the first steps on Dominican land

Wow! After a long day of traveling, we've made it! We are at the base in Jarabacoa. I can't see much because it is night, but what I can tell is that this is a beautiful country! I've been excited all day until I stepped foot off the plane. It is a whole new world down here, starting with the language. I encountered two women in a bathroom at the airport, and they started speaking to me in Spanish. My immediate reaction was to be bashful. I could not look them in the face and muttered some beginners words back to try to be polite. For the first time in my life, I am the minority. For the first time in my life, I can begin to empathize with immigrants into America. Wow, I have an entirely new respect for them. I now am the one who has no idea how to behave culturally, or how to communicate, or how to carry myself. I am lost in a world of strangers. The best word to describe my complete feeling is inferior. This is going to be a long ride in learning to be confident in what language knowledge I DO have. I'm excited and anxious to embark on this adventure and to trust in the Lord my God to carry me through. Right now I can clearly see that relying on Him is the only way.