Puerto Plata Beach Resort and Casino

... for Juan Dolio...and made it home by 4 in the afternoon. Although it was an exhausting and whirlwind trip, and even though I felt sick for most of it, I am still glad that I went, and I was very taken with the beauty...I had forgotten how beautiful this country really is, so it was nice to get away and take in my surroundings, which are easy to forget in the daily grind of work. If anyone is considering coming to vacation here, I would say NORTH COAST ALL THE WAY!!

... gives me the fortitude to be a good mother and role model for my<br>daughter.  Someday I'll share stories about these people, and I hope that<br>by doing so, my daughter will grow up to be sensitive and caring, and<br>hopefully, will have the same opportunity to offer her time and expertise to<br>those less fortunate than her.<br>I'm certain that I will be staying home for a while.  Only two semesters left<br>until graduation, so I have a long haul ...

... 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 ...

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 ...

... 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 ...

... being done with street kids who can get adopted into better families... an interesting concept. The school is for vocational stuff for poorer children that can help them get honest skilled jobs later and they have a current enrollment of 250 kids. The clinic is on the same property but is funded by the Clinton Foundation and was interesting to see, but was fairly empty while we were there. This along with CEPROSH (also funded by the Clinton's) help to ...

... by the time we get there, it will be over for sure. The bus came to pick us up at the hotel at 8:35am and it was STILL pouring. We arrived at Ocean World about an hour later, and it was still pouring torrential rains that were not giving up! This was to be the theme for the day, but despite the nasty weather, I think we still all had a good time. When we first got there, I went down to see the dolphins right away and was delighted to watch them swimming and coming ...

... Lest you get the wrong impression of my life here in the DR, my work is coming along and I seem to be getting busier and busier. I wanted to start off my youth group with a big fundraiser but I quickly realized that first we needed to be organized before we could attempt anything of that nature. We have been working a lot with concepts like what it means to be a leader, how we can be an example for the community, etc. I am really excited to work with ...

... just kidding :) I must have pondered how to find it long enough that my boyfriend re-appeared. He had found the cave and was going to guide me. That's easier said then done though, because try to swim together with eyes closed and a huge sound barrier from the falling water. And please people "holding hands and swim" does not work! So I had to get over myself since I now knew on which side the ...