Hacienda Villas Del Mar Puerto Plata

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

... he said, "I don't have the money or the time."  It was maddening.  I truly believe in my heart that this child will not survive this illness, just because of his living situation.  It was difficult to walk away-
Please offer your positive thoughts, good karma, prayers, or wishful thinking to this little one tonight.  Maybe they will help.
Missing all of you,
Love,
Lani

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

... pass us by around Thursday afternoon, thanks in advance, Bill.  It rained all night last night, and looks like Thursday will be a wet day as well.  
I'm attaching a very recent pic of my little one, taken last week.  I think she's learning to play the piano in my absence, and definitely growing up too fast while mommy is away.
Take care.  Hope you are all well-
Love,
Lani
 

... this is my first, "I'm really homesick, and am admitting it to the world" blog since arriving here.  I'm hoping that I continue to stay busy, as that makes the days seem shorter :)
I'm attaching a group picture.  This picture was taken after the Campo clinic and education session.  Yes, we are really as tired as we look!
Please feel free to drop me an email and let me know how you all are doing.
Adios,
Love,
Lani

... of expats who have married Dominicans, but there are also the men that just come down here to pay for using people's bodies, because they can (sadly) and because it's cheap. The other day I was informed that one of the boys I play basketball with had just dealt with this first hand, he was abused by a tourist, he's 13. That kind of news just kills me, I don't understand people like that. However, the boy was out playing a few days later, being the tough ...

... would have a day to "rest" before leaving for the DR at 6am on January 1st, New Year's Day! It was an "all inclusive" trip (gratefully all paid for by my parents as a Christmas present), flying there by Air Transat and staying at the Casa Marina Beach & Reef Resort in the city (or town?) of Sosuŕ. "All inclusive" means that you pay one price for: your room, all meals, beach access, towels, and all drinks. There is also lots of other stuff offered (ie. Various water ...

... depending on the size, but are usually limited to rum, whiskey, powdered milk, tomato sauce, margerine, salami, and things of that nature. Should be pretty interesting, so stay tuned for more stories! After a weekend of fun and adventure it was hard to go back to my site, but knowing that I had a small fluffy ball of enthusiasm by the name of Stella waiting for me made it a lot easier. She came running out of my host family's house to greet me and ...

We arrive at the resort after a long, exhilarating ride through the dark narrow roads from the airport in Santiago. The lobby is beautiful and we can tell the resort will look even better in person than it did in the pictures. The next morning we get a wake up call that tells us we have an orientation to attend. We meet in the conference room and learn how everything at the resort works from making reservations for dinner to ...

... or scrape over" In hindsight I'm sure our guides would have told us, but I'm a little worrier. Needless to say the guides probably wouldn't have jumped from the top into the pool had there been rocks that close to the surface. Duh! Once I finally got over my fear and was comfortable swimming in the pool surrounded by tropical landscape and a scenic waterfall ahead - another challenge presented ...