This post has very little purpose other than to make your morning a little brighter. Mostly I just want to apologize that our pictures are not up yet. They are piling up, we have a ton to post, and I need to put them on within 24 hours so that they count toward my January Flickr quota. (I'm only allowed a certain amount per month) Then I can start fresh with February.
Two quick things:
This morning's church service presented all three of the means of grace. The Word taught in truth and purity (albeit in Spanish. But I do bring my NIV Bible so I at least get the gist.), a baptism (the 3rd one since the new year), and Holy Communion (effective even if I don't understand all of the words).
The other thing is just a small observation. On my walk back from Amy's apartment, there was a couple, a husband and wife, sitting in rocking chairs on their patio/driveway. They were playing music, sipping drinks, and relaxing. I saw them just as they clinked their plastic cups together. Simple joys.
Also: I promise, there is a post coming about horseback-riding in Jarabacoa. I just really want Amy to write about that one. (she really likes horses)
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Friday, January 28, 2011
Gringos
So a few weeks ago, my family came to visit. A day late. Amy and I had gotten up extra early to finish packing, catch a bus to Sosua, and take a taxi to Cabarete, a beach town on the north coast. The taxi ride was fun. We were meeting the family at the condominium. We knew the name of the place, directions to get there, but not the address. This confused and worried our taxi driver. We tried telling him, "It's by the Texaco station." His response, "Texaco? Texaco? OH! TekshAco!" Once that was cleared up, we managed to make it safely to the condo. We were early, but took our stuff to the room anyway. We were hanging out when the owner of the place came by to tell us that they missed their connection and weren't going to arrive until tomorrow afternoon. So Amy and I went out to eat on the beach that night, slept in the next day, and did some grocery shopping. They all did finally arrive: Mom, Dad, Sister, Sister's Boyfriend, Aunt, and Great-Aunt. All with the exception of one piece of luggage. For the rest of that story, please refer to the previous entry discussing the loss of Kathy's luggage. The situation was the exact same. The only difference was Kathy flew American and received food vouchers, while my family flew Delta and did not receive food vouchers. For those of you planning trips to the DR: It is virtually impossible to arrive in the DR on the same day you leave. Schedule your two flights a day apart so you can spend a comfortable night in a hotel instead of in the chairs at an airport.
It was a fabulous week. Amy and I made some Dominican food for them to sample, we got plenty of rum (it goes great in Dominican coffee), we went to the beach every day. We did some deep sea fishing out of Puerto Plata. I use the word "some" very specifically. 6 people went, 3 threw up, 3 caught a fish. We only got to keep 1. But it was delicious. We went to the same spot on the beach almost every day. Our waiter was this nice young man named Wilgren. He really liked Colleen. He kept offering to take her to the parties on the beach at night. We ate a delicious meal at a restaurant on the beach one night. Dad and Patty had lobster and almost everyone else had red snapper. The highlight of Mom's week was the mojito she was served at the restaurant. Instead of being mixed with sugar, it came with a stick of sugar cane. If you've never had sugar cane before, heads up: you can't eat it. You just chew on it and such the juice out. This kept Mom busy all night: playing with the mint leaves, stirring around the sugar cane, sucking out the alcohol, stirring it up again, chewing on the cane for a bit, playing with the mint, etc.
The best part of having visitors was seeing how they reacted to life in a third world country. Amy and I were really excited that the condo had hot water on demand from ALL of the faucets and that we could flush our toilet paper. My family was disappointed that the hot water ran out after a few minutes, so you'd have to turn the water off and on for it to come back. So inconvenient. They all refused to ride a guagua even though there was clearly plenty of space for all of us. (there were three open seats and no one hanging out the door) Patty was the worst at spending money. Locals will rip off gringos, especially at the beach. You should never pay even half of what they ask for. They would name a price for an item and Patty would say "400 pesos? What's that, like $10? That's not bad!" and whip out her money. Thankfully we had Derek around. He could work the store owners. He got as good of prices as Amy and I. (they usually give us a better deal when they find out we live there and get paid Dominican salaries, not American salaries)
The end of the week was sad. It was so wonderful having people you love all around you. Amy and I watched the taxi pull out of sight and could instantly feel the hole inside us that was left.
So there are two lonely gringos here, if anyone wants to pay for the unreasonably spring break priced plane tickets. Or, if you come in February, we can go whale watching. Eh? Eh?
Also, pictures coming soon.
It was a fabulous week. Amy and I made some Dominican food for them to sample, we got plenty of rum (it goes great in Dominican coffee), we went to the beach every day. We did some deep sea fishing out of Puerto Plata. I use the word "some" very specifically. 6 people went, 3 threw up, 3 caught a fish. We only got to keep 1. But it was delicious. We went to the same spot on the beach almost every day. Our waiter was this nice young man named Wilgren. He really liked Colleen. He kept offering to take her to the parties on the beach at night. We ate a delicious meal at a restaurant on the beach one night. Dad and Patty had lobster and almost everyone else had red snapper. The highlight of Mom's week was the mojito she was served at the restaurant. Instead of being mixed with sugar, it came with a stick of sugar cane. If you've never had sugar cane before, heads up: you can't eat it. You just chew on it and such the juice out. This kept Mom busy all night: playing with the mint leaves, stirring around the sugar cane, sucking out the alcohol, stirring it up again, chewing on the cane for a bit, playing with the mint, etc.
The best part of having visitors was seeing how they reacted to life in a third world country. Amy and I were really excited that the condo had hot water on demand from ALL of the faucets and that we could flush our toilet paper. My family was disappointed that the hot water ran out after a few minutes, so you'd have to turn the water off and on for it to come back. So inconvenient. They all refused to ride a guagua even though there was clearly plenty of space for all of us. (there were three open seats and no one hanging out the door) Patty was the worst at spending money. Locals will rip off gringos, especially at the beach. You should never pay even half of what they ask for. They would name a price for an item and Patty would say "400 pesos? What's that, like $10? That's not bad!" and whip out her money. Thankfully we had Derek around. He could work the store owners. He got as good of prices as Amy and I. (they usually give us a better deal when they find out we live there and get paid Dominican salaries, not American salaries)
The end of the week was sad. It was so wonderful having people you love all around you. Amy and I watched the taxi pull out of sight and could instantly feel the hole inside us that was left.
So there are two lonely gringos here, if anyone wants to pay for the unreasonably spring break priced plane tickets. Or, if you come in February, we can go whale watching. Eh? Eh?
Also, pictures coming soon.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Por Fin!!!
Okay, so my mom finally nagged me enough to post something. Amy and I are finally starting to settle back into the routine of school, so I we should have a little energy left by the end of the day to post more frequently.
Christmas
First phase of Christmas break was the Kathy and Paul Phase. Amy's sister Kathy and her boyfriend were to arrive on our last day of work. But they didn't. They missed their connection in Miami and it turns out there's only one flight from Miami to Santiago every day. So they got sent to New York to catch a flight there. They arrived safe and sound in Santiago the next afternoon along with one of their bags. The other one was MIA. Literally. We didn't know, they didn't know, American Airlines didn't know. Thankfully, Kathy and Amy are roughly the same size so she could wear Amy's clothes. After a stressful week of waiting, calling airports, and pleading with parents to call AA back home, the bag arrived the day before they left. But we didn't let it ruin the week. We cooked, shopped, danced, went to the beach, and ATE DELICIOUS DOMINICAN FOOD. It was a sad good-bye when they had to leave.
Kathy and Paul flew out on Christmas Eve, and Amy and I got picked up from the airport by Joe, the guy we spent Thanksgiving with. He drove us to his place and Amy and I received another huge, delicious feast combining some Dominican favorites like rice and beans, and American staples like mashed potatoes and gravy and a fabulous apple pie.
Christmas Day was spent with the missionaries down here. Amy and I made some potatoes and a fruit salad and they provided everything else. It was a great night. We played cards all night. We even taught them hand and foot!
The week after, Amy and I had so many plans for what we would do with the time. We didn't work, we didn't have guests, just a bunch of free time! Well, none of those things happened. We mostly just slept. And ate. Watched a few movies. It was glorious. Just what we needed. We did do one thing. Martha, a teacher at school, invited us to spend a day with her in country (el campo) at her father's house. It was beautiful! We drove out of the city and into the mountains. Great scenery, and more great food. The ride back was a *blast*. Martha's son was sitting between us in the back seat. Cars here often don't have seatbelts, and the mountain roads were winding and bumpy, and this boy did not want to sit. I was scared he going out the window, so he spend most of the return trip next to me with my arm around him. He was fine with that. He proceeded to try my watch on himself and everyone in the car. We also swapped socks and shoes.
You probably noticed that our Christmas activities did not include a church service. That is correct. The church here does not have a special Christmas service on Christmas Eve or Day. No, the children's christmas service came on Dec. 31st. It was nothing like a children's service in the states. It included a reenactment of the annunciation, visit to Elizabeth, and birth. There was also a recitation by all of the children that included carefully decorated glittery signs. The final act was a song by some of the older girls and included (as we are finding all Dominican presentations must) choreography. Pastor Alex gave a kind of New Year message after that, followed by Angelitos (Secret Santa) and then, FINALLY, the food. We received not just heaping plates of food, but those plate/bowl hybrids heaped with rice, pastalones, meat, and salad. After the meal, they passes around some wine, eggnog, and fruit, celebrating the New Year as everyone left.
Coming soon: The Springborn Vacation in Cabarete, Horseback Riding in Jarabacoa, and Recent SDS News. Stay tuned.
Christmas
First phase of Christmas break was the Kathy and Paul Phase. Amy's sister Kathy and her boyfriend were to arrive on our last day of work. But they didn't. They missed their connection in Miami and it turns out there's only one flight from Miami to Santiago every day. So they got sent to New York to catch a flight there. They arrived safe and sound in Santiago the next afternoon along with one of their bags. The other one was MIA. Literally. We didn't know, they didn't know, American Airlines didn't know. Thankfully, Kathy and Amy are roughly the same size so she could wear Amy's clothes. After a stressful week of waiting, calling airports, and pleading with parents to call AA back home, the bag arrived the day before they left. But we didn't let it ruin the week. We cooked, shopped, danced, went to the beach, and ATE DELICIOUS DOMINICAN FOOD. It was a sad good-bye when they had to leave.
Kathy and Paul flew out on Christmas Eve, and Amy and I got picked up from the airport by Joe, the guy we spent Thanksgiving with. He drove us to his place and Amy and I received another huge, delicious feast combining some Dominican favorites like rice and beans, and American staples like mashed potatoes and gravy and a fabulous apple pie.
Christmas Day was spent with the missionaries down here. Amy and I made some potatoes and a fruit salad and they provided everything else. It was a great night. We played cards all night. We even taught them hand and foot!
The week after, Amy and I had so many plans for what we would do with the time. We didn't work, we didn't have guests, just a bunch of free time! Well, none of those things happened. We mostly just slept. And ate. Watched a few movies. It was glorious. Just what we needed. We did do one thing. Martha, a teacher at school, invited us to spend a day with her in country (el campo) at her father's house. It was beautiful! We drove out of the city and into the mountains. Great scenery, and more great food. The ride back was a *blast*. Martha's son was sitting between us in the back seat. Cars here often don't have seatbelts, and the mountain roads were winding and bumpy, and this boy did not want to sit. I was scared he going out the window, so he spend most of the return trip next to me with my arm around him. He was fine with that. He proceeded to try my watch on himself and everyone in the car. We also swapped socks and shoes.
You probably noticed that our Christmas activities did not include a church service. That is correct. The church here does not have a special Christmas service on Christmas Eve or Day. No, the children's christmas service came on Dec. 31st. It was nothing like a children's service in the states. It included a reenactment of the annunciation, visit to Elizabeth, and birth. There was also a recitation by all of the children that included carefully decorated glittery signs. The final act was a song by some of the older girls and included (as we are finding all Dominican presentations must) choreography. Pastor Alex gave a kind of New Year message after that, followed by Angelitos (Secret Santa) and then, FINALLY, the food. We received not just heaping plates of food, but those plate/bowl hybrids heaped with rice, pastalones, meat, and salad. After the meal, they passes around some wine, eggnog, and fruit, celebrating the New Year as everyone left.
Coming soon: The Springborn Vacation in Cabarete, Horseback Riding in Jarabacoa, and Recent SDS News. Stay tuned.
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