A day at San Rafael Beach

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Courtney (another PCV): "Find the sweet spot between what you love to do, what you're good at, and what the world needs."

Because there was no gravel, we couldn't work today. Therefore, we got a guagua (okay, a minibus rental isn't precisely a guagua, but, hey) and spent most of the day at the beach. The water was a beautiful mix of dark blues, turquoises, and teals; pebble shingle; brown pelicans; a river turned into waterfalls and pools before pouring down to meet the surf. Some men set up a table to sell larimar jewelry, a very local and indigenous stone in lovely light blues. A lunch of fried chicken or fish plus tostones (plantain chips) and salad (which I dared to eat a tiny bit of because I was jonesing for a vegetable). Tigres (machos) showing off for the women in our group. On the way there and back, blasting music.

Back in the batey, while waiting for a discussion about service learning with a group of PCVs, we danced with children and women, satisfying our desire to dance without technically violating the "don't go to the colmados tonight" rule.

The dancing taking place on our porch tonight resolves as a Santería event, though associated with which orisha, I don't know. Someone was starting to behave a little aggressively, and asking for money, and one of the women shut the house door. We thought that was something to pay attention to, so we locked up. Very interesting, and interesting as well to talk with the students about Santería, and not a problem.

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