Costa Liza Beach Resort Cabarete

... seen anything like that - and then gave him a round of applause when his head (safely) broke the surface. I was a little indignant that I did not get the same reaction going off of the 6-foot rope swing.<br><br>After goodbyes all around, we headed back to town to watch the amazing sunset from our terrace, batido in hand. Batidos are milkshakes made with fresh fruit - in this case, papaya - and they're the perfect antidote to a steamy tropical evening.

... for the guy to come the next day, and we walked over to Playa Preciosa, where the waves are usually a little better. It was still pretty bad - he caught a few waves on Thursday, but overall it was a bust.<br><br>We got back to the hotel right in time to have a drink on the terrace and watch the sun set over the ocean. Perfect! We went out for dinner and finally found food that wasn't of animal provenance. I ...

... the next six months.  The<br>comforts of home with the people I love, will surely see me through. That I<br>know for sure-<br>I hope you have all enjoyed the blog.  I have loved sharing some thoughts,<br>albeit probably a bit superficial at times, as feelings are often difficult to<br>retrieve-<br><br>Thank you for following my journey.  <br>Please look for more pictures in the days to come.<br><br>Love,<br><br>Lani<br><br>< !--EndFragment--><br><br><br>

... imagine what it smells like, and what a health risk it is to live there.<br>I saw a little boy today.  He is 4 years old.  He lives with his parents and 4 siblings in a one-room "house" built out of rusted tin and tires.  Upon meeting him, I could tell that this child was gravely ill.  He contracted Dengue Fever over a week ago, was hospitalized, but released home.  I'm not sure ...

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

... community (men go for seasonal work).  The women recently learned how to make candles and bracelets, which they are allowed to go outside the Batey to sell, but have to "pay off" the checkpoint guards when they enter and exit the compound.  There are so many moral and ethical issues surrounding the Bateys, too numerous to mention.  The children came running to meet us, some naked, some ...

... to put behind the fact that we had just got a bit too intimate, after one of them had spent a quarter of an hour squeezing my bottom to get the spikes out. Although I had to go to the local doctor to have my feet healed so I could stop waddling like a duck and start walking like a normal human being, I was relieved this time it was about butt and feet only. After the story that happened to my friend two days before we did have some reservations about surf in general (the ...

... family. Cultural expectations in the Dominican culture can frustrate. But every time I've been frustrated, I've had great people (both Americans and host country nationals) to take care of me. Sometimes they do this with an hug and kiss, as Dominicans are really touchy feeling folks, or sometimes it's with an incredibly tasty meal. The food is very rich. There are more fresh fruits and vegetables to choose from here in the campo than in the city ...

... good at the end of my session and Norbert told me I'm ready for supervision if I like... Fri Feb-15 - First Supervision I skipped a day yesterday since I had to do some research for our weekend escape. I walked over to kite club at 1pm or so and asked Silke for supervision since I thought it's a good idea to practice a bit before my next lesson with Norbert. So she assigned Jose to me. He is a local from the DR and cannot be older than 15 or so... but he ...

... men like to take that opportunity to harass me, which can get a little uncomfortable. It is nothing threatening, but being the Americana I naturally stand out and draw a lot of attention, not necessarily good attention. So I am learning who and what situations to avoid, and I think the more people I get to know in my community the less I will be bothered. In my free time, I have managed to make a weekend trip to the beach with some other volunteers, which was ...