*Side note*

There's no way for me to show the oldest posts first and then go down, so to start from the beginning just click on the little side bar to the right that says... "2012 - June/July/August" and just click the first post in June and go from there....

(oh and not sure why the writing is mouse sized either, so just enlarge your page (command +) and you might actually be able to read it)


Enjoy!

The End...of the start?

Just explaining to my parents all of the amazing times I'd had and the fantastic things I'd experienced made me so DR-sick and I was sure I was going to go into a state of DR depression, however after a few days of getting back into the groove of things and seeing my old friends, I was back to normal. Well.. as normal can be after you've just come back from a three week, life shaping experience in the Dominican Republic. Although life will carry on, I've already made changes in my daily routine, like continuing cold showers, using less water, eating less processed crap and not buying Starbucks ever. again. And although sometimes these memories will be pushed to the back of my mind, they will never be forgotten. I think in the long run, they'll help me figure out what I wanna do, where I wanna go, who I wanna be.  I'm hoping the people I met over there will remain my friends for much longer, and hopefully someday I can return to the DR, because my works not done yet. Not even close.

Day 21: The rest of it... Last Day!!! :'(

We had agreed to wake up at 530 for sunrise on the roof, however come 530 Andrea and I were the only ones not dead to the world. So we climbed up to the rooftop and were joined by Fergie, Patrick and Leonard. We all admired the beautiful sun create silhouettes with the distant palm trees and nearby flower trees and perching birds, the opening to our last day - last few hours - in the Dominican Republic.

 While on the roof top, Fergie, Patrick and Leonard joined us, so I asked Fergs if he'd heard any..peculiar noises earlier that morning. When he answered a flat "no", I argued that he must have, as the chimney connected to his fireplace. I soon learned that, yes it very well did, but Fergie had moved into the boys dorm when Dave's teacher friend Rick had moved into Fergies room... And that Rick had in fact heard all the noises that we'd shouted down the chimney... oops.

Afterwards, I left and fell asleep in our cabin for another hour before waking up at 730am with only one hour left before we'd be bussed to the airport...

Rudy had made us pancakes, so we each got a fluffy circle of goodness before starting our goodbyes. It may have been the lack of sleep I'd gotten in the past 24 hours or the fact that I'm just awful at goodbyes (as well as dancing), but a little ways in, maybe when Jake began to make whale noises while we were hugging, tears began to spring up in my eyes and a lump formed in my throat. These soon turned to floods of salty water works and sobbing, even though I really wasn't that sad (sorry guys..). After making my rounds, Emma and I confessed to Rick about the strange noises he'd heard last night. Luckily he thought it was funny. hahaaa

On the bus ride down, my eyes subsided a bit, and I was able to have a functioning conversation with Rick about Norah Jones and gap years. While waiting for the plane, we all sat at the only restaurant our terminal had, a greasy fast food place. So Hunter, Ben and Ollie shoved fries and hamburguesas down their throats, I drank some coffee and Gabby munched on a grilled cheese, while we waited for our flight. Luckily no delay this time (compared to the arrivals FOUR HOURS), and we made our landing in New York safely and smoothly. It didn't feel real, actually being in America and after our goodbyes (not so teary this time, thank gawdd), mom and I made the long car ride home.

Day 20: Free Day (Errand Running!) ~

6.18.12.

After staying up relatively late last night chatting with the roomies, I had the pleasure of waking up whenever I woke up - which ended up being 9. A little disappointing, but better than 7 or 8. I mooched around the pool, my cabin, and the chillax area until noon where I ate a filling lunch of Cheetos and salad..

Then I got to go run errands with Jane (and Leonard, Louisa and Carly), which pretty much consisted of chatting in the car until we got to Sosua, spending an hour there drinking smoothies, chilling in the sand and doing some last last minute shopping. Then Jane had a lunch date with her best friend Darren, so we got to go to Cabarete one last time, where we did some more last moment shopping before eating sandwiches (yes, the reaallly good kind) on the beach drinking the heaven juice and some coffee (first time in 17 days). THEN we went to Beach Comber where we searched for left behind towels, honey and bathing suits (success rate 0%) before visiting the bottle school honey keeper for some more honey for the GLA members. However, before his wife had sold them for 50$DR when the actual price was 100$DR so we only had half the money we needed, and ended up getting zero honey. The Cabarete coffee company (where we were going to fill peoples orders for natural, organic, Dominican coffee) was closed on Wednesdays, so we didn't end up getting that either. All in all though, it was a fantastically fun 5.5 hours of 'errand running', where we got to visit all the places we'd spent so much time during the last 20 days, and say a final goodbye. 

Pool Funsies

Twizzlers and String:
Ingredients for the perfect all nighter

We made it back just in time for the final meeting we were to have, where everyone went up and made a little speech about the last 21 days, whether it was concerning expectations, service, new friends, happiness, eye openers, or more. Then the rain started to pour so we were all trapped in the chillax area unless we wanted to get soaking wet, so we all traded numbers and took funny photos until the rain subsided. Then we all jumped in the pool and got soaking wet anyway, and Fergie blasted music and we had a dance party/circle sing along moment when Coldplay Fix You came on. Slowly people started to drop off, until there was 5 of us girls dancing just outside the pool around the ipod for a good half hour.
 The night sky is so beautiful in the DR, so we figured we might as well make the most of it, and as we neared the roof top, we found half of our group perched on the roof or dancing by the flag pole. We chilled up there for a bit before heading back to the cabins to shower and get ready for bed. We'd already decided the previous night that we were going to pull an all nighter, though, and there was no going back now. So we gave each other hair wraps and traded artists and listened to Sophia's iPad music until there was just 5 of the 10 roomies that were still asleep. It was 1.45 am and Juliana and I went back up to the roof and stargazed again. I've never actually stargazed before, because I live in a tree filled neighborhood where the branches block out most of the possibility of seeing the night sky. Plus, the stars are never as bright as in the DR. I saw my first shooting star while laying on that white, sloped roof and it was wonderful. We ended up running back because every crunch and crack we heard (most were probably us) we were convinced were murderers out to get us. After booking it back to the cabin (ours was the only one left with the light on) we found everyone fast asleep. But it was only 2.30 in the morning! So after Abby and Emma had woken up (it may or may not have been because of us) we convinced them to come to the roof with us one last time. After stopping in the kitchen for a quick bread fix (Juliana was hungry), we climbed onto the roof.

Just hangin on the roof

Messing with "Fergie"

Earlier that week, the boys had told me they were going to mess with Ferguson, because his room had a fireplace, who's chimney was on the roof. And was totally accessible. After explaining this to the girls, we all proceeded to make noises into the little opening, and then began to sing into it - horrible singing, as you can't really sing nicely when it's four in the morning and your heads stuck sideways into a chimney hole. About half an hour later, we heard rattling, and a figure jumped out onto the roof, head down. We all grabbed each other, scared for our lives as we thought it was going to be that murderer coming to finish us. It ended up just being Fergie, followed by Patrick and then Jake... I guess we were kinda loud. Then we heard the gate to the pool squeak open and squeal closed, and heard thudding steps coming from below. We all jumped back over the fence or hid behind the sloping roof, before realizing it was Ashley all the way from Cabin 1 who had stormed over here because she had woken up to the sound of our laughter. Fergs sent us back after that, where we hung out for a big (waking up Andrea in the process), before collapsing onto the beds at 430am...

Day 19: Sosua Beach

The beautiful Sosua beach

We had our fun filled day today, where we first jumped on a catamaran (cool little boat) and were whisked away to a coral reef about a mile out. We slipped on our flippers, tied our goggles down, and dived into the clear, cool water. The bottom was about 15 feet below, and we could see everything from the dozens of tiny swordfish drifting at the top of the water to the deep blue Dori-fish darting between the coral 12 feet down. Savannah brought her underwater camera, so we had a blast taking some photos, and slowly everyone started to get out of the water and migrate to the flat roof of the catamaran, where we'd dive, cannon ball, and triple twist into the water from 10 feet above.

On the way to the reef!

Snorkeling!!

And off they go!

Abby and her pina colada

Afterwards, we all went separate ways, exploring the beautiful Sosua beach. My roommates and I sat at a bar table and drank smoothies and coconut juice (from the coconut!) while soaking up our last beach day sun. Then Emma and I did a little bargaining at the many shack-stores that lined the beach, before racing into the sea to meet everyone else. For some reason, the Sosua beach was so much more clear blue and so much less crowded than Cabarete. Everyone unanimously agreed that this was the favorite beach, as we chilled eating burritos and sipping smoothies in the sand.

Then Leonard stepped on a sea urchin while racing Savannah to a far off boat, and later Abby did too - but nothing could be done until they returned to America - so they got to walk around with urchin spines in their heels for the next two days.

Tattooed.

At around 2, a man came around promising tattoos that stay on 'para un meso!' so a few of us invested in inky black pictures that were burned onto our skin - literally, the alcohol or something caused this burning sensation.. sketchy? Nahhh! So Anna ended up with a unicorn prancing on her upper thigh, Abby with a dragon snaking up her side, Emma with a roaring lion face smack bang on her lower belly, Juliana with a butterfly floating below her boobs and me with a butterfly invading my right shoulder. We all felt so bad ass... and stupid when they washed off in the shower later that night. Well... it was fun while it lasted... that whole five hours.


When we got home, we showered quickly and then went on to present our group projects which we'd been assigned earlier that week. We each had to assess a specific location in according to Dave's capital model. The girls cabins had Acention (the Haitian Refugee camp) and the Santa Domingo Slums (that's us!) while the boys dorms had *** and the whole of America. After presenting and debating in an interesting debate about politics and whether it deserves its own spot on the model, we drifted off to bed with only one more night afterwards left in the DR! :(

The Capital Model
 (thanks Jayvee!)

Day 18: Haitian Border

6.16.12.

At the border, the fence marks Haiti

The drive to the border was 4 hours so after a back aching bus ride, we finally parked at a curb. Jane informed us that the people here will try to steal anything loose and hanging off of us, so we left most things on the bus besides cameras. After a filling, heavy meal at a diner where we got a plate for each food we ordered (it made me feel awful because I knew I couldn't finish all of the five plates they gave me, and there were thousands of hungry people in the market just outside the restaurant). I enjoyed pear nectar and caramelized plantains while I was there though, and afterwards we set out to observe the market. We first walked to a gate, which truly was the line between Dominican Republic and Haiti. Trucks crammed with goods were passing through a small opening in the fence, guarded by armed men. Children were on the Haitian side, with filled baskets and bowls balanced on their little heads, pleading with those around them to buy something.

Through the market - very cramped

We then walked to the market entrance, which again was marked by a fence where we were instructed to stay single file and close as we weaved our way through the market. We had all worn our red GLA shirts, and once we entered the craze of the market place, we realized why. People were whizzing by us balancing huge bundles on their heads or pushing crammed wheelbarrows, and the whole area was so jammed with people that at some points we could barely see our group ahead. A woman sat on buckets on the side, selling dried herbs and spices and fish heads while a man emerged from a tiny alleyway in between shacks with huge bags of rice on his head. The Haitians and Dominicans didn't seem to mind our presence too much, excepts sometimes they'd give us angry looks when we'd get in their way. Again, I don't blame them, as I would probably be just as irritated with a bunch of Americans storming through my market place observing us like animals.

Drinking, Bathing, Washing water, all in one.

For us though, I think it made a lot of people wonder how America and other first world countries can run like we do, living in ignorant bliss to the horrors and hardships that these people must suffer through every day of their lives. When we got to the ligament border, made up from several flimsy fence barriers linked together with chains, we saw children playing in the river. The river that was probably one of the few sources of water that these people had. While the naked boys were splashing in the water, their mothers were cleaning clothes and doing laundry, while another women filled up drinking bottles. It was appalling that this dirty river served so many purposes because they didn't have any other options.

We talked to the guards on duty, who informed us that the Haitians can come to the DR twice a week without a passport, every Monday and Friday for the market. This is where they generate most of their income.

The Haitian government cut down the trees and drained the country of its resources before fleeing and leaving the citizens helpless. Now, because they are unable to crow their own crops, they rely on the Dominicans who sell food. In return, the Haitians sell the goods they get donated from first world countries like America (clothes for example), and use the money they earn to buy food for their starving families. Although this may seem like a decent system at first, think of all the problems and issues that will arise in the future - hitting these poor, third world countries first - like the lack of fresh water, oil crisis, etc. Once this occurs, there will only be more competition, and food prices may rise or the Dominicans may stop selling food to the Haitians all together, in which case the millions of people residing in Haiti will plunge into a state of crisis.

Caged Children

Selling Trucks

We talked about these faulty systems on our long bus ride home and the discussion later that night, brainstorming things that could be done to help better the situation of these people.

Day 17: A Packed Sunday

We woke at 6 and left early to visit a Haitian village and sit in on their church mass. We all sat on bench pews in their cramped church and observed the songs, sung by all and played by a guy on drums and another on an electric guitar - this church was awesome. Everyone had dressed up nicely for the service, the men in shirt and tie attire, the women in long skirts and a nice top, the children in suits or adorable Easter dresses. Half way through, we left and sat outside with the children, letting them borrow our cameras and buying them waters and iceys. We got a tour afterwards of part of the village, a housing area. We had a crowd of children following us, begging for piggy back rides or just to hold our hand. When we'd stand still, listening to the preacher tour guide, they'd wrap their arms around us and bury their faces in our shirts, as if soaking up the affection, like they didn't get it otherwise.

Dogs outside the church, most bone skinny
and one missing an eye. Sad to see but
they loved to be pet

Hunter with his new amigo

Abby pouring out her fresh water to the eager children

The plastic pouches of fresh water they'd drink
- 2 pesos a pouch or as much free water as they
needed from the local (dirty and polluted) stream.
Which do you think they choose?

One of the most beautiful girls I've seen.
She was such a sweetie!

Here's a video of part of their mass

- it was a wonderful atmosphere and I'm

so glad I got to experience it

Hunter & I
(Those are the scrumptious candy
coconuts I was telling you about)

Then off to Cabarete! We ate sandwiches and fresh juice by the beach before going shopping once again and practically buying out the store between us (it was our last time!). We relaxed in the water, talking to some locals and then dried off in the sun eating delicious candy covered coconut macaroons from a street vendor. Before we left, I got a banana strawberry smoothie for the road. So much food, so much goodness.

Sitting pretty!

We played our team building activities after, which consisted of a balloon picking up and passing game, our geography game (which we won, what a surprise!), a land version of I-T, and  4 corners - tree style. Everyone dispersed afterwards, hurrying back to the cabins to dress up for the gas station dance we were going to. It was the first time we'd worn make up and made any effort to look nice in over 2 weeks, and we all cheered each other on as we walked on the bus - the girls in dresses, the guys in nice shirts. The dance was in a little bar area, but there were dozens of restaurant tables set out around it. The gas station was just after that. We all had a blast, dancing with Dominican guys and the GLA guys, and we somewhat learned the salsa.

Nehemie doing her moves!

The dancing scene

Emma getting her dance on

After dancing, a few of us slipped over to Bon (amazing ice cream place) and enjoyed some frozen goodness before returning back to the group - where we found a dance off taking place. Jayvee versus one of the Dominican guys. It was crazy and everyone was laughing, but both the guys were fantastic! Dave was a bundle of nerves though, because it seemed that the diesel guys had diluted the gasoline with water, and the bus wouldn't work. So all the girls had to squish into a van and go back, leaving Dave, Jane, Fergie and Sydney to figure the situation out. When we returned to our empty home, we were all hot and sweaty from dancing and had the fantastic idea to go skinny dipping - after all, no boys around. So we all stripped and ran into the pool, figuring we had at least 20 minutes til any others arrive. However, five minutes in we hear someone yell "BOYS!" and we could see their shadows nearing the gate. A chorus of screams rang out and we all grabbed someones clothing and booked it for the cabins. We returned ten minutes later attired in proper swimming wear, and chowed on fresh cut watermelon as we laughed about what just happened. Then a few of us went to the rooftop to stargaze, and how magnificent it was. It was a whole stretch of sky, sprinkled with glittering stars, not a plane or skyscraper or city light in sight besides the dazzling suns. Then we heard a car making its way up the drive, and figured Dave and Jane must be coming home, so we booked it back downstairs and ate some more watermelon before going to the cabins.

Cornbread + friends = recipe for fun times

After showering, we broke open a 6 pack of cornbread I'd bought at the bottle school the other day, and some Tostidos that Sophia had bought at Cabarete and together we all feasted and chatted until we were falling asleep with our newly formed food babies, and we decided to hit the hay.