We have great WiFi tonight in Boca Chica, a suburb of Santo Domingo, so here’s a farewell blog post before we head home tomorrow. We checked out of our hotel this morning, crammed our bus with all of our luggage, and stopped by the Altagracia school to say goodbye. Actually, it turned out to be a bit more than that. We assembled in the main courtyard with all of the students and teachers, and shared a wonderful goodbye ceremony. The school Director presented Rita with a wonderful plaque, and every member of our team received certificates of appreciation (frame-worthy). We also got gifts! Many of us received really cool hats. The guys all got fedoras. Several of the women got nice floppy sun hats. We presented the school with an American flag. Some speeches were made. Then, wow! The school has been preparing for weeks for a city-wide Carnival parade. It’s a competition between many schools got best costumes, dancing and overall presentation. Think Rose Bowl Parade. We have seen them preparing costumes and props all week, and wished we could se the parade. So they showed us! They did a full costume dress rehearsal with all of the pageantry that will surely win them a prize. Words fail, but luckily we can attach photos. Then, finally, goodbye for a year, with many hugs and tears. Perhaps we have helped make a difference. We know we have been changed. We headed south to the capital.
We made several stops along the way, pulling off the road in Piedra Blanco so we could browse and buy some of the colorful handmade rugs by local craftspeople hanging on racks by the dozens on the roadside. Sort of like pulling over on Rt. 89 to buy maple syrup. We actually pulled over later to buy fresh cashews from local vendors. We also made a more prosaic stop at a local plaza at a sleek market to buy local treats like dulche de leche and macaroons. We avoided the heavy traffic that delayed us last year and arrived in the Colonial Zone, the oldest part of the city. It’s also the oldest European settlement in the hemisphere, as in founded by Columbus in 1493. The cathedral, built in1530, is also the first. It’s also 20 degrees cooler inside. We set up headquarters on the outdoor porch of a pizza place facing the cathedral square (better than Dominos) and then fanned out to sightsee and shop for chocolate, coffee and in some cases larimar jewelry, fashioned from the distinctive milky blue gemstone found in the DR. Then we boarded the bus and headed to Boca Chica, the seaside resort town 30 minutes away. We checked into our beachfront hotel, changed, walked through the lobby and literally right onto the beach. The beach faces a huge lagoon protected by a breakwater, forming an amazing swimming area with an all sand bottom. One can wade for half a mile before the water gets head height. The students did the most swimming, otter-like. Many of the adults waded or swam. Mandy got her hair braided like they do at resorts, because it’s a resort. We had supper on the open porch facing the beach, enjoying fresh red snapper. Then we had our final meeting, reflecting on the week. Not surprisingly there was a lot of emotion. We have become close, and its ending. We have been changed by our work. There’s more to do. We’ll be back!
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