What an adventurous last week we have been having in the DR!
Last Thursday, Ronny, Patria, and Francis took us on an exhaustive hike through the forest. After an hour we came to the top of a 60ft waterfall where we had lunch. And by lunch I mean Francis bought a chicken, killed it, and cooked it. It was so delicious. We spent the next few hours just relaxing, sitting on the edge of the waterfall, and enjoying the view God gave us. Overall it was a tiring, but awesome day!
On Friday we got to accompany the children from the Compassion program to a pool party about an hour away from San Juan. Which means it was a 3 hour bus ride for us (taking public transportation). I was half expecting it to be some ghetto pool in the middle of nowhere. Man, was I wrong! It was a really nice place. Sort of a mini resort. Not unlike what you might find in Punta Cana. It even had WiFi!! The food they served us for lunch was equally as nice. Rice, Ribs, and a really good macaroni salad. And we had Coke too! Afterwards we went to the guest house in San Juan where we stayed the night. It was kind of awkward because it was just me and Brett and 16 girls. All the guys had left for the weekend (they went spear fishing at some beach). So we decided to get Francis and have a guys night out. Francis drove us around the city on his motorcycle. We kept getting the strangest looks and people kept laughing and pointing at us. I don’t know if it was because we were Americans or because it was 3 dudes on the same bike. Anyway we went to an awesome empanadas place where we ate and watched a baseball game. After that we stopped by a bakery for some doughnuts and then to an Ice cream place for some milk shakes. At one point while we were riding around we literally almost ran into 3 guys running down the street on stilts. For a second I thought I was dreaming. It was pretty funny. Anyway after a long night we went back to the house and had a good night’s sleep. It’s weird but being at the house was almost a culture shock for me. Over the past few weeks I had gotten quite use to living up in the mountains and coming back to a place with actual electricity, running water, a refrigerator, and a mattress to sleep on was a big (but nice) change.
On Monday I finally got my wish! Francis took me on his bike to Los Frios where I bought a chicken. After coming back to Los Montacitos I killed it, cleaned it (with Francis’s help), and cooked it (with Francis’s and Ronny’s help). It was quite an experience. I got to eat parts of a chicken I didn’t even know you could eat. It was all delicious.
Today on our way back from visiting with some people in a neighboring town, we ran into some people on the dirt road who motioned for us to pull over (the pastor was driving us in his SUV). When we pulled over there was a boy of about 8 or 9 years old who had a HUGE gash right above his eye. The kind of wound you would need stitches for. Needless to say his face was covered in blood. But he seemed extremely calm and he wasn’t crying. We found out that he had been kicked in the face by a mule and they needed us to drive him to the clinic in Los Montacitos. We agreed and loaded him and an older gentleman (I’m guessing his grandfather) into the back. But as we were driving by, the doctor passed us in the “public transportation” truck. The ONLY doctor in Los Montacitos. We tried going after him but were unsuccessful, so we decided to see if one of the nurses could help. I should mention that during this time Francis, Ronny, and the pastor are stopping and talking to other people and seem to have no sense of emergency. It’s kind of funny but at the same time it’s not. I guess it’s just the culture. Anyway, after arriving to the nurses house she comes out (that’s after she finished mopping her floor. I’m not joking.) She tells us there’s nothing she can do. So the pastor decides to get his motorcycle and take the poor kid to another clinic in a nearby town. But when he gets his bike he notices that the gas is on reserve. So he drives around looking for gasoline. Of course no one has any and the stores are all out. At this point the kid, and the elderly gentleman are sitting on the porch of the pastors house and waiting for a ride to the clinic. I feel bad for them so I go to the nearest store and buy some cookies for the kid and sodas for both of them while they are waiting. Eventually an older teen, about 18 or 19 years old drives by on a dirt bike and we flag him down. After the pastor gives him money for gas he agrees to take the two to the clinic in the nearby town. So finally (as far as I know) they made it to the clinic and all I can say is THANK GOD NOTHING SERIOUS HAPPE NED TO ME THIS MONTH!!!
Well……time has just flown by. Just one more day here in the mountains and then we leave to go back to San Juan where we’ll meet the other teams and then leave for Haiti on the 11th. I’ve had an awesome time here in the DR, and met some amazing people. I can’t wait to see what Haiti has in store for me. As one adventure ends, another begins…….
