ways that God is going to use me and teach me about this new culture He has allowed me to live in. I remember sitting on the airplane talking with the man next to me, who is from the states and a med student at one of the English schools here. He told me about how different everything was from America and how difficult it would be for me. I remember, despite everything he was saying, getting excited about working in a third world country and helping children who do not have the things I have grown up with.

When I arrived, I was greeting by some very wealthy-looking people only to find out that the area in which I will be working in is one of the finest areas of this country. They took me to my new apartment, which I will share with two other Dominican women, and it was ten times nicer then my apartment in Buffalo! I couldn't believe what I was seeing! (yes, these pictures are some of the rooms in my new appt)

The children at my school come from families that are middle or high class... they have maids and drivers, they belong to country clubs... HA... the Dominican Republic, a third world country!?!? Ohhh boy.

I was actually disappointed when I had discovered all this. I was looking forward to putting away my make up and nice clothes for a while and just not care. But here, everything is about appearances, everyone seems to have the finest clothes, jewelry and shoes. It's funny how the lifestyle I was trying so hard to get away from I end up working in. HA!

Nevertheless, I know that God has a plan. He knows me better than I know myself and already He is teaching me so much from the people here. I admire their faith in God and commitment to Him. In the past 5 days, I have already been to two church services, in addition to teacher devotions every morning and have learned so much. Despite my false expectations, I am excited to see God's plan unfold for my life here in the DR!!!

Moving On

2007-01-18T10:56:00.000-08:00

Feel so alone

but at the same time

I feel so alive

My time here is over

I'm off to a new place

A new life

-Weekend Excursion "Moving On"

2007-01-13T20:30:00.000-08:00

this ones for dave :)

Do you think I could teach these children please?

2007-01-13T20:15:00.000-08:00

Some of the churches we worked at in Zambia

2007-01-13T20:03:00.000-08:00

Our Bathroom in Chabbaboma

2007-01-13T20:00:00.000-08:00

Photos from Zambia

2007-01-13T19:45:00.000-08:00

Photos by Erik Eustice

Victoria Falls

2007-01-13T19:25:00.000-08:00

"Above the sound of the surging water, and the mighty waves of the sea, the Lord sits enthroned in majesty."
-Psalm 93:4

"They will speak of the glorious splender of your majesty, and I will meditate on your wonderful works"
-Psalm 145:5

Maybe I should try to get a job at this school when I return from the DR...

2007-01-13T08:26:00.000-08:00

(Lugwasyo Community School in Choma, Zambia)

Troubles in Travel

2007-01-12T23:32:00.000-08:00

Our trip to Chabbaboma...

During our trip to Chabbaboma we ran into a number of difficulties. First, a bridge we needed to cross was completely flooded. We had to wait for an hour until the current began to settle down. The second bridge we faced had completely fallen in. So we had to build our own bridge along the side of the river to pass. Unfortunately, the first truck that tried our bridge got stuck in the mud, HA, so we ended up not using the bridge we make and having to transfer all our food, the mealie meal we were bringing to the people and our luggage across to the other side into a big blue truck that was heading to Chabbaboma and said they could take us. After we loaded up the truck, we all piled in wherever we could fit and road the rest of the way there on top of this blue truck. By this time it was night fall (our original plan was to arrive in Chabbaboma at noon) and it had started to thunder and rain. Then, when we got to the last big hill the truck couldn't even make it up! HA! So we all had to pile out and push it up this hill. It was seriously an act of God that we were able to make it to Chabbaboma despite all these barriers... but it was so cool to see how all the Zambians and Americans together were able to defeat each problem that came our way. I've never seen anyone work so hard in my life than I did the people we met along our way... and I admire them for their determination and perseverance.

Food Distribution in Chabbaboma

2007-01-11T13:43:00.000-08:00

The mealie meal we brought for the caregivers in the church

Caregivers waiting outside our guesthouse

Mother with child waiting

Receiving the food

Carrying the food home

2007-01-10T19:39:00.000-08:00

Chabbaboma

One of the days in chabbaboma we got to work in the fields. wow, did i feel dumb... there we were, stupid americans trying to plow a field and plant seeds. we had no clue what we were doing. fortunately, our new very patient zambian friends were able to explain to us what needed to be done.

working in the fields was physically exhausting. nevertheless, small children were still out there working away at the brink of dawn. what did i do when i was that age? most likely sleeping in until about 8 or 9 o'clock under feather blankets, then eating a bowl of captain crunch and watching cartoons for a few hours while playing with my barbie dolls. I am overwhelmed when i think about these differences. it almost makes me feel guilty, what did i do to receive such an easy life?