Blogs from Dominican Republic, Central America Caribbean - page 3

Aamupala hotellissa. Hankin paikallisen liittymän, 9€ 14 päivää rajaton netti. Kävin meripihkamuseossa. Kävelin rantakadulle syömään. Pulahdin hotellin pienessä uima-altaassa. Kävelin Metron bussiterminaaliin selvittämään jatkoyhteyttä. Paikallinen kaveri kuskasi minua skootterillaan. Hiukan kyyti tuntui turvattomalta. Käytiin rantakadulla baarissa. Illalla ehdotin tapaamista Petelle. Odotin baarissa. Hän tuli paikalle paikallisen kaverin kanssa, joka oli tarttunut mukaan matkalla. Hän vei meidät muutaman korttelin päähän. Siellä meille aukeni baari. Seurueeseen liittyi 24-vuotias Maria, jonka kanssa Pete tanssi. Juotiin nelistään neljä isoa pulloa olutta. Lähetettiin Marian kanssa kuvia toisillemme Whatsappissa. Käytiin vielä lopuksi Peten kanssa syömässä venezuelalaista pikaruokaa. ... read more

Friday June 28, 2019 - It did not all work out beautifully. But it wasn’t too bad. I woke up early, packed up, watched a couple episodes of Modern Family, as I try to catch up on tv shows this summer. I asked one of the ladies at the guesthouse to call the bus for me to tell them that I was coming, but they could not get through. Not that it would have mattered much anyway truthfully. I left around 9:15, bought a baguette sandwich for the road, and waited for the guagua (minibus) to leave for Samana. This one wasn’t so much a minibus as a pick-up truck. I sat in the cab but could have sat in the back. No thanks. I was the only passenger for some time, and we drove at ... read more

Monday June 24, 2019 - The school came to a close with a couple very busy weeks. First there was a week of exams, with a lot of grading and report writing. Next for me was a week in the Vosges in France hiking and camping with the Duke of Edinburgh students. Not much down time there. Back at school afterwards there was Sports Day, two days of classes, and the last day of school which included an hour and a half ISB Idols talent/variety show that my student council puts on. They do such a great job and it went extremely well, but by the end I was exhausted, and not just from the teacher dance in the show. Friday we finished up cleaning up our classrooms and had a staff bbq. I spent the ... read more

Puerto Plata not Cap Cana, Dominican Republic So today is Cap Cana, Dominican Republic…er…maybe not. We have been told the weather is a problem at Cap Cana and we would not be able to tender everyone in, too rough, so… we’ll be going instead to Amber Cove, Puerto Plata, a UNESCO World Heritage Center, on the northern shore of the Dominican Republic. Fine by us. We have not been to the Dominican Republic and are looking forward to it, no matter the location. Today is intermittent rain and hot sunshine. Normal. The port areas of Amber Cove are like many in the Caribbean nowadays. It is developed for the cruise ship passengers…clean, safe and a place to spend your money. But, for us, we want to see the countryside, the town and talk to the people. ... read more

Friday was a bittersweet day. We had to say goodbye to the community of El Capa, which is where we spent most of our week. The families were so welcoming - bringing us coffee, corn and plenty of hugs. They look out for each other and made us feel right at home. We weren't strangers we were friends. We spent the morning celebrating what we accomplished together. From laying floors, painting houses, playing with the children and building friendships; there was nothing but smiles filling the community. We all gathered around to share snacks and give thanks for our time together. Many pictures were taken to acknowledge our work and coming together. We definitely took with us love in our hearts and an experience that will forever change us all. Today is our last day in ... read more