Las Jaibas!

This handsome young man is Gustavo Hinojosa, who lives in Monte Plata with his family. He is holding two large river crabs, called jaibas.  I visited the family in March and these jaibas were among those we had for dinner. I've stayed with this family on previous occasions, as I''ve wanted to maintain the connection I enjoyed when living with them for six weeks during the fall of 2012. This was the first time we've sat down to a plate of jaibas together! These large fresh water crab are considered a treat by many in the Dominican Republic. I found it difficult to find much meat on them for all the effort and messiness entailed. Yet I've rarely heard so much laughter during a meal among extended family. Most of the jokes centered around lore that one risks becoming pregnant after eating jaibas, because the eggs in their abdomen are considered a fine delicacy. Below is a photo of Gustavo with his mother, Charo (previously featured in this blog) busy keeping the live crabs from escaping.

Charo's younger sister does happen to be six months pregnant at this time so her presence at the dinner table that night helped all of the humor along. Her husband was at table, as was Charo's brother and sister-in-law (who is not pregnant!). I regret not having taken photos of everyone together. I think at the time I just thought all of us looked pretty awkward. Also, I've become more inclined recently to enjoy my moments with those I'm fond of and less inclined to want to take photographs of our activities together. Below, however, is a good photo of Juan Diogenes, holding two huge plantains that came in on a truck that day (after the family had ordered them).

The next day Charo's daughter Marianna and I walked to the nearby farm owned by Charo's Swiss friends. Andrea, mother to a good friend named Sarah (Marianna's age) is shown in the photos below, as well as her mother. Three generations of Swiss women are represented in these photos. Andrea's mother came to visit for several weeks from Switzerland with her friend. Neither Andrea nor her mother speak any English, and Andrea's mother doesn't speak Spanish. Andrea and I both speak Spanish so we were able to communicate! And I felt pleasantly surprised by how much I was able to communicate with Sarah's grandmother even with the language barrier.

Everyone is playing "Loto," which is really the same thing as "Bingo."  The game was perfect, because no common language is required! Below is a photo of Marianna, Sarah, and Gabriela:

Below, Marianna and Andrea can be seen playing, along with her Andrea's daughter Sarah:

I'm adding a photo of the family cat and kittens on the farm, all of whom are enjoying a very hospitable environment together in the kitchen:

The final photo of this blog is my landlord (Johnny) making an adjustment on my front door, which has been scraping the floor for months now (since he added a deadbolt to the front door). I was glad he finally arrived to do the job, yet he doesn't seem to skilled in such matters, and the door still grates the floor due to his sawing most of the bottom off but then getting tired and deciding he didn't need to saw the rest. Even if he's not great at house repairs, Johnny is a very successful businessman, and makes juices, which he sells to all of the local grocery stores. He and his wife live in an adjacent neighborhood, which he let me know was a lot nicer than the one I live in!

I have to admit that I am occasionally weary of my neighborhood. A few of my neighbors have really noisy dogs (these dogs are maltreated), and others mistreat their children badly! The air is sometimes filled with smoke from garbage burning. Now that I am closing in on my second year I've realized that I probably won't be here that much longer.The Dominican Republic is an island, after all, and has its limitations. In fact, I've made good connections in Peru! I plan to travel to Peru in the fall and am thinking about moving there.

Friends of friends say they will meet me at the airport in Lima! They even have a house I can stay at. I plan to pay rent, of course. My idea is that I'll stay in Lima for 3 or 4 months and travel throughout Peru, Ecuador and possibly Chile. I'll pay my rent in advance here in the DR (it's not that much!) and my neighbor will look after my place. Of course her daughter or other relatives will want to stay and that is all right. I do trust my neighbor to be respectful with regard to my possessions. After all, stuff is only stuff, and I have other places to see!

It's frightening too, to think of moving and starting all over again. I threw myself into fixing up my home in this neighborhood. I spent money on beds and a stove and a refrigerator, not to mention a generator and an air conditioner. I'll never get my investment back on these things. Yet someone who comes after me will receive the benefits of living here. And I've lived very comfortably. I think I must have been in greater shock, having left California and all I'd built up, than I realized. I struggled with the last host family that Peace Corps placed me in, and the lack of comforts there.

So I went to work nesting, sacrificing months at home when I could have been traveling, to buy a stove and refrigerator. Things like these are not cheap in the DR! It's a lot less expensive to buy furnishings in the United States, from Craigslist. I wanted friends who came last spring to stay here in relative comfort, and our time together was fantastic. So my expenditures here were worth while. I've never had a bed of the quality as the one I have now. And yet I want to leave, already! Well, maybe I'll find a place that is furnished in Lima and will not have to buy items all over again.

Recently I have not been on any beach trips at all, because of saving money for Peru. So maybe that is one of the reasons I am feeling "nailed to the cross" so to speak, regarding my living circumstances here in Santo Domingo. I am tired of the poverty, the grime, and the garbage on the streets!

I dread Easter Week because the school where I volunteer will be closed. Some of my English students will be away and my teaching schedule will be lighter. Everyone here is really into going to church everyday during Easter Week and lately I feel so done with the Catholic church. Oh, and I haven't mentioned how hot it is here. Several weeks ago the weather turned really hot, really suddenly. It now feels as hot in the afternoons as it feels in the summer.

I'm not interested in returning the the US, though. I want to live in South America and continue work on my Spanish language skills.

Oh, I'll mention that the children at the local colegio gave me a standing ovation when I returned  after being gone nearly a month with a bronchial infection! They really missed me and were happy that I came back! I include this information by way of reminding myself that I really do make a contribution here in this country, even when it feels like I hardly have any ambition to do so at all.

Also, I have a new English student from Columbia, and am enjoying meeting with her.  She is a highlight of my week. She has enlightened me in so many ways with regard to her experience of growing up in South America. I am all the more encouraged by her to live there. 

A friend is coming to visit in May so I am so excited about her impending 9 day visit. We'll go to all of my favorite beaches and some I haven't been to as well. We may even ride horses to a waterfall! I am really happy that this visit is approaching. I'm sure my love for this country will be rekindled when she visits! I'll take photos and include them in my next blog update.

Thank you for taking the time to look at my photos and read my blog (more words are included in this update than in nearly all the others I've written!). I wish you all the best during the ongoing planetary Cardinal Cross which will be nearly exact on Easter, April 20. How symbolic that seems.

Anyway, plenty is available about this subject on astrology sites on line. I am sure this Cross is highly relevant to the feelings of so many right now. What an exciting and challenging time this is to be alive! May you be well and may you be happy!