Acuarium Resort Hotel Santo Domingo

... has lots of bumps and turns and potholes - literally! It is quite a pretty drive though, although if you are the driver you really can't look at anything except the road. But lovely views of mountains, sugar cane fields, beautiful farms and trees...

On his first weekend here, we went into the capital, Santo Domingo, and spent a day in the Colonial Zone - the old city. I was very excited, as I have never been to the Zona Colonial before. This part of the city was ...

... I think both World Vision implementing my recommendations and CSA's new office there are probably long shots, but both are exciting prospects. At the very least, CSA will use my recommendations as the basis of a short-term group project there in Neyba. For example, send a group there to help families build and plant gardens to grow the vegetables they are so severely lacking. On Thursday I had a chance to see my Santo Domingo mom Ileana one last time. (I've been ...

... mosquito net. The children at the project seeemd less confident than the ones on Monday and we met lots of children who were just watching on the other side of the fence, unable to get in because their parents had not registered them. Either they did not care enough or they had no papers after travelling to DR from Haiti after ...

... yelling their appreciation and support. The TV cameras were there too and many street vendors selling food, drinks and souvenirs. It all finished in a couple of hours with a group dressed in crazy costumes. fantastic spectacle. We had our ordeal with the hotel, left, and wandered along to the hotel the boys were staying. Not first class, not even third, fourth or fifth class but it was ok for just somewhere to sleep for the night. The boys room was hidden away along a narrow ...

... the shortage. If no one hoarded water there would probably be water in the tap for the better part of the day, but we all do it because everyone else does and no one is willing to change their ways. It is one of those frustrating situations where you can see the solution (i.e. everyone stops hoarding water and there will be enough for everyone) but in order to make the change EVERYONE has to alter their behavior, which is hard to do ...

... are so cute and they take much pleasure in our photos. They always want that we take a picture of them and then they want to see it on the display of the digital cam! We attend also an other school. The kids bring a poem forward. After this we come to a room with many people from the project. With locals. There are pastors, teachers, mothers & fathers,.... Several people which help with the new project. Canaan is a new project & now they ...

... stove workshop, and the endless rain I have been enduring in my site all spring! I am in the capital right now taking care of some administrative stuff and trying to replace a lost cell phone. Hope everyone is well and enjoy the photos! Maggie

... chips--very similar to chifles in Ecuador). Before leaving the Zone, we toured a small amber museum that showed some history of the famous "Ambar" and "Larimar" stones in the Dominican Republic. I had already decided that I wanted to get some earrings with both stones and I picked some out on our way to the car in one of Gail's favorite jewelry and Carnival mask stores. We also wanted to buy a Haitian painting, even though it's common ...

... is how it is here. I really do not agree with it at all, but I am a women from the USA, where is it completly acceptable for one to have sexual relations with another, without having to move into their partners house, and go to night school. All I know is that if I were a dominican girl, I would not want to have sex until I am in my mid to late twenties. Especially since here having sex means moving into your boyfriends house, cleaning his house, laundry and cooking ...

... I had grown quite an animosity for the mice, and knew at that point there was war to be had. I put mouse poison out, but I knew that nothing would give me more satisfaction than finishing off one of them myself . I prepared myself with the trusty bat (which was suppposed to be given to kids once they did enough community service to earn it). Everytime a mouse shot out I would run to get my bat, only for it to run up the side of my kitchen wall and out the gap between the cieling ...