Carmen, a HOPE / Esperanza loan associate, sews some pretty amazing blanket, sheet, and pillow sets with this bad boy from Singer. I met Carmen this past Saturday on a HOPE Vision Trip in La Romana, Dominican Republic.
{ 0 comments }
Better late than never!
Dusk Reflection. Atlantic beach near Las Terrenas, Samaná Peninsula, Dominican Republic. Photo taken 4 December 2010.
{ 0 comments }
Show me the meaning of triptófano.
No, not the Spanish release of the Backstreet Boys’ little-known Thanksgiving Day single. I shared this scrumptious Thanksgiving dinner with my wonderful Dominican friends. Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Photo taken 25 Nov 2010 (Thanksgiving Day).
{ 1 comment }
Ancient Steps
Steps of the Catedral de Santo Domingo, oldest cathedral in the Americas, built in 1506. Zona Colonial, Santo Domingo, República Dominicana. Photo taken 23 Oct 2010.
{ 0 comments }
In Santo Domingo, life happens out in the street. It’s loud, it’s colorful, and its coming at you. Here’s a city intersection on one of it’s quieter moments.
My host family lived in a small house off of the street behind the white building.
{ 0 comments }
A rarity among spanish-speaking nations, the favorite sport of Dominicans is not soccer, but baseball. Not sure where basketball ranks, but it was high enough to plant this sweet hoop permanently in the middle of the street. We played a few pick up games here against some local teenagers…and dominated. Then again, we averaged about a foot taller.
Have you ever seen a better paint job?
{ 0 comments }
Round 2 recapping my previous trip to the Dominican Republic. Round 1 here.
I lived in the home of Lucilo and Gladys, and their little son Manuel. They also hosted Dan, another friend from Grove City. Dominicans are known for their gracious hospitality, which Lucilo and Gladys exemplified. A lower middle-class family, they bent over backwards to offer their best and put up with a lot (no doubt) of our cultural faux pas.
Here’s “the fam”.
{ 0 comments }
In April 2009 I went on a college volunteer trip to the Dominican Republic. It was my first taste of the culture, and I captured sporadic moments on my trusty Canon PowerShot 870. Over the next days I’ll share some of the best ones with you.
First up:
Barrio por la tarde. Neighborhood in the afternoon.
Two photos of Las Cañitas, a barrio of Santo Domingo where we stayed. During the week we helped several nuns in their outreach to the community here. These photos were taken from the roof of their home – aka the “convent.”
Homes in the city are nicer than those living in the countryside. You can see they are typically made with cement and/or cinder blocks. Some have solid roofing, others have sheet metal.
If you look closely you’ll notice the high number power lines, routed chaotically. Electricity in the DR is a huge issue. The government owns and operates the energy company, and, perhaps not surprisingly, blackouts are a daily occurrence. It doesn’t help that something like 70% of the population doesn’t pay for electricity – they steal it from wealthier neighbors instead. Hence all the crazy wires.
{ 2 comments }
