La Dolce Vita Las Terrenas

... 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.

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.

... stoop in the evenings. Once the sun sets, it's all about watching people go by. On our walk, many of the homes were lit by kerosene lanterns. Electricity is very unreliable here, so we weren't sure if the power was out in those homes, or if they have some sort of rationing system. Many of the kerosene-lit homes clearly had electricity (fridges and TV's, for example) but were also set up to function without it.

... be a little slower than normal just because of the holidays, but, in general, my projects are doing well. My current projects consister of: 1) Teaching English classes to adults and those classes are very fun two nights a week. 2) The Escojo group, a health/family planning group for youth, is moving along. I am interested in seeing what kinds of projects we get into next. The students ...

... men with young half-naked Dominican women. Sunday was spent laying on the beach all day, which was wonderful. So all in all Samaná/Las Terrenas was a success. I can't say that it would be my favorite beach, though, mostly because of the lack of convenient amenities and the limited modes of transportation to and around the area. A beach with no consistent availability of ice cream is no beach for me.

... it as a way to save money. With the price of natural gas increasing, they cannot afford to cook on their more costly cook stoves. Finally, my last project is with a group of youth committed to improving the environment. My work with them is currently focused on gardening and composting as a way to help improve the soil quality and increase the quantity of organic fruits and vegetables. Of course, these are tried and true ...

... catcher´s gear would be preferible, especially if playing the infield. While the fields here are rough and ugly, it is fields like these that produce some of MLB´s best players, as it is not uncommon for both the AL and NL to boast a handful of Dominicans on their all-star teams each July. As the papers here show in large, color photos with catchy headlines, the Dominicans excelling in the US leagues are heroes and a source of ...

... meal on the island consisting of chicken, rice with beans, salad, two kinds of fish (parrot fish fried whole(yum,yum) and tuna. For dessert we had mango, banana, chinola and a few more fruits. After looking around the island for a little while, it was time to board the sailboat Esmeralda for our trip back to our bus. They allowed us to sit on the front of the sailboat for the trip back, even the ones that were ...

... is an ambiguous term. So, between now and November 26 (when I leave to officially start my service) I will be brushing up on all things Dance. So Devon Schindler, if you are reading this, I have seen the pictures in your house chronicling your 12 year career in dance and I need you to teach me the infamous ¨Electric Cowgirl¨ ASAP! Oh man, I am still ridiculously excited about my placement because by and large it seems like a great match, but I have to laugh at the fact ...

... only. A long time ago the islands and caves were populated by native indians, you can still see paintings and carvings on the walls. Nowadays only bats live here. A variety of shark species used to roam the waters around the islands, but the natives munched them all up. "Only" hammerheads sharks and dogfishes are left. Once the tourguide mentioned this little tidbit my feet ...

... and jet-lag fall off, when we saw the gorgeous water, palm forests, endless beaches and most importantly not a single soul in sight. During our 14 day stay at the El Portillo Beach resort we took advantage of our all inclusive package and here's our list of "Have to have" drinks: ~Rum Punch ~Amor des mis Amores ~Gin Tonic ~Pina Colada ~Ron Sunrise ~Cuba Libre I highly recommend to enjoy ...