And The Rain Came Down

Time is going by so fast! I only have a little more than 6 weeks left here, and two of the weeks are vacation... crazy.

These last couple of weeks have been SO GOOD! Last time I wrote I wrote about being sick, and some hard things I was going through. Well times have definitely been getting better. Over the past few weeks me and my roommates have gotten really close. I love them so much! Their names are Kim and Lexi, and we are always laughing. I’m so grateful to have them as my roommates. They really help me stay positive and enjoy my time here.

A couple weeks ago we had planned to go to the beach with a couple of our kids. We walked to their house to pick them up, and we ended up with 15 kids! We looked like a mini army as we were walking down the streets. It was so fun to be able to play with the kids outside of class. There’s a little kid named Jason (or Dason we aren’t really sure), and he was on my back the entire time. When a big wave would come he would yell “BIG!!!!” Every time. He is the cutest kid I’ve ever met.

On Saturday we went to Cabarete. It’s a city that’s about 45 minutes away. We got on the wrong guagua so we ended up having to walk until we found someone who would be willing to drive us there. We finally got there and we ate at this cute little Mexican place. And no Mexican food and Dominican food are not the same. Then we went to the beach. It wasn’t super hot outside which is way nice because lately it’s been almost too hot to go to the beach even. The waves at Cabarete are always pretty big which makes playing in the water so much fun. I learned how to dive under the waves, but still got pounded by a few of them. I LOVE swimming in the ocean. The water is so warm and clear here so it’s even better.

That night we went to go see a movie with one of the guys in our ward, Felix. We saw Tomb Raider. I really liked it. It was a mix of Indiana Jones and Hunger Games. It was fun going to see a movie because that’s something we do a lot back home so it helps with the home sickness. :) On our way home from the movie it started pouring. So hard. Our driver couldn’t drive us all the way to our houses because of the flooding so we had to walk and the water was up to our knees in some places. SO CRAZY. Luckily the way our house is built it keeps out the rain. Our neighbors on the other hand aren’t as lucky. :(

The next morning the flooding in our neighborhood had gone away. But we got a text from someone in our ward that one neighborhood was flooded really bad. So we went to the first hour of church then changed our clothes and went to help clean up this one neighborhood. As soon as we arrived to the neighborhood, my heart broke. There was mud everywhere. The whole street was covered in mud that went up to your ankle or deeper. We helped a family clean up their house. There was water up to your knees throughout their whole house. There were 10 of us working and it still took two hours to get all the water and mud out of their one-bedroom home. It was such a humbling experience to say the least. So much of their stuff had been destroyed and they already had to little, yet you never heard them complain. They people here are so strong, and I admire that so much. Being able to help clean up after the flood was my favorite thing I have done here in the DR so far.

Later that night we walked around the city with Felix. Puerto Plata is such a beautiful city. Sometimes I forget that because we live in the extremely poor area, but once you go into the city it’s a pretty well off place. There’s cool painting on the walls when you walk around that are really fun to look at. We went to the fire fighter station, and the person there let us walk around and get in all the big trucks! We then walked along the coast while the sun was setting, and it was so pretty and peaceful. I can’t believe I live here!

Yesterday we went to a place called Dudú Lagoon and it was hands down one of the most beautiful places I’ve been. It was in this cool cave-like place and the water was crystal clear. It was also nice because we went on a Thursday so we got the whole place to ourselves. Totally worth the two hour drive!

Okay a few more things.... Everyone is getting sick here. Like everyone. Bodies here are wack. People have gotten the flu, ear infections, bronchitis, parasites, crazy blisters, heat stroke, lice (lots of lice). Someone new is sick almost everyday, but hopefully that’ll start getting better! We got two new girls because five girls have gone home. I didn’t realize how many girl would want to go home! But the new girls are pretty good.

Overall life is pretty great here in the DR. I have had my ups and downs, but I have learned so much and have met such amazing people here that I love. Ive learned that you can make any situation a good one with the right attitude, and the right people:)

Sorry my pics are all out of wack... Internet is hard here.