A very long overdue update...or at least an introduction to an update ;)

First of all, I would like to apologize for my lack of posts these past few months.

I’ve been fortunate in my life to have visited many places and experienced some incredible, life-changing things. But each of those times, I felt like I was simply stepping out of, or taking a break from, my normal life for a brief moment only to return and take my place once again. Yet this time, this has become my life. Every day, this place feels more and more like my home—at least a sort of temporary home. I have a life here—with responsibilities, friends, a job. So I feel less and less like somone having crazy, overseas, life-changing experiences. Even though I would not hesitate to say this experience HAS been life changing. So perhaps, the more I become accustomed to this new life of mine, the more I tend to get sucked into its routine. There is a tendency to forget that I still have obligations, responsibilities, and a place in a life back home. That I have friends and family whose support and encouragement allows me to be a part of this life I am living here. People who need and want to know that I am still alive and that I haven’t been swept away by some Dominican man who wants a visa–though I’ve had offers.  

All of that to say, I am deeply sorry to those of you I have kept uninformed. I’m going to try to keep my posts shorter, so that I have time to write them more frequently. I am not going to try to give you every detail of my life these past few months—because that would be THE longest blog post. Ever. Like Guinness Book of World Records material. Life has been busy, busy, busy—yet, awesome and challenging. Instead, I will try to give you the highlights, and include some pictures this time!