Wrapping It Up

Hey guys! A little update for you here, and probably the last one that I’ll put out for this year unless I find time in between packing for the last post, which I hope to do.

These past two weeks have been filled with the slow realization that my time here in the Dominican Republic is coming to a close, and it’s coming quickly. With that comes the small moments where I just stand and take in the things going on around me. When the kids hug me, I hug them back just a little tighter. Every movie night with the other students is something to be cherished, and every dance party is just a little more special. I’m going to miss this place over the summer for sure.

With all of this, goodbyes have begun. On the 21st, the other Global Bridge students and I hosted a party (with the help of Courtney and Dustin, of course) where all of our homestay families could come, eat, and play yard games. I got to chat with Elenny and Nileyred, play cards with Elena, and dance with Brendaliz and Migue. Unfortunately, Ariel and Jhanna were unable to come. But I’m so grateful for these wonderful people who took the time to get to know us, to take care of us, and most importantly, to bring us into their homes. If you’re one of those hosts reading this right now, thank you, from the bottom of my heart. Si ustedes son unas de las familias, gracias a todos y Dios te bendiga. Te voy a extrañar.

One of the best things about hosting was getting to make donuts as a dessert for everyone. We made close to a hundred and still have at least two dozen left. All the staff got surprise donuts this (Monday) morning. I had such a fun time working with the other students to fry and glaze the donuts. They were absolutely delicious.

Along the lines of last, we went to Paradise Island one final time on the 13th to go snorkeling. I loved it even more the second time and I had an amazing time swimming around and looking at all the fish. As some of you know, I love to write, and spending the morning at Paradise Island was particularly exciting. So below is a short story about what it was like to snorkel next to the reef.

***

She’d never heard silence quite like it. Her leaky snorkeling mask growled with every exhale. The sand whispered to itself as it ran to and fro across the ocean floor in time with the waves crashing over her back. But the silence was there, holding her up and keeping her under. Rocking her this way and that. Weightless, everything was weightless. She was buoyant and unconcerned with the direction that the waves wanted to take her.

Fish darted effortlessly beneath her; wild color combinations. Light blue and dandelion yellow and neon green. She hadn’t realized purple like that existed naturally. She’d seen hints of it on a raven’s back, seen bits tucked beneath vines in the shape of a morning glory. But those weren’t the same. This was the kind of purple that belonged to a starry-eyed seven-year-old.

If she reached out, she could take white specks of time in her hands and then release it to the current to watch it settle in a cloud. Creatures peered at her from mossy conch shells, lean and streamlined and not quite of this world. Just beneath the surface of the water sat a fish. It looked like someone had taken the snout in one hand and the tail in the other and stretched it like a glassy-colored taffy. A fish that looked like Dory darted between bits of bone white coral, and she contemplated reaching out in a wave but doubted that Dory would remember her.

Along the edge of the reef swam a school of parrot-faced fish thicker than her thigh and as long as her forearm. The leader regarded her with a cold star and continued on. They were harmless, she had to remind herself as the growling of her snorkel quickened. And yet, as they swam above the coral, out to where the water changed from a clear crystal to a deeper, colder blue, she thought that not everything was as harmless as it seemed. This was the ocean after all.

***

I can’t stress enough how much I’ve come to absolutely adore living here in the Dominican Republic. I’m forever grateful to be coming back so soon in August of 2024. The people here, whether Dominican, Haitian, or North American, have made this entire experience something that I won’t ever forget. God has used so many things to teach me more about Himself and how faithful He is, despite how I’m feeling or what I think is fair. I’ve realized through a lot of prayer and personal time with the Lord that our purpose as Christians is to glorify God. That’s it. That’s the one thing we are supposed to do. There are so many ways to do that because we all have different callings. But if you boil those things down, you get to the root of it all-- glorify God. We’re here to love God, love people, and praise our Creator who loves us dearly.

From the bottom of my heart-- thank you for everything. For those of you who’ve kept up with these posts. For those of you who’ve reached out. For those of you who have supported me in prayer and in donations. I am thankful to you and to God, who I know inspired these things. Have an amazing week, and I hope to see you on the 6th of May (although we’ll see how packing goes). I’ll be back in the States on the 9th of May! I hope to reconnect with you guys. Have a blessed week.


¡Hasta luego, y'all!


Maddy <3

All of our donuts, rising on the countertop. 

Wesson, trying on my glasses
instead of doing his homework 

Marlenis wanting a photoshoot
before beating me at Uno

Dudely continues to bring me flowers.
This one is from a Chinola (passionfruit).

Biverlin, always up to something...

Riding home from sites with
Dudely, Makayla, and Lizzie

There's a guy climbing that palm tree...
barefoot. He trimmed the leaves down.