Tropical Beach Hotel Puerto Plata

... is when everyone dances. The party happens before the meal, because once the food is served and people have eaten, everyone takes off. As soon as they have their food they get up and leave...and so drinks and dancing come before the meal, which means the dinner is served at 9 or 10 o' clock at night (by which point we were STARVING!) The food was well worth the wait though, and we ended sitting at the same table as the wedding party, so it was really fun ...

... 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>

... long he has been at home since the release.  He kept tugging at his ears, so I'm sure he has an ear infection on top of the Dengue.  He was so listless that he couldn't hold his head up for very long, and was unable to smile or reach out for a ball.<br>As we were evaluating him, his father walked in.  Drunk.  When we recommended to the father that he seek medical care ...

... never get dessert,<br>Who have no safe blanket to drag behind them,<br>Who watch their parents watch them die.<br>We pray for those who can't find any bread to steal,<br>Who don't have any rooms to clean up,<br>Whose pictures aren't on anybody's dresser,<br>Whose monsters are real,<br>Whose nightmares come in the daytime.<br>And we pray for those who will eat anything,<br>Who have never seen a dentist,<br ...

... only in underwear.  Sweet kids, but resorting to desperation (pinching others, manipulation, etc.) in order to get attention.  One child kept pinching the little girl I was holding!  So sad!  We will offer a health clinic to them on Thursday afternoon.  They speak mostly Creole, limited Spanish, so communication will be interesting.<br>We are watching Hurricane Bill, who looks like he ...

... aggressive, and I had to be "rescued" by the staff.  A sweet little girl with Down's Syndrome seemed particularly out of sorts today, as she kept grabbing my backpack and trying to open all of the pockets.  "Es mio, es mio", I kept telling her.  It's mine!<br>She was adorable, but quite a stinker today.  So, it's been an eventful, tiring day all in all.  <br>I'm also missing my family like crazy!  I think I have done well so far ...

... day we were there and collected us, took us to their office in town to go through the various different excursions and then returned us to the hotel afterwards. They were always on time and the staff are very knowledgeable and fun. Martin, the owner, called us at our hotel half way through our holiday to ensure we were happy with their service, which I thought was great. Isaira were somewhat cheaper than the hotel reps. I will most definitely be ...

... didn´t stop until well after midnight). I am staying with a woman named Saldi (or at least that´s how you pronounce it) and her mother and cousin. There are all very nice, but do not speak much English. Also, there is not hot water...so that´s been fun! Starting yesterday (Monday) and ending Thursday, we are taking Spanish lessons at ALPI in Santiago. It is a school that teaches English to Dominican students, but we have two ...

... water as them! They said that they keep the sharks "in training" for a year before letting them swim with visitors, and supposedly they are "trained" to not bite people - though I don't know exactly how one trains a shark not to bite, which is an instinctive function that they need for survival. Anyways, after this spectacle and seeing Jonathan peruse the shark-infested water with calm and steadfastness, the day was over and it was time to go home. Everyone was ...

... and when I get the money to do my ceramic stove and water filter projects they will help me with those too. I am planning two workshop series for the families that want to participate in my projects, one for the stoves and one for the water filters. They will have to attend a series of 5 or 6 workshops on environmental and health topics to qualify for the projects. My vision is to take a combined health and sanitation ...