An alligator ate my pencils!

Here they are... my sole purpose for being on this island, my 7 boys. These kids are awsome, a helluva handful but absolutely awsome.

So, the schedule i though i was going to have didnt exactly work out as expected. i pretty much live in the shelter, im there from monday til friday usally sat morning and i go home for the weekend to recharge. All the kids started school 2 weeks ago, they still have class with me but now its more like study hall, i help with there homework and teach more on what there learning at school. my main focus right now is getting there behaviors in check. at the moment there isnt a set schedule for the boys and depending on who's working that day is what they say will be like. since im there everyday ive taken it upon myself to organize a schedule. i also got all the kids working for stars in there "passports" i made them. when they do everything there supposed to (chores, classes, following the schedule) they get stars and at the end of two weeks those who have all there stars go on an outing. Yesturday was the first one, i took the kids out into the town for icecream. Ive just barely started this on thursday but so far its proven to be quite effective, we'll see how it goes.

Hey good lookin... I wanted ya to get a look of the view from my bedroom in the shelter. Now you may ask yourself why i would want to live there 24/5. well several reasons really, 1. establishing the schedule with the kids kinda requires my presence there at least right now while we're gettin it started 2. why go home to a dark, moldy, leaky, hot room where i have to take bucket baths and sleep on a mold smelling bed, when i can stay in a 4 months old private room with my own shower and this view. 3. and most importantly, i really like it there, its a great family envirionment. i fell like im living with 7 little brothers. i love it. when they behave i absolutely love it, when they dont it can get alittle tough but the kids bounce back pretty quickly and never hold grudges for longer than an hour.

The shelter is about a five minute walk from downtown (the only intersection in town) but its out away from everything so its a beautiful view. Although you cant catch the sunset, the sky looks amazing in the late afternoon, you get different colers everynight reflecting off the clouds. ill add a pic in my next blog.

Yea, its a tough life! i get a break from like 4-530 while the kids are out for P.E. so i sneak off to my room, sip on my 3rd cup of coffee for the day and read. and when i peak up from my book this is what i see.

OK, well ima gonna go ahead and end this blog, i think ive done a pretty good job, eh? leave comments, id love to hear from yall.

miss yall and love ya a bunch.

Enrique

Santo Domingo