Cabarete and Playa Grande!

This weekend has been one of my best since moving to the Dominican Republic.  Today I spent the day at the reknowned Playa Grande, with Third Year Peace Corps Volunteer Meredith Tittler. Meredith lives and works in Abreu, near Rio San Juan (on the north Coast of the DR). Here is a photo of Meredith and I on the beach enjoying our Pina Coladas!

I enjoyed an exquisite guagua ride from Cabarete to Meredith's site today. Meredith met with me in front of the school where she teaches. She teaches five days a week for the Dream Project, a well known NGO based in Puerta Plata. Previously, Meredith lived in Bonao for two years,  where she succeeded in the project she developed to increase literacy in a marginalized youth population.
Below is a photo of Meredith in front of her house:

I am totally impressed with Meredith's lifestyle, which is very civilized, for being in a Third World Country. I'm afraid this photo doesn't do Meredith or her house justice, yet you can see that this is a very nice house for a PCV! After having put in her dues at Bonao for two years, Meredith now lives in one of the most beautiful places in the Dominican Republic, an hour and a half east of Puerta Plata. Meredith even owns her own (Dominican) washing machine! Here she is with her dog, Cha-Cha:

 And the following photos are of Meredith's home:

I think these photos convey a sense of the spaciousness of Meredith's new home. She is already in the midst of an awesome experience as a Third Year Peace Corps Volunteer in the Dominican Republic.  Today we stopped and talked to numerous members of Meredith's campo. Having only resided here three months, she knows everyone in town! Here are photos of the front of the school  where Meredith teaches:

I will back track in the following photos to depict some of my guagua journey from Cabarete to Rio San Juan today, starting with a photo of the guagua driver:

And a few photos of the heavenly Dominican Republic, with views of the ocean visible as well as the green landscapes depicted in these pictures throughout  the hour and a half ride today to Meredith's house from Cabarete. This evening I feel replenished by the green, lush expanse of the day:

Yesterday I arrived in Cabarete, having taken the Caribe Tours bus from Santo Domingo to Sosua, outside of Puerto Plata. There I caught a carro publico to the Entrada Callejon.  Then I walked down to the home of two Peace Corps Volunteers, Dan and Phoebe Sunflower-Wirth. Neither happen to be in town this weekend, and they graciously allowed me to spend a few nights in their lovely abode!

This gorgeous tropical garden surrounds the Sunflower-Wirth home! And this is their front door:

The following photos are the living room and bedroom areas of the Sunflower-Wirth residence, and include a photo of Phoebe's wonderful cat, Chocolate. My experience of the weekend has been important in that my awareness now includes the possibility that a Peace Corps Volunteer can live quite a civilized (post-host family) lifestyle here in the Dominican Republic. I am deeply grateful for the generosity of Phoebe and Daniel Sunflower Wirth for inviting me to stay in their beautiful home. Even though neither are with me at this time, we have enjoyed communication by phone and emails in the past week. I feel held in their immense generosity and support.

These photos are of the lovely Muneca, next door neighbor and landlady to Dan and Phoebe Sunflower-Wirth. The second photo shows her in front of the lagoon adjacent to the property.

And here is the road headed out toward Cabarete:

Just viewing these photos takes me back to yesterday, when I arrived in Cabarete after my Carib Tour trip from Santo Domingo. What a glorious trip it was. We departed Santo Domingo at 9 am and a few hours later we reached La Vega, then Santiago. I was deliriously happy the entire day. What a great delight to finally catch glimpses of Santiago. Puerto Plata is a big town, and many parts are very lovely. I was ecstatic to be there! It was a pleasure driving through Sosua, a town which was settled by Jewish refugees during World War II.  Many Europeans reside there still. It is less than an hour's ride from Sosua to Cabarete.

While posting photos I want to include several of my host family in Villa Mella, during a night out on the town. I have enjoyed this family very much!

Angel and Ruth are on my left in this picture. Anthony and the children's mother, Angela, are to the right. Their dad, Melvin, took the photo. I've included a photo with the whole family after a night at the Melancon in Santo Domingo.

 

Everyday I go to the Hogar Renacer, my assigned site in Santo Domingo, and I like being there a lot. I am at the Hogar Renacer six hours a day, and am teaching two English classes a week. Additionally, I've taught one art class. I enjoy the nuns and the staff at the Hogar immensely. And everyone tells me that my Spanish is improving daily! The girls are a tremendous help in assisting me with my pronunciation, and my vocabulary has increased dramatically (at least sometimes I feel that way).

I've also been to church regularly and to a number of women's meetings in the community. I am integrating quite nicely into my assigned community, if I do say so myself. I will keep going to Catholic church as long as I feel all right about it, although I'm not Catholic myself.  The singing is a great pleasure.  I enjoy all of the hugs after church and the immense kindness of the church members.

Every now and then it helps me a great deal to get away, however. The immense beauty of this country serves to counterbalance some of the poverty and the grind of living in Santo Domingo. I am looking forward to the bus ride back to the Capitol tomorrow and the week ahead of me! I will close this blog post with photos of several of the girls at the Hogar and their balloon animals we made together in a class I taught a week ago on shaping balloons, or vehigas, into animals.

Las Galeras!

This photo is of a playa in Las Galeras, at the tip of the beautiful Samana Peninsula. My only difficulty in writing this post is choosing which of many beautiful beach photos to post.

Wednesday night was our Graduation event at Peace Corps. The event was qute lovely, really. We  heard speeches by dignitaries up front (not my favorite part) at tables decorated with flowers and patriotic colors. We sang national anthems of the Dominican Republic and the United States (better, as I liked the singing words to the Dominican anthem and neither song was too long).

There was an opportunity for Peace Corps Volunteers to speak for a moment and introduce themselves and name the locations in which they will serve. Then appetizers and cake was served. We had time to socialize and take photos.

A party was held afterward at the Zona Colonial, but I left early, not being one for a lot of loud, loud music and so on. I liked meeting the Peace Corps Volunteers who have been in the Dominican Republic longer, though.

After two months of incarceration as a Peace Corps Trainee I was ready to bolt.  By 6 am Thursday morning I was already headed out the door to catch a guagua to Las Galeras, and at noon I arrived at the B & B at which I had reserved quarters. What an enjoyable trip! Free, free at last to see the sights of the beautiful country in which I've been residing these past few months. I found the towns of Sanchez and Samana particularly scenic, and of course the beach views were stunning.

Especially moving for me was the participation of my host mom, Juanita ("Negrita") Dominguez at the Graduation event. She appears here with Rosemary, Peace Corps Staff in charge of all host family relations. I have been very fortunate to stay with a sparkling woman of even temperament who is hands off in terms of her demands on my time. She has graciously provided meals, clean clothes and a clean room for a month of my training. What a luxury it is to have that kind of care provided.

Here I am with my host "mom," Negrita, and her beautiful nieta (grandchild) Tiare, with whom I spent many hours blowing up balloons and  making animals. Tiare has been a talented student, and quickly mastered the skill of making rabbits, parrots, dogs, giraffes and snails.

This photo is taken on the road to the Casa Dorado, a Bed and Breakfast I researched for friends planning a trip to the Dominican Republic in March. I recently decided to try it out for myself. The town of Las Galeras is relatively tourist free and undeveloped. I plan to return!

This is Casa Dorado, a home built by a former Peace Corps Volunteer, Catherine, and her husband, Roberto, a Dominican national.

 Here I am in front of Casa Dorado.

And this is Gabrielle Bashist, aka "Gabby," the 3rd year Peace Corps Volunteer who turned me on to the town of Las Galeras, in which she has been serving as a Business Volunteer.  Gabby is quite a trooper, and her shepherd helps provide a margin of safety in Las Galeras. However, she has earned the respect she has in the community through her work and diligence. I admire Gabby very much!

Gabby is excited about working on a Chicas Brilliantes conference to take place in January. This 3 day conference will offer specific opportunities for young women to learn about professional careers. Gabby is the First Peace Corps Volunteer to be assigned in Las Galeras.  She has worked hard to build a Community Center for young people in Las Galeras.

This town is very undeveloped, and that is part of its appeal. Yet the downside is that there has just not been any work done to support young people who want to become active in sports or other activities.   Gabby was able to obtain property through her efforts, but thus far a way to start building that will serve as a Community Center for youth and families is not clear.

Gabby appears here with her host Grandfather and Grandmother and other host family members, people with whom it is evident she has become very close.

 This is Gabby with her Host Grandmother, and her Host Father.

The tree growing behind the house of Gabby's Host Dad is full of avocados. And I will close for now, as it is quite late and I am having difficulty uploading photos. Bye for now!