la familia hernandez

We're moving....across town.

2010-01-09T08:14:00.002-04:00

Nope. We're not heading back to the US yet. Just making a move to a bigger apartment a mile or so away from where we live now. This weekend we are making the big move. It is nice to have less to move than ever before, since we pared down a lot before we moved here. Our apartment is amazing and I am so excited about it. It's bigger with 3 bedrooms, so finally Eric is getting an office and I am getting rid of the clutter on our dining table. It has a really nice open floor plan for the living/dining and kitchen with a bar separating the kitchen from the dining room so I can keep an eye on Eric. I am gaining my own sewing space in a corner of our bedroom so I don't have to keep putting away my machine and supplies (one step closer to my own sewing room).

All of these things are great, but there are two other things that make this place an answer to my prayers for easier accessibility.... we are right around the corner from Eric's pre-school so I can walk him to school and take that job away from my already maxed out husband, and we are around the corner from the grocery store (which has an ice cream stand and our favorite pizza restaurant inside). AND, if that wasn't enough, some really great friends with three amazing kids are moving into the apartment right below us!

I'll be posting pictures as soon as we get things set up.

Christmas Dominican-style

2010-01-09T07:45:00.005-04:00

We had a really fun, and restful Christmas. We did a lot of fun things, but I think just having a break from the norm was restful in itself. My mom came to visit for 10 days and we were able to show her a lot of the places we love here. She got her fill of her 2 1/2 year old grandson and I got some good mother/daughter time. Here are a few pics:

Eric is sitting in the mango tree in Eric's grandparents yard. I am sure every single grandchild has a picture sitting in this tree, too!

Here we are all dressed up for Christmas Eve dinner at the Abuelos.

Eric with his papa, bis-Abuelo, and Tio.

Princess Paula

Santa brought more trains and big crane to add to the set.

At the Botanical Garden with my mom, cousin Gabriela and Edi.

Walking with Gammy thru the Japanese garden.

Down in the Colonial Zone playing Perico Ripeio, the traditional folk music.

At the beach. So wishing Eric wanted to take posed pictures these days. Impossible to catch a group shot of him complying.

Amazing sunset. Stunning.

Dancing Merengue at our New Year's Eve party.
Eric kicking back on New Year's Eve watching a Thomas video on his new DVD player.
2010 toast. Funny thing, my hand and glass made the picture, but Eric's big mug is blocking me!
Wearing Dominican hats from the countryside (a kind of folk tradition) with Edi and Eric's Aunt Carmen, who was a kindred spirit with my mom.

Feliz Navidad!

2009-12-16T17:35:00.012-04:00

FROM OUR FAMILY TO YOU AND YOURS...MERRY CHRISTMAS!

It's been QUITE the year in the Hernandez household. We have been living here in the DR for a little over a year and have made some great memories this past year. We started out the year with Little E's big first day of pre-school. He did so well adjusting to an all Spanish pre-school program and has grown so much in his bi-lingual language skills over the past year. He can say all of his colors, numbers, some of the letters, his name, how old he is, and the words to boss us around in BOTH English and Spanish.

February 27th is Independence Day here and the colegio had a celebration. All of the kids dressed up in typical "campesino" attire, which is the costume of the country people of the past.

Eric was so excited to share a childhood memory of his by taking Little E on his first horseback ride by the river in Jarabacoa.

Eric's easter basket contained his very first Thomas the Tank Engine train...and, it has been a Hernandez obsession since. We actually love that his imagination grows as he replays scenes from the videos on his own track. This one train became a fleet.

The view from our apartment. Santo Domingo has become home. We are taking the "bloom where you are planted" attitude.

Along with teaching classes Eric initiated an institute for structural engineering research at the University where he teaches. They have already purchased a "shake table" for earthquake as well as hurricane and wind damage experiments, and have offered engineering courses to local professional engineers. Eric loves working at INTEC and plans to continue helping them grow their master's program in engineering.

Little Eric celebrated his 2nd birthday with Elmo in June.

Eric's dad and family came for a visit in June. Here is Little E with Abuelo.

I've made some fantastic friends, most are missionaries involved with an all English Bible study I attend. Here I am with April enjoying coffee at our favorite spot La Cuchara de Madera.

We celebrated the 4th of July at the U.S. Embassy's annual party. It was a Hawaiian theme to commemorate Hawaii's 50th anniversary as a state. Here we are standing under the fireworks (which you can't see) with our friends Fernandito and Rhina.

My friends from our Bible study. Most are missionaries doing various work all over the country or work in the Embassy. This group of women were lifesavers to me in the early months as I was transitioning.

Already taking after his father playing chess. He can actually identify all of the chess pieces, in Spanish, of course.

Helping Abuela pick mangoes in Jarabacoa during mango season. Gotta love living under a mango tree, as Eric's grandparents do. Can you imagine just plucking them from your yard. Too bad mango season is a short two months!

Eric playing with his friend, Edwin. They were good buddies until Edwin moved with his family to the states. We miss him a lot.

In August we went with Eric's extended family to Samana, my favorite beach area. The long stretches of beach are lined with coconut trees with not one hotel in sight as they are banned from building right on the beach. The header to my blog is a picture from one of our trips.

Zoila and Paula Marie with me and Eric in Samana.

In September Eric started back to pre-school and is in the "big kid" class. He is the youngest in his class and is keeping up. His little friend Esther, who is the oldest in the class, has kind of taken him under her wing and tries to explain things in English if she thinks he doesn't understand. So cute.

In October we got a visit from good friends, Kelly, Steve and Maddie Josti. We, of course, took the opportunity to go to the beach for a few days. Here we are toasting our friends Anne and Eric in the states who had gotten married that day.

The friends are reunited...Eric and Maddie.

One of my very favorite things I do each week is go out to Cercadillo where I work alongside very good friends Ina, Kirsten, Mercy and some local students and missionaries to teach women how to sew and make handcrafts to sell. Here are some of the dear, dear women sewing.

We wish you all the best as you enjoy the Holidays. Join us in remembering that this is the time of year to celebrate the birth of the baby Jesus...Emmanuel, God is with us.

I'm here....I promise.

2009-12-14T15:58:00.003-04:00

I'm embarrassed at how long it's been since I've posted last, and that I kind of left our news about not having a baby right now hanging in the air. I have had thoughts at odd times about blogging, times when I wasn't near a computer, or we didn't have electricity. I even started downloading pictures from a recent beach trip (click HERE to see the pics) with our friends the Josti's who came to visit and the power went out right in the middle and I gave up. And, on top of it all I have just really been coasting through each week taking it as it comes and trying to enjoy the things that are right in front of me...like leading the weekly discussion about relationships with the Legado student program at our church, planning for and going out to Cercadillo to work with the women, playing with Eric, learning and practicing Spanish with my friend and tutor Marta...you know everyday things. Cooking, shopping, eating, hosting friends, disciplining and correcting the behavior of a 2 1/2 year old before it goes out of control, spending time with Eric when he comes home after a long day, etc.

I am about to do a year wrap up as a Christmas card to family and friends, as I we are not able to send out a physical card this year. Lot of pictures are coming. But, until then I just wanted to check in and thank you all for hanging with me and giving me the space to take a little breather from the "internets" as Eric calls them.

Plans Change...

2009-11-04T15:53:00.004-04:00

We're not having a baby after all. I had a miscarriage last week. Actually, it's my second (the first was before I got pregnant with Eric). Why these things happen I don't know. I know the statistics say something like 20% of pregnancies end in a miscarriage, but that doesn't help your hurting heart much. I still wonder why there was a heartbeat one week and all indications were that everything was good and then there wasn't. What happened to this little one? I keep asking this question to God knowing that I won't know the answer. I wrestle with this...the what happened and why question. I am so profoundly sad that I won't be able to be a mother to this baby or that this little one won't be a part of our family here on earth. My heart smiles, though as I consider that this one is with our Heavenly Father, being spared all the pain and sorrow life on earth brings with it.

I keep thinking of Job in the Bible when he was surrounded with calamity from all fronts he said, "Should we accept good from God and not bad, too?" (my paraphrase). A popular song I have sung in church for years has also be on my mind a lot these days. The lyric is, "You give and take away. My heart will choose to say, Lord blessed be your name." My head is asking the questions, my aching heart is choosing to trust God.

I must say a tremendous blessing has been good friends. Our good friends Kelly and Steve were visiting us while all this unraveled and their presence represented a sense of family and home for me. My mother-in-law went out of her way to make sure Little Eric was taken care of. Friends near and far that knew what was going on have been willing to enter into our grief with us. I have made some really good friends over the past year here, friendships for which I am grateful. What has made a deep impression on me is how many people have openly acknowledged the miscarriage and been heartfelt in their sadness, not mincing words, not feeling akward, not covering it over with idle chit chat. This has been refreshing to me as it has helped the grieving process along for me.

So, here we are pressing on and taking it as it comes. Looking for the good in it all and feeling the sadness along the way. My hope is in Him and his promise that my life and the life of my family is in His hands. The day before all of this happened a friend reminded me that God is saying this to me, "For I know the plans I have for you. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Then you will have a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:11)"

Thank you, Lord that your mercy is new every morning. Thank you that I can weep and not fall apart. Thank you that there is hope for more than what I see here on earth. Thank for the incredible husband and child I have right now. You are good. Amen.

* p.s. I have literally been trying to write this for about three days and everytime I actually get a chance to get on the computer and get my thoughts focused the electricity goes out. Today I actually wrote this through four power outtages each time the computer turning off in the middle of a sentence. Is it strange that my 2 1/2 year old knows how to say, "No power or water" ("No hay luz, ni agua). Thank God I am finally done!!

Guess who is going to be a big brother?

2009-10-19T16:45:00.003-04:00

Yep...this cutie...who is getting so tall.

I am due at the end of May. So tired. So sick a lot. SO excited!

BTW...this is why I haven't been blogging much...the crummy, morning sick part.

Altos de Chavon

2009-10-19T16:26:00.004-04:00

Last weekend we took a day trip to Altos de Chavon. It was just what we needed to get out of the city and b-r-e-a-t-h-e. It's this little village on top of a hill overlooking a river that was built as a replica of an italian village. It is so sweet and quaint with cobblestone paths, little art shops, a cafe, romatic restaurants, waterfalls, and a amphitheater where they often host concerts (Kenny G is coming up, Andrea Bocelli was here in the Spring). I felt like I was in Europe, definately not like the Caribbean, and I didn't want to leave. Can't wait to go back and hope we can make it a romantic trip next time.

Here are a few pics from the day:

The expert map reader.
Eric and Ericito on the stage at the amphitheater.

Pretending to be in Europe waiting to hear the 3 Tenors.

The Church in the middle of the village. You can't see the inticate cobblestone patterns on the ground, but they were amazing.

Happy boys.

The whole village is built overlooking a river.

Here is some of the mosiac work on the buildings.

Eric, me, Edi and Little E.

My Chacabana Man

2009-10-12T15:52:00.002-04:00

This past weekend Eric participated in his first graduation ceremony as a full-fledged professor. Most of you know he is a research professor at a University here in Santo Domingo that specializes in technology. To his disappointment, the "proper" faculty attire is not robes and hoods, but Chacabana. Chacabana is a typical Dominican dress shirt made out of linen with two pleated plackets down each side of the front of the shirt and 4 pockets. So, here he is sporting his look for graduation. He did wear his Northeastern pin to show his devotion to his alma mater.

Untitled...not enough coffee or energy to come up with one.

2009-10-05T06:49:00.003-04:00

5:18 a.m...I hear the doorknob turn and the pitter patter of little feet..."Mama, ven," which literally means, "Mama, come," but in my head I translate it to mean, "Get out of bed right now. I don't care that it's still dark and I have a fever and a cold. I am ready to hit the day and you better be too."

Where's the coffee? Oh, yeah I need to make it right after I get the little one settled into a Thomas video (that I sadly know by heart). *side note: I actually put the movie on in Spanish the other day so we I didn't have to hear it in English ONE MORE TIME. OJ in hand, DVD in, sick child on sofa and the sun won't even be up for at least an hour. Oh joy.

Somehow my sick child becomes more energized when he is under the weather. How exactly does this happen? I used to wonder why the children's channels played cartoons in the middle of the night, but now I know it's really for the adults with sick children who are awoken in the middle of the night and don't have the energy to do anything else but doze on the sofa while their child is happily awake with no idea what "the middle of the night" is. Seriously, when he is sick and he comes into my room at 3 a.m. it's not because he is crying or hurting, it's because he woke up with all of his energy ready for a new day that won't officially get started for a few more hours.

I guess I can be happy that my child is a somewhat easy sick kid. He doesn't really whine and pretty much acts normal. But, why does he have more energy when I need him to be the most laid back so I can get a break from either fighting off what he has or recovering from my own lack of sleep thanks to 4 hour apart tylenol doses and 3 a.m. wake-up calls.

This morning, well before the sun was up (he actually pointed out the window at the moon), he watched about 5 minutes of the video, ran to his room to play with his train, ran back to the dining room to play with his trains at the table, rode his big wheel around the house, laid in bed with me for exactly two minutes and is now running back and forth from his room to the living room.

It's going to be a long day.

Look what I got today...

2009-09-12T16:37:00.004-04:00

Today I had my first experience with a "missionary sale". I had heard of these sales shortly after I moved here, but since I'm not really in the complete missionary "loop" (you know I really just hang out with all the cool missionaries) I always seem to hear about them a day too late. Missionary Sales are basically yard sales that happen when a family moves back to the country they are from and they usually sell EVERYTHING. Well, I got the word from my friend Kirsten, who is always in the know, about a sale that took place this morning. The family moving has lived here for 15 years or something like that and has run a school, so you can imagine all of the possibilities of things they might be selling. It was packed and I saw a lot of my friends there, which was fun. And, I'm not sure where all of the stuff came from, but there was a ton of very random things, not unlike what you might find at a yard sale in the states, but a little surprising for me to see down here.

The best part, by far, was going through all of the school supplies and books they had. I really had to use self-control because I could have bought so many more fun finds. I just kept hearing those 6 famous words spoken by my well-meaning husband (words that have changed my pack rat tendancies)..."What do we need this for?"

Well, I came home with all of this for $265 pesos, which is something like $8:

REAL vintage (can I say that if they are from my childhood) Bristle Blocks and Lincoln Logs, some really fun fabric with numbers and equations, which I am sure will become PJ bottoms for little E, 2 christmas trees, a Barney puzzle, a NEW red recorder, a flowered mug, and 4 vintage books (Little Men, 2nd grade Social Studies book, an American History reader, and a children's Bible that I bought because I thought the pictures looked funky and cool).

And, then as I was walking out the woman selling things asked me if I wanted any plants. And, I got this beauty for another $200 pesos. It's a lime tree!!! How fun is that? It doesn't really look like much, but I know the potential it has if I don't kill it first. She said it has pretty little white flowers that turn into little limes. I am wondering if it is a key lime tree.

So, all said and done I spent something like $12...and Big E never asked the million dollar question.

After playing with his Bristle Blocks, Barney puzzle and recorder he pooped out on the sofa. He was so into the recorder that while we were eating lunch he put his hotdog down, picked up his recorder to blow on it a few times, put it back down and resumed eating his lunch.

The Social Studies book was published in 1958 and is awesome. Even though some things are really outdated (like the clothes or the fact that the part on the neighborhood park says that "I can go there alone.") little E and I were reading it together and he seemed to like it. Check this out:
These kids are helping to build a library area in their classroom. Check out the kid with the saw?!

And, then there are these sections called Who can help? where they ask the kids what they would do to help if they were in the picture, and What would you do? where they have these scenarios with blank bubbles above the kids where the reader can say what they would do if they were that particular kid that particular situation. I LOVE THIS and it seems so appropriate for our time, too. I'm sure President Obama would approve (wink, wink).

He's a breadman like his mama.

2009-09-08T11:43:00.002-04:00

While I was unpacking the groceries yesterday I kept hearing "mmmm" sounds and this is what I found. Guess he likes those carbs, too. And, couldn't wait for lunch.

Colegio is back in session.

2009-09-07T15:37:00.007-04:00

I didn't realize until just now that I only blogged once in August. I guess between power outtages (don't I sound like a broken record, but it's true!) and summer schedules it's been difficult to find a peaceful moment to sit down and gather my thoughts. And, although the weather is no indicating so, the calendar is telling me it's fall and time to regather and organize. Eric started back at his "colegio" pre-school last week. He is in the 3-4 year old class. That's right, I guess he's already showing signs of his father's intelligence and skipping grades left and right. No seriously, he is in the older class at his little school because he is with his same teacher and students from last year. The school just added a classroom for his "pre-kinder" class. It's so cute to see the little table with eight chairs each with the name of a student in the class. And, the room has all the toys and things that are perfect for his age...tinkertoys, a play kitchen with play food (which the kid needs to seriously learn how to "play" eat or we are going to have a cold a month in our house), dress-up clothes, all kinds of puzzles and books, and walls filled with letter, numbers, the calendar, weather, etc. When he started going to colegio in January it was a needed break for me, but now I am more excited about all he is learning. He is exploding with language, colors in english and spanish, letters, of course all of the names of his trains, body parts. And, his time at colegio will really help him with his spanish. I think we are taking advantage of all we can to give him a full bi-lingual experience while we are here.

I am actually kind of busy these days, too, which is a welcome change from the first few months here when I felt a little lost. I have several sewing projects in process from hemming pants and making curtains for friends, to my volunteer work with the women at Cercadillo. I am tuning up all 9 of the sewing machines while Ina is away on furlow in the states. I continue to go out to Cercadillo with my friends, Kirsten and Mercy each Friday to help lead the women's bible study. I am also about to start leading a discussion group in Spanish (hold on everyone) on relationships with a new leadership school that my friends Kirsten and Rich Root have started called Legado. The 10-week series is a DVD driven talk about relationships that Kirsten and I will lead a discussion on afterward, so the Spanish part is really aided by her fluency. But, speaking of Spanish I am about to FINALLY start spending time once a week with a tutor. It's really quite overdue, partially because my previous attempts at tutoring with a few members of Eric's family kept falling through, and partially because Eric thinks I don't really need a tutor and that I just need to talk more. Well, "talking more" has gained me vocabulary and the ability to understand what people are saying to me better, but my grammar lacks a LOT and needs a LOT of improvement. So, my friend Marta, who teaches in a local elementary school is going to come over to my apartment each Thursday afternoon and get me going ahead.

I know I sound like a broken record as I stated earlier, but it's H-O-T. I mean, man it's hot! August and September are supposed to be the hottest months and then it should get cooler (for all my upcoming visitors!). It's just hot and humid from the time you wake up until the time....all the time. We have been kicked in the but with very high electricity bills the past two months (that with regular times when we don't have any power), so we are really trying to conserve and not use our AC until we go to bed at night. Whew! But, at least it's not like this all the time, which is what I thought before I moved here, because every other time I had visited was during this hot season.

We keep hearing stories about thefts and robberies being on the rise, and then on Friday Eric's computer bag with his computer and everything for work was stolen out of the trunk of our car while parked in a supposedly secure parking lot at a mall at 10:30 a.m. with full security all around. How does this happen? Well, no luck in recovering those items, which included some really nice pens in a leather case I gave him for graduating from grad school. And, we have bumped up our family "security alert" to orange, meaning no walking around outside, doors locked at all times, and the particular mall where the theft has taken place is off limits. Bummer.

Well, here are a few pictures of Eric's first day of school. I forgot to mention that his good buddy, Esther or "Esto" is in his class. They kind of look alike with their light hair and olive skin, too.This is the night before Colegio, he was running around like a crazy man in his Thomas undies (potty training has NOT officially started) and his Plaza Sesamo "Fake" eating the food.

Trip to Samana

2009-08-27T16:48:00.006-04:00

We recently spent the weekend at our favorite beach (the picture in my header is actually from this beach) on the Samana peninsula. We went with an assortment of cousins, aunts and uncles, and Eric's immediate family. There were 13 plus two kids in total. So much fun was had as we cooked our meals in the outdoor kitchen and ate them on the patio of the villa we stayed in, swam in the pool until our fingers were shrively and visited 3 different beaches. One of the beaches, Playa Coson, was completely deserted and actually couldn't be reached without a 4-wheel drive. We were laughing that to get to this beach in the middle of nowhere you have to literally drive down an unmarked dirt road until you see a tree in the middle of the road at which point you turn right and look for a break in the barbed wire fence where you turn left and follow that unmarked road until you find the beach. Crazy.

And, it was so much fun. Here are some pictures:

One last noteworthy thing to share is that last weekend was our 4th Anniversary and my wonderful husband took me to dinner in one of Santo Domingo's oldest and nicest restaurants that is deep inside a cave. So much fun and so sorry I didn't think to take my camera. I was too busy getting Little E packed for his first sleepover at Abuela's house!

Visiting Cercadillo

2009-07-31T16:18:00.006-04:00

My heart is singing today because I just got back from Cercadillo. I have been going out for the past couple of weeks to help the women of the village sew. What a beautiful ministry my friend Ina has with these women. They live in a campo outside of town with no electricity and only water accessible by a well put in by the ministry. The campo consists of very simple colorful wooden houses bleached by the sun that are scattered all along the dirt road and a colmado that does triple duty as the grocery store, hardware store and beauty salon. The bumpy dirt road is lined with people walking on foot as there are very few cars, if any at all. Moms carrying water buckets on their heads from the well, kids running barefoot with sticks chasing our jeep, a group of althetic boys jogging toward the baseball field wearing their hopes for being scouted by the American leagues all over their muscular bodies.

When we drove up to the ministry site today the Bible study was already in full swing, women sitting on green benches and yellow plastic chairs listening intently. A few children were running around from one mama to antother, dirty shirts and shoeless feet smiles a mile wide. The open air pavillion we meet under is painted bright yellow and turquoise with a concrete floor.

After the prayer time ends it's time to get busy and set up the sewing machines and work tables. Eight sewing machines are set up and plugged into the bright red Honda generator that soon hums to life. Everyone retrieves the projects leftover from the past week out of the big blue plastic bin and starts to get to work. Some are cutting out patterns, some are pinning their seams together and some are at the sewing machines. Patterns become bags before our eyes as these women use their new talents to create something they can sell. The money they earn from selling their bags will feed their families.

It's a beautiful thing to see these women learning a new skill that brings them a sense of confidence they can use this to change their future. Some sew with relative ease, while others struggle with the simple things like sewing a straight seam, but all are diligent and eager to do their work. The finished bags made from a pattern I helped create lie in a neat pile with colorful tags attached bearing the name of the person who made them. What a gift it is to help them for a few hours, using the basic sewing skills my grandmothers taught me, helping Yaquelin tear out a bad seam and then helping Dona Carmen (a sweet grandmotherly woman with weathered hands and cataracts) finish her bag on the sewing machine. I've learned new words to help them along...hilo (thread), tejiras (scissors), agujas (needles).

Today I walked away with a new bag sewn by Marleni and a necklace made by Yaquelin, everytime I use them I will think of their faces. But, as tired and sweaty I was returning to my home I wore a smile for the rest of the day because I knew my time spent there nourished my soul. Lending a few hours and a hand once a week is a small sacrifice, and yet I am doing something that is making an immediate difference in their lives. It's hard to say who is more blessed...me or those lovely ladies of Cercadillo.

Oh electricity, where are you these days?

2009-07-15T21:06:00.002-04:00

It's been a rough week, I tell you. And, it's only Wednesday. SO, I can either brace myself for more of the same or think it's bound to get better from here.

Electricity. I love it. I have never appreciated it more. I don't have it a lot these days.

It's just part of life that we often lose it. And, it hasn't bothered me until this week. It hasn't been a big deal to lose it for a few hours every couple of days. It's workable. Maybe you don't get to do a load of laundry or you have to wait to use the oven. BUT, I am through with being patient...at least today.

For the past few days we have lost power several times each day, and two nights until 1 a.m. It's July, right? So, it's HOT and no power means no fans and virtually no air flow, especially when you don't have power during the peak daytime hours. And, no power at night means going to sleep without the AC, which a lot of people do here, I know. But, we don't use our AC until we go to bed and I really look forward to that time of day when I know I can be cool.

Well, today after being on the generator back up power for several hours, we lost it completely during the hottest part of the day, no ice in the freezer and sweaty stickiness covering us from head to toe and I just couldn't take another minute. I called my friend April who saved the day, packed up our swimsuits and took a cab over to her cool apartment with the pool beconing us. Oh the sweet coolness of it all.

Apparently there is a power "situation" right now where the political powers are up in arms over something and using power to let us all know in no uncertain terms that they are in control. I can only imagine someone hovering over a power grid fiendeshly rubbing their hands together flicking switches turning off power over certain neighborhoods relishing the control they have over us. Maybe this is my imagination gone wild from heat exhaustion, but it doesn't really sound like a democratic thing to do to wield power over the people by turning off and on their electricity at will, now does it?

And, for the record my quote of the week spoken to Eric last night was, "You can't underestimate the power of that second shower."

We have hit the "terrible" two's.

2009-07-09T12:50:00.003-04:00

Isn't there something else we can call it? We've hit the ______ instead of the "terrible two's"? I'm looking for a spin that helps me to be more positive about this developmental milestone. Maybe "We've hit the I-want-it-my-way period"...well, that's not really any more positive. I guess I need to remember that it's that stage of feeling out how independent he can be and how much control he can garner in each situation. If anyone has a more creative way to look at, please leave me a comment...for my sanity!

SO, today Little E walks out of the bathroom showing me a dripping wet washcloth that he is proceeding to wipe up and down his fully clothed body while saying "agua, agua," as in "look mama, water!" Not too bad, no big trouble, no big mess to clean-up, just something he has never done before. Twenty minutes later he starts pulling my arm saying, "mama, mama" and he's all wet again. I go to the bathroom to discover there is a puddle of water all over the floor and my sneakers are in there, all wet. In fact one of them is 1/2 full of water. It didn't appear that the sink had been on, so I am guessing he filled my shoe with toilet water. And, he can't actually tell me where he got it, because his language skills still keep me guessing.

Twenty minutes later and I am trying to answer an e-mail and he wants to sit on my lap. I very calmly hand him his four Thomas trains and tell him he can play next to me. He immediately puts on the water works, throws not only the toys on the ground but his whole self, too. I keep my focus on the computer trying not to give him the attention he wants, and for the next few minutes he picks himself up, walks a couple of steps, starts crying and throws himself on the ground, picks himself up, walks a couple of steps, starts crying and throws himself down trying so hard to get a rise out of me. I stay calm, finish my e-mail, pretend nothing happened and coax him out of the room. Immediately he stops crying, starts laughing and it's like nothing just happened. One minute the world is ending and the next minute he's watching Elmo with a smile on his face. Go figure.

Seriously, this all started happening just today...where do we go from here?

Just for fun, take a look at this yummy bread I just made that I posted on my other blog. I had my friend, Kirsten over for coffee with her friend, Mitch who is visiting with a mission team from my college friend, Angela's church. Can you keep that straight? And, along with another bestie from college, Angela and Julie sent me a care package!!! Favorite magazines (and in English!), spices, lots of CD's, a children's Bible, notes with love, AND a Trader Joe's reusable bag!!! I'm a lucky girl!

4th of July.

2009-07-07T08:53:00.005-04:00

Man, it's been awhile since I posted last. How does this happen? I think about things to update everyone on, but then don't get around to it, or when I do it seems like the power is out. We've had a lot of power outtages lately...at least one, if not two a day. It's really not a big thing, mostly just annoying when you want to do something like use the oven, microwave or computer.

SO, I just celebrated my first ever 4th of July outside of the country. Although it was not nearly as magical as listening to the Pops while picnicing on the Charles River in Boston we did have a good time. On Friday night Eric and I went to the 4th of July party on the lawn of the U.S. Ambassador's house. Apparently, it was quite an exclusive deal to get an invitation. I will tell you right now that the invitation was not sent to me, rather it was addressed to Eric (who you all know is not an American Citizen). Oh well, I guess receiving a scholarship from the U.S. government in exchange for professional investment in your country deserves some recognition.

It was fun, although a little disappointing that we didn't strike up meaningful and witty conversations with other ex-Pats, which proves to me that the absence of party mingling happens everywhere. The theme for the night was Hawaian, commemorating the 50th anniversary of Hawaii becoming a state. The hysterical part of the whole evening was the fact that all of the food was provided by all of the American fast food restaurants we have here in Santo Domingo and that people were standing in line to get things like a taco from Taco Bell or french fries from McDonalds. What can I say...some things just follow you around the world like coca-cola and Pizza Hut.

Then, on Saturday we went to my friend Ina's house for a good ole American cookout. She has this super cute house with this fun, colorful patio that was perfect for grilling bar-b-que chicken and hamburgers. And, Eric got to play with his friend Edwin who is the exact same age. Between taking each other's toys and claiming them as their own..."mio, mio"...they play surprisingly well together.

So, for an American fish out of water I think we pretty much hit the bases here...fireworks, ice cream, bar-b-que chicken, watermelon and friends.

At the Ambassador's House...we didn't even see him, although I think his wife thanked us for coming.

Getting my picture with some of the Marines stationed here.

McDonalds. OK..for all the joking about the hokey cuisine I really couldn't wait to have McDonalds fries!

Eric eating several mini-hotdogs...no Fenway Frank, but they were still good and they had relish.

Getting a shot with fireworks overhead (which you can't see) with our friends Rhina and Fernandito. Rhina works at the Embassy.

On Ina's patio.

All of us ready to eat.And, finally, Eric Jr. who will eat ANYTHING if it has ketchup. How exactly these kind of things happen without you really knowing it is a mystery to me.

How To Eat A Mango (according to Eric)

2009-06-21T14:16:00.000-04:00

1. Do not pick from tree. You must let it fall off the tree to ensure it is at its peak ripeness.

2. Hang over the curb so as not to get the juice on you.

3. Peel off part of the peel with your teeth.

4. Proceed to eat flesh off of the pit.

5. Repeat steps 3 & 4 until you have eaten entire mango.

6. (and this is the most important step in his mind) Suck EVERYTHING off of the pit.

There you have it. How to eat a mango from a local. My friend, Ina says everyone in her village is always sticky during mango season and that everything smells like magnoes, even their breath.

I still love 'em and can't get enough.

Yucko!

2009-06-15T12:09:00.000-04:00

Well, the "crud" has been circulating. All of my efforts to disenfect and quarantine seem like wasted effort today. I am sick. I started feeling crummy on Saturday night while Eric and I were out on a date for the first time in I don't know how long (of course). I developed a wicked sore throat that was killing me all day on Sunday. I stayed in bed most of the day or quarantined in our room as to try my best to keep Little E from getting it. No fever, thank God, but body aches, sore throat and a little bit of a cough. My throat was hurting pretty bad last night and I was actually kind of scratching my neck from the outside because of the pain, so we took a look with a flashlight. I had a few sores in my mouth (I know, gross) and a couple of white spots on my throat. We called Eric's aunt who is a doctor here by trade (but sells real estate). She said it wasn't at the infection stage because I didn't have a fever, but that I should get this mouth wash called Septicon and some lozenges with lydacaine calle AngiMed. Both are manufactured in the DR, which always makes me a little skeptical, but I didn't need a prescription and the other times local medications have been prescribed to Little E they have turned out to do their job.

Why am I telling you this?

Well, turns out Septicon is this amazing tonic that I imagine was sold from a covered wagon to people in outlying villages as a cure-all a century ago. It sure claims to be. On the back of the bottle in English it says, "Septicon fortifies your teeth, stops gums bleeding, heals mouth ulcers, reduces the abscess. Very efficient for throat infections. Destroys bacterium's, fungus and virus the causes throat infections." First of all, it wouldn't be a Dominican product if it didn't have a couple of type-o's. But, this thing pretty much kills EVERYTHING in your mouth. And, it tastes D-I-S-G-U-S-T-I-N-G...not so bad when you swish with it, but the after taste actually tastes like something died in your mouth.

So, why would I use something like this?

It worked. I gagged it around for the 10 seconds last night before spitting it out. And, the pain in my throat was almost all gone within an hour. No lie. It killed the sores (I know, gross again).

I still feel crummy today, but I'm not as bad as yesterday. I don't know what it is about being in a new country, but along with new customs and ways of doing things you get new germs, which means new kinds of sicknesses, too. The times we have all been sick have manifested themselves very differently in our bodies than in the states. I'm just grateful to God that the little guy has been spared with this round so far.

Happy Birthday Little E!

2009-06-12T21:06:00.000-04:00

So much has happened over the past two weeks that I am sadly just putting pictures up from Eric's second birthday party now, 11 days later (I think). We had a house full of family for 10 days and then a bout with the flu. The H1N1 flu has been circling our area like a hawk (as has another flu strain which is the one I think Big E had, chickenpox, and Dengue Fever which is from mosquitoes). We have been laying low and I have been disenfecting like crazy to try to keep Little E from getting sick, mostly because I don't want to sit in a doctor's office for half a day with other sick kids waiting to be seen.

Now, about his birthday. Our little guy is two and it literally seems like yesterday we were celebrating his first birthday at a bar-b-que in the yard of our old house in Boston. Mostly it seems like yesterday because shortly after his birthday our whirlwind move started. SO, we had what I deem a very "Dominican" birthday experience. (I will try to keep it short)

Dominicans go pretty nuts over kid's birthdays. They are events and a lot of them are held at the most popular and "posh" locations in town...the new McDonalds on Nunez, the Burger King on Lincoln, the Country Club, etc. Seriously, the McDonalds has a one year waiting list...no lie. So, we went back and forth over what to do...at home with cake or in a restaurant. We had to have it on a weekday because the weekend before was Mother's Day here, but it ended up that the party was on his actual birthday, Monday, June 1st. SO, we decided to have it at a local pizza place that has a really great playground, except the place overbooked and there was already a party going on when we got there. And, it was a party...loud music, dinosaur decorations and elaborately decorated cake, kids running around everywhere and a clown providing entertainment. So here we are a rag tag family gathering of 15 walking in with our balloons and homemade Elmo cake. Chaos ensued as we tried to figure out what to do. One family member was "discussing" the situation with the staff arguing about our reservation, Eric was apologizing to the father of the other kid who was very rude to us, I was trying to decide if we should stay or go, and little E was over in the corner with the Elmo cake unsupervised putting his finger in the cake I spent all afternoon decorating and opening his presents. It was a scene from a movie! Of course, you have to imagine a lot of loud, fast Spanish and exagerated gestures to really get the picture. So, we called the other Pizzarelli location near to us to see if they could take us and ended up moving the entire party with balloons, guests, presents, cake and all over to the other place. It ended up being great... we had the place to ourselves and they didn't even charge us to have the party there. I am learning that things usually end up working out in the end...it's just getting to that point that I am still trying to figure out. But it needs to be said that I was one of the more calm people in this situation, so that is progess.

In the end, Ericito had a blast with his cousins and Elmo and the whole crazy gang. The pizza was great, the cake was yummy and we really had a great time.Opening up his presents from us before the party. Yea! A train set!

My day.

2009-05-27T18:56:00.001-04:00

It was a two shower kind of day.

Pictures and such.

2009-05-25T16:15:00.000-04:00

Guess what I am doing this very moment? Eating peanut butter slathered on whole wheat bread. Heaven has come down. No, I am not pregnant. I just haven't had peanut butter since I left the states. It's not as popular here and after the peanut scare in the Spring I was too nervous to buy it. I have been craving it lately and when I was at the store it was calling my name. I actually never even looked at the price. It's entirely possible that I paid $12 for it or something ridiculous. But, it sure is worth it!

We have hardly seen the sun for a week. Everytime it peeks through the clouds and I actually think I might get a chance to put some clothes out to dry, it turns to this in about 15 minutes:
Last week we had clothes drying all over the house.

We have had some trouble our freezer. Human stupidity, really. It's a bottom drawer freezer and unlike my friend Kelly's that has this annoying beep telling you the door has been open too long, we have nothing warning us that calamity is just hours away after we go to bed. So, not once, not twice, but three times everything in our freezer has defrosted overnight. Are we dumb or what? I guess we are actually "insane" because I heard that the definition of insane is making the same mistake over again without fixing your error. Yep, that's us.

So, today I turned thawed out spinach and broken eggs (another story) into a quiche. And, thawed out frozen veggies and chicken into chicken pot pie. I am either working my way from insanity to genuis, or we might all get sick from food poisoning...I'll let you know.

Eric's dad, stepmom, brother and stepbrother are coming for a visit this Saturday. They live in Providence, RI and we are super excited about seeing them. I am certain Papi Orlando is even MORE excited about seeing his grandson. AND, little E's 2nd birhtday is just a week away! Oh the fun we are going to have with Elmo at our side! Stay tuned.

I am going to post some pictures from the past week since I noticed my blog has been word-heavy recently. We haven't really taken any that are very exciting, but at least you can see our smiling faces!

Art fun with cousin Emily.

Trying to get two kids eating cheerios and watching cartoons to smile for the camera at the same time was a bad idea. They are still super cute cousins, though.

This is Paula's signature face.

Some of the bags I made for friends to take back to the states. See the last post for more info.

Sitting on the potty reading. No actual action has taken place, but he wants to practice a lot.

Making cookies with his new best friend Ashley, who is the greatest babysitter ever! She and her family just moved here, so we are all "adjusting" together.

Six Months In

2009-05-21T16:49:00.000-04:00

That's right...we've been here six months already and it feels like such a great milestone to celebrate. The newness of our new life has worn off, the good as well as the bad. We are settled. What a thing to finally say after many months of transition that started well before we arrived in the Caribbean.

A new season has come and gone, and although we don't have winter and spring or summer and fall there is a dry and a rainy season. As I write this we are being pounded with rain for the __th day in a row...seriously, I have stopped counting. All I know is that it's really tough to do laundry in this weather when you rely on the sun to dry your clothes. And, our street is literally an impassable lake at the moment. Hopefullly, our first hurricane season, which starts June 1st, will be q-u-i-e-t.

I have so many emotions and thoughts swirling around in my head as I think about our last six months. It has been a growing experience for our family and for me personally. The first few months were some of the toughest months of my life. The transition here was a lot more difficult than I had expected. It wasn't so much the lack of water or electricity during the day, the adjustment to living so close to family (and latino family for that matter) or the change in our environment. I think the move brought up a lot of discontent in me that I had been able to suppress for awhile. That and a total lack of freedom resulted in behavior I am neither proud of or want to visit again. BUT, and that is the key word, growth comes from struggle. At the end of my emotional rope I started crying out to God for some relief and it came. Thank God for it. I am determined to hang on tight to Him through prayer and never to visit those darker days again. I am actually looking ahead with a smile on my face instead of wishing I could be anywhere but here. And, I realized last Sunday while singing a simple song at church with the words, "Gracias, gracias mi señor, gracias mi señor Jesus," that for the first time in six months I was glad to be living here.

We are all doing really well. Eric is busy and thriving at work. Failing students in his classes, haha. We just celebrated his birthday this Tuesday and I made Strawberry Shortcake with strawberries from Jarabacoa in the mountains.

Little Eric is talking up a storm in Spanish...not so much in English, although he understands EVERYTHING in both languages. It's so cute to here him talk in Spanish, but I am hoping he catches up in English soon or he'll be teaching me Spanish! He is getting ready to celebrate his 2nd birthday with help from Elmo and a visit from his family in Providence (Eric's dad, stepmom, brother and stepbrother are coming to visit). He is CRAZY for cars ("carro" is what he says) and his trains ("choo-choo"). He pretty much plays with them all day linking them together to make a long choo-choo out of them. Can you guess what we are planning on getting him for his birthday?

I have met some great new friends, who at times have been lifesavers, through my Bible study with American women. It's such a nice feeling to know you have friends to call on when you need a little break...from the culture, motherhood, your family, etc. Many of them are doing some amazing work with various ministry projects around the area. One project in particular has been special to me as I have been able to volunteer little bits of time when I can. My friend, Ina (who actually worked in minstry in NE) has a special ministry to women who are making necklaces and small sewing projects to sell. Ina sells what the women make to visiting groups and is hoping to start shipping some things over to the states to sell there. All of the money goes back to these women. It has literally changed some of their lives. I have developed a pattern for an easy bag that you wear across your chest that they can sew (thanks to Stacey and Anne for the bag they brought me from Turkey). And, I have been sewing a few (12 to be exact) for my missionary friends to take back with them to the states as gifts. I never thought sewing would be something I could use to serve others, but it seems to be something God is using.

We are still looking for a church. We have been to several and like some of them, but just haven't found the right one for us yet. Eric is doing a lot better about being in Sunday School, which is g-r-e-a-t. I actually don't dread Sunday mornings anymore.

We have been able to see some of the island and are looking forward to taking a trip back to our favorite beach, Las Terrenas, when Eric's family gets here for a short weekend jaunt. If it stops raining we might head to the mountains this weekend. I was planning to go to the Zoo tomorrow with Eric's colegio class, but since it looks like more rain it was cancelled and that means a stir crazy day is ahead of us.

Life is good, but man we still miss friends and family in the states like crazy! Well, six down...who knows how many more are ahead of us on this crazy Caribbean tour!

Felicidades a mi esposo.

2009-05-14T13:30:00.000-04:00

Eric had a big night last night. Well, I guess we all had a big night last night because we got to be the proud family. He has started an institute in the University where he teaches to facilitate structual engineering projects and research in Latin America. Last night was the inaguration of the institute culminating a couple of years of visioncasting and a lot of hard work once we got to the country up to this point. He is amazed at how easily it has all come together and has a graduate student and two interns working with him. There are so many other types of engineering projects he could be working on and a lot more moneymaking ventures he could spend his time doing, but he feels very strongly that a research institute like this is the most meaningful way he can spend his time and one that has the potential to make a lasting impact on the country. I'm so proud of how focused he is and how hard he works to do what he envisions. He has that amazing ability to have an idea and put it into motion. I'm sure the institute will be beneficial to the structural advancement of the country.

And, the event was also attended by the former president of the Dominican Republic, whom I got to meet. That was kind of exciting.

Ok...done bragging about my man.

Making his big presentation.

Eric with some of his students.

Edi (Eric's mom), Eric, me and Zoila (Eric's sister)

Eric and his mom with Ipolito Mejia, the former president of the Dominican Republic. He seemed like a really nice guy.

Mama's Got A Brand New Do.

2009-05-11T14:15:00.000-04:00

I spent Mother's Day morning in the salon getting my hair "fixed". I had two colors going on and it didn't look all that great. I have had a hard time with my hair color since I've been here and finally found someone who can help. Hair color down here has a lot of red in it and tends to be a lot darker than in the U.S., so it's just been hard to find a color that works. I like the new color and am so glad to find someone who knows how to handle my hair. While I was at it I decided to live a little crazy and get it blown out and styled. Getting your hair blown straight is a big thing here and women go to the salon a couple of times a week to get a "manseca". I did it once when we first got here and then again yesterday. It's fun to have something different. I would probably do it more often, but it hurts like a mother! I have to put my hand over my ears and my forehead to keep from getting burned. I don't know how other women can handle the pain twice a week. So, I thought I would share my new do before I wash it in a couple of days and go back to curly-Karin.

Oh...and as a Mother's Day treat to myself I got a manicure and a pedicure!

Just another day...

2009-04-29T14:41:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was one those totally mundane stay-at-home days and yet I was totally exhausted by naptime...and there are a lot of hours left in the day after naptime. My day started at 6:15 thanks to my little alarm clock that wakes me up with a very insistent string of mama's. I made muffins for Eric to take to work to impress his co-workers (apparently they chanted my name over and over, which is guy-speak for they liked them), washed and hung two loads of laundry on the roof, fed and dressed Little E, swept up cracker and cereal crumbs from breakfast, washed a mountain of dishes and started preparing lunch before 10:30 a.m. I'm tired just looking at the list. I did get a chance to sew this for Eric's bed:

And, I learned how to make a matching fitted crib sheet from this awesome website. I love finding free patterns, since it would cost a fortune to buy and ship patterns here. Anyone know of a pajama bottom pattern for a toddler? I would love a free one because I was going nuts with all of the cheap fun fabric at my new favorite store!

After naptime and two power outtages later I declared it was time to take a walk. Little E and I put our shoes on and walked to the neighborhood ice cream store. I am loving the ice cream here, although my hips not so much. The local ice cream franchises are located all throughout the city, so you are never too far away from one. I compare it to how you can find a Starbuck's on just about every block in Boston...oh, how I miss my friend Tall Nonfat Latte. Anyway, our closest Bon is close enough of a walk that Little E can hold my hand and walk on his own. So, while we were there eating our ice cream I kept seeing this little boy of about 7 or 8 looking through the window asking for money and just kind of hanging around Bon to see what he might make from the spare change handed to him. On the way out I bought an ice cream bar, handed it to Eric and told him to give it to the little boy. I also gave him some change and asked him if he went to school. He told me he did in the morning and I told him that was good and he should keep going. He thanked us, sat down on the curb and started eating his ice cream as we walked home. Even though he didn't have any idea what was going on, I wanted Eric to be involved with helping this little boy because it's really never to early to learn how to serve.

When we got home I discovered we had both electricity AND water. What a treat!!! I cut up the fruit I had bought at the store. A canteloupe, papaya and pineapple all for $3.65...can you believe it! Gotta love that caribbean fruit!
And, then just as I was settling in with Little E on the bed before bedtime thinking I had made it and I relaxation was within reach...my mother-in-law came over and Eric called letting me know he was bringing a friend home for sandwiches. Ah, a mother just really never gets to rest, you know.

Here is the view of the ocean from our roof. See, we do have an ocean view!

This is a view from the roof.

Twitter is distracting me.

2009-04-27T13:38:00.000-04:00

I've been distracted from blogging and I blame it on Twitter. I decided to try it out and for the last week I've been updating a couple of times a day and checking in to see what my Twitter-friends are up to. I'm not sure what I think about it. I don't have a laptop available to me all day, nor am I able to send text messages from my cell phone here, so I kind of have to make an effort to get to the room log back on and send an update. It's fun to know what people are up to at that moment, but I'm not sure about it because I think to be a twitter-er it has to kind of become a part of your routine. Hmmm. Have to think a little more about that one.

AND, I think it is really slowing down the blog traffic. I have noticed my blog-friends aren't updating as often, and I miss that. I look forward to logging into Google Reader each day to see what new posts have arrived. It feels like getting mail to me, especially since we don't get mail here. I want my blog to remain a priority, since it is the primary way we are keeping people in our lives across the sea updated.

Well anyway, here is an update from our house:

Little E is LOVING school and learning sooooo much. I really can't believe how much! He says all kinds of things in Spanish and some things in English. BUT, the best part and the part that amazes me the most is that he UNDERSTANDS everything in both languages. How that is possible for someone who can't put more than two intelligible words together is beyond me. But, hallelujah, we are raising a bi-lingual kid! He says, "hola", "agua", "eso es..." (this is), "si", "seee" (which is for silla (chair)). And, in English he says, "bye-bye", "nigh-nigh", "who" (juice), "this is", "choo-choo" (which he is enamored with right now!)...and a whole lotta animal names and sounds. And, of course, "Elmo", which he asks for all day.

He is also becoming more "able" in a lot of ways. He likes to draw with pencils, markers, crayons. And, we did a bit of painting and gluing yesterday to make a collage. He likes to play with play-dough and in his sandbox on the balcony (which is actually filled with dry oatmeal...thanks for the brilliant idea Kellie!) He is turning two in a month and he is going to get a tricycle from his Abuelo Orlando, so that will be fun to go to the park with.

AND, I am very proud to report that he drank an entire glass of milk (with only the slightest amount of Nesquik) for lunch today!!!!! I found the perfect "milk" cup for him to drink out of and it has made all the difference. He just needed to not see what he was drinking. Today was the first day he has had some with his meal, so I am hoping it's all down hill from here!!

Well, I have to go because he is down for a nap and I am itching to get sewing. I am praying this is a long-nap-day, because I have some fun projects I have been waiting to match up with fabric. I finally got down to Almacenes El Canal to immerse myself in fabric heaven. They have every kind of fabric I could imagine and the prices are amazing. So, I am off to start sewing a new sheet/blanket for Eric's crib, a fitted crib sheet and pillowcase to match, and an apron for me. I'll post pictures soon.

Creepy-Crawly Things

2009-04-14T12:01:00.000-04:00

I have had a few personal encounters with "the adventures of island living" over the past couple of days that I thought are worth sharing. This morning I found a tarantula the size of my hand in a cupboard clinging the wall. YIKES! Good thing I have made friends with the guard of our building. I yelled down from the balcony, "Alex, por favor, ayudame!!" Which means, "Help me, please!!" He graciously came upstairs and tore through the cupboard, having the pull the fridge out from the wall before killing it and saving little Eric and I from death. Well, at least it felt like we skirted death!

And, this past weekend while we were at Eric's grandparents I found a lizard in my cosmetic bag! One of Eric's cousins, Danny, came to my rescue and chased it out of the house, but not after I shrieked a few times and jumped up on the bed. Another cousin, Grace asked me if I was scared of lizards, kind of half laughing. I very promptly and without any shame told her I was, but not quite as scared as frogs (it's personal thing with me).

I have a serious case of the heebie-jeebies right now and get an adrenaline rush everytime I open a cabinet or closet. What else could be lurking around waiting to be discovered? I don't even want to think about it!

A Boy Will Be a Boy!

2009-04-13T15:35:00.000-04:00

For those who know me well, you know that this is a boy after my own heart!! He likes corn on the cob like his mama!! Finding his Easter basket on Easter morning. The same Easter basket his mama used and his Pops, too. Made by his great-great-great grandparents.

Kissing the tiniest puppy I have ever seen. Mama trying not to think about the germs.

Riding a horse for the first time!

Aaah...a breath of fresh salty air in Samana.

2009-04-07T16:51:00.000-04:00

We finally got away to the beach for an overnight trip. There are so many beautiful areas to explore on the island that I am learning about and one such area is Samana. It's a small peninsula in the north east part of the island that is rich in history (african slaves who were trying to escape the US shipwrecked there in 1820 and settled much of the area) and loaded with miles of coconut palm lined beaches waiting to be enjoyed. The are isn't overrun by all inclusive mega hotels, which adds to it's charm. In fact, the are we went to on the Samana Peninsula is called Las Terrenas and it's just one small hidden hotel after another along the beach. From the beach you can't even see the hotels, because they are all tucked away behind palm trees. Las Terrenas has a bustling village where a mix of local action and tourism give it a nice balance of activity. There is an area in the village where little wooden beach shack-style restaurants hang over the beach and serve the freshest seafood we've had since we've been here.

To get to Las Terrenas we took a brand spankin' new highway from Santo Domingo up to the Samana area. It was almost completely deserted as it's so new, which was eerily nive. On the way there we passed this forest of palm trees that bordered the highway on both sides for about miles. Stunning. And, when the new highway ended we had to take a very steep two lane road over a mountain to the get to the Las Terrenas village. It took us through a couple of mountain towns and offered us amazing views of the coast below. I took several pictures but this was one of those times when the pictures just can't live up to the real thing.

We stayed in an apartment-style villa, so we had a kitchen to cook meals and a separate bedroom. The apartment was decorated in pastel caribbean colors with wicker and wooden furniture. I didn't get any pictures of the inside of the apartment for some reason, except for this picture of our breakfast, which looks a lot more appetizing than it actually was, since the pancakes stuck to the bottom of the non-stick skillet that had lost it's non-stick. The grounds had an amazing garden and a nice-sized pool. Just across the dirt pathe we drove in on was the beach, where we sat under coconut trees in lounge chairs, walked as far as we wanted in either direction, and swam in the calm caribbean waters. I know it sounds like a dream come true and for this weary soul it was for the one short night we were there.

Little Eric had so much fun playing in the sand and swimming in the water. He was a little more intrigued with the water than he was excited about it. He was very timid about going in the pool and the ocean. It was actually nice to see him a little scared by something, since he doesn't really have any fear in his little boy body.

Eric and I both agreed we need to take advantage of these kinds of getways and do it more often. It's just do nice to get away from the noisy city and explore the island we are living on. I think Eric enjoys seeing things he hasn't seen in a long time. We BOTH can't wait to go back and feel like we found "our place."

Ok...and this is just funny. There is a brand of water they sell in Samana that is called "Agua Boy" and has this smiley face as a logo. We kept seeing the signs all over the colmados (little stores) and it made us laugh. In a country that has trouble with clean water I don't think you will see us rushing to buy a refreshing bottle of Agua Boy anytime soon.

Baking Time!

2009-03-31T16:09:00.000-04:00

I have been waiting for this day since my child was born. You all know how much I LOVE to bake and I have dreamt of the day Eric was old enough to "help" mama out. Well, today faced with an entire day indoors with nothing new on the horizon to and a growing craving for chocolate chip cookies I hauled out the step stool and put on some patience and we went at it.

I must say he seems to be a natural! His had an immediate instinct to pour the ingredients into the right place and not onto the counter. But, what started out as this:

Turned to this:

He had a blast! So much fun. I can't wait to bake more goodies with you Papi!

The Mangoes Are Coming!

2009-03-27T15:10:00.000-04:00

Seems like a long time since the last post. Don't know why. I updated my Flickr page to right so you can see more pictures. We don't seem to have many pictures of outings or anything really that exciting to show. We did take a drive last weekend west in search of something new on a spontaneous whim. We drove to Bani, which I learned is known for their mangoes. No mangoes yet as they haven't turned ripe, but they are on their way!! They are all over the city, trees in parking lots and yards. I wonder who gets to pick them when they are on public property?! My friend, Ina told me that she got so many mangoes given to her as gifts from the village she works in that she didn't know what to do with them. Oh, the blissful thoughts in my head thinking of all the ways I get to prepare and enjoy my favorite fruit. I have no shame saying I will be glutenous! Eric's grandparents have mango trees in their yard, so I'm looking forward to checking out the progress when we go this weekend to celebrate his grandfather's birthday. I hear we are going to eat "chivo", which is goat. Yikes! It's supposed to be amazing...I'm not so sure, but I'll let you know.

I am getting busier each week with little things here and there. I am still teaching English to two women at their office one time a week (we had to move it to one day as opposed to two because they don't have the time for two lessons right now). I am also doing a language exchange with one of Eric's aunts. Flor comes over one morning a week and we talk in English one hour and Spanish the next. It's great, because this is a time where I can be corrected and really learn to speak better. I am learning a lot by just living life here, but I don't often get corrected and I know I use a lot of incorrect phrases. I am also helping my friend Ina out with her ministry in the village of Cercadillo. Take a look at her website to see more about what's happening in Cercadillo. For now I am helping her with little tasks to get a co-op started selling handcrafts the women in her village are learning how to make, like necklaces and bags. It's a really amazing ministry she has to these women and I want to spend more time telling everyone about it in greater detail, so I am going to wait and make it it's own post.

I'll leave you with a couple of pics of our boy who is really growing up so fast. He is talking up a storm, some words in English, some in Spanish and a lot in his own language still. He is becoming very energetic little guy and I am trying to keep him stimulated when we are cooped up in the house. We can go outside to play when the sun isn't overhead, but it's basically in the parking lot of our apartment and it's so dirty (I mean filthy, greasy black dirt that I have to scrub off) that I have to pop him in the bath immediately when we get back upstairs. Yesterday we played outside and when we came back up we discovered we didn't have any water! Hopefully we can get to the park to run out some energy today because it's one of my days to have a car.

Eric had a little too much fun combing little E's hair into what he called "The Donald"...as in Trump, if you couldn't guess.

Have a good weekend everyone!

Environmentalism has come to the DR.

2009-03-13T14:02:00.000-04:00

So the other day I was joking with a friend online about how there are things we do here to save money or resources that fall into the category of environmental friendliness, however we live in a country that is completely unaware of what taking care of the environment is. I told her I didn't quite know what to call what we do, because on one hand I wash and reuse ziplock bags, grab a kitchen towel to wipe up spills instead of a papertowel, use cloth napkins instead of paper, reuse paper in our printer, refill the cartridge from the printer and I still use cloth diapers with Eric when we are home; however, there is no recycling program here so I throw EVERYTHING in the trash...can you believe it? I can barely type the words I feel so bad about doing it, especially since we moved from a city that proudly boasts having a goal of recycling more trash than is actually thrown in the dump.

My friend called it "accidental environmentalism". Which kind of fits. While people here are not the least concerned with the environment, there are many things they do to reuse and conserve. It's just out of thriftiness rather than a mindset of "reducing their carbon footprint".

On the other hand, I am appalled everyday when I see someone throwing trash out of their car; or the large trucks that spew thick black smoke making it impossible to roll down your windows in the car; or piles of burning trash, which include disposible water bottles; or plastic bags hung up in trees blowing in the wind. Eric told me he read in National Geographic that one of the top ten industrial waste sites in the world is just on the edge of the city where there is a dump for car batteries. I can't even think about how that effects the soil and water supply in our area.

The first time I took my reusable bags to the supermarket someone from Eric's family asked me why I was bringing them with me and why I didn't want the plastic bags from the store. I explained how bad the bags were for the environment, taking 100's of years to break down and how the sheer numbers of these bags are clogging the landfills. They kind of laughed and said (and I quote), "We don't have a problem with the environment here. So, you don't have to worry about that." I kid you not. And, everytime I bring my bags to the store I have to explain what to do with them to the person bagging my grocery items. What irks me the most, though, is the people bagging the groceries put one or two things in a bag and oftentimes double bag things, so you end up with literally 30 plastic bags when all is said and done.

So, imagine my surprise when someone told me yesterday about a recent trip to a Costco-type store here. She said they had stopped using bags and the woman at the register told her she had to take her items out to the car in her basket and load them into her car that way. She offered to sell her bags and showed her the sign stating they were changing their policy. This person was so angry she had the manager come to the register so she could give them a piece of her mind. She told him they were just doing it to make more money off of people by selling them bags. She left the store mad and got an e-mail from the store later that day explaining their new policy. As she was telling this to me she paused to find the right words in English and I tried to help her along by saying, "Was their explanation in the e-mail about the environment?" And, she kept saying no, it wasn't the environment. It was about the animals in the ocean and how they eat the plastic and die. And, I said the word environment again and she said it wasn't that it was about the animals.

Well, I left it there, although you know I wanted to jump up on my soap box that very instant and inform her all about the global environmental crisis and how mad I get everytime I see a car spew out black smoke and how I can't believe people light their trash on fire or dump paint into the gutters, or...well, you get the picture.

It's baby steps. And, you just gotta keep doing what you can do, even if you have nowhere to take your plastic bottles and paper to recycle. What can you do when you live in a country where most people are just hoping for a warm meal and running water? It's hard to be as concerned about the environment here as I was in Boston, because I understand the survival instinct in stronger than the protection instinct.

Who doesn't like chocolate milk?

2009-03-09T19:12:00.000-04:00

I mean, really, tell me...what kid doesn't beg for chocolate milk? Not mine. He won't touch milk in a cup with a ten foot pole. Since we started him on milk in June when he turned one and we got the go-ahead from our pediatrician I have tried everything to get him to drink it. Spaced out over the past 8 months I have gone through periods of trying and periods of completely giving up and resorting to the one nightly bottle he drinks. I've held onto that one bottle because I am so afraid if I give it up he won't drink ANY milk at all. I've tried serving it to him in several different types of sippy cups and regular glasses, as well. I've tried forcing him with the your-going-to-sit-there-until-you-drink-it method and we all know that NEVER works, but sometimes you just get desperate. And, recently I have tried chocolate milk, Nesquik to be exact (which happens to be loaded with vitamins and marketed as a health drink in Latin countries, as is sugar cereal, but seriously don't get me started). Nope. He takes one drink and hands it back to me or puts it on the table as far away as he can set it.

What he doesn't realize in that tiny little head of his is that he has this window of opportunity right now to drink as much chocolate milk as his heart can wish for, just so he'll be drinking SOME milk. And, that one day he is going to actually want the chocolate milk and I am going to give him the not-before-dinner speech. Someone should tell him to wise up before the clock runs out. Or, maybe he's the smarty-pants who knows what I am up to and isn't giving in to my bribery tactics knowing that I am just buttering him up with the chocolate stuff to get him to regularly drink the white stuff. Once I have him hooked I'll cut him off.

Well, whatever it is I just wish, for his bones sake, he would drink milk!

On another note, we are battling mosquito bites again. It's a sad sight...he has 5 bites on his face from the past two nights. And, he sleeps under a mosquito net. I just can't figure it out. And, then today another bite appeared on his temple as a huge red lump. We don't think it's a mosquito bite and we don't know what it is. All this, just one day after a bout with a moderately high fever over the weekend, which included two blood tests to rule out Dengue Fever and a trip to the pediatrician.

I tell you, you get through one thing just to be faced with another. Trying to coax him into chocolate milk is actually FUN compared to the latter two things!

Looking Up.

2009-03-04T14:26:00.000-04:00

Things are looking up in our home these days, and in my heart, too. We've been here nearly 4 months and are feeling adjusted and more settled. We've found a daily rythmn around the house. And, the challenges that keep coming our way don't seem to be taking us back a couple of steps each time we meet them. Do I dare say that Santo Domingo is feeling like home?
Here are a few things we are thankful for:
- Our car arrived and we had the money to pay the taxes and fees to pick it up.
- Little Eric loves going to school and is growing in so many areas.
- I have a job teaching English 4 hours a week that I love and provides extra money.
- Eric is excelling in his jobs at the University and at Lexco.
- We have enough money to pay our rent, bills, and expenses.
- We love living near family.
- I am communicating and understanding Spanish better each day.
- I have new friends (both American and Dominican) and a Bible study group I am a part of that I love.
- We have been healthy with only a few minor colds.
- The weather is amazing and something I am not taking for granted.- Amazing coffee grown locally that I can enjoy in the early morning hours when I take a few minutes to start my day and pray.
- Great fruit to enjoy every day - cantelope, pineapple, papaya, bananas, etc.
I am sure there are so many more things to put on the list, but for today this is what comes to mind. More than anything I am finding that it is through the challenges life deals us that we grow and our faith increases. God has been faithful to us in so many ways and I am thankful for Him today.
Some pictures of the Dominican Republic through my eyes:

Little Eric playing with a neighbor in the parqueo of our apartment. Her name is Giada and her mom is Italian and dad is Dominican.

The park in Santo Domingo where I like to go walking with Eric's mom.

This totally cracks me up everytime I walk past it. It's an ad for a small salon, but the picture on the poster is of Katie Holmes. Do you think she has any idea?

A street vendor selling masks for Carnival.

This is Asopao, another Dominican stew that is typically enjoyed with family and friends. They have a lot of these one-pot meals here.

Learning Spanish.

2009-02-24T12:02:00.000-04:00

I want to report that my Spanish is coming along. I am being told more often than not that people can understand what I am saying, no matter how rough it might sound. In fact, the other day at Eric's school I was able to talk to several of the other moms in Spanish. I have heard it said that the best way to learn another language is by complete immersion. The problem here is that I am only about waist deep in Spanish. You see, we speak English at home. We have always done this and to change that would really have an effect on our communication (although, some days this might actually help our communication!) Also, we are trying to raise a bi-lingual kid and I am his only English connection. Oftentimes I slip in a little Spanish when I am asking him to do something like "mira" which means look or "sube" which means up, as in go up the stairs. He has even started using some Spanish words for things that I haven't taught him. Like the other day I asked him if he wanted water and he replied saying, "agua", so I guess he's really learning to use both languages. I use Spanish everyday when I talk on the phone or talk to my family here or take Eric to school or anytime I am out of the house, but I am using more English than I would like to admit. Just being here in the country has helped me expand my language skills. I mean, if I wasn't even trying I think I would improve just by the immersion factor.

I have found that I am a lot less self-conscious about speaking Spanish. I just pretty much stick my neck out there and most times I start speaking without putting too much thought into it. Every once in awhile I wonder how ridiculous my Spanish must sound. I'm just glad the people I talk to are gracious enough to not laugh outloud, at least in front of me. The other day I was at a birthday party and I was telling someone about the church we have been visiting and I said that I liked the message...or at least that's what I thought I said. What I actually said was that I liked the massage instead of message. The words sound similar and I had been using (several other times before I found out my error) the wrong word. O Dios Mio!

The funniest thing is when someone from Eric's family tells me how to say some kind of Dominican slang idiom and I try to say it. There is usually a lot of laughter and then they want me to demostrate by setting me up to say it with someone else just so we can all laugh about it. I'm used to people laughing about the way I say idioms in English OR Spanish as I can hardly ever get one right in my own language.

I am pretty much able to say anything I want to say. It just might not sound very eloquent or educated, but at least I can get my point across. And, everyday I learn something new. I carry around a little notebook in my purse where I can write down new words I hear, although some phrases are so strange to me that I can remember them without having to jot anything down. For example, the word for ride as in giving someone a ride somewhere is bola which is ball. So, when you are giving someone a ride in your car you are giving them a ball. Funny.

And, my listening comprehension is improving even without me noticing. The other day I realized I could understand most of a conversation I was listening to. Of course, there are times when I just don't have the mental effort to even try to understand and I let my mind wander off to daydreams about nonsensical things like new sandals or my to-do list or whether or not I answered a particular e-mail. But, last week at church I really tried my hardest to stay focused on the message (during which I was NOT getting a massage I am sad to say) and I understood most of it...I think...or as far as I know! So, I think it's really starting to click.

And, I have to add that I really thought the language was going to be one of my primary struggles. It really hasn't been. Of course, there are a lot of times when I have no idea what anyone is saying until my name pops into the conversation, but to be honest I am guilty of that in English too, from time to time. I can only imagine where I am going to be a year down the road.

Semana Cultural

2009-02-20T16:04:00.001-04:00

All week long at Eric's colegio they have been celebrating the Dominican culture. This is leading up to 27 de Febrero, which is Independence Day here. On the 27th there will be Carnival, which is supposed to be a really crazy parade celebration for Independence. I'm learning that it is not kid-friendly, so we will be heading up to Jarabacoa for the long weekend. But, today there was a party at Eric's colegio for the kids and their family all morning long. It was such fun and great introduction to all things folkloric in the culture. The kids were all dressed up in costumes, most in folkloric dress. Little girls has scarves in their hair and the boys had rolled up jeans and straw hats. Eric dressed up like a "Campesino" which is the typical boy's costume depicting a country man from the past. He had on a straw hat, red scarf and carried a tambora, or drum.

The whole patio was decorated with typical Dominican things. A clothesline with clothes hanging out to dry, pots and pans and wooden bowls used to cook with, Dominican idioms decorating the walls, and lots of candies typical of the DR. I had a sugar stick that tasted like Coconut and a soft candy that is made with milk. After dancing to Merengue music and playing a few games, we were treated to a traditional Dominican dancing couple who danced on a bottle of rum. It's a very classic dance that I had seem before. Then, we ate Sancocho, arroz (rice) and aguacate (avocado), which is the most typical Dominican food you can eat. It's a thick soup or stew made with several kinds of meat and lots of veggies (sweet potato, white potato, yucca, plantains, etc.).
I was able to meet several other moms, which was great! Most I had little conversations in Spanish about mom and kids stuff. I met one woman whose son is a little younger than Eric and after we started our conversation in Spanish she told me in English we could talk in English. Well, we ended up talking the entire time about everything you can imagine. She is Dominican, but was raised in Spain and came back to the DR to live near her husband's family. It's kind of hard to explain, but she is the first Dominican woman I have met that is most like me in so many ways. We share a lot of the same philosophies about raising kids, which are a little different from how typical Dominican kids are raised. We exchanged phone numbers and decided to get together next week with our little boys.

It was fun to watch Eric at school today, as I was there from 9-12:30 for the party. He is so busy all of the time, going from one thing to the next. He would slide down the slide about 5 times and then walk over to where all of the things were for the kitchen display and open all of the pots and look inside, and then walk over to where his friends from class were gathered and then back onto something else, not spending more than a couple of minutes at each place and always moving. He was just kind of quietly going from one thing to the next. I kept thinking about how curious he is about everything and hoping he never loses that. I always kept thinking about how much he is probably like Eric when he was his age, curious about everything, not the least bit a troublemaker, and always on the move. I think it's one of the first times I have really seen his personality in comparison with other kids his age. Now I know why he basically collapses into bed at night. Well, I won't go on anymore, but here are some pictures from the day:

Eric with one of his classmates, Daniela. Behind them is his teacher Marissa, who is also in costume.

The little Campesino.

Playing with another little boy.

The kids art. Eric's doll is the bottom right one. His first piece of school art!

Comforting his cousin Paula Marie.
This was the cutest! Two kids from his class were dancing together and actually doing merengue!
The dancers who came to demonstrate traditional dancing.

Big Day!!

2009-02-16T19:24:00.000-04:00

Well, our little boy started school, or colegio, yesterday! We found a great little pre-school that only takes kids up to 3 years old, so they really specialize in his age. They have lots of toys and are really organized in how they teach the kids things like colors, alphabet and counting. Of course, it's all in Spanish, so he is going to really be able to work on his Spanish language skills. I am sure he will soon surpass me in that department.

He did really well for his first day. I left him there alone for about 1/2 hour while I took Eric to work, and then when I got back I stayed with him for another 1 1/2 hours to see what they do with the kids. Today I was there for the first 20 minutes and left him, crying of course. I called back an hour later and they told me he was doing fine, playing and having fun. And, then when I went to pick him up at noon he was just sitting there playing and didn't even hardly look up when I sat down next to him. Everytime I am there and see him participating in directed playing and learning I get so excited about all he is going to learn and how much fun he is going to have.

And, I am going to have a little breather a couple of days a week. I was even able to go to the grocery store by myself today. And, I am hoping to start volunteering at the village I blogged about last week.

I also gave him a little haircut. He has these little whispy curls which look so cute, but were getting out of control and making him look a little bit girlish (dare I say). I saved the hair in a little baggie, just like my mom did with me. Of course, the whole time I was snipping away he was completely unaware watching sesame street and sucking his thumb.

Tomorrow I have my Bible study group in the morning, so I am going to leave Eric for the full morning. I'm sure he won't even miss me!

Pictures, pictures.

2009-02-14T09:20:00.001-04:00

Here are some pictures of our apartment. Sorry it has taken so long to get these up. I just finished the curtains in the living room last week.

Our living room. The black and white wall followed us from Boston.

Part of the kitchen from the dining room door. The door to the dining room is a heavy wooden swinging door, which is fun for little Eric to swing in and out.

Eric's room.

This is our room.

And, this is the view from outside our window. We have a lot of construction going on all around us. So we have to contend with more dirt than usual and a lot of noise. But, at least the tree across the street is always in bloom!

The guest bathroom.

Also, you might have noticed that I put up a flickr sidebar slideshow. I am planning to keep it fairly updated with pictures. I am in the middle of updating it with all of the pictures from our move, the Holidays and trip to Puerto Rico before we got here.

Sunscreen, Missionaries and Good Coffee.

2009-02-12T10:31:00.000-04:00

There has been so much happening around here lately that I haven't had time to blog, which is probably a good thing, since it is an indication that "life" is becoming normal. Last week was an amazing week with a lot of activity.

First and foremost I learned how to make a cup of normal coffee. We only have a stovetop espresso maker (a Greca), like most Dominican families, and I have been craving a regular strong cup of coffee. Dominicans drink a lot of coffee, which I love, but they drink cafe con leche (espresso with warm milk) in the mornings and straight shots of espresso with lots of sugar in the afternoons after lunch. I have been enjoying cafe con leche in the mornings, but haven't been able to shake the craving for that cup of coffee. So, putting my vast amount of knowledge learned from frequenting Starbucks all these years I remembered you can mix a shot of espresson with hot water to make an excellent cup of coffee. Ahhh...problem solved.

Next fun thing is that I have made friends! I sound like a third grader who comes home from their first day of school declaring that she has made friends to her mom, and last week that is precisely how I felt, too! I met a woman named Ina who is here in the DR doing mission work with a small village outside the city. Once I visit the village I am planning to devote an entire post to the work she is doing. She invited me to a Bible study she attends with other American women living here to serve the country. Thru Ina I met Kirsten who lives very close to us and has three young children. We rode to and from the Bible study together and immediately hit it off. We are planning a playdate at the pool with her youngest and Eric soon. If only it would stop raining! The women at the Bible study were all so friendly and accomodating. It's just great to be in a place where everyone else has been in your shoes adjusting to the new culture. I'm here under different circumstances than the women I met, but many of our experiences learning to adapt and letting go of certain cultural expectations are shared and I found it encouraging to see that they have adapted so well.

We also FINALLY made it to the beach, so you won't have to hear me complain about it anymore and neither will Eric. We went last Sunday afternoon for a couple of hours, and although it was a cloudy day and the water wasn't very clear we all had a good time. Little Eric especially loved swimming and playing in the sand. Thank God he is past the age of putting sand in his mouth every 10 seconds!

We went back to a church we had been visiting and had a really relaxing, peaceful experience. I say this because going to church has been a very stressful experience for me pretty much since Eric was born. It's hard to manage a baby in church no matter the age (unless you have an angel child who will just quietly sit in your lap the whole time). I mean if it's not figuring out how where to feed him when he was an infant, it's trying to keep him quiet as a toddler. The thing is, he hasn't taken well to the nursery. Believe me, from about 9 months I have wanted him to be in the nursery, but he just hasn't liked it. That and he is pretty attached to me and doesn't want me to leave. So, as you can imagine visiting different churches hasn't been too fun. The churches here really want you to take your children to the nursery or Sunday School. They go out of their way to politely inform you where the nursery is located. I haven't wanted to force Eric to go if we are only visiting a church, but at some point Eric (papa) says he is disrupting us and we end up taking him to the nursery leaving the service and spending the rest of the service worried about him. A couple of times we have heard him crying in the service and a couple of times they have come out to get us. I know this is a phase and he is probably not going to have to go to therapy one day for this, but it's not easy sitting in the service knowing he is crying and having an even harder time understanding the sermon in Spanish because I am so distracted. I know I am rambling on about this, but I want to express how much more happy I was on Sunday when he did GREAT in the nursery and they said he had fun. AND, we both really enjoyed the service. We think we are going to go to this particular church regularly, and we already have a few friends who go there, as well.

Ok, the last thing noteworthy thing that happened last week was a proposal I got from Eric's aunt to teach an English course to professionals at the staffing company she owns. AND, she is going to pay me! So, we are working out the details. I am so excited about this and think the extra money will really help us out by at least paying for the preschool we have signed Eric up for, which begins next week. I will post more about that later, because this is a really long post and I want to share some pictures. See, I need to keep up better with the blog so the posts aren't so long!

Pictures from the beach:

Pictures of Paula Marie's 1st birthday:

Eric's sister Zoila with Paula Marie, the birthday girl.

I made ladybug cookies.

Trying to take a picture of all the kids at the party with all of the moms.

Here is a picture of Eric playing with another kid at the party. Notice the empanada he is shoving into his mouth. He must have snuck a dozen of them off of the table!

Dancing with Abuela. He was LOVING it. He definately got that gene from his Abuela.

Good Times Remembered

2009-02-04T21:46:00.000-04:00

My friend, Kristi just tagged me to post a photo of the 4th picture from the 4th folder of my pictures. This is the first one I found, but when I went to actually upload it my pictures were resorted and the 4th picture of the 4th folder was a picture showing Little E's "wee-wee" and I didn't think that was appropriate to post in cyber-space, and this one is much cuter anyway.

It's a picture from the last day Kelly and I spent together in the fall with our kiddos in Boston before we moved. We went in to visit places I didn't want to miss seeing one last time before moving. These ducks are in the Boston Public Garden and are a tribute to the famous McCloskey book Make Way for Ducklings. Every kid should have a chance to play on the ducks when they are in Boston. What a fun day it was...thanks, Kelly. So many of my recent memories include you!

OK...so now I have to tag friends to do the same. You know I never do this, so don't disappoint! (I actually still owe my friend Sandy another tag thing that I keep forgetting to do...sorry!)

Consider yourself tagged Kelly, Sharla, Sandy, Laura and Amy!

Drip, Drip.

2009-02-01T08:59:00.000-04:00

You know, there is something I have always taken for granted...until now. Access to running water. I really can't think of a time in my past when we were without water. I am sure it has been shut off by the plumber a few times when something was being fixed, but I can not recall one time when I came home to my apartment in Boston turned on the faucet and nothing came out.

And, being able to drink the water from the faucet is another luxury I will not take for granted again. We have to buy big bottles of drinking water. It doesn't sound like such a big deal, but I have to use this water to wash all of our vegetables and fruit and I sometimes have to add a drop of bleach to the cleaning water to make sure all of the bacteria is gone from our food. We even have to use this water to brush our teeth sometimes when we don't trust the water from the pipes. And, I have to give Ericito flouride drops each day because our drinking water in the U.S. is fortified with flouride, but bottled water is not.

Times have changed.

We are without water on a regular, but completely random and unpredicatable basis here in Santo Domingo. I have heard a couple of explanations from my familia. For one, the water comes down from the mountains and by the time it hits us has a very weak flow, meaning that we have little or no water pressure. So, the apartment complex shuts off the pump so that our holding tank (or bomba) can fill up, which I have calculated takes somewhere between four and six hours. I have also heard that the city just randomly shuts off the water supply because there really isn't enough water to go around and this is the way they conserve it. Well, for whatever reason there might be we have had an especially scarce week with water. We were without water at some point each day and some days it was off and on all day.

Usually the maintenance guy in our apartment will call us up and tell us that they are going to turn the water off, so we have just enough time to run around and fill up buckets in the kitchen sink and in each of the bathrooms. But, last week "it" happened without warning. I was in the shower soaping up and the water pressure dropped. I looked up at the shower head to see a trickle. So, Eric had to bring me an emergency bucket of water so I could rinse off, luckily I didn't have a head full of shampoo!

Taking a shower with a bucket is really not nearly as bad as it sounds. It's a little bit of a rush when you pour the first cup of cold water over you, but it's like jumping into the pool, you just get used to it and then it's what I call "refreshing". AHHH! It takes a little finess to get your rythmn down, and to make sure you have enough water for the entire shower. You douse yourself with water, soap up and rinse off. A bucket, a cup and a bar of soap are all you need.

The worst part of no water, as you might have imagined is the toilets. We follow the golden (haha) rule of the toilet flushing. "If it's yellow let it mellow. If it's brown flush it down." What I didn't know was all you need to is a gallon or so of water to pour into the toilet to create enough pressure to flush.

As you can tell from the pictures, Little Eric doesn't really care if there is water or not. He actually loved having the bucket in the bathtub where he could submerge all of his toys. Unfortunately, though, I caught him trying to drink the water from a cup. Thank God no diarrea!

Ok...I know this might be TMI, but this blog is all about sharing our new life, right?! And, maybe it will make you appreciate that sweet sound of a toilet flushing and the water pressure of the shower! I know it makes me appreciate these things more now than ever before.

Eric LOVING the bucket-bath.

A few other pictures from the week:

Eric helping Papa build bookshelves.Watching President Obama give his inaugural speech.Playing Chess with papa. I mean, you knew this was in his future, right?

Cool sunglasses on, ready to go out with mama and Abuela.

I'm a driver!

2009-01-28T21:44:00.000-04:00

I did an amazing thing yesterday….drive by myself! I have lived in several American cities, driving in all kinds of conditions (California highways, Atlanta traffic, Boston attitude), but none was like the sheer terror of taking your life into your own hands behind the wheel like it is here in Santo Domingo. The best I can describe it is like a cross between the video game Frogger where you wait on the curb to make your move as the cars come speeding by, and all of those race car driving games where you have to drive slow to make the turns and as a result all of the other race cars come speeding around you from behind passing you on both sides all at once. Yikes! Now you see why this is such a feat to accomplish.

Eric has been giving me driving lessons every now and then. It started out on a quiet Sunday morning when there was little traffic on the road and I got behind the wheel to drive to church. Then, the other day after running some errands he suggested we take a test drive from our house to his office so we (he) could make sure I knew how to get there. Getting to his office requires several main roads with a lot of traffic and TWO traffic circles. Nobody follows the rules of the road and defensive driving techniques are a necessity. So, off we go and on the way he is literally telling me things like, “You need to stay in this lane, because the public cars and buses are stopping in this lane over here and the lane we are in has fewer potholes.” (well they are more like open cavities in the asphalt as opposed to potholes) “OK, now when you get to this traffic circle you need to be in this lane because these cars on the left are going to cut you off to go to the right, but you need to be ready to veer off to the right watching for the incoming traffic from the right as you turn onto the street.” Talk about gripping the wheel at “ten” and “two” like they told you in driving school!! All this while you are keeping your eyes open for cars running red lights and stop signs from your right and left, and dodging fruit carts and stalled cars. I am not exaggerating!

Well, I guess I passed the test, so yesterday we decided I would take him to work after lunch and take the car.

He throws me the keys, we buckle Little Eric in, I put on my sunglasses, say a silent prayer, take a deep breath and back out of the parking spot. I got him to work alright, dropped him off, relished the feeling of freedom I had at the same time feeling slightly weighed down by the fact that my child’s life was literally in my hands and off we went. Good music on the CD player, seatbelts fastened, mirrors checked for a second time, off to find the playground. Well, it was a perfect afternoon with no problems, except for the near death experience I had as I was waiting for the gate to our apartment to open and a truck was headed straight for me until the driver who had been looking down swerved to miss us (BTW… I didn’t mention that one to Eric, so don’t tell.) Ericito and I found the playground we’ve been to a few times and he slid down the slide about 243 times before we headed to the grocery store. We didn’t get lost and we only got honked at one time, which I consider a success.

Not in any way to overspiritualize our outing, but really to have a laugh I was thinking about the experience and had a few thoughts about how driving here can illustrate a few life lessons:

1. It’s best to be neither too timid, nor too aggressive when driving. This seems like a metaphor for life. If you are too timid you miss out on opportunities. If you are too aggressive you don’t enjoy the journey because you are too focused on getting ahead. In driving you have to just put your foot on the peddle and get out there or you’ll be stuck waiting for too long. Eric kept telling me over and over again not to slow down too much when trying to change lanes.

2. Treat each other as you would like to be treated. The golden rule applies if you want to stay safe and not enter “road rage” territory. I have learned that if a car is moving into your lane, cutting you off, trying to race past them to let them in behind you is a dumb idea and one that will get you hit. Just let them in. If they want to run a stop sign, let them go on their merry way. It is not my job to correct wrong behavior, although that’s often what I want to do when a car is muscling their way in front of me at a stoplight. In a small way I consider it a polite act of service when I let someone go ahead of me.

3. Keep your eyes on the goal and you will get there. Staying focused is the only sure way to arrive at your destination in one piece. One of the country’s ironies is that while it is illegal to run a red light you will most assuredly not ever be stopped for doing so, even though it endangers others. However, if you are caught talking on your cell phone, you will be promptly pulled over to the side of the road and given a ticket. Huh? Well, it’s better not to be talking on the phone because you can keep your eyes focused on the road for stalled cars, potholes, oddly placed speed bumps and cars cutting you off from all directions. But, I think there is also a pretty good reason there is a law against running red lights, too. I guess the authorities don’t agree.

4. The car least afraid of getting hit wins…all the time. This is not really a great life lesson I want to teach my kid, but there is some truth to it. And, it is especially true with driving here. If you look like you are not in the least bit afraid of getting hit, you will probably be able to make that left turn from the right lane crossing incoming traffic at a red light. If you drive a big SUV with your lights on and haul booty down a two lane street with parked cars on each side making it a one lane street, you will find me pulling over to the side immediately and letting the monster truck pass.

I have much to learn about defensive driving that I never knew I had to learn. I am the timid one out there waiting to pull out into oncoming traffic longer than the person behind me wishes because I am cautious and don’t trust the cars rushing by won’t slam into my rear end when I pull out. But, I really don’t care. It’s much better to be safe than sorry or as I say it’s much better to be alive than dead! Well, I am proud of myself for facing my fears and passing Dr. Eric’s driving test and it’s a step in the right direction of getting out there and assimilating myself into the culture. Can you just imagine what kind of driver I am going to be when I get back?

This is a typical view from your car while driving.And, this one is just too funny. I had to show it because there is nothing about what is happening that suprises me one bit!

Toddler Joy

2009-01-24T15:10:00.000-04:00

You know, daily I have a moment where I crack up because Little Eric has done something hilarious, a moment where I want to pull my hair out because I don’t think I can hear one more complaint, a moment where I just stare at him in complete awe at this amazing human being, and a moment where I am so tired I just want to lay down right where I am and fall asleep. There is no question in my mind that our little baby has become a little boy and has entered toddlerhood. I marvel at how this happened almost without me noticing. It seems like one day I was carrying him up and down the stairs because he couldn’t do it on his own and now he doesn’t even want me to hold his hand.

Toddlerhood has its challenges, I’ll tell you. Very little gets accomplished without a complaint. He wants water, but he doesn’t want his sippy cup, he wants MY glass of ice water, even though he will more than likely end up dumping most of it on himself and the floor, after which he complains that his clothes are wet. He wants to do almost everything by himself and often gets frustrated when he can’t accomplish the task, like putting his sock or shoe on. It is a test in patience to encourage him to try again while he is expressing his frustration, usually accompanied by, “no, no, no!” over and over again. On top of all of this we are going from two naps to one, and the little guy is often dog tired and cranky by the end of the day.

I know all of this is par for the course and it will pass. I know that his lack of language skills raises the level of frustration he feels when he can't get his point across. I know that the best thing I can do is slow down and be patient, but man is it ever hard! I guess I always thought toddlerhood was hardest on the toddler as they work through frustrating moment after frustrating moment of trying to learn how to do things with their limited ability to communicate. But, I am re-thinking this as I come to grips with my escalating emotions that flair up without almost any warning when an “incident” strikes. I marvel at moms I know who seem to have an endless supply of patience. This is not me, never has been, and I am sure never will be. The downside of my “bubbly” extroverted personality is a short supply of patience.

I am trying to take a breath before reacting when my little angel inadvertantly dumps a glass of water on me from the bathtub because he missed the inside. I am trying my hardest to use my own “words” when I am frustrated at the little wiggleworm who won't stay still to have his diaper changed. But, can I just admit that it’s hard? My angry side has reared it’s ugly head too many times. And, I realize how I truly can’t do this motherhood thing without strength from God. I have started getting up early before anyone else is up just to gather my thoughts and pray for strength to get through the day. This seems to center me and help me tremendously.

I also remind myself daily that we have just interrupted Eric's life by moving him to a new country. I know that in some ways he has been a lot more resilient than we have, but I also know big life changes have an affect on little ones. And, I remind myself that he is trying to find his voice as he navigates through two languages everyday. He has actually stopped using some of the words he knows and has started babbling more. I think he might be trying to speak in Spanish and is probably totally confused about what word to use for what thing. It will yield an amazing bi-lingual reward…I know it will. And, you know I mostly really want to encourage him to grow and become the person he is created to be. In all of this I really don’t want to squelch or supress who he is. Sometimes it’s just hard to know the difference between teaching him boundaries and allowing him the freedom to explore.

I just finished reading this amazing book called “The Myth of the Perfect Mother” by Carla Barnhill about the darker side of motherhood. Mothers often don’t find a forum for the range of struggles and frustrations we deal with. The book also brings up how the church has imposed an idea that a mother’s place is at home full-time with her children and the guilt women feel when they have to or choose to work full or part-time away from home. I have had the book on my bedside table for over a year , moving it here with me to the Dominican Republic before finally picking it up. Talk about finding the right book at the right time! It was music to my soul to see my struggles as a mom on the pages of a book that didn’t try to give a quick fix, but rather gave a voice to what I call the “dark side” of motherhood. It has helped me realize I am not alone as I struggle with things like isolation, guilt over not being the perfect mother I thought I would be, anger, frustration and unmet expectations. It has reminded me that finding something to do in addition to motherhood is not only offers me an outlet for my passions and a contribution to the world outside my door, but time away will probably allow me to be a better mother and wife while I am home.

I don’t want to spend too much time on a soapbox here, but it’s just good to talk about the “real” stuff of life. Right now in the midst of figuring out our lives I, too, am struggling to figure out what my role is right now. We are looking into a morning Montessori program for Eric a couple of days a week. I think it will be good for Eric to be with other children, to be in a stimulating learning environment (especially in Spanish) and to gain some independence. I also think it will be good for me to have some time to pursue something outside of our house. There are so many things I can pursue in this new country I am living in and I think it’s time to start getting out there. It’s all just part of the getting settled process.

Waiting for tomorrow.

2009-01-19T20:17:00.000-04:00

I just really feel compelled to write a short post about my feelings about the presidential change of command tomorrow. I am one of those that is excited about our new president. I was cautiously inspired when I first heard about him. And, the more I heard him the more I recognized there was something different about him. He earned my support and my vote for reasons I could write about in another post. I am hopeful about the future of our country, even though we are in such a mess right now with the economy. Some may choose to be pessimistic or cautious, but I am going to be hopeful that every day can be a little better than the days we have seen this past year.

So, here I am outside of my home country watching everything with a slightly different viewpoint than I have had before. For one, I am wishing I could be "home" to commemorate the historical day tomorrow. And, I am realizing how great America is. For all it's faults, it is a really great place. People do want to do good and watch out for each other. People can vote their conscience and their voice is heard. People are given so many opportunities to make their lives better. I am proud to have an American passport and proud that my child is an American citizen.

As I was watching some of the MLK day coverage with Eric in my lap I was filled with such hope that the country we are from will offer him countless opportunities to do good with his life. He can do anything he puts his mind to, and succeed at anything God calls him to.

But, all of this isn't given to us as a free handout. We have to make it happen. For example, the scholarships might be there for Eric to go to a great University without having to pay a dime, but he has to earn the good grades and apply for the scholarship. But, you know what? The opportunities are there.

I guess this is the first time it has really hit me hard that we have opportunties in the U.S. available for all aspects of life that other countries don't have access to. I am living a good life in a country that has no welfare system, poor health care to the general public, lacking public schools, and a lot of other less than desirable circumstances. But, even with all of the small challenges we have had, which are nothing compared to the challenges of the average person, we are living well. I don't plan on taking what we have available to us in the U.S. for granted again.

And, although Obama is much more than the "first black president" in my mind. I must say it is worth all of the celebration to see Martin Luther King Jr's dream realized. It reminds me that no matter what you look like or where you family is from, with a big dream and a lot of hard work, you can make anything happen. Call me a romantic (which I am), but I am pretty hopeful that my Dominican-American son can do anything he puts his mind and energy to.

Raising Awareness

2009-01-14T09:20:00.000-04:00

I'm finally setting up my blog with links. Some are, of course, friends I try to keep in touch with and enjoy reading their blogs. And, some of the links are part of a growing list of projects or information on the Dominican Republic as a way of raising awareness about the country. The DR is by and large a very poor country with great need. In addition to poverty, hunger, and lack of clean drinking water there is a growing number of people effected by HIV/Aids.

Check out the links to the side to find out some of the organizations trying to make a difference. One is an organization I found out about in Boston that sponsors women in poverty who are about to give birth helping them have a clean, safe birthing experience. The infant mortality rate in the DR is somewhere right in the middle of the chart of mortality rates. It's not the worst, yet far from the best when it comes to safe and clean places to have a baby.

Another site is World Vision who is doing tremendous wonrk to give kids in impoverished situations an education, which is a key to a life out of poverty and is directly related to a stronger future for this third world country. Eric and I had a great experience sponsoring a child through World Vision and am hopeful we can visit our former sponsored child sometime while we are here.

The third link is a project I recently learned about that was started by a woman who worked in ministry in New England for several years previous to her relocation. I am learning a little about her project in one of the barrios on the outlying area of Santo Domingo and hope to make a connection with her soon.

As I learn more about ministries and organizations here I will keep the list updated to spread awareness. Also, if any of you know of some organizations who are doing good work here let me know in the comments.

Just an update.

2009-01-08T21:46:00.000-04:00

Well, we're still waiting for our internet connection. It's been a month that we put the order in after which it took two weeks for the company to come out and hook up both our phone and the internet. The internet connection didn't work and now we are on the second week of waiting for them to come out and figure it out and get us hooked up. I joked with Eric that at this rate we are going to get the 1st months bill for an internet connection we don't have yet!

And, we've been patiently waiting for our car to get here only to find out yesterday that it hasn't been shipped from Boston yet. I guess it's been tied up with trying to verify our title or something. We are not happy about this, but grateful for the flexibility of Eric's mom for sharing her car and toting us around town to run our errands.

Eric has a job! And we are so thankful to finally have that big question answered and to start having an income! He is working with an engineering firm as the new Technical Director. The company is about 4 or 5 years old and builds mostly commercial buildings. Eric will be consulting them on the technical details of their projects (basically that means he will make sure they are strong enough to stand on their own and endure hurricanes and earthquakes) and he will be growing the newly formed Technical Department of the company. He is also going to be teaching at a local university where he is starting an Engineering Foundation. It's a lot to do, but it's exactly what he hoped he would be doing, as he felt really strongly he should use his time here to help guide the infrastructure of the capital.

I've been making curtains for Little Eric's room and the living room. Once we have them up I am going to post pictures of our sunny little apartment. We feel moved in and very comfortable. I just wish the mosquitoes would leave me alone. Yesterday morning I was filled with hope as we packed up to the spend the day at my mother in law's while they fumagated the grounds of our apartment complex only to be completely disappointed after getting bitten 3 times shortly after we got home. My sister in law swears they will stop biting me once my body adjusts, but I am still waiting.

We've had a chance to get out and walk around in one of the parks here in the city. Like Boston, Santo Domingo has some really nice large parks in the middle of the city. They are a great escape from the chaos of the city. As we were walking the other day we remarked on how quiet it was even though we were in the middle of the city. Mostly it felt so good to just get out, move and breath some fresh air. And, we think we saw Pedro Martinez riding his bike through the park...that was pretty fun, even if we couldn't see his face.

There is a beautiful botanical park right across the street from the place Eric works. It's a huge park and I think it's a lot like the Arboreatum in Boston. We tried to go walking there today, but we got there right after the gates closed. I'm hoping to get there next week sometime.

The weather has been more than ideal, especially for January. I know so many of you are buried in snow while we are wearing short sleeves and living with open windows. I have to admit I haven't missed any of the snow just yet. It's pretty nice to be wearing your favorite summer clothes in January!

Feliz Navidad!

2008-12-26T13:46:00.000-04:00

Pictures first today and post after:

Helping Mama make sugar cookies for the first time. He immediately threw the dough overboard and just wanted to play with the cookie cutters and flour. Go figure!
Christmas Eve. Me and Zoila with the kids.

Eric opening his gifts. He doesn't look too bad for being awake at 11:30 p.m.

I think we look more tired!

Christmas morning fun with presents!

Christmas Brunch at our apartment.

Eric and Paula Marie playing.

I hope everyone had a delightful Christmas with at least one moment to reflect on the reason we celebrate...the birth of Jesus. I have to admit the holiday almost passed by without a little reflection in our house. In true Dominican fashion it was a crazy two days, but little Eric and I have been reading from his children's Bible each night before bed and we read about Jesus birth. It is the best Children's Bible I have seen. The stories are told in a really creative way that make them easy to understand and relatable. At the end of the story about Jesus being born it says:

"Mary and Joseph named him Jeus, 'Emmanuel' - which means "God has come to live with us."

Because, of course, he had."

I love it. The Bible is called, "The Jesus Storybook Bible" by ZonderKidz if you are interested.

Anyway, we had a great holiday. The tradition here is to celebrate with family on Christmas Eve. They don't really do anything on Christmas Day, except rest from the insanely late night the night before. Santa isn't a huge deal here, which is refreshing to me, as we aren't making a big deal about Santa either way with little Eric. The children here might get a gift from Santa on Christmas morning, but it's not the commercialized crazy thing it is in the U.S.

I spent most of Christmas Eve baking and cooking for a Christmas brunch we hosted on Christmas Morning for Eric's family. I baked the most fabulous and famous sugar cookies on the planet that I have made for about 15 years. The tasted great, but with the heat and humidity the icing kept running off the cookies. A little improvisation with the icing and they were good to go, although not the cutest. I also made a strawberry shortcake for our dinner party. It was a request from my brother-in-law, Antolin. Who knew that strawberries grow in the mountains here? So, on our trip to Eric's grandparents last weekend we picked up a few pints and I got to share a little Americana with everyone on Christmas Eve as none had ever tasted Strawberry Shortcake before.

Our Christmas Eve celebration was a lot of fun, but it was a LATE night. We got to Antolin's parent's house at 8:30, ate dinner at 10, the kids opened their gifts at 11:30 and we were home at 1 a.m. Little Eric was a trooper, and is still recovering with a few longer than normal naps. I think the brightly wrapped presents and other kids playing kept him engaged and unaware how late it was.

On Christmas Day some of Eric's family came over for a traditional Christmas brunch. You know how much I love to cook and entertain. It was the greatest gift I could give and receive to make all the food and see everyone enjoy tasting things for the first time. I made a ham and cheese egg strata, herb biscuits, blueberry muffins, and an apple and raisin salad. One of Eric's cousins told me she had never had homemade blueberry muffins and she wants me to teach her how to make cinnamon rolls. We had a lot of fun and the kids all played with their new toys.

In the tradition of my family we set up Eric's Christmas presents for him to discover on Christmas morning. My parents always set up "Santa's" gifts for us so they were all ready to play with when we woke up. I am learning how smart this is, because Eric lacks the patience to wait for us to open the gifts and put them together for him while he has to wait to play with them.

It's been raining off and on for the past three days and is a little cooler than normal. A nice break, even though we are missing out on the white Christmas much of the Northeast has enjoyed (or survived, as we are hearing)! I am going out with a friend today for coffee. She is a friend of Zoila's who I got to know over the past two visits in the past 4 years. I am excited to have the chance to connect with her a little more. Other than that we are laying low and resting. I put in a request to go to the beach when the weather clears up. I can't believe we have been here over a month and haven't been to the beach. In my book this is a complete tragedy.

By the way...thank you for all of the notes and e-mails with greetings and encouragements. I love hearing for you all!

Just ONE THING!

2008-12-17T20:35:00.000-04:00

Well, here it is...my first and surely not my last rant about life here! I have faced some challenges along the way this past month and have tried to be honest in my blog about life, while trying to maintain (and sometime fight for) the positive side of the situation. But, tonight I just want to say:

"Why can't just ONE THING be easy?!"

Before we left New England and even on our way here we saw so many amazing things happen that were so effortless we knew grace was being passed our way. Several times as I marveled at how we dodged this bullet or that (i.e. - having a place to stay after we left our apartment, getting a copy of our car title the day we shipped or car, not having to pay double the fee for our overweight luggage) and I thought to myself how God must be giving us some extra grace to store up faith we are going to need on the other side of this journey. Well, sure enough. As easy as things were leaving the country, they have been that complicated as we have gotten our life going here. I mean, thing after thing after thing.

Now, I don't want to be a complainer. There are millions of people who have it a LOT worse than we do. Actually, millions of people here in this country that are in worse shape than we are. We are living amongst the top 5% of the population in terms of standard of living. And, I don't want to take anything we have for granted (although, I know I have several times in the past couple of weeks). It's just that everything is SO complicated here! It takes so long to get anything done.

If you want to go to the supermarket chances are it will take you 30 minutes to get to the market because you will be stuck in a traffic jam for no other reason than drivers at the nearest intersection do are not following any of the rules and have clogged the intersection causing a stand still. Once you are at the supermarket it will take you 15 minutes to find a parking place in the garage and another 10 minutes to walk into the mall, wait for the elevator and actually enter the grocery store to begin shopping. Translate this experience into any other errand you are trying to run and you get the idea why it is so hard to get any of your errands done in one outing.

We called to have our phone installed the week before we moved in knowing it would take them a few days to get out here. After several calls and visits to the phone company, they FINALLY came today, spent 30 minutes hooking it up only to tell me that the phone line, that already had a dial tone, wouldn't actually work until the afternoon AND the internet connection they had just installed wouldn't work until tomorrow. That means that it will have taken us two weeks from start to finish to get our phone/internet working.

The cable company told us yesterday they would put a rush on our order and come out today. That didn't happen. I bet Eric it wouldn't be until Monday.

But, the thing that pushed me over the edge today was a power outtage we had. Our power went out this morning and the electric generator for the apartment complex kicked on (see I told you were have it a lot better than most here). After 30 minutes the generator stopped and the electricity went out again. I thought that maybe the generator died and figured it was one of the routine power outtages that happens here figuring it would come on in a couple of hours or so and went on with life. Later in the afternoon I happen to notice that a neighbor's Christmas lights were on and I wondered if maybe they had an "inversor" or something that gives them extra power when the electricity is out. I called downstairs to my sister-in-law's to find out if they had electricity and they did. So, I called Eric, because I didn't know what to do at this point and all of our food in the fridge and freezer was getting borderline warm. I'll skip some of the details, but apparently when the power came back on it came back in everyone else's apartment but our's and when we called the electric company, guess what they said....just guess.

"We'll be out to fix it tomorrow morning."

I don't believe it for a minute. I don't want to lose faith in people, but I don't believe anyone who tells me they are going to be here "tomorrow"anymore. Remember the story about how our washer broke and the guy told us he was going to come back "tomorrow"? Well, that was three days ago and he hasn't come back to fix it.

I've been told by Eric's family and a couple of friends that I have been spoiled with the way service works in the US. I have to admit it's a hard habit to break when you are expecting someone to do what they say. That sounds sarcastic and funny, but I really mean it. I think I just need to get over it and not expect people to show up "tomorrow", BUT also not get livid about it when they don't, because that is what is starting to eat me up inside.

So, I'm trying to make sense of all of this, and here's what I've come up with that drives me crazy about this new country I am trying to call home. This country is stuck in between. They are not a third world country really, and yet they are not a developed country either. I am sitting in my apartment with these beautifully tiled floors and rich hardwood cabinets and doors, typing on my computer while I am "borrowing" the wireless internet connection from my sister-in-law, waiting for our 140 channel cable to be hooked up. We set the table with our best linens and dishes while dressing up to eat lunch everyday. Women regularly get their hair styled at the salon where they also get regular manicures and pedicures. And, yet there are some serious problems that don't seem to ever change, like not enough electricity to go around. Or, not only is the water not clean enough to drink, but not everyone has access to running water. People pay people to do all kinds of jobs that seem superflous to me, like the guy who gives you a ticket when you enter the FREE parking garage and the other guy who takes the ticket from you when you leave. Or, the person who stands at the door of a store and puts a check mark on your receipt without even glancing at what you have bought. You can literally pay someone for anything small or large you would like done here. I know that many of these jobs are available so that people can work and help to decrease the unemployment rate, which is pretty high at 15%, but the lack of meaningful work for people contributes to a mentality that I can't quite figure out. It just seems like there is a disconnect.

I really don't want to offend my new culture. I am learning and I am trying. It's just hard sometimes to make sense of it all, because some of the answers to these situations seem so easy to me. But, I am a guest of this country. I chose to come here. I need to learn how to adapt. I know I will eventually. And, I DO like it here. I like that I paid someone $24 to color my hair yesterday and $10 for the best pedicure I have ever had last week.

I just don't like it here today. Give me my lights, someone, please!!

We're In!

2008-12-16T07:58:00.000-04:00

Drum roll, please! We are finally in our new apartment. After much work and many trips to "Aduana" or the Customs office our things were finally delivered last Wednesday. Surprisingly everthing made it here safely. I have only found two broken wineglasses and a bent lampshade and it's evident those broke because of how they were packed. I got a little emotional when I saw the moving truck pull up with the familiar logo of the moving company on the side. I thought, "OK. We're here. We're all here and we're not going home."

We're still settling in, but it is starting to feel like home. I can't tell you how good it felt to sink into our own bed on Thursday night for the first time in 3 1/2 months! There's just something about sleeping in your own bed.

For those of you who don't know the story behind our apartment, it's in a nice neighborhood in Santo Domingo, although it's pretty noisy and surrounded by other apartment buildings. It is also in the same building and one floor above Eric's sister and brother-in-law, which is incredibly fun and convenient because we can just pop up and down to see each other. They have a 10-month old baby girl, too, so Eric is having fun playing with his "prima".

Our apartment has 2 bedrooms, a living room/dining room combo, kitchen, service room for laundry and storage, and 3 bathrooms (1 is in the service room and would be used by a live-in maid if we had one...which we don't). So, Eric has his own room and bathroom, no more sleeping in a closet like his nursery in Boston. Actually, his bedroom is larger than ours. BUT, it's by far the hottest room in the house, which is creating a few challenges. We had to put up curtains immediately, because the direct sunlight pours into his room pretty much all day from each of the corner windows. And, putting up the curtain rods was no small of fun project, because our walls are concrete and you can't just screw in a screw or pound in a nail. We have special concrete nails, but even those are hard to get in.

Eric immediately fell in love with his room and most of the time when I can't find him he is in there playing with his stuffed animals or reading. We updated it a little so it is less like a nursery and more like a kids room. We have an ABC foam puzzle mat on the floor and a little table and chairs set up for him. The problem is that unless we have two fans blowing in that room it's too hot to be in there. He has been taking his naps in there, but he sleeps in the pack and play at night in our room. After 3 1/2 months we thought we were going to get our room back, but it looks like we'll just have to wait until we can buy and AC for his room, which will probably be awhile since we are still living off of our savings and have to watch what we spend.

OK...there is just so much I could tell you about moving in and figuring things out in our new apartment, but I am just going to tell you one more story now so I don't make this blog so long. I'll post pictures and more later. I promise.

Let's just say doing laundry is an adventure here, compared to what I am used to. People typically don't have dryers here, so they hang their clothes out on clotheslines in their service room or on the roof in the sun where the clothes end up drying in a couple of hours and have that line dryed smell, which I love. BUT, it takes a lot more work. Not to mention the stairs to the roof are a small spiral staircase that vibrates as you go up (and I am a little afraid of heights). Also, just about everything needs to be ironed, too. So, as you can see you can't just throw something in the washer and dryer expecting to wear it in two hours. Well, the first load I did in our new washer (Craigslist buy in Boston) resulted in the motor breaking down and smoking during the rinse cycle. We later found out that a little water from the moving process got into the motor and now we most likely need to get the motor replaced, which I'm sure will result in a week of being told it will be done "tomorrow". So, I wrung out the clothes and took them down to Zoila's to spin dry after which I learned that the roof was closed for the week for repairs to the building. Yikes! I'm searching for hangers and clothespins. My first real load of laundry and my washer breaks and I have jeans and t-shirts hanging all over the apartment drying. Such is life here...flexibility and good attitude go along way. And, I am learning not to wait until all of your clothes are dirty to wash a load, as smaller loads are a lot easier to manage.

One of the many lessons in island living that proves our experience is living up to the title of our blog!

Pictures from our weekend in Jarabacoa

2008-12-09T19:06:00.000-04:00

The little "casita"by the river
The outdoor patio where we eat lunch.

Eric's abuelo reading the paper under the outdoor patio. This picture really depicts him well as he is the head of the family and a wonderfully kind grandfather who laughs and smiles a lot.

Carmen making the huge pot of Sancocho.

Cousin Gabriela, who loves Eric so much. She was so great to play with him all weekend, giving mama a much needed break. She wants to come to Santo Domingo to babysit... can't wait for date night!

Eric's mom, Edi, and two of Eric's great aunts talking by the river.

The coconut guy climbing the tree. Can you believe it? No ropes or ladders or anything!

Here he is up in the tree.

Eric's cousins holding some of the coconuts that fell.

Eric enjoying fresh from the tree coconut water.

FINALLY...pictures!

2008-12-09T18:57:00.001-04:00

Our first visitors! Last week my friend Chrissy and her friend Leanna came to the city for a short break from their beach vacation.
Our first American Thanksgiving in the Caribbean.

I think Little Eric is ready to drive sooner than I am!

Doing a little light reading in the Spanish-English dictionary.

Waiting

2008-12-09T18:56:00.000-04:00

Waiting…the last 3 ½ months have been a lesson in the art of waiting gracefully. It’s one that I don’t do so well, but I have learned a lot and grown a lot from the experience. We moved out of our apartment on August 26th and in with friends for 2 ½ months…waiting until the calendar turned to November 15th when we used our one-way tickets to get here. We have been here three weeks today waiting to move into our apartment. As we inch closer to our move in date, which sees to be just right outside of our grasp this past week, I am more and more impatient. Isn’t this true with all things we are waiting for? The closer we get the more the anticipation grows and it seems like the day will never arrive. I am thinking about being a child and looking forward to Christmas Day. So much anticipation growing and building and then on Christmas Eve you can’t sleep because you are about to burst. Well, never one to be patient, I am about to burst as we are hopeful we can move in this week. And the anticipation is about to drive me to insanity.
Lesson one in waiting: Take the culture and customs into consideration as you anticipate how long you are going to be waiting. Let me just say that the way things are done here is very different from the way I am accustomed. There are some things I will not take for granted in the future when I return to the U.S. It seems everything we have had to do to move once we have been here has taken twice (or more) the work and time promised or planned. Eric goes down to the electric company (goes down because they won’t turn on your service by phone) and after registering they tell him it will take 3-4 days for his application to be approved. He calls back after the promised time to find out that his application will be approved tomorrow (it’s always tomorrow, I tell you). He goes back to the office “tomorrow” and signs the contract and THEN he’s told it will now take 3-4 days to actually turn on the electricity in our apartment. Getting our things out of customs at the port is an entirely different set of circumstances that have required much effort and many trips, and I won’t get into all of it here. Let me just say that Eric has been amazing at taking care of all of the details, and has been very patient with me asking him every hour what the update is on customs, electricity installation, telephone and internet installation, etc. And, being the take charge person I am, I have had to let him take care of it all and just try to be patient and not hold a serious grudge against the inefficiency I see here in my new country. I keep telling myself one of the first things I ever learned about experiencing another culture many years ago, “It’s DIFFERENT, not wrong or bad.”
Everyday that passes I am sitting in my mother-in-law’s apartment taking care of Little Eric, who has contracted a nasty Dominican cold, waiting for a “yes” answer to all of the above.
Lesson two in waiting: Perseverance produces character… a biblical principle that has been a challenge to embrace lately. The entire verse from the book of Romans says, “We rejoice in our own sufferings because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and, character, hope.” What we have been going through is nothing like the early followers of Christ suffering for their faith described here, but I can relate in my own sort of way and am so hopeful this experience is going to produce some character in me. Maybe it will make me a more laid back person who is able to go with the flow and graciously accept the things that are out of my control. I must admit that I don’t do that well. I suppose we all have limits. I have done my fair share of complaining to Eric. I have had some pretty low moments over the past three weeks, well 3 ½ months really. I feel isolated a lot here in this big Caribbean city. I can’t leave the house by myself, I can’t drive yet, we are sharing a car with Eric’s mom, I can’t get online or watch TV often, I have one book in English because all of the others are packed and I finished it yesterday, etc. Well, really there are a lot of other things I complain about, too, but the details aren’t important. What I think is important is that I use these isolating moments, or experiences where I have to wait and wait and wait to push through and persevere and hope that my character is going to be affected for the better. Hey, already I can tell you that without a lot to do while I am at home alone with Eric I have prayed more than I have in a long time.
Lesson three in waiting: Remember nothing is forever, even if it seems like it. As the days sometimes drag by (and sometimes fly by) I am trying to remind myself that we will soon be in our apartment and the waiting will be over. The unpacking will begin and our life will find its own rhythm here.
So, here I am waiting and trying to be patient in the meantime. The graceful part of waiting and honestly the part that is the hardest for me is waiting without letting my ugly side come out. Soon we’ll have a new place to call home and I am sure there will be yet another lesson to be learned around the corner.

Weekend away from the city

2008-12-05T17:04:00.000-04:00

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.

El Dia de Gracias

2008-11-29T10:12:00.000-04:00

Oh my, I have so much to say and so little time. Until we get into our apartment it´s really difficult to get onto the internet. Hopefully it will be easier soon and I can blog about all of the adventures we are having on a more regular basis. Right now I am in an internet cafe in the small mountain town where Eric´s grandparents live. We are headed to the river where we all gather at the small ¨casita¨ they have there for parties and family get togethers. We are having Sancocho for the midday meal, which is a stew with 7 kinds of meats and every local vegetable they grow here. It is so good and I am looking forward to the whole day...time with family, as we have all gathered here for the weekend, the meal, the river.

BUT, the reason I got on is to tell you about our Thanksgiving. I will post pictures at a later time when I can download them to the blog.

Many of you know that Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Everything about it makes me happy. It´s the only holiday I know that has the sole purpose of gathering family and friends together to eat, enjoy each other and be thankful for all the blessings of the year. I was hoping to share a little of my American culture with my Dominican family, so I set out to make the most authentic meal I could with the ingredients I could find here. I had to go to the two different store a total of four times to find what I needed, and even then I did a LOT of improvisation. At the first store my mother in law had three people looking for ¨calabasa¨or pumpkin in a can to no avail. The next day I was at the other store, El Bravo (which I am sure I will be shopping at regularly, but that is a different post) and there before my eyes I found not only canned pumpkin, but my friend, Libby´s. The whole turkeys were double the price as in the states, but I found that I could buy legs, thighs and breasts at the butcher and they were about half the price, but at least I didn´t have to have it killed live in front of me as some other friends have had to do in another country across the world. After much deliberation I had to settle for boxed stuffing that I doctored up with sauteed celery and onions and a LOT of butter...yum. Also, I had trouble locating sweet potatoes, which was a surprise to me because Dominicans eat a lot of root vegetables, in fact they eat several root vegetables I have never heard of. I was so proud of my communication abilities as I asked a woman in the root vegetable aisle which was the sweetest. She directed me to ¨batatas¨, which translates to sweet potato, but doesn´t look anything like it. It looks like a very large ruttabaga and is white on the inside instead of orange.

So, with my ingredients in hand I set out to make the meal in my mother in law´s kitchen. Now, there were a few things about her kitchen that I had to work around. First, it´s small, but that´s really not to much trouble. Second, she doesn´t cook very much AND it´s a Domincan kitchen, so that means no measuring cups or spoons and few cooking pans, as most Domincan food is cooked in pots on the stove. And, her oven dial doesn´t have any numbers for the temperature. Well, thanks to all the hours I have logged in watching the Food Network (especially the Next Food Network Star, which you know is my favorite reality series) I was able to make it work and it actually all tasted very authentic, like my usual fare made in my kitchen with all of the tools and machines I have collected from my years of working at Crate and Barrel, and the ingredients I can easily find at Stop and Shop. We had turkey, dressing, (white) sweet potatoes with marshmallows, green bean casserole (without the french fried onions), waldorf salad, and a homemade pumpkin pie!

Some of Eric´s family came over for the meal, which we ate around eight thirty. His sister, an uncle, aunt and two of their kids joined me, Eric, Eric Jr. and Edi. Before the prayer for the meal they asked me about the history of Thanksgiving, which was a special thing to share, as I knew they were really interested. I explained all of the foods and the ingredients I used and they were all so enthusiastic about sharing an authentic American Thanksgiving meal, especially Eric´s uncle who asked me a lot of questions about the meaning behind why we celebrate the holiday. I realized that the way we celebrate Thanksgiving with family, friends, good food and a thankful heart is much like the Latin meaning behind celebrating the ¨Ano Nuevo¨or New Year´s eve. At the end of our night I told them all that I was so happy to share a little bit of my culture and I was looking forward to a true Dominican Navidad and Ano Nuevo.

I have so many other thoughts to share, but I need to keep it short because I am paying for my internet time today. I am getting along pretty well with my Spanish and everyone is really gracious at helping me and trying to understand what I am trying to say. I think they are so happy to see me really trying. Also, Little Eric has been saying a lot of new words. He said, ¨Hola¨the other day to Lydia who works in our apartment two days a week. And, the day before he said, ¨Elmo¨which my mother in law swears he is saying ¨Amo¨for ¨Te Amo¨or I love you. I knew he was really saying Elmo when I showed him a picture of Elmo on his diaper and he immediately said Elmo. Oh well, she loves it, so I am letting that one go. He is also making the hand sign for ¨more¨ALL of the time. Also, he is loving all of the attention from his cousins! It´s so great to see him interact so well with so many new family members.

Both he and I are getting our fair share of mosquito bites and I bought a mosquito net for his crib. He doesn´t like it a bit, especially when he wants to stand up and he gets caught up in it. It´s kind of funny to see him pop up and get caught, but he hates it so much.

Well, I promise more later and pictures, too.

"Llego La Luz"

2008-11-19T13:20:00.000-04:00

This is what you say when the electricity has been out and it comes back on. Eric used to say it all the time when he was little. It means "Here come the lights!" or literally "The lights are arriving!" We said it on Tuesday for the first time, so I thought it was an appropriate title.

On Tuesday...

The first full day of life in the DR is coming to a close. I am sitting at my mother-in-law’s table after feeding Eric his dinner. It is 6:30 and dark and there is no electricity. We have a back-up generator, but it only gives enough power to use one or two lights at a time. Not enough to use the refrigerator. All of the windows are open and there is a gentle breeze keeping the temperature warm, but mild. Eric keeps running to the patio to look over the bars at the kids playing in the parking lot. There are two kinds of meringue music playing over each other in the background. Eric is out trying to get a cell phone and Edi is working late. I feeling a little relieved to be alone with Eric and not struggling to listen or communicate, however I am feeling a little lonely, too. The feeling of being locked in behind the iron bars covering our door and knowing there is no electricity is just enough out of my comfort zone to make me long for familiar Boston.

We have had a crazy last few days, as you can imagine. Just what I expected a change this big would bring. We have seen what we recognize as the hand of God guiding us and giving us a glimpse of himself in the midst of all of this. I read something today about how sometimes just when He seems complicated He draws us stick figures that . I would say this is how we could sum up a lot of what’s happened to us in the past four days.

It started on Friday morning, the day before we left, when hours later we were to deliver our car to the shipping company. We discovered we didn’t have the title to our car. In a miraculous moment of talking to the right person at the right time who had compassion on our situation, we were able to get the title and deliver the car that same day. Of course, not without driving about 100 miles from one end of the Boston area to the other and back again, but it didn’t matter at that point.

That night we were stuffing our suitcases full of diapers, clothes, Eric’s books, toys, shoes, etc. to discover that every one of our four large suitcases was overweight. We spent hours with the help of some great friends trying to rearrange and take things out to send later only to give in and resolve to pay the overweight fee. What we hoped, and was told by three airline employees was impossible, was to only pay the fee once from Boston to Puerto Rico and not a second time when we flew from Puerto Rico to the Dominican Republic two days later (even though it was part of the same ticket). In Puerto Rico I rearranged again and loaded up our carry-ons, which were almost as heavy as our bags, and we had several (we were using the limits of our baggage allocations here). I was able to par down a little. When we got to the airport the woman at the checkout counter explained to us what we already knew about why the airline policy was to charge for the second flight as well even though we explained we were moving and the it was a big sum of money (believe me). She proceeded to weigh each of our bags in at about 15 pounds over the limit and check us in and then she handed us the tickets and said she wasn’t going charge us because she was the only one who saw the scale. After the emotional roller coaster ride of the whole move I couldn’t hold it in and started crying right there. We knew it was a movement of God through the kindness of this woman. We lugged our two backpacks stuffed with books, huge tote with books, baby things and a clock radio, a roller bag too heavy to lift up to the overhead bin on the plane, a guitar, my pillow and kid in stroller to the gate and onto the plane with a HUGE sigh of relief.

When flew over the DR as we were landing. I had a mix of emotions swirling around inside me. I was excited about what lie ahead, relieved to just get into the country, sad about leaving my comfortable life that fit us both so well, and nervous about all of the challenges to be faced (language and Eric getting sick topping the list).

We went thru immigration, paid our fee, got a stamp in our passports, picked up our baggage (two carts were necessary), flew thru customs and met Eric’s mom with open arms. It was raining and muggy, but we were here!

Eric’s family in Santo Domingo came over last night. Two aunts, two uncles, five cousins, one sister, one brother-in-law and a grandmother all greeting us and welcoming us in true Dominican style. Eric played with the cousins and was really happy and relaxed. I tried my best to use as much Spanish as I could and listened as well as I could to the conversations around me. Several people told me my Spanish was much improved and complimented me. I’ve got a lot to learn, but I gave it my best shot last night.

So here we are. Eric’s playing at my feet. The electricity just came back on, which means the ice cream we just bought will start to re-freeze. I’ve already had Dominican coffee with my breakfast and rice and beans for lunch. We’ve tackled the grocery store looking for food for Eric and the lunch I am going to make tomorrow. We have unpacked our four suitcases as much as is possible while we are staying at Eric’s mom’s house. We are rested and you know what? It’s really not that hot. It’s been a little humid, but breezy and nice like what you hope it feel like on an island. Let’s just see what tomorrow brings.

We're almost there.

2008-11-10T22:27:00.000-04:00

We leave this Saturday for Puerto Rico where we will be visiting Eric's grandmother for two days. Then, on Monday we take the short flight from San Juan to Santo Domingo. We'll be staying with Eric's mom for a couple of weeks until we our things arrive and we can move into our new apartment.

I thought you might like to see my top 20 list of things I love or are excited about in the Dominican Republic.

We'll be blogging soon about the new life that awaits in the Caribbean!

20. Dominican hospitality.
19. The scenic drive from Santiago and Santo Domingo.
18. Mangoes.
17. Baseball.
16. Finally knowing how to speak Spanish.
15. The man who sells fruit from a cart in the neighborhood every morning.
14. The "coholo suave" spirit.
13. Finding volunteer projects.
12. Church in another language.
11. The weather.
10. Orchids.
9. Wearing summer clothes all year.
8. Rice, beans, plantains, and all of the Dominican foods.
7. Dominican coffee.
6. Learning how to Merengue.
5. The beach.
4. Visiting Eric's grandparents in the mountains on weekends.
3. Watching Eric contribute his Engineering skills to his country.
2. Living near Eric's incredible family.
1. Little Eric experiencing his Latino roots.