my adventures

where am i?

2011-09-03T11:39:00.001-05:00

I forgot, do I work at a school in Houston or in the DR.

Check out my friend (and coworker) Laura's blog for clarification.

yellowstone made the paper

2011-07-18T22:37:00.002-05:00

How is it that in just a couple of weeks I will be back setting up my classroom?!

reception at warehouse live

2011-07-18T22:35:00.001-05:00

they performed for everyone plus i got to see Cara!

jon and gunjen get married

2011-07-18T22:29:00.003-05:00

Summerfest

2011-07-18T22:06:00.002-05:00

Heard the likes of Tyagaraja, Black Joe Lewis, Big Boi, Bun B, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, Chromeo, Cut Copy, and Weezer. I even got to go backstage and meet some of these guys! Crazy! Pictures really can't capture this at all. Click here to see a video recap of the weekend.

highlights

2011-07-18T21:59:00.002-05:00

Field day towards the end of school.

Rachel finds a wedding dress!

Lake Travis is SO low

(see the boat ramp way up there...)

Houston Summerfest

Astros with Beth

halloween in july?

2011-05-26T20:46:00.002-05:00

So, I've been using my ipod to take pictures now which proves a bit more difficult to upload to my blog. Get ready for an influx of posts.

grilling out poolside

2011-05-26T20:38:00.002-05:00

Lauren and Austin, buffalo burgers, and a new summer flavor for Shiner- Ruby Redbird, what's not to love?!

I can taste you summer, you are SO close!!

gotta love her!

2011-05-26T20:35:00.001-05:00

shrimp boil on the beach

2011-05-26T20:20:00.003-05:00

I often forget how close Houston is to the beach, really should try to remember these things...

A group of us headed on down to Surfside (not too far from Galveston) for a day in the sun and water. The weather was absolutely perfect, we even got in the water. Later in the afternoon we had a shrimp boil, and what's a boil without some beer and sangria?!

We had an absolute blast!

lone star stampede

2011-05-26T20:10:00.003-05:00

This is the second year that Lauren and I have run the Lone Star Stampede, put on in Houston by the Texas Exes. Last year was the first timed race I ever ran, which began a spark for more races (including another 5K, 10K, and half marathon!)

This year we beat our overall time by 4:09, so we were very pleased. It was also cool to see everyone in their UT gear!

margaritas and nachos

2011-05-26T20:08:00.000-05:00

"This is your Easter basket." -Mom

rachel and greg

2011-04-21T21:29:00.002-05:00

My sister Rachel and her boyfriend Greg recently got engaged! I cannot wait for them to be in Houston this summer so I can give her a ginormous hug!

iphone 4 what! what!

2011-04-20T20:26:00.002-05:00

A new little bit of technology and a bit of updating for me! Here's to finally getting something new (and pretty spiffy if I do say so myself!)

If you never saw the phone that I had before, it was something really inexpensive that I got when I moved back from the DR coming up on three years now. I was starting to get made fun of a lot whenever "friends" saw it, much like people did (still do) with my camera.

gail and jt's new place

2011-04-17T20:53:00.008-05:00

This post is really for my mom and Rachel so they could see pictures, but everyone enjoy!

This is Gail and JT's new house that they just bought (my aunt and uncle). This weekend they drove in from Virginia to unload some things. They aren't moving permanently yet; it's going in stages.

For the past 15 years they have lived in a house that has been around since the Civil War. They did work projects on it throughout the years, and are wanting to do something similar once they retire and come back to Texas. They wanted an old house with a lot of land out in the country somewhere.

Front view of the house

Entry way

front (and most likely master) bedroom

future office

wardrobe that we put back together

apparently it comes apart so that the planks of wood can stack,

that way it can transport easily in the covered wagon

(no joke, that's how old it is)

master bath

dining area

future living room

second bedroom

future butler's pantry or living room add on

kitchen

bathroom

views from the house

amazing wrap around porch

side view of house

oh, evelyn.....

back view of house

meredith, carson, and evelyn

There are a lot of projects to do. It makes me think of that show on HGTV, Sarah's House, when she renovates that old farm house room by room.

The house is outside of Sealy, a little more than an hour outside of Houston. We were there for about five hours this afternoon, excluding drive time, helping out where we could and enjoying spending time with family.

overnight field trip

2011-04-17T20:19:00.007-05:00

Last week 4th grade traveled to San Antonio and Austin to see a bit of Texas history firsthand. Overall it was a great trip. Below is just a small glimpse of it all.

Our whole group in front of the Alamo.

Sadly, we couldn't take any pictures inside.

Wandering the grounds at the San Jose Mission.

The kids really liked the pretending to be officers inside the gift shop.

I think every kid wanted a picture, as did a couple of the teachers.

Bus ride heading to the hotel.

Hotel Valencia was super fancy. Each of those glass balls had a signature from someone who stayed there, including Tracy McGrady, Paula Abdul, Jennifer Lopez, and the Jonas Brothers.

We split off in our smaller groups and had dinner on the riverwalk

Our girls chose Rainforest Cafe, even though they got scared a couple of times.

We went to the Bob Bullock Museum in Austin.

We also went to the Capitol and Visitor's Center. It was a great and jam packed trip. We got back to the school late Monday night exhausted! A success indeed!

april fools

2011-04-03T21:22:00.003-05:00

On Friday, Schezelle and I decided to switch roles. I dressed up as her and she as me. You wouldn't think that this would be much of a change, but we look and dress completely different. When I got to school, there were so many stares. Some people didn't even recognize me. Others from a distance thought I was actually Schezelle.

Maybe I should back up. Schezelle is my assistant in the classroom. We make such a great team! She has a really cool style and her hair is awesome. (PQS- My fro couldn't fit in the car when I got in; I laughed aloud). Walking through the hallway, making the students call me by Schezelle's name, parents and visitors staring- oh, it was great! Staff and students alike were cracking up. Hey, nothing like a little comic relief to get you through the day! Below are a few pictures.

bartow!

2011-04-03T20:24:00.003-05:00

Meredith's boyfriend Bartow came in town from St. Louis for their three year anniversary. I cannot believe he and my little sis have been together for so long! I met up with them for drinks Friday after work. There weren't a whole lot of pictures from the weekend, but here are a few. Enjoy!

fun fun fun fun

2011-04-03T20:01:00.003-05:00

If you haven't seen Rebecca Black on youtube, make sure you watch the original first. Seeing as it has over 81 million views, hopefully you have. The past couple of Fridays I found myself singing the song in my head at work. I'll be honest, it did put a little pep in my step! Ha!

I saw Jimmy Fallon and Stephen Colbert's version of "Friday" this weekend. It makes me happy on so many levels! Ah, love it!

jamie gets married

2011-03-24T19:37:00.010-05:00

Phoenix for Spring Break with the fam!

Kelly and Evelyn always having to seat in the back.

Meredith, me, and Evelyn

with the bride!

crazy family pics.

if only I could list all the inside jokes of the weekend!!!!

all dressed up :)

greg and rachel

sisters!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

apparently i've got some new dance crave going

spring fever

2011-03-15T12:51:00.002-05:00

This semester has been one like no other. Trying to do my job as effectively and whole-hearted as possible has been quite difficult honestly. Each day presents itself with new challenges to work through and overcome. Our team has had to lean on God each day and trust that he is working in our classrooms. It is so amazing to me that teaching is not consistent nor is it simple. When you think you have one skill down or teach a subject effectively, the next day it's back to square one. I guess a lot of jobs are like that. Things constantly change and we have to continue to learn new approaches and find what works well for that particular group of students.

We are on spring break now, and for the past five days I've been on antibiotics, trying to kick whatever it is that I have. Thankfully I do have the time to rest, though it is not my ideal of a restful break. I guess I'll just have to wait and see how the rest of the week goes!

amos lee

2011-02-13T19:53:00.003-06:00

This past Saturday Jess and I went to hear Amos Lee at the House of Blues. He had such an amazing voice and put on such an awesome concert. A South African man opened, who had such unbelievable spirit and stage presence.

star wars cookies

2011-02-13T19:52:00.000-06:00

reason #714 why i love jess and griffin :)

settlers of cattan

2011-02-13T19:50:00.001-06:00

Why are board games so much fun? We think so at least, except for Anthony when I dominate!

marathon

2011-02-13T19:24:00.004-06:00

This past January, I ran the Houston Half Marathon. I don't really remember how I decided to run it, since the most I had ever run prior to signing up for it was 3 miles. Regardless, I trained and I did it and had a blast! I rained throughout the race, so that was interesting. My final time is about 10 minutes faster than what is shown in the picture because of the time I crossed the start line. Enjoy the pics and video!

hey february!

2011-02-13T19:17:00.004-06:00

Spring semester finds me busy as ever. How is it I still have pictures from Christmas to share? Well, I guess that's how it goes sometimes. Enjoy!

gingerbread cookies

2010-12-31T09:46:00.002-06:00

Christmas Eve was spent at my dad's house. We spent a lot of the morning baking all kinds of cookies. Carson (my little half-brother) wanted to help me make the gingerbread. He helped measure and pour and mix. Once the dough was formed, we carried it to the fridge because it needed to harden. As we put the dough in the fridge and placed it on the shelf, Carson said to me, "We both make a great team." Uhhh, have you ever heard anything so cute?!

Here we are with the dough before refrigerating it, and below is the mess we made.

Faith is Carson's little sister, my half-sister.

Evelyn working hard!

Yay for gingerbread cookies! They were quite tasty too!

All this cookie baking and picture taking makes me think of this, and that makes me happy :)

enough said

2010-12-31T09:36:00.001-06:00

smoked turkey

2010-12-31T09:22:00.002-06:00

Every year (well, starting last year) each staff member has received a fully cooked smoked turkey just before Thanksgiving. I decided to bust mine out of the freezer and have people over. We made smoked turkey sandwiches with homemade cranberry sauce, and it was de-licious!

Adam made the cranberry sauce and I will never go back to canned cranberries again. All it is is a 12 ounce bag of fresh cranberries, a cup of sugar, and a cup of orange juice. Just let it do its thing on the stove, and ta-da! you're finished!

Turkey and champagne- what a great combination! We actually used the champagne to make poinsettias (champagne with cranberry juice).

The meal was a big hit!

Sonja came in town for the weekend, so she was able to partake in the festivities!

Adam and Linden were there too!

All in all, a great night!

christmas party

2010-12-29T11:15:00.002-06:00

Our classroom Christmas party was a big hit. The kids decorated cookies, played a Christmas game, decorated ornaments, and completed Christmas word finds and crossword puzzles. Afterward they showed off their mad dance skills!!

staff dinner

2010-12-29T10:56:00.002-06:00

We had our first ever Christmas event for staff outside of Yellowstone. A big outing was planned to the original Ninfa's! It was so much fun gathering outside of school and having a good time celebrating the end of semester.

100 posts!

2010-12-23T11:42:00.002-06:00

Wow, I never thought that I would be able to blog so much! 100 posts in one year and still counting!

Here are a few highlights throughout the course of the year.

A video of our wonderful dog Dallas, showing the youngster how it's done.

Trip to San Francisco with Leticia to visit Laurin.

Moving Rachel to Omaha.

Going to great concerts, including this one.

Trip to the DR!!!!!!!!!!

Fun outings.

Weddings, including this one!!!

Great time with family.

new york :)

2010-12-20T14:47:00.004-06:00

Yes, its true. New York. Twice in one year. Heck yes.

So, Leticia moved to New York in August and I went for a quick visit for her birthday. I wasn't quite sure what the weather would be like, as it was my first trip to the Big Apple in December, but for some reason it did seem to make the holidays more apparent. What is it about cold weather that does that?!

When I landed into JFK I had to put on BOTH of my enormous peacoats (along with scarf and gloves) to feel somewhat warm. Fortunately it warmed up as the weekend progressed, though I guess I wouldn't've minded if it had snowed...

The next day we started the day off right by going to the hole in the wall Dominican restaurant. We thoroughly enjoyed chicharrones de pollo, arroz y habichuelas, tostones, y cafe con leche (claro). SO GOOD. Man, I miss the DR. Leti and I were talking about how very few people would have enjoyed that as much as we did. We were the only non-Dominicans in the place, the chef kept yelling out from the kitchen (spitting image and mannerisms of a cobrador, I kid you not), and we were only allowed to pay in cash. Ha!

That afternoon we tried to walk off the comida by doing some shopping. Christmas markets were set up everywhere. Vendors selling everything from knit hats to ornaments to jewelry to vegan hot chocolate (Poof, it was so good!). I may or may not was able to get quite a bit of Christmas shopping done. Check.

That night we went to this really cool restaurant called Burger and Barrel, and devoured gourmet burgers and a bottle of wine. The place had a really cool vibe, and the birthday dessert topped off the night!

The next day, Leti and I met up with my really great friend Daniel for brunch. His girlfriend Kelly met up with us and we walked around the city, taking in more Christmas markets, decorated Christmas trees, and ice skaters. We went up to Daniel's office (as it is in the heart of the city) and got some coffee out of the cold.

Later that afternoon as it started getting dark, we made our way to the tree at Rockefeller Plaza. All we could pretty much do was get a picture and skidattle. There were so many people there it was ridiculous!

We quickly escaped the crowds of tourists (after shooting a few more pictures) and explored more of the city that has become Leti's home. We passed Christmas trees for sale outside of mini-marts, and walked through markets and other groceries and stores off the beaten path. We had dinner in the East Village at this amazing Thai restaurant and after a bit more exploring made it back to her apartment in Queens.

It was a super quick trip, but so good and so worth it! Happy Birthday, Leti!!

dinner party

2010-12-19T12:34:00.004-06:00

The other day I went to a dinner party with new friends! You may remember my friend Lindsey, who went with me spur of the moment last year to a John Mayer and Michael Franti and Spearhead concert. She invited me to a dinner party with some of her Houston friends, Heather, Greg, and Bronson. We took a few pictures, unfortunately none of the food which was sad because it was dang good! Enjoy!

chase gets married

2010-12-12T19:42:00.004-06:00

My cousin Chase got married over the weekend, and it was definitely a family affair! Below are some highlights of the big night!

Siblings- Mike, Toddy, Larry, Dianne, Kathy, Cheryl

Pictured here with my grandma. man, she had a lot of kids!

Chase and Melina

cutting the cake

a proud father of the groom.
who would not stop filling people's wine glasses, i might add.

my grandparents back in the day

Brace yourself for the next pictures.........

my grandma kissing Evelyn's chest

thinking that it is hysterical

and finally posing for a "normal" picture

no words needed

reliving the glory days!

dynamite

2010-12-05T15:19:00.002-06:00

For your viewing enjoyment, here is a video that I found pretty entertaining.

thanksgiving

2010-11-28T19:14:00.000-06:00

With my mom being the youngest of six kids, our family gatherings tend to get rather large (as in around 50 people. huge!) Thanksgiving was a smaller group this year. There were twelve of us at the house, but we still had a great time.

My mom made pomegranate martinis. Yum! And what family function doesn't involve some sort of margarita and a plethora of beer?! Unfortunately, my body chose to be sick for four days, up through Thanksgiving. So I watched the fun as I sat with a constant sneeze and pounding headache, exactly what you want when you have off of work right?

My family loves to have a good time, and we've got some pretty darn good chefs as well which is a double bonus. My aunt Dee's homemade broccoli cauliflower (a take on broccoli rice casserole) was by far my favorite side dish this year (sorry, Mom).

Sonny and Dee

deliciousness

Evelyn and Rebecca
(how is it that there was only one cousin this year?!)

My mom's Jack Daniels Pie.
Yes, Jack Daniels. Yes, it is amazing.

Look familiar? See if you see the resemblance.

We played Catch Phrase that afternoon (of which I am a pro, sick or not). I found myself laughing so hard because each time the game got passed to the next person, a pair of glasses got passed as well. We eventually stopped using the timer because it took so long for the word to be read. Below is a clip of my grandma once she got the hang of how to play. Meredith and I could not stop laughing at how long it took her to start going and how slow she went. You may not think it is as funny as I do, but I guess I'm bias. Her word was "nature. " Watch as she tries to quickly describe it.

family time :)

2010-11-28T15:42:00.002-06:00

Family get togethers didn't happen over Thanksgiving this year, but actually the week before. Rachel and Greg flew down from Omaha for the Nebraska/A&M game. While Greg covered the game in College Station, Rachel was able to spend the weekend in Houston. With Meredith being home for school for the break, all four sisters were together for the first time since Rachel moved to Omaha.

It was so great having everyone together. We celebrated Meredith's birthday Friday night, and the next morning went over to our Dad's for brunch. Below is a picture of my half brother, Carson. He's at the fun age of thinking his big sisters can do no wrong and will always pose for a picture :)

Rachel got her Mexican food fix at Ninfa's the next night. (Noticing the pattern of how everything seems to be surrounded by food?...) After dinner, we went out and got drinks at Anvil (one day Evelyn will be able to join in!)

me, Meredith, Rachel

It was so great all being together, it makes me long for Christmas already!

riches

2010-11-01T21:08:00.002-05:00

It seems as though this topic of conversation has come up more than one recently. The link below let's you know how your wealth compares to that of the rest of the world. It really puts things into perspective. Check it out.

http://www.globalrichlist.com/

halloween

2010-10-31T20:00:00.005-05:00

Last night I went to a Halloween pub crawl with a handful of friends. For the past couple of years, I feel like I have done a good job of thinking of a good last minute costume that doesn't cost a thing. This year, I had a bit more difficulty. I came up with my idea just hours before the crawl, and believe it or not was able to find every part of the costume at my mom's house. I really lucked out because this costume idea was pretty stellar.

Take a look at the picture below and see if you can guess who I went as...

If you know me at all, you know that there are certain things I love and that make me happy. Musicals is one of those things. Maybe that will help in figuring it out.

Yes, that's right. Sue Sylvester from Glee. It was awesome!

When I showed Terry my costume, he thought I was dressed as my grandma. (Which made my entire family burst out laughing because that is totally the kind of outfit she would wear and her hair looks really similar).

The pub crawl was great, though we ended up just staying at Anvil out on their porch and people watching the whole night. Great fun! I loved how everyone got really into it. There were some really great costumes.

Griffin and Jess as Charlie Brown and Lucy

Mary and J.D. as a flapper girl and gangster

Adam as the stock market, Sue, Katie as Robin Hood

I should have used the whistle to get through the crowds.
Anvil was packed.

"People have forgotten the true meaning of Halloween. Fear."

Group shot

Leslie, Katie, Jess, and Mary

Alex and Griffin

I thought this was funny...

An all-around fun night!

apartment pics :)

2010-10-31T19:22:00.004-05:00

I still would like a kitchen table, but other than that I'm set!!

rough days and good friends

2010-10-23T16:52:00.003-05:00

In the past day, a really beautiful thing happened.

Well, first really really crappy horrible things happened, but then something great.

Work has presented some struggles that I have never faced before of this caliber. I mean, two really bizarre, tough, confusing days. In a place of complete brokenness, I have witnessed Houston friends step up in an incredible way. Thanks for the encouragement and amazing acts of kindness to get me through the week, and a special shout out to Linden for things that thankfully we can laugh about now!

weekend in austin :)

2010-10-19T21:16:00.005-05:00

This weekend I got to see my "Dominican" friends stateside! Jim and Teresa White were in town, so we all got together and had dinner Friday night in Austin. It was so good to see old friends and catch up with everyone.

Laurie with her babies Sam and Levi. Sam was working his shirt :)
Isaak being really sweet with Levi by covering him in his blanket and rocking him to sleep.

Teresa, Robin, and Barb

Sharla, Jim, Barb, Anne, Teresa, and Garrett

Anne, me, Laurin, and Kate

The next morning I drove out to Lake Travis and spent the rest of the weekend on the lake with my good friend and co-worker, Linden, for her birthday! The weather was absolutely perfect! We went for a 4 mile run through the hills Saturday morning, spent time out on the boat, managed to get back in time for the Texas game (hook 'em!), and celebrated her birthday that night! Such a fun time!

Drew, Linden, and Claire

Linden getting set to ski!

She's totally rocking it!

I thought I'd give it a go!

Skiing outside of the wake. I've still got it!

Look at that view! Happy bday, Linden!

macy's wedding

2010-10-13T19:17:00.008-05:00

This past weekend my mom, Rachel, Evelyn, and I went to Tulsa for Macy's wedding. Our families have been friends for years, even after they moved to Oklahoma. Below are pictures of the big day!

Rachel and I at the rehearsal dinner.

Mom and sisters at ONEOK field before the wedding.

They were married at home plate.

Taking the trolley back to the hotel for the reception.

John and MacyMom and mother of the bride, Tori!

Photographer grooms cake

reception

This picture below makes me laugh.

Evelyn and I were in this picture as well, but I like it better this way.

Vodka tonic was the drink of the night.

Let the dancing begin!

Evelyn and I with the sisters of the bride, Shelby and Kellner. Rachel was a party pooper.

me and Kellner

Can you believe we were in the same 1st grade class?!

Evelyn being Evelyn!

Drove a standard Porsche from the hotel to brunch the next morning. It was pretty sweet!

Such a fun weekend with family and close friends! The only thing that would have made it better was if Meredith was there!

jess and griffin get married!!

2010-10-05T21:40:00.006-05:00

This past weekend in Austin, dear friends Jess and Griffin tied the knot. Below are a few pictures that captured the big day. My friend Sarah took the wedding pictures, and they are amazing! Check them out on her blog Fish Lips Photography.

classroom setup for a new school year

2010-10-05T21:34:00.003-05:00

kate and anthony get married!

2010-10-05T21:31:00.002-05:00

Apparently I was more interested in capturing the cakes than the actual people at the wedding....

world cup news

2010-10-05T21:18:00.002-05:00

Over the summer (wow, its now October...) at Discovery Green in Houston just after World Cup ended there was a promotional soccer expedition before the MLS All Star game. There were tons of soccer personnel and local celebrities. Lauren, Sarah, and I got a picture with Alexi Lalas. Pretty cool!

dallas

2010-09-29T18:41:00.005-05:00

So, I have some news that makes me really sad, and its hard to believe that it is actually true. My dog Dallas died over the weekend (during the UT game to be exact). She had some complications and didn't have much energy, so she went to the vet and spent two nights there. Saturday morning my mom went and picked her up, and while they were outside her breathing patterns were off. She died in my mom's arms, sitting outside on the sidewalk. Poor, sweet Dallas. She was 12. Below are the few pictures and videos that I could find on my computer. I know that my opinion is bias, but she really was the best dog in the world.

up and running!

2010-09-21T21:43:00.002-05:00

Today my internet and cable was installed at my apartment, finalmente.

On another note, the AT&T guy that was here was Dominican.

I kid you not.

How do I know this, you ask?

Our conversation starter was the Brugal rum sitting on my bar.

YES.

get excited about more frequent posts!

settling in

2010-08-19T20:47:00.002-05:00

So, for the past week or so I have been thoroughly enjoying settling into my new place. I still don't have internet set up, and still not sure if I'm going to have cable (right now there isn't even a tv).

Regardless, everything has its place. Things acquired from Spain, Morocco, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Mexico fill my apartment, instead of boxes in the garage. This makes me very happy.

I also bought a car, which I will save for another blog.

In-service at school has been going on the past couple of weeks, and the kids come on Monday!

(I thought about having people over tonight to see the new place; I don't know what I was thinking!)

Needless to say, it has been very busy as of late! And all without internet to document! My internet in the classroom hasn't worked since I've gone back to school either, so... that's cool...

This weekend I am making myself break away from being consumed with school, and heading to Austin for Leticia's send off to NYC!!

When I get internet I'll post pictures of all the things listed above. I can't handle going to book stores, or coffee shops, or my mom's house every time I need to get online! Any recommendations for the best provider? Comcast, AT&T, Clear? Thoughts?

houston dynamo game

2010-08-03T22:11:00.002-05:00

I went to a Houston Dynamo game Saturday night with Lauren, Austin, and James Brown. I had no idea how intense fans could be and I loved that everything was in English and Spanish! They played the New York Red Bulls, and though they were down one player came back to tie the game in the last minute. The stadium erupted! Two young fans ran out onto the field, and it took the overweight security several minutes to catch the culprits. Very entertaining!

tiffany gets married!

2010-08-03T22:03:00.003-05:00

Tiffany, my aide at Yellowstone this past year, got married on Saturday afternoon at Houston Garden Center in Herman Park. She was so beautiful!

moving!

2010-08-03T22:01:00.001-05:00

Saturday I moved into my new apartment. I don't have pictures yet, but I did get a shot of one of my helpers. His t-shirt says it all!

a midsummer night's dream

2010-08-03T21:30:00.003-05:00

Last Friday, a group of us went to Miller Outdoor Theater to see A Midsummer Night's Dream. Lauren and I got there early to claim a spot on the hill close to the front. Lauren made this awesome pesto chicken inside a pita and a pasta salad with feta, and hummus. Yum! No glass bottles allowed so I bought a box of wine (classy, I know) but it was actually pretty good.

mls all stars vs. manchester united

2010-08-03T20:41:00.003-05:00

Last week the MLS All Stars played Manchester United in Reliant Stadium. It was the largest attendance for a soccer game at Reliant with over 70,000 people in attendance.

A group of 8 of us went, though our seats were split 4 and 4. Nathaniel, Austin, Lauren, and I sat together and Sarah, Joe, Laura, and Andrew sat just a couple rows in front of us. We had such a blast watching the game, and of course hanging out beforehand.

Houston's own Brian Ching with the Houston Dynamo scored one of the All Stars' goals. There was also an appearance by Landon Donovan in the second half.

school videos

2010-07-25T19:55:00.002-05:00

teaching at the school

kids singing, notice regina in the corner!

videos, as promised

2010-07-25T12:09:00.002-05:00

girls bathing in Chichigua

guys singing at tropicoco

ben throwing and spitting fire

jon singing at the river

el fin

2010-07-23T17:15:00.003-05:00

On Thursday, Maria told me that I should come to her salon (house) so that she could do my hair so that I would be pretty for the airport. Gotta love Dominican honesty. For some reason, Benjamin wanted to document the whole thing, and since my camera came back to life, he went and got it.

After hair is fixed, Dominicans put their hair in what they call a "tu-be" (I like to think of it as a turban) so that your hair doesn't get messed up. When my hair was all wrapped around my head like a turban, Benjamin yelled out laughing "Camila en tube." I guess its funny seeing non-Dominicans like that or something...

I spent some time with the girls before leaving, sadly they all had to be at work around the time I needed to go to the airport. Never fear- the Dominicans are here! Benjamin and Merlin drove me to the airport along with 2 of their neighbors to see me off.

Beach view from the plane! Until we meet again...

wrapping up

2010-07-23T15:27:00.005-05:00

My last few days in the DR were great. I went with Cara and Jeferson and ran the malecon in Puerto Plata Monday morning (about 4.2 miles! yeah baby!) and spent some time in Pancho Mateo that afternoon visiting with Katy, Judy's family, Yoslena and Francesa, and Sili's family.

Tuesday morning I went to the beach and had breakfast at the German bakery, and then laid in the sun for a few hours and got in the water. There was no one else there; oh, how I love Cabarete! Later that afternoon I went to Chichigua to say bye to everyone. We read "The Three Musketeers" in Spanish.

That night we went and had dinner at Edwin and Elianira's house, a couple that the girls have gotten to know while living in Monte Llano. They have one of the nicest houses I have seen in this country. Read about that night here. Thanks Robin!

Wednesday I went out to Caraballo to see Miguel's family and visit with them some. I didn't even recognize their house because a big front porch was added; it looks awesome! I was really bummed about not getting a picture of them. I took my camera out just to see, and believe it or not it came back to life!

Pictured below are: Aunt China, Maria, Ana holding Marcos (Angelina's baby), Mama Morel, Daniel, and Juan Manuel (Ana's husband Manuel's son). Angelina ran away because her hair wasn't fixed. I chased after her, but it was no use.

Daniel gave me (and Ana) a ride to Pancho Mateo. I spent a lot of time visiting with Sili's family. There have been some really great conversations had there. Before I left it started pouring; Sili walked around with me as I said bye to everyone. I whipped the camera out again at the Cheriza house and got a picture of all the kids, and got one of Sili as well.

Pictured below- Sandy, Eduardo, Ricardo, Manuela, Damalia, Nicauri (who was tiny when I left and had the name Estefani, but apparently their dad didn't like that name as much), and Dionel

dancing!

2010-07-22T09:46:00.002-05:00

That night, Cara, Jeferson, Johan, and I went dancing in Puerto Plata at Rancho Tipico (a local place filled with tons of Dominicans plus me and Cara). Finalmente!!! Merengue! Bachata! Salsa! YES! It was so much fun! Johan is an awesome Dominican dancer, and I was able to brush up on my steps. We had a blast! For most of the night we had to switch off dancing songs so two people could guard the table. Ha! SUCH a fun night!! Johan said that we beat Cara and Jeferson, not that it was a competition or anything, but I'll take that compliment! Thanks for a great night, Face!

motor cross

2010-07-22T09:45:00.001-05:00

After my short lived trip to the beach, I went with Cara and Jeferson to a motor cross race. Yeah, who knew they had those here?!

I'll write more when I get Cara's pictures from her phone!

where's waldo?

2010-07-21T16:48:00.003-05:00

Sunday morning I went to the beach early to sit and read and hear the waves crash against the shore- well, that was the plan at least. I forgot one thing, Sunday is the designated day that Dominicans travel from all over the island to go to the beach for the day. They bring music and ice chests of food and drinks, and make it a big party. All of this can be great fun, but not when my plan was to be tranquila.

It was so crowded, kids were literally playing ball OVER my beach chair and people were everywhere so there were constantly people yelling RIGHT behind me to their friends across the way.

I immediately thought of Where's Waldo? or which one of these things is not like the other? I stood out like a soar thumb, the gringa with her ipod and book surrounded by Dominicans going every which way. Sadly, I couldn't get my camera to turn on, but the picture I wanted to capture was of my feet in the beach chair with the deep blue ocean in the background filled with Dominicans swimming in the water.

food and beach

2010-07-21T16:20:00.003-05:00

I mean, what else is there really?!

So, the last post was from Thursday and today is Wednesday... It is so hard to remember what all has gone on when I don't have pictures! In short, I got back from the capital on Friday and that afternoon Ashley, Kendall, and I went to the beach.

The weather has been acting crazy, and it began to rain an hour or so after we got there. Fortunately we stayed under the covering of Villa Taina (a hotel but also has a bar/restaurant right on the beach) talking and visiting and reading, so there was no need to move. We had a great time, even though we never did get any sun.

Saturday went to the grocery store in Puerto Plata to get some things and use the internet, and when we got back had lunch at the neighbor's house. Gloria lives across the street from the girls and she made rice and beans and chicken and had boiled carrots and broccoli and some other vegetable that I can never remember the name of in Spanish and haven't a clue what it is in English because I never saw it before the DR. Anyway, gotta love Dominican hospitality!

With the groceries that I picked up, we made dinner at Maria's house. Rubia made guandules con coco and bacalao con papas and plantanos fritos (rice and lentils made with coconut milk and some sort of dried fish with potatoes in a tomato sause and fried sweet plantains). So good.

colonial city

2010-07-19T18:35:00.002-05:00

Thursday we walked around the colonial city in Santo Domingo; it houses the first cathedral in the Americas built in the early 1500s, along with fortresses and palaces built hundreds of years ago where Columbus' family lived. Really cool stuff.

Find out more about the capital here.

Since we were in a group of about 10, this Dominican guy tried to make us pay 250 pesos a person to see the cathedral even though it should be free. I started arguing with him in Spanish. After about 10 minutes, it was me verses four Dominicans. I stood my ground though and after arguing with them for literally about 20 minutes, they let us in for free. Victory! It was a combination of feeling an complete and total annoyance for all Dominicans who try to take advantage of foreigners and a sense of pride and accomplishment for standing up to a group of Dominicans and arguing my way in Spanish until finally they submitted. Ha!

Despite that minor setback in the morning, the day was really incredible because we were able to see so much history that I thought you could only find in Europe or Asia.

I'm waiting to see if I can track down some pictures elsewhere to share, and am giving my camera one more chance at redemption. We'll see...

iglesia

2010-07-18T16:24:00.003-05:00

That night (Wednesday) we went to Cristina and Claudio's church. It is housed in their own home. They fill their living area with plastic chairs and the rest stand at the front door, porch, and even go into the street.

Cristina didn't tell her daughter Ruht (I always thought her name was spelled Ruth, but its not) that I was coming, so it was so great to see her smiling face when I got there, along with Manuela and Ashley's.

We arrived late because we were coming from dinner at this really cool restaurant on the malecon (boardwalk), and still had the whole crew with us- including Cristina and Claudio. Their house was already filled with people when we pulled up. (I love that everything is so laid back here, and being on time is used very loosely!)

I'm not going to write the details of the service here, but it was a really special time to see this Haitian church worship and learn together and so great to see how a dear friend does life in a new city.

santo domingo

2010-07-18T15:32:00.002-05:00

Tuesday night I hopped on public and headed to the White's house in Santiago. They had planned a trip to the capital with a college group for the next day and since Cristina moved there, I tagged along with them to be able to go and see her!

Wednesday morning I set off with Jim and Teresa and 8 college students from APU in California for Santo Domingo. We met Cristina and Claudio once we got to the city. It was so good to get to see her again! They came with us to drop our things off at the guest house where we were staying that night. At the guest house we met up with a Dominican couple, Antonio and Yulisa, and their two little boys. Antonio used to be the leader of a gang in the capital and now does street ministry on those same streets.

We traveled for about an hour from the guest house (though still in the capital) to a leper colony, and spent a couple of hours there passing time with the people there. I ended up being translator for some of the people in the group so that everyone could communicate with each other. Some of the people there have so much energy and passion for life; it was incredible to see.

Music is one thing that never seems to separate people from being able to communicate. I sang some songs that I knew in Spanish from church and teaching, and they sang others. Many people were missing limbs and others had stubs for fingers or bodies that were slightly distorted, but that was really the only difference between us.

You cannot get leprosy from coming in contact with it, so there was no hesitation to shake hands or give hugs. Overall it was a really great day, and I was humbled by the joy that they have despite the physical handicaps of everyday life.

tuesday afternoon

2010-07-18T14:58:00.003-05:00

Tuesday was quite a busy day. After seeing the kids at the school and watching Ronal get bandaged up, I went with Odilcia to buy chicken for lunch. (The kids receive breakfast and lunch at school). There is a little colmado (convenient store-ish) down the street from the school where we went. Odilcia bought the ingredients needed to cook lunch. The woman there was cutting up whole chickens (including cutting off the toenails on the claws of the chickens) and weighing them for us.

We went back to the school and she began cleaning and preparing the chicken to cook. I decided to leave the school and walk over to Pancho Mateo. You can either go the long way and cross the bridge or right by the school is a place where you can cross the river on foot. (Taking a moto is always an option as well, but who wants to pay for that?!) I opted for the quick route. Below is the scenic view as I approached the rio.

As you can see, it is the designated place to dump your trash. Awesome. Fortunately it hadn't rained in a few days, so it wasn't really that muddy getting to the river and it was shallow enough to cross without getting my shorts wet.

I took a book with me to Pancho and read to Elsa and Marta and a handful of other kids that were in the area. I spent some time with Sili and he walked with me back to where I crossed the river. I tried to get a picture, but my camera wouldn't turn on. (Maybe the quick fix of some air and tape didn't cut it...)

Back at the school, I met up with Odilcia to travel back to Los Algodones where she lives. I wanted to see her boys, but also see a family from Chichigua that moved there. It took forever to get there on the moto, and the gravel road we took to get there was horrible. My legs were sorer after that ride than they were when I was on the horse.

When I got there I spent some time with Odilcia and more time with Miquet, Rosland, Alfredo, and Eduardo. They are all doing well and have grown up so much. Most people living there are Haitian so they spoke more Creole than Spanish. I didn't take a picture while I was there, but below is a picture of the family from a couple of years back.

Wow, looking at that picture I can really see how much they have grown! I found out that Miquet's husband died last October; I'm not sure if that is why they moved or not.

I went back and sat with Odilcia for a bit. Sitting on her porch looking at the other identical houses in a row which led to the backdrop of beautiful, lush green mountains glistening in the sun- I don't think a painting could have been more beautiful. It was probably the most beautiful scenery I have ever seen in this country. I took my camera out to try and capture it, but it still wouldn't turn on. Dang it.

After saying my goodbyes and making the long trek back on the moto, I got my stuff together to head back to Santiago that night because in the morning we were headed to the capital!

robin y ronal

2010-07-17T10:31:00.002-05:00

That same day, Ronal was up at the school getting his hand fixed from a motorcycle accident. Even though his hand was bandaged, it didn't prevent him from trying to get avocados down from the trees! (Ronal was one of my students in Chichigua).

Ronal and Robin have a really special relationship so I wanted to make sure I got some pictures of the two of them before she leaves. Enjoy Rubi!

singing

2010-07-17T10:27:00.004-05:00

The next day I went back to the school for a bit to visit with the kiddos before classes started. I got one picture with a handful of former students, and another with two of my favorites- Eduardo and Manuela. Everyone has gotten so big!

At the start of school, they sing songs. I got some videos of this and will upload them once I get home. Here the kids are in their class lines getting ready to start singing.

the ruben family

2010-07-17T07:39:00.003-05:00

After being at the school, eating Dominican food with Cara's fam before they headed back to the states, and recuperating from being in the heat, I headed to Pancho Mateo later that afternoon. I decided to put on my tennis shoes and run through Monte Llano, over the bridge, and into Pancho Mateo. I soon realized why I liked running in the morning- no one is up yet to yell at you as you are running by! Nevertheless, it felt good to run there and back regardless of the stares and cat calls. I stayed at one house the whole time in Pancho Mateo, visiting with Sili's family.

I love spending time with them so much; they are such an amazing family and though they are surrounded by life in the slums (and them being poor themselves), somehow this family is set apart. The two eldest daughters are in their late teens maybe even early 20s by now, Celiana and Elisa, and are still "unmarried" and help out with chores around the house. Sili turns 14 the day after I leave, words can't express how great this kid is! Elsa is around 9 and super sweet, and the youngest Marta (who is actually the daughter of an older brother who lives elsewhere) is such a hoot!

I sat outside of their house with them for a couple of hours until it started to get dark. Their mom is such an incredible woman. Right now they are living in a friend's house because they are reconstructing theirs out of cinder block. There isn't work going on now with the house though because of a shortage of money.

Marta and I started doing hand clapping games and Elsa helped her sing songs to go along with them. Then they started singing songs they learned from school, and I was able to join in.

As the sun started to go down, I headed back to the apartment in Monte Llano. I'm really going to miss this family when I go back to the states.

la bandera

2010-07-17T07:36:00.004-05:00

I finally got to eat a typical Dominican plate- some kind of meat (in this case chicken), a huge serving of rice, and beans to pour on top. So good.

mercedes

2010-07-17T07:27:00.002-05:00

There is a family near the school that I enjoyed spending time with. Mercedes' sweet kids were always hanging around the school. She had just had a baby when I left 2 years ago named Jeidi (pronounced Hay-di), and now has another baby girl named Camila! There is actually another girl who is in the younger class at school named Camila, she is Luigi's little sister. It's funny hearing your name being called when it's not you they are referring to. However, I found out that there is a soap opera called Camila (or a soap opera character, not sure), so that's probably where they are getting the name from!

Regardless, it was so great to spend some time with her. She asked about Emily and Hayley, and wanted them to see this picture, so here you go!

estaciones

2010-07-12T20:48:00.003-05:00

Summer classes started again today for the Makarios school. The kids go through four stations, visiting each teacher.

Kim, with help from the kiddos, did a couple of science experiments. The first was using baking soda and vinegar to make a balloon blow up, and the second was making quicksand with water and cornmeal, I believe. They thought it was so cool, and really so did I because I had never seen that before.Robin talked about the letter "o," and played word games with the kids. Later she spoke of different images on the computer and had them identify the colors they saw.

Johan, Benjamin's brother, taught Bible; first showing them a video about Moses as a child, then later reading and discussing what happened with Moses as an adult.

Ashley had the students make a pizza by coloring toppings and cutting and pasting them to a paper plate.

Really so much more took place, I just saw glimpses of each as I walked around. It was really neat to see how hard they are working to teach these kids; they really care for them so much. Everything was so organized, and functioned so well. They even have been hiring more local staff to help out in the classrooms.

perla's birthday

2010-07-12T20:16:00.004-05:00

Though it seems that all my friends in the DR are families that I worked with closely, (which for the most part is true), I was able to branch out some. Two friends in Monte Llano that I got close to were Perla and Benjamin, and before I came back for a visit got REALLY excited to see both of them. I got really excited then when I realized that I would be here for Perla's birthday.

The BIG THING is to go to a movie theater and then eat pizza at the American chain pizza joint located right next to it. You can't get that anywhere near where we are though. So it was an evening in Santiago, the second largest city in the country located about an hour and a half inland.

Perla, Benjamin, and I caught a public car to Puerto Plata, and from there took a bus to Santiago. Once in Santiago, we took another public car to the apartment where her college roommate Sori lives. From there we took public to the mall where all things American are located.

Perla wanted to see Toy Story 3, but it wasn't playing anymore that night. We ended up seeing the last Shrek, I forget what it is called in English, or Spanish for that matter. It was dubbed in Spanish, so unfortunately the voices of Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, and Cameron Diaz were not heard. I'm pretty confident though that Antonio Banderas still did the voice for the cat.

We split a Hawaiian pizza and a Pepsi from Papa John's, realized how much I am going to miss fresh pineapple in this country.

Afterward, Sori caught a public car back to her apartment and we went to the bus stop. Since there are not as many passengers going, you completely fill up a small van before venturing off to Puerto Plata. Americans would say that the van would have held about 8 people, there were 14 of us. We got the worst seats- a bench right behind the driver facing the first row of seats. Our legs intertwined with the people sitting across from us for an hour and a half. Fun.

I didn't think anything of it, but it was one of those things that if your mom knew what you were doing she think you were crazy because here we were riding back with a van full of strangers through Dominican landscape in the pitch black midnight hour. It honestly made me chuckle thinking about it, my leg cramping up as it was pressing against another.

Again, such another fun night and I was so excited to get to spend time with these two!

Enjoy the pictures below just before and after the movie. me, Benjamin, Perla, and Sori

Benjamin for some reason has fake glasses, which for some reason I sported for a bit out of curiosity.

horses and pigs

2010-07-12T19:32:00.002-05:00

Sunday was just another day at the farm! Fairly early that morning I went to Chichigua for my promised horseback ride. Tipiz owns four horses, for now he just using them to get to his work so I'm not sure what the other three are doing. (Tipiz is Marlena's husband). Regardless, there was one for me to ride so I was happy!

We rode all back behind that wall that was put up to block the view of Chichigua from what will eventually be a resort. The view on the other side is so pretty. We rode all around there, but unfortunately couldn't get any pictures.

We also rode down the road that leads back to the main street, and also back behind Chichigua where the pig stalls, large pond for bathing, and lots of mango trees are. The view below is looking at the backside of Chichigua. Everyone thinks that it is hysterical that I know how to ride a horse and that I enjoy doing it. Tipiz's daughters don't ride, but Felipe does. We passed a man on the road and the two began speaking in Creole. The only thing I could understand was when the man asked if I was Tipiz's woman. (He responded "no").After the ride, I sat in on the last part of Haitian church. It was miserably hot, and the only words I understood were "church," "Jesus," and "fornication." Fortunately it ended soon after.

Emilio said his dad wanted to say hi to me because I hadn't seen him since being back. We walked back behind Chichigua to the pig stalls. He owns a large mama pig that had given birth to 12 piglets the night before. These guys were tiny, umbilical cords still attached and all.

We stood there for a while often in silence, but also commenting on the pigs. Why runts were always the last to come out, the mama pig though insanely massive is smaller than her mother, who was sold for 11,000 pesos, how there's no money for food for the mama, etc. It was so interesting, who knew it was possible to talk about pigs for so long? Pigs are pretty sick animals, sick meaning dirty. The mama passed what he referred to as "the sack," and then rolled over on to it. It was hard for me not to gag, but I got over it soon enough. He threw it out using a stick to pick it up, and then we all just went on passing time staring at the pigs.

cosas

2010-07-12T15:18:00.004-05:00

Friday when I got back from Santiago, I caught up with the girls for a bit and then made my way to Chichigua. Marlena was back from Haiti; her father died there so she had been with family. It was a sudden death, so her mom had been taking it really hard.

Marlena is the mother of Monis, Kikina, Yaina, and Felipe (there's one more too, but these were my students). I have spent a lot of time with them, so it was nice to spend some time with Marlena.

Her husband invited me to ride horses on Sunday (he has them for his job), so I am excited about that. I rode his horse once before when I was living here; everyone in the village got a big kick out of that!

Below are some pictures while in Chichigua with the crazy kiddos.

Rebecca, crazy Franchesca, and her baby sister Estefani

Kikina.
It's a miracle that she is 17 and beautiful and still without kids. Love it!little Wilner

His mom died of AIDS while I was living there. Now his godmother takes care of him.Back to Monte Llano, I needed to go buy some fruit to have something else for dinner besides cereal. (Clearly I need to go back to the market for some groceries…) Kendall offered her bike, and so off I went riding through the town (made me realize what a great thing a bike is to have here!)

I bought a cantaloupe and a mango, and then started to head back on a different route. Rachel was at her house, so I stopped and visited for a while. She really is so great. We had a glass of wine, and soon realized how late it had become.

Robin, Ashley, and Kendall were planning a little neighborhood party that night at the house for Robin as her time finishes here at the end of the month. (Cara's family is still in town, so she was with them at their hotel). Rachel was planning on going, so we put the bike in the back of her truck and headed that way.

The girls made cookies, fruit salad, and banana bread and neighbors brought things too. Most people there I didn’t know, but did see some familiar faces. We had a great time, and it was beautiful seeing Robin spend time with the people she loves in this country.

The hostesses- Kendall, Robin, and Ashley

me and Benjamin

Robin and Maria

santiago

2010-07-12T14:18:00.010-05:00

I went to Santiago to see Leti off and to spend time with the Whites. Bye Cosa!

Leticia left Thursday morning, and later that day we set off for the land the Whites purchased. It was so great to finally see all the progress they had done and the vision they have for the 12 acres. Below is just a glimpse. Hearing Jim talk about it all made me wish I was an engineer.

That night was Ben's last night so we all went out to dinner in downtown Santiago. I could not tell you the name of the restaurant, but oh my goodness, the name we gave it was very suiting. "The Cowboy Restaurant."

We pull up to this large, open place right off the main road and the first thing I notice is a large stagecoach above the entrance covered in Christmas lights. Two men dressed as cowboys from head to toe are there to greet us. Yes, you heard right, cowboys.

The restaurant was all open air so there was a good breeze in the corner on the balcony level where we were sitting. Everything was so good. A few people got steaks, and maybe I should have too to stick with the theme.

I figure though, why not experience the culture and the food where you are. I opted for a Dominican dish- octopus with a side of smashed yuca. Despite what you might think from the picture, it was actually quite tasty!

Jim (with knife and fork in hand!) and Teresa

I wanted to get a picture of the whole family together, and this was really the only time to do so. I never thought it would be behind ropes and haystacks and holding shotguns.
Ben, Ella, and Carrie

I wanted to get a picture with all the cowboys that were walking around the restaurant (regardless of the fact I felt like a total tourist). I told him I was from Texas, and then he started shouting out all of the phrases he knew that seemed western. By the time we took the picture, I couldn't keep a straight face! Overall, such a fun and entertaining night with good friends.

cafe tropical

2010-07-10T08:42:00.002-05:00

There is a little cafe at the grocery store, where we went for dinner last Monday with all the girls we are staying with (minus Cara whose family is still here). There is a TV that plays music videos. We may or may not have witnessed Celine Dion's Vegas show, I kid you not!

4th of july

2010-07-09T09:52:00.001-05:00

burgers, corn on the cob, potato salad, chips and salsa- yes, please!

at the condo where cara's family is staying- comfy couches and internet!

even though there were no fireworks, we still had a great time!

before and after

2010-07-09T09:44:00.004-05:00

All of the kids that I have seen so far have grown so much, particularly the guys- they look like grown men! I was at Katy's house and this guy walked in to visit. I soon realized it was a former student, Yodanny. Keith R and I would always call him Shack because he always wore a Laker's jersey with Shaquille's name and number on the back. He always had the biggest smile! He actually is just as friendly and such a sweet boy (though he gave a blank stare for the camera this go around). We talked for a while and read, and told stories. Look and see how much he has grown!

eating fruit on the beach

2010-07-09T09:41:00.001-05:00

yeah we did! and it was GOOD!

more beach life

2010-07-09T09:30:00.002-05:00

dinner at LAX. yum!

Group shot after dinner- me, Kendall, Leti, Ashley, and Rachel

We ran into Ariel and Jessi after dinner

Leti, Kendall, Robin

Ariel and Jessi

did i mention?

2010-07-09T09:28:00.002-05:00

Leticia and I got bumped to first class when we flew into Santiago. What?! Never has that happened before, and it was amazing!

cristina

2010-07-08T22:00:00.002-05:00

Cristina moved to the capital earlier this year, so I was nervous that I wouldn't be able to see her. She came into Santiago and surprised me by coming to the airport to get me.

I went to Santiago Wednesday after the beach to see Leticia off and spend some time with the Whites. It was during this time that Cristina and her husband Claudio came to the Whites to talk with Jim.

We got to spend more time together which was really great. I think that next week I am going to take a trip to the capital to see her again and also see her kiddos.

una vez mas

2010-07-08T12:21:00.007-05:00

Look at that little glimpse of the Cabarete beach; its calling you to it!

We decided to go to Cabarete one last time before Leti left for Austin because, well, we can!

Randomly ran into Ben and his fiance Ella while we were there.

We saw this guy with a huge fan strapped to his back, and underneath it was a gas tank. Perplexed as to what in the world this guy was doing, a short time later heard something and then saw him flying over the beach. Um, yes please.

How cool is that?!

Sitting in the shade of the palm trees.

Thanks, Cabarete!

sancocho al rio

2010-07-06T19:29:00.009-05:00

Tuesday I went to the river with Cara's family and a whole bunch of Dominican friends. They made sancocho, a Dominican stew that has chicken, ham, yuca, plantains, potatoes, carrots, broccoli, and auyama (squash/pumpkin). Can you say delicious?!

The river was more of a swimming hole, and the water was absolutely freezing. After eating the hot cancocho in this Dominican heat, we were more than ready to get wet. We had such a blast! It's been so fun going to places that I didn't get to see while I was here.

Cara and Jefferson before the river sporting the sunglasses Barb brought.

Leti opted not to go.

La familia de Cara- Mike, Barb, and Jon

Benjamin with his niece and nephew Anthony and Rosi

Once we got there, Jon busted out his guitar and started belting it. The Dominicans were mesmerized by his song. It was short lived though because soon after more people came and their trucks blasted Dominican music so the serenity of the place quickly escaped.

getting ready to start cooking!

when you forgot the lid to the pot, make one

waiting for the sancocho

sancocho takes a long time to make...

They insisted that I take a picture in front of the sancocho so everyone back home would think I was the chef. Sure, okay. Yes, I've got mad cooking skills.

The water was absolutely freezing, but felt so good after that hot soup. We played around for a while, and those who didn't want to get wet inevitably did. Overall a really great day!

freddy and katy

2010-07-06T08:23:00.003-05:00

Hanging out with a super great family in Pancho Mateo!

fire

2010-07-06T08:19:00.001-05:00

Cara's boyfriend Jefferson was pretty impressed with Ben's fire ability as well. Awesome videos of this to come!

joe

2010-07-06T08:13:00.003-05:00

A big group of us went to LAX (a restaurant/bar literally right on the beach) Saturday night. Our friend Ben was hired by them to spit fire. Yes, our friend learned how to do this, and actually does it really well! Anyway, Rachel's son Jonathon was fascinated by it all. He had no problem hamming it up in front of the camera though! Here he is pictured above.

tropicoco

2010-07-06T08:04:00.003-05:00

We went to this amazing restaurant on the beach that had all of this tropical food and live Dominican music. So good!

Videos are taking too long to upload here (well, and sometimes the pictures do too). When I get home I'll put up a video of the Dominican band serenading us with their love songs and musical ability!

me and leti

2010-07-06T08:01:00.001-05:00

bootleg

2010-07-06T07:51:00.003-05:00

As most of you know, I have a ghetto-fabulous camera. All the tiny screws have come out, so there is nothing that holds the front and back covers on the camera. Like I said, ghetto.

I don't know how many times people have mentioned getting it fixed or getting a new camera all together.

Well, last Friday the inevitable happened- my camera stopped working. Saturday morning I took it to some camera shop on the beach to see if it could be fixed. I mean, I wasn't about to let the rest of my Dominican vacation go undocumented!

Now, things in this country can be extremely bootleg, but even all the Dominicans in the store were laughing at how crazy my camera was! Believe it or not and all laughing aside, he was able to fix the camera! Yes! With a little bit of spray to get all the dust and sand out and a little bit of tape (yes, tape), my camera was fixed.

I took a picture of the man in the store who fixed it so I could make sure that the camera was in fact working. When Leti gets back to the states and uploads all her pictures, hopefully I can show you some that I wasn't able to take. In the meantime, look for pictures from over the weekend- we saw some pretty cool things!

caquito

2010-07-04T19:39:00.002-05:00

This is Caquito. He is 17 years old and was my former student in Pancho Mateo. He is such a great kid, and so extremely mature for his age. When I saw him for the first time, I was so moved by his reaction in seeing me. It was such a sweet time of reunion.

He came by the apartment later that night and told me how much I meant to him and the rest of the kids in Pancho Mateo. He continued on and said things that, if I were to repeat, would sound self-indulgent and conceited. The things he said were so completely affirming to the time I spent teaching in the villages. When I think about all of the hard times I had teaching those kids on my own in the villages, what he told me that day I thought that I would (honestly) never in my dreams hear something so affirming. It made me speechless. It made me cry. So good.

chichigua

2010-07-03T23:43:00.002-05:00

Thursday I went to Chichigua on my own. As I pulled up on the moto, I heard some of the women asking each other if it was me and then when they realized it was, we all ran towards each other and embraced each other. Same story, everyone looks great but older and taller. The younger boys were playing soccer on the field behind the houses. Emilio left the game and ran over and jumped into my arms, just like the first day I visited Chichigua nearly four years ago.

So many other fabulous things happened, one in particular that I will save for another post. Overall, it was so wonderful to see so many of them there that morning. I spent most of the time with Felipe's sisters Monis (who is now married and has a baby), Yaina, and Kikina.

It was so hot that day, I went to a nearby pond with some of the others girls who went to bathe. Franchesca has gotten so big, and is still a little spit fire! (She's the one with the soap in her hair in the picture below).
While they were bathing I went back up and spent time with Yaina. While sitting with her she bent her body forward and wrapped her arms around me, something I have never really seen her do before on her own initiative. Despite the obstacles that she faces in everyday life, she always has a big smile plastered on her face! I took her in her wheelchair with a bucket and a bar of soap and bathed her. I cannot wait to spend more time with everyone there!

pancho mateo

2010-07-03T23:21:00.003-05:00

I went to Pancho last Tuesday after visiting the school and before going to the art coop where Cara works. It's so funny how life doesn't change. Yes, little things here and there, but overall la vida no cambia mucha.

The first people I saw were Katy and her grandmother. They recognized me and came running; it was so great to see Katy and how big she has gotten. Leti and I continued to walk around the village, seeing former students and parents who were so much a part of my life. Everyone has grown so much! I guess that's what happens. The welcome was overwhelming. I gave lots of hugs and lots of kisses and constantly answered questions like "How is your family there?" and "Are you married yet?" That's Dominican life for you.

I saw Yoslena, but she hid from me, embarrassed I guess after having her baby. We didn't talk that day, so I gave her a couple of days to warm up. I went back on Thursday for a couple of hours and spent some time with her sitting outside of her house.

Her baby's name is Carlos, named after Cara who is the godmother. She has learned a lot about how to handle the baby and recognize his needs. There is so much though; I'm honestly impressed that he is alive and healthy in her care. I can only hope that continues.

Below are a few pictures of the time spent together. The last picture also includes her younger sister who is nearly 8 months pregnant.

la playa

2010-07-03T16:29:00.003-05:00

Leti and I have been to Sosua and Cabarete, two very different beaches but both fabulous. We enjoyed some pineapple on the beach in Cabarete- yes please!

A couple of days later in Sosua we had our first real Dominican food- fresh fish, rice, beans, ensalada, and fried plantains. There is a fabulous little restaurant hidden off the main road where all the locals go to get the best fish. The cook literally held up the entire fish from the kitchen for me to see before he started cooking it, can't get much fresher than that!

We are in Cabarete for 4th of July weekend. My last summer here there were actually fireworks and a U2 cover band, what?! Apparently last year there was nothing, so we'll see what tomorrow has in store. Cara's family just got into the country and are at the beach with us; we are going to grill out at their condo tomorrow. I hear its been raining a lot in Texas, hopefully the weather will stay gorgeous here for our bbq!

la escuela

2010-07-03T16:20:00.003-05:00

Time here thus far has been simply amazing- a great blend of relaxing on the beach, catching up with my friends here, and spending great time with local friends and former students.

I went to the school on Tuesday. The picture below is taken from the new addition of the school (3 additional classrooms and student bathrooms) looking towards the original school building.

There is a wall built around the school now so stray animals and people who take the fruit from the trees can't get in. It sounds funny, but is so necessary. When I was on the roof of the new part of the school I took pictures of the mangos hanging from the trees. There are also bananas, cherries, limes, and avocados.

tomorrow is a big day

2010-06-25T16:23:00.005-05:00

Tomorrow I leave for the DR with Leti. I'll be there for four weeks, and am so extremely excited. See the pictures above and you'll understand why!

apartment

2010-06-25T16:19:00.002-05:00

I've been looking for a new place to live and solidified it just days before going to the DR, and the move in date isn't until August 1st. It's an older complex that is relatively small, with lots of trees and lots of character. Everything couldn't have worked out more perfectly; I'm ecstatic!