Jarabacoa!

This photo was taken in the central plaza of Jarabacoa, featuring a family of Dominican tourists from Azua, and me! All of us were enjoying an escape to the mountains and waterfalls of Jarabacoa. The temperatures during the day were warm, though not as hot as those in the south of the country. Mornings and evenings in Jarabacoa are refreshingly cool.

I took this photo from my window, where I was staying at the Hotel Gran Jimenoa. I really enjoyed my two nights here although it was more expensive than the other hotels I've been at. The river views were really worth it, as well as the air conditioning and television. It was a great change of pace.

The Gran Jimenoa is located outside of Jarabacoa, on a road with which my Motoconcho was well acquainted. Out of all the hotels in the area, the Gran Jimenoa is far and away the best. Staying there costs about $50 USD weeknights and $70 on weekends, including breakfast. Dinners are good (not great) but pricey for the DR, around $15 for salmon with vegetables. I stayed away from wine, keeping my expenses lower. The environment was naturally intoxicating.

This is another view from the hotel. I had an enjoyable swim in the river.

This is a view of the hotel from the other side of the river. Below is the swimming pool:

The staff of the hotel were really kindly, and I felt deeply nourished by their presence. I felt as though I were surrounded by a chorus of angels.

The always friendly and considerate Bianca was front and center for me in my hotel experience. Other staff were wonderful too:

Below are some of the people checking in the day I arrived. Guests were mostly Dominicans, although there were a number of Germans the first evening. Thankfully they left after one day. German tourists in the DR, in my experience, come across as arrogant and unfriendly.

 Hotel Lobby













 
 Room at Hotel Gran Jimenoa (Below)

Breakfast at the Gran Jimenoa

Julio, my Motoconcho, took me all over Jarabacoa and the surrounding area for about five hours on Saturday. I paid him about $25 for his services and really had a great day.

We went to the waterfalls at Jimenoa.

The entrance fee to the Salto de Jimenoa II is 50 pesos, or about $1.50. The route to the falls is facilitated by a series of rope bridges, which were easy to walk across.

Electricity in Jarabacoa, unlike Santo Domingo and other parts of the country, is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This plant produces a big share of the electricity used in the popular tourist area surrounding Jarabacoa.

Above is a beautiful view of the area surrounding Jarabacoa taken from the back of a motorcycle. The area is stunningly beautiful, and populated with expensive homes owned by wealthy Dominicans, Europeans and Americans. A host of expansive Catholic retreats are in evidence. A number of eco-tourism oriented businesses are located nearby.

Jarabacoa itself is not a very appealing town, really. The best thing about it is the Caribe Tours station, and that it so easy to get to the area surrounding Jarabacoa from Santo Domingo.

Also, I enjoyed a good lunch (salad with huge prawns for about $10) in Jarabacoa at this restaurant, near the town square:

Afterwards, I went with Julio to a resort on the Yaque River, passing the Jarabacoa Country Club on the way:

I joined these kids for a swim that afternoon, and enjoyed myself!

The next afternoon I was at Caribe Tours and  arrived back in Santo Domingo late afternoon after a ride that lasted about 2 1/2 hours.  Whew, that was a short get-away!

It's been so sweltering here I wanted to go back to Jarabacoa again this weekend.  I've been  contemplating buying an air conditioner, yet questioning whether it's worth it. The electricity is off lots in my part of town. So I am just suffering along with everyone else, wondering at times what ever made me decide to come to this country. It's hard, because it's August. Some rain would really help.  Maybe we'll get rain soon.


A real high point in July was my visit to Monte Plata, where I lived while I was still in the Peace Corps. I had been very fond of my host family there, and went back to visit so that I could meet the one brother, Gustavo, who was not living there during my stay.  He has been studying English in Puerto Rico and we used to talk when he called his family, so I always wanted to meet him.  Gustavo turned 19 on July 16 and I was there to celebrate with his family.  However, Gustavo wasn't there--he was with his girlfriend. Gustavo's birthday was a great reason to visit my dear Monte Plata family again, though.

Here is Gustavo, wearing clothes he bought while visiting New York City.  He's been living in Puerto Rico, studying at a Babtist Institute and learning English.  His mother says he hardly comes up for air during the school year so she is glad he is enjoying his summer.

Gustavo is shown on the right with his cell phone, and his childhood friend is shown in the center. Gustavo's dad, Diogenes, is giving the boys some advice about driving safely around the city.  Charo, Gustavo's mother is glad he doesn't drink and refrains from staying out late.

This is Charo cooking alongside her aunt on the day we went to the campo. What a difference a generation makes! I love Charo and all of her aunts. She and Diogenes went out of their way to take me to the campo during my visit because they knew I wanted to see Charo's aunts.

Here I am with another of Charo's aunts.

Above are the girls, Gabriella, Marianna, and Reini (cousin) with their uncle. They got a kick out of turning his baseball had side ways and he went along with the fun. The girls' brother Jonathan is in Miami right now, where he plays baseball for the Minnesota Twins (a Dominican dream come true). Jonathan is a very balanced young man and he's doing well! I talked to Jonathan when he called his family in Monte Plata. Fingers crossed for Jonathan's continued success and happiness.

Here's Charo, driving the family car.

The girls in the family car. And below is a photo of Jonathan I just located, taken poolside last fall:

Finally, here is another of Charo's aunts, with the youngest child in her family. It's a great pleasure to be with this aunt, a woman "de mi edad," a woman of my own age!

July 20 I turned 64 and hosted a birthday party at my own house, in El Tamarindo. Some of the guests are shown below:

My neighbors and friends Muneca and her husband Santos are seated with me on the front balcony. Below Muneca and I are together.

My friend Christina (on the right) is shown above seated with her sister.

Aricelies, shown above, is Muneca's sister.  I know both from church activities.

Above is Esperanza, and her grandchild Kevin.

Earlier that day I had been at a church event in which three little girls were crowned queens, not my favorite kind of event.  However, a lot of people, including the Priest, wished me a "Happy Birthday," which is more recognition than I received on my birthday during the last years of living in California. I really appreciated the kindness of people on this occasion.

The same week my friend Kate Wallace loaded up a  box of children's books at the Helen Kellogg Library, for use with my school projects. It was a busy and satisfying week! The library has been giving away a large part of its children's inventory, so I was lucky to benefit.

This family was at the Kellogg Library the same morning I was there. They were picking out books the library was giving away for their church programs for children.

The Kellogg Library is located behind the Epiphany Church, at 253 Independencia. I got off at the Balanguer metro station and walked there. It was easy!

It costs 500 pesos, or $12 to join the library. As a  member I can check out books from their extensive selection and save on books I download from Amazon.

The library’s name honors Helen Kellogg, the wife of the first Bishop of the Dominican Episcopal Church, who founded the library.
 

The neighborhood children continue to come to my house several nights every week for coloring. Although we are not studying much English, they enjoy looking at the pictures in the books donated from the library for coloring ideas. Below are some children involved with their drawing projects.

My walls are getting filled up with some very good coloring! Additionally, the kids love to dance to Amara on YouTube, a Dominican group which favors lot of butt shaking.

I've taken short video clips of the children dancing and played them back on the computer. They really enjoy watching themselves, and they're awesome dancers, so why not?

Also, I enjoy singing along Karaoke style with lyrics by Marc Antony, for example. Last night we played "Vivir Mi Vida" and sang together. My Spanish is getting a real boost!





My biggest thrill this summer is that I've started helping children in summer school with their reading (Spanish). The elementary school is just a block away from my house. I don't believe the teacher, Cecilia, would have accepted my offer to help before I built so many relationships here in this community.  I've had a lot of people over for dinner over the past six months! Both Cecilia's sisters were at my birthday dinner, and her brother is one of the Motoconchos I use most frequently. Also, Cecilia knows I respect her and defer to her authority.  Below is a photo of the school:

Some of the children are shown above. They focus well in the first hour; after that behavior seems to fall apart. The children would really benefit from a recess period and some sports activity, yet for reasons I do not understand the summer intensive session doesn't allow for a break.

The students, mostly boys 8-9 years old, are in summer session because of reading difficulties during the school year. Some read very slowly while others read well.

All respond very well to individual attention. I feel I am really making a difference.

This child is Michael, and his grandmother Esperanza is a friend.

This boy, Robinson, reads fairly well. He likes arithmetic the best.




The boy on the left (below) is a slow reader, but improving quickly with increased attention.

Ehger, on the right,  comes across as a real pest sometimes, and yet he is a very good reader. He gets bored when the pace of the class is too slow and acts out.




David, below, is an attentive student, despite being a slow reader. He is 11 years old yet has fallen behind most of the younger students. His father has been on dialysis due to kidney disease and the parents just separated.  I see his mother often and like her.  I hope David's reading continues to progress.

This boy burst into tears the other day, saying that one of the students dissed him by calling him a "Haitian." Discrimination against Haitians is a harsh reality of Dominican life.

Class Bad Boy, Brian, in characteristic pose. Well, OK, he's not the only class Bad Boy...

Adreina, one of the few girls in the class. She manages to hold her own just fine, though.

Daniel, a delightful child and quite a good reader.
He tells me that his mother reads with him every day.  Daniel comes to school with his little brother, of whom he is very protective, and his older sister, Keisy.  Keisy is not in summer school but comes to accompany her younger brothers, since their family lives farther away from the school than most.

Kelli is a good reader, and likes to run around hassling the other boys when he gets bored, just like the others. Part of the problem is that the school just doesn't have a play yard big enough for the students to run around in.  This boy listens, however, when the teacher calls on him to account for himself.

  Finally, this is Cecilia, the Elementary School Teacher,  taken at a church function. I hope my venture helping children with their reading four mornings every week continues throughout August and possibly beyond. That's all for now, and thank you for taking the time to read my blog as well as  to look at all of the photographs.