Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Dia de Independencia (Independence Day)


This is part of our American history. Here is one of he earliest Spanish fortresses ever built from the 15th century. It resembles the ancient buildings
in Jerusalem, doesn´t it?


The Plaza de Colon. The entire fortress seen in the background.


Fountain in the center of the coutyard at mi escuela.


Vendedores (Vendors).


Friendly games of chess litter all the streets and parks.


No estoy en Syracuse!


Even the babies got into the freedom celebration!

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A view of the sea coast, atop an ancient colonial-day fortress.


A beautiful church, housing the remains of some famous Dominicans that I´ve never heard of.


A happy family on the street, riding home after celebrating Independence Day.


This is ¨Abuela¨, spanish for Grandma. I am staying with her. She is a very gracious host. Who can´t help but love such a smile? She goes out of her way to try to make me feel comfortable and provides me wonderful breakfasts like the one below and dinners like the one above. Each one has a special Dominican flair. Above was habichuellas (beans) with arroz (rice) and carne (meat) with Ensalada.


This was fruit (fresh pineapple and papaya) with leche, in the background, an egg and cheese omelet and pan (bread), in the foreground. Muy bueno!


Note the intricate paintings around the dooway, here. Mi professora, Daniella, is kind of hard to see, but she´s opening the doors to our classroom. She works with me for six hours a day, one on one. The program I´m in is rigorous, but seems GREAT so far. I never imagined such personal attention. The director, Rafael, works tirelessly to try to please each student and teach the best way possible for each one. Studying Spanish is like studying the Bible for me: The more I learn, the more I realize I don´t know.


This is the building that my school is housed in. It is very secure and beautiful, as you can see.


I was sure that I had heard roosters crowing this morning, from my bedroom, in the middle of the city. But wondered where they were kept. Here they are! Now I see where my fresh eggs are coming from each morning.


More flores bonitas (beautiful flowers) en route to school.


The local doctor and ambulance were on hand today, for the President´s visit during the Independence Day celebration. His procession drove right by where I was. There was a whole lot of ´´pomp and circumstance´´.


Stained glass window behind beautifully-crafted iron gate


A soldier at the Memorial Parque during Independence Day.


The lower apartment on the right is where I´m staying. We don´t have any screens on the windows. Because of Independence Day, I was awakened at midnight to deafening sounds like cannons right outside my window. Rumor has it that it was fireworks. I find it hard to believe, because those ¨fireworks¨ were the loudest I´d ever heard. All the car alarms in the vicinity went off several times until the ¨show¨ was over. I thought I´d woken up in Iraq!


Flowers that hang from a tree just outside my apartment. They drop petals all over the ground each morning.


Don´t be scared! No, I´m not going ¨Brittany Spears¨. I just thought I´d try braids because the weather is humid and I don´t even have a blowdrier for my hair. I learned why white people don´t wear braids like that! First they only last a short while in fine hair...and for all that pain?? No thanks! Second, our heads are white, very white, underneath all that hair. So, if you don´t want to burn and then peel and look like you have dandruff all day. Not a good idea. Lastly, it just looks like you´re trying to be something you´re not. I´ve decided to embrace my frizzy hair and just make do. Oh well. There are much bigger problems in the world!

I was unable to access the internet yesterday because it was a national holiday and everything except my classes, were closed. And then my camera ran out of battery power today. Otherwise, I would have alot more pics for you. I´m trying to weed through them and only put what might interest everyone.

Monday, February 26, 2007

Alive and well in Santo Domingo!


Meet Henry. He is the street vendor across from mi casa (my house). Very friendly and just tickled to have una gringa (white chic) smile and chat with him.

ok, so check that out! Wouldn´t the police have a heart attack in the U.S.?? This is just common. Little kids holding on for dear life to mommy or hanging out of open bus doors. I´m sure they never heard of car seats. The sadder thing is that medical care here is horrible. Only one hospital does trauma. And if u don´t have insurance, well you´re out of luck. ommmigosh and the hospitals? woah! They make Crouse´s employee bathroom look like the Hyatt honeymoon suite. I kid u not. I´ll try to get pics of what I mean, but I don´t know if they´ll let me. Stay tuned. Oh, and p.s. I have a Dominican Cell phone now. Of course I left the number back in my room which is 6 blocks away, but that´s the bad news. The good news is that I can receive unlimited incoming calls for free! So, if you have a good long distance plan or want to buy a carribean calling card, we can chat for free. I´ll post the number on the next blog.

Isn´t the local foliage beautiful! I stepped off the airplane, smelled the beautiful ocean air, a wave of heat instantly thawed my frozen bones. Ah!!! I CAN do this for a month. But, unfortunately, the Dominican is a country of stark contrasts: very rich and very poor, beautiful and ugly, and there is lots of trash. All over. Trash and half starved dogs. I am trying very hard not to look too close, so I won´t be able to see the critters y las cucarachas that I know must be there!

My class is hidden by the building on the left. It is directly across the calle (street) from the white building. It is in the Zona Colonial, in an impressively beautiful building in architecture and paintings.

Most everyone here is so friendly. These little guys begged me to take their picture. Note the wooden lunch boxes they are sitting on. All the little kids have them. Home-made. But hey, it works!

Above, there is fruit everywhere! This is one part of the Dominican I can get used to quickly. These bananas hang right outside my host family´s house. Note to self, don´t put a banana in your back pack to eat later, ever again!



Hi everyone! Fortunately, just before I walked into this internet cafe, I bumped into two 20 year old American girls. I was feeling very overwhelmed and homesick already. Wondering, what did I get myself into?!?!? But they assured me that feeling is normal. Both of them have been here since August. At their school, the only issues students have ever had is petty theives. So, this jives with what the professors at school have told me. Violent crime is pretty much unheard of.

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Mi familia


James and Sharon's beautiful wedding on shores of Alexandria Bay, NY.


I think I've watched my dad play the piano since I was able to understand that the beautiful sound, was coming from his hands. I love my pops!
Baby Genesis, just a couple weeks old, with me, soon off to work.
"I'm her favwit cousin, wite Aunt Gwasha?" (:
My big brother, David with Julie at breakfast before church on a Sunday morning.
My lovable, baby sister, Gloria with Caleb and Connor at church.

Connor, after swimming lessons at camp. Note the wiggly front tooth, which hung on for dear life for a couple weeks!
The whole fam at Christmastime! Thank you God for my family!
There's the little princess! "Lee-Lee", being creative at Living Word Camp's Arts and Crafts session.

Sunday, February 11, 2007

I love New York (City)

Amy with a chinese fish salesman. We were starving when we trekked through chinatown en route to Little Italy. But after the sights and smells there, our stomachs were a bit queasy.


Emily, checking out a roadside stand with World Trade Center memorabilia.


Believe it or not, on a warm, sunny afternoon we actually were among a very few number of people on Ellis Island, visiting the Statue of Liberty. Both Bush and John Kerry were in NY campaigning, so we were delighted to explore the Island almost alone. This was truly a rare treat!


God bless America, My Home, Sweet Home!

From the memorial site of the World Trade Center. In the foreground are many, many flowers laid around it by mourners and those who care.





The graveyard behind the church that stood nearest to where the towers fell. It was a quiet, pensive place.


Not the best quality photo, but here are Kristin (friend from Florida), Amy Hock, the Brass Bull near the NY stock exchange, me, and Emily (kristin's sister). We had a riot trapsing about NY.




Here is a quaint Manhattan apartment. I say quaint, but the rent is probably in the tens of thousands!





A serene sitting area, in the midst of honking horns and the hub-bub of NYC's ever-moving city life.

Phoenix, Arizona



Such thorns!
Every thorn has it's rose? Actually, I learned that cactuses produce a very tender fruit that makes a tasty jelly.


Here's the roses. Of course a thorny plant like the rose, would thrive in Arizona-- with lots of watering, for sure.
My dad's family lives in Arizona. He loves the stark, dry landscape. I think it looks like it's dead, but for the green plants here and there. I definately prefer the lush tropics or even the lush foliage of upstate New York to this barren land. What do you think?