Apartementos Karibic Puerto Plata

... has
changed me, and has offered me a new perspective on what is really important in
life.  Sometimes I wonder if the past two years of struggling through this
doctoral program has been worth it.  So many sacrifices on the part of my
family.  Time away from Ellie--
I know that when she gets older, I will tell her about the kind, selfless people
who live in a different part of the world.  I hope that, if anything, this
Sosua, Dominican Republic lstockwell

Hi everyone,
Just when I thought I had seen what living in destitution represented, I walked into a neighborhood this morning that redefined the word "poor" for me.  It seems that this redefinition is a consistent happening here.
This community lives in squalor, not only in ramshackle "buildings" but in filth.  In fact, their homes are literally built upon a dump. So, you ...

... aren't spoiled by anybody,
Who go to bed hungry and cry themselves to sleep,
Who live and move, but have no being.
We pray for children who want to be carried,
And for those who must,
For those we never give up on
And for those who don't get a second chance.
For those we smother,
And for those who will grab the hand of anybody kind enough to offer it.
 -----by Marian Wright Edelman 

Hola Todos-
Have you ever thought of how fortunate you are, just because you were born in a certain geographic location?  We went to a Haitian Batey today.  The Bateys in the DR are kind of like a no-man's land, not recognized by the DR, or by Haiti.  Consequently, the people who live in them are literally without a country.  These people live very poorly, and are rarely allowed out of ...

Hi Everyone!
Very busy Monday.  We started out doing home visits with the International Child Care Center.  My group saw two children.  One child was so neurologically unstable, that he really wasn't a great candidate for "therapy" per se.  He is being raised by his grandmother/father, who told us that he has at least nine seizures a day.  In fact, while we were assessing him, he had two.  Not a pleasant sight, and as you can ...

... a bridge, right?  Well, with what resources?  And for those people who have poor body mechanics?  What about building them some carts to transfer barrels of water, or heavy harvests of plantains, cacao, etc.?  Again, I say, with what resources?  These people have little money.  Lots of unique situations, and I am still trying to problem solve for them, given reality.
 They hold church in this cement building, very crude, but ...

... the Riu Mambo were absolutely fantastic. They work so hard to ensure that you have a perfect holiday and a lot of them work long hours yet have a big smile and cheery. The Maid that serviced our room was brilliant and left a different towel art each day and if we left any clothes on the bed would create "art" with them as well. The room was always spotless and our drinks were replaced every other day or sooner if we requested. The Entertainment ...

... got the scoop from them, including the local yachtie gossip. It didn't take long for us to learn how strange a place Luperon is. There are the transients, like ourselves, who stay for a week or two; then there are those who have been there for months and months; and then there are those on 'Gringo Hill' who have bought land nearby and built a home- everybody's story is different. A community has flourished here - mostly North Americans - and a social scene with it ...

... dog Penny who just LOVES to play with people herself. Their skin was so smooth and by now I was used to it (hey, I was literally hugging the dolphin and he was hugging me back!). And I looked right into his eye and just wondered what he might be thinking about this all! I really do hope they get as much enjoyment from the human interactions as we do from them. Everyone else went and had their dual experiences with Shark and Boomer. And we got a few really good ...

... I also spent a night in Santiago, the second biggest city in the country that is less than an hour away by bus. There is a pension there run by Canadians specifically for Peace Corps volunteers and development workers, so we had a cookout there and then went out to do a little merengue dancing. The pension is great, and I think I will definitely take advantage of it when I need a break from my site. In two weeks I am going on a beach camping trip with a bunch ...