El Papagayo Las Terrenas

... guys, who actually lives in New Jersey, offered to go up with him. It was funny, because clearly no one thought he would jump - after he walked away, there was a chorus of, "Look! The gringo is going up to the cliff! Snicker snicker snicker.." Shen is definitely not one to show off, but the poor expectations made it totally necessary, so he did a back flip off a 35-foot cliff. The group made several comments about how the gringos never jump, they had ...

... seen. They almost have a strip-mall feel to them - shop after shop, power cables criss-crossing the street all over the place, and no real center. There's nothing pretty about them. The towns we've seen do have a Plaza Central, but life doesn't seem to revolve around it as it does in many places. I can't seem to find the town's anchor. One thing that does give a sense of character is that everyone is out on ...

Hello Friends! April has arrived and the world is heating up a lot! Cinderella, my 9 month old puppy, and I are doing alright although she did eat something terribly toxic this week. We gave her a round of antibiotics and I believe she is on the up and up now. Semana Santa begins tomorrow and the beaches in Samana will be very crowded. I hope to stay away from all the people. This week ...

... bought us special Dominican coconut bread on the way. Whale-watching was a 5 hour endeavor...quite fun but I think I'm covered on whale-watching for the next 20 years. The boat was soooo rocky and several people were getting sick. It wasnt helped by the fact that the crew started playing a recording of a male whale singing...because that in itself resembles the sound of vomiting. Thankfully, i am not ...

... food cooked in a shorter period of time. Other benefits are that it will improve health of the family as it has a chimney to direct the smoke upward, requires less fuel which saves the family time and money, and reduces deforestation in the community. This stove is designed to help improve the lives of families who cook on open flame fire between three rocks. In my rural community, many use this cook method or have reverted back ...

Wednesday-Thursday, January 23-24, 2008 Samana Peninsula Dear Readers: Two full and somewhat stressful days on the Peninsula begin with the shocking news that there was confusion with our hotel booking, and our destination was completely full when we arrived. Quick scrambling lands us in a different beachfront resort with one fewer star on its entrance. The only plus is that it is a short walk from one of the three towns on ...

... be expected. I hadn´t thought of these things! My thoughts for the past few months have only been laced with things like IKEA and Target, Taco Bell and In N Out burger, walking down a street without the hoots and hollars of men, hanging out with my girlfriends for a big homecoming. Thanks to this helpful book, I began to find myself in a panic. It told us about how we have changed and people may not accept that at first. We have also adapted so much to ...

... calling it but got no answer. Eventually, I had to go to class, but I couldnt stop worrying about how I was going to get a new phone, if Peace Corps was going to be really mad at me for losing it, or if I could even explain the whole situation in my "not so strong" Spanish (sidenote: I know its not very Peace Corps-y to have / worry about cell phones, but hey, its the Dominican Republic we're talking about here and we worry about things like cell phones ...

... overweight, uncoordinated child is not. Randy and I tried to be diplomatic and form teams of equal caliber, but we were only moderately successful. (We had spent the past two weeks passing out registration forms in an effort to avoid this problem, but of course none of the children brought them the day of the tournament, so we reverted to the aformentioned "Plan B") Then comes the even more cumbersome task of distributing head pans for the ...

... not be making post so often, maybe once a month. My cell phone number is 809-723-7843 (wonderful gift from the Peace Corps). Well, I know these next few months are going to be the hardest because I am going to be alone in my site and just dealing with a range of things so I am asking that you write me letter of support and encouragement or better call me when you get the chance. I think of you all often and hope to see you soon in the future. love Courtney