Amhsa Casa Marina Bay Hotel Samaná Peninsula

... it as a way to save money. With the price of natural gas increasing, they cannot afford to cook on their more costly cook stoves. Finally, my last project is with a group of youth committed to improving the environment. My work with them is currently focused on gardening and composting as a way to help improve the soil quality and increase the quantity of organic fruits and vegetables. Of course, these are tried and true ...

... in their request for a follow-up volunteer. I'm thrilled to be working with such driven individuals and smart young women. The first three-months in my site are designed for me to complete a community diagnostic. This will help me learn more about my community and our specific needs. I will then go to a conference to co-present, along with the muchachas of Brigada Verde, the information learned. Some project ideas that I have at this ...

... Aside from hanging out in the OR, I also had my COS (close of serivce) conference in late January and made a quick trip to the beach with Paula in February. I am finishing up my projects in my site. In the next few weeks we will complete stove numbers 37-45 and be done with it!! I also had 15 more water filters delivered, which we are going to install for a total of 45. I am happy with how all of the work is turning out and I feel ...

... the whales with the slow response of the digital camera, you almost have to pre-empt their movements. Oh, what was cool was when the group swam under the boat, apparently curious of the sounds and vibrations of the boat. Of course we were all waiting with great anticipation to see where they would surface. That afternoon, after returning from the boat trip, we hired a scooter and went scootering around the peninsular. It was fantastic to have the freedom to go ...

Saturday, January 19, 2008 Welcome Festivities Dear Readers: My guidebook has a two-part walk through the Colonial District. We completed half yesterday, so Jim and I walked the second part this morning after breakfast. Fascinating buildings, an engineering college, tons of churches, shops and street vendors, and, of course, gorgeous people going about their regular Saturday morning routines ...

... which were incomprehensible to me because I do not speak or understand Spanish as well as I would like to) or went to the Village Clinic that we had set up in the first few days in what was called a "doctors office" but what looked more like an "exploded wreck of a building." My major contribution to the Village Clinic was setting up an enormous tarp that people sat under while they waited to see the doctor. It took us almost a full four hours of solid labor to set up the ...

We spent most of the afternoon in Boca Chica, a local beach which serves as a popular getaway and hangout for people in the capital. Though I've attempted to avoid allowing my ordeal to ruin my trip and bias my opinion of this country, my day at the beach was just a reminder of how common the swindles and robberies are. The grilled tilapia I ordered for $9 came with rice and a mess of scroungy lettuce and tomatoes ...

... an amazingly hard worker and is so dedicated to her site and her projects. She is also just a very positive, enthusiastic person, which was just good to see someone in such high spirits after a year here, because it can be stressful and discouraging...so it was good for me to see! She still lives with her host family, which most people do not do here, so that was interesting to see why she does and the benefits of it. I still ...

... never received it) and the fact that she became violently ill with stomach issues the second-to-last day of her visit. I was sure that she would never want to visit me again, but she claimed she had a great time and it all made the trip more interesting at least. Christmas this year was a bit better. I bought a stove-top oven pot so that I could make brownies. I didn´t tell anyone I had found a package of brownie mix or I would have been the shame of all dońas for ...

... by two years, they would ever get it together enough to be able to have productive meetings on their own when I was no longer in the DR. The next day, I attended mass (the padre from the church brings me back to Pimentel after the service so I don't have to pay a motorcycle taxi to take me all the way back) I noticed that I had accidentally left several posters from my talk on the wall behind the clergy which outlined the various symptoms and signs of ...