Gringa in the eyes of a dominican

"Coach, are we going to eat rice when we are in the states?  Because I think I might die if I don't have rice and chicken!"

This is one of the many great questions I've been recieving from my girls over the past few months.  As the trip comes closer, the girls get more and more curious of what our time will be like in the US.  A week ago, I planned an activity for the girls to stay with some American families to give them a preview of what there time will be like when they get to the states.  After spending Thursday and Friday night with the families, the girls were BEGGING to stay longer.  At the end, we had some time for reflection. Here are some of their responses of what living with an American is like in the eyes of a Dominican.

Caroly and Lili with their "brothers"

How are American families different?

Esther- They like their desserts! We never desserts after dinner.  We sometimes have sweet foods during the day, but not like the Americans do.

Lili- They always pray before they pray. My family never prays before they eat.

Leslie-They are very united as a family.  They wait  for everyone to come to the table to eat.  My family doesn’t do that.  One person eats at the computer, another in their room and another in front of the tv.

Nana- They eat earlier than my family.  My family always eats after 8.  

Steph- They eat healthier food. My family sometimes eats healthy food.

Keysi- They hang out together.  For example, the parents play with their kids. In my family, my parents never played with us. 

How are the marriages of your “parents” different than the typical Dominicans family?

Shakira- They never argue in front of their kids. Normally here, they yell, go in the road to yell more, throw things, sometimes hit each other.  After that, they just separate from each other.

Steph- The husband actually helps the mom! Here, the man eats and then goes to the couch because these chores are just for women.  When the husband gets home, the food should be ready or almost ready.  If a husband gets home and the woman is watching tv, HA! Get ready because she is going to get yelled at.  “I’m out working and you are here in nothing!

Just to give you an update on the trip, we have been working hard on getting all the paperwork done for the girls visas.  We will go to the American consulate within the next week. Please pray that they grant us the visas. I'll post again when we know the exact date so you can pray EXTRA hard. Thank you for all your support and prayers!