Victorian House Dominican Republic Pop Sosua

... 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.

Greetings,< br>
Sitting
in the sun in Sosua, it's a little seaside town about 2 hours from Santiago.
 It's beautiful here.  We have had access to a private beach, which
has been so relaxing.  We've been sunning for a few days now, and are
headed back to Santiago this afternoon.  One more night in the Dominican
Republic, and back on a airplane tomorrow, headed home to my family!  It's
been a long trip and ...

... imagine what it smells like, and what a health risk it is to live there.
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,
Who go to bed hungry and cry themselves to sleep,
Who live and move, but have no being.
We pray for children who want to be carried,
And for those who must,
For those we never give up on
And for those who don't get a second chance.
For those we smother,
And for those who will grab the hand of anybody kind enough to offer it.
 -----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 ...

... as it had been most of this time this past week. The only day it wasn't was our first day in the water where it was so calm and flat! The surf was still there, but I noted that during the day they changed the red flag to a yellow flag, so it wasn't just my imagination that the winds were calming down. Still, though, the waves were really rough on us. Tony, my dad and I had a good time testing our luck with them. If you were at the breakwater - where the ...

... I was dying for some Otrivin. I was sceptical that they would even have it here in this country, but he said he would go looking for it, so it was an offer I couldn't refuse. I wrote down "Otrivin" on a piece of paper for him, plus "racio nasal" ("nasal spray", I hope that was), and "decongestionante nasal", so that he could show the person working there and get me SOMETHING to subside my misery. 20 minutes later, he was back in the room ...

... us! It was quite scary, being approached every 10 feet that we walked with "Senorita, please come into my store" (that is just one example of many). We first went into an internet café that was located shortly down the street from the resort entrance, and it was cheap to use (something like 20 pesos for 15 minutes). Because my dad was waiting for us, Leanna and I only went online for 15 minutes. I don't have any pesos yet (only American dollars and some ...

Shortly before graduating -between the written and the oral finals to be precise- Tilman, Philipp, Christian and I decided to spend the little money we had for a big trip to the Dominican Republic. It turned to be out a very funny trip and there were a lot of episodes I will never forget about that trip. When touching down in Puerto Plata and going for a drive to our all inclusive club in Sosua, I felt a bit disappointed ...