me and leti

bootleg

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

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

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

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

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

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.