Today we had to say farewell to the children and staff at 3MM and to our host family as well. At 3MM we all gathered around and sang our songs in circle time. It was at this time that I sang my shark song. I hope that the children continue to sing this song in the future because they really did seem to enjoy it. We had some extra recess time with the kids which was nice because it gave us some extra time to interact with them before we left. We also got to eat lunch with them. I was so happy because they had small triangles of ham and cheese sandwiches. I haven't had bread or a sandwich for that matter in forever so I was really excited to eat this. They also made a delicious smoothie out of yogurt and fruit. Everything is so fresh here and that is something that I am really going to miss.
Lunch at Dulce's was delicious as always. She made yuca which is a native plant of the Dominican Republic. I was intrigued to try it. It actually has a taste that is very similar to potatoes so I liked it. She also made a dish that looked like a breakfast bowl. There was eggs and some kids of sausage that was very tasty. She then made something very interesting. When eating it I thought it was some kind of potato that was seasoned with salt. However, when I was done eating it Dulce asked if I liked the Queso. I was thinking "I ate cheese?" She pointing out which dish was cheese and I was shocked that what I ate was actually cheese. It was actually my favorite dish of the day.
It was really special to give Dulce her gifts. We gave her Rubbermaid containers, a washcloth, two tubes of Chapstick, two serving spoons, silverware (including knives, forks, and spoons), an oven mitt, a pot holder, and a bilingual book. Dulce was so appreciative. She would point at each gift and I would say the word in English and she would repeat the word. Then she would say the word for the item in Spanish and I would repeat her. We then gave her a thank you card that I wrote. Since Dulce only speaks and reads Spanish the group I eat lunch with asked our Spanish teacher how to write what we wanted to put in the card in Spanish. Dulce read the card out loud and I could tell how much she loved it and how much she loved having us in her house. When she was done reading the card she told us that she really liked cooking for us and that if we ever come back to the Dominican Republic that her door is always open to us. I was so touched by this. Dulce is such a kind and caring woman. I would love to visit her again in the future.
It's going to be odd waking up on Saturday and not seeing the 8 familiar faces that I have lived with for the past two and a half weeks. Granted I'll be happy to have my own personal space but it's going to be a bit of an adjustment. I most certainly am going to miss all of the wonderful staff at 3MM. One can see how committed they are to the school and to the children. They are all such kind and caring individuals that welcomed us with open arms into their school. They made us feel apart of 3MM and I am so grateful that they went out of their way to be engaged with us in activities outside of the classroom as well. One of the staff members even came over and made us dinner one night. It was so nice because even though we were here for such a short time they took the time to get to know us on a more personal level. I am forever grateful to have been able to be apart of such a wonderful experience with such amazing people.