The Bungalows Resort & Spa Puerto Plata

... scattered around these tables waiting for things to begin. When things got started, however, they were done in a very different order than what we would be used to. In Canada, for example, most people have a drink or 2 before the meal, then the meal is served, with speeches and toasts, and then there are drinks and dancing all night long. Traditional Dominican receptions are completely different. The guests are served drinks first, before the meal, and ...

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

Hi everyone,<br>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.<br>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 ...

We pray for children<br>Who sneak popsicles before supper,<br>Who erase holes in math workbooks,<br>Who can never find their shoes.<br>And we pray for those<br>Who stare at photographers from behind barbed wire,<br>Who can't bound down the street in a new pair of sneakers,<br>Who are born in places we wouldn't be caught dead.<br>We pray for those who never go to the circus,<br>Who live in an X-rated world,<br ...

Hola Todos-<br>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!<br>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 ...

... they are harmless and quite the story tellers. Puerto Plata is an interesting place because there isn't much going on. The tourists are all caged in the all inclusive resorts which occasionally bus some tourists in for a "local experience" for some shopping. So between the expats and the tourists I never look out of place. Last week Miriam and got a bit of everything tour, so here's a list with some commentary. We visited Mustard Seed Orphanage which ...

... for an animal species to be captured by humans and forced to live the rest of their lives in a confined space against their will, I do think there is benefit to having some types of species, such as the dolphin, kept in this way for the educational purposes of mankind. The dolphin is an absolutely amazing animal - the 2nd most "intelligent" of all animals (after the chimpanzee variety), whereas dogs come in as number 8! (and you know how smart they can be). Like ...

Hello All! I am in the capital doing some work so I wanted to take advantage of the free internet to give another update on life here in the DR. My most recent adventure referred to in the title was a bola race from Santiago to Samana. In Dominican Spanish, a "bola" refers to a free ride. So, a few of my friends and fellow volunteers got it into their heads that we needed to have a bola race. Santiago is the second-largest city in the country and the ...

... through the dense woods and arrived at the waterfall it didn't look very big any more. I was confused. But the guide soon explained that what we were looking at "Little Limon". In order to get to "El Limon" we had to literally walk two minutes further. I could not see or hear "El Limon" when we were at the site of "Little Limon" although it's only 2 minues away? That still seems ridiculous too ...