Weekend away from the city

This last weekend we went to Jarabacoa to visit Eric’s grandparents. They live in a small mountain town in the middle of the island. It is a sweet little town where life is lived at a much slower pace than the capital. The entire downtown consists of a town square built around this huge tree that has branches covering an entire plaza surrounding it. It’s so great just being able to get out and walk around the square stretching my legs and quieting my mind after so much cramped city life.
Abuelo Concito and Abuela Zoila’s house is just off the town square. It’s a large ranch-style house with several bedrooms. So far, every one of the three times I’ve stayed there I have been a different bedroom. They have a patio area and yard off of the house that is actually bigger than the house. Much of life in Jarabacoa is lived outside, because the weather is so cool and comfortable. In fact, everyone was marveling at how cold it was this past weekend and I would say it was in the mid-50’s at night. Haha…we are a long way from Boston!
I especially love waking up at the Abuelo’s, because they serve the best breakfast and it is always waiting for you at the table when you get up. The coffee and fruit always taste better in the mountains and when you have a grandmother and amazing great-aunts preparing it!
Saturdays in Jarabacoa are, without fail, spent by the river at Sabeneta, just outside Jarabacoa. Eric’s grandparents built a “casita” or cottage by the river there. It is a rustic house with concrete floors and an open beam ceiling. All of the windows and doors are always open and it kind of feels like you are outside. Some of Eric’s family stays there for the weekend and some at Abuelo’s house. I love spending the day at Sabeneta, but it’s a little too “rustic” for me to want to sleep there, especially since Little Eric and I are so easily bitten by the mosquitoes these days.
At the casita we always eat lunch together under a detached patio equipped with a wood-burning outdoor stove where a huge pot of Sancocho is made. Sancocho is one of, if not THE, signature dish of the Dominican Republic. It is a stew made of vegetables including yucca and plantains, and seven meats. I have tried to count the different kinds of meat in it, but I can’t come up with seven. I know it’s seven different kinds of meat, not seven different animals, though, in case you were wondering. Not the kind of dish my friend Ellen would put on her top ten!
After lunch there is talking and relaxing to do. If you are feeling adventurous you can go horseback riding with some of the local guides, go river rafting or take a hike up to one of the local waterfalls (Salto de Jimenoa). One of Eric’s uncles runs a recreation day camp that is adjacent to the casita.
Little Eric had such a great time with his cousins, especially Gabriela who is 13 and can’t wait to come down to the capital to babysit. I can’t wait either! She was so great to take care of him and play with him a lot during the weekend and it was special for me to see how well he took to her. He also had a grand time with Abuelo and Abuela. They both love children so much and had a great time playing with him and trying to get him to say things in Spanish.
Sidenote: I am sitting on the balcony at Eric’s mom’s apartment and a flock of about 30 parrots just flew overhead! Can you believe I live somewhere where wild parrots just fly over your head?!
So, after a relaxing weekend we headed down the mountain and back to the chaotic metropolis we now call home. The reality of what you are leaving and what you are going home to begins to set in on the highway as you drive home. Of course, we left later than expected so it was getting dark on the way home and most of the crazy things happen here after dark. We saw little motorbikes driving down the middle of the highway going in the opposite direction of traffic, a bus broken down on the side of the highway with a bucket on fire as the flare, people riding horses down the center median, various people running across the highway at several points, and a man standing in the middle of the right lane of the highway fixing his truck unconcerned that he might be hit by another car traveling in that lane. You would think driving on the highway would be a less stressful experience than driving around the city, but it’s seems to always be a toss up here.
As an update, we have the keys to our apartment and are ready to move in, but are awaiting a move-in date when our moving company can go down to Customs to pick up our things and move them in. Tonight I am going to buy cleaning supplies and we are going to clean it this weekend so it is ready for us to move in and start making it our home!
Also, Little Eric has caught some kind of bug and we were up with him all night monitoring his fever. He has a nasty little cough, too. If he doesn’t seem better today, then we are going to make our first trip to the Pediatrician. And, of course, being in such close proximity with him 24 hours a day, I have something too and feel pretty crummy myself. If we could just get moved in I know we will feel more settled.