Casa Coson Las Terrenas

... rum and playing in the water (not so sure about that combination, but...) The water was cool but not cold, perfectly clear, and a beautiful blue-green color. We were told that Scuba divers had been unable to find the bottom of the pool. It's not that wide across, but apparently it's just a straight shot down to who-knows-where.<br><br>Some of the locals were jumping from the high cliffs, and that is something that Shen just can't resist. One of ...

... t think it existed here! I wouldn't go so far as to call it delicious, but we had some good mangú (a strange casserole of platanos and corn, maybe? I don't really know...) and rice with a few beans thrown in.<br><br>In the evening we strolled around Rio San Juan, another small but chaotic town. The people here have been super friendly, and the natural beauty is remarkable, but I can't say I like the towns we ...

Despues, fui en el autobus a el Parque Nacional los Haitses. Fui a mirar los aves y las flores y la vida de marina. Fui a acampar en el parque. Fui a comer la comida de tradicionales en el restaurante en el parque. Fui a comer champola, cual fue leche con guanábana. Me recomiendo que saca muchos fotos porque el bosque es muy bonito.<br><br>

... Brigada Verde meeting that was very inspirational. I hope to plan a couple of charlas in celebration of Earth Day, April 22, 2009. Finally, I'm waiting on approval for grant money for the stove projects, but when that happens, I'll be in a new direction there too. Okay, I promise to write more later, but I just wanted to give you all a taste of what's going on in Samana. Sincerely, Jennifer

This weekend I travelled with six other girls to the Samaná peninsula. We arrived Friday afternoon and it poured down rain for the rest of the night. We also had an hour-long debate about which hotel to stay at because our original plans turned out to be much more expensive. But we ended up at a fairly nice place right on the beach. To my surprise there are a lot of businesses run by foreigners in ...

... attribute their interest to the growing tourism industry in Samaná and to the unique history of the peninsula of Samaná. Samaná was settled by freed African American slaves in the 1840s along with others including folks from England, France and Haiti. Before the time of Trujillo, English was the language of the people in Samaná; therefore, many of the other folks speak English and sing English church songs as their native tongue ...

Casa Goerthe organized a ½ day trip to nearby Laguna Grigri, Playa Caleton, and Playa Grande after class. After a quick bus ride to Laguna Grigri, we got into a small boat for a tour through the mangrove forests. The boat ride through the forest was OK. A bit later we got to the open ocean, and the water was incredibly crystal clear. We cruised down the coastline a bit and stopped for a minute into the 'Swallows ...

... the option of NOT eating rice and beans every day if I don't want to! However, I do have two roommates: Charlotte the spider and Pablo the rat (I feel like naming them might make them less scary for some reason?). Charlotte lives in the bathroom and Pablo lives in the roof, but sometimes we all hang out together. I may have made friends with spiders and rats (kind of) but the cucarachas in the latrine are another thing altogether. I will have to tell ...

... forced to learn alongside them. They aren't making much progress, but I am making less. I don't think they would every ask me to actually dance with them in front of an audience at the Juegos Nacionales (because they've seen my skills or lack thereof) but if they did....well that would be a whole other entry in and of itself. Overall things here are going very well. I haven't felt as bored or lonely as I though I would in the first few weeks, so I hope that doesn't change ...

... from my site and I was disappointed in this because it would become useful to have this when I will be starting a hiv/aids group. We took a taxi to my site since I am not too far and I was nervous. I did not know what to expect. For this visit I was staying with a family, but when I go I will be by myself. I was hanging out with a neighbor and a daughter of the family because the family was not there. Apparently the husband of the family had a tractor ...