Great Weather and a Productive First Day
As the last brief posts reported, we spent an extra night in New York on Friday when our evening flight was cancelled due to a medical emergency on the plane after we had boarded but before takeoff. The situation was resolved, but we had missed the curfew in Santiago, and were forced to spend the night in New York. Delta generously provided rooms for us at the nearby Hilton, and we caught the 3:30 and 4:00 a.m. shuttles back to the terminal, and easily boarded our flight, which took off at 6:30.
Three hours later we were gazing our our windows at the lush green hills of the DR, framed by puff white clouds. We landed to tumultuous applause from throughout the cabin, and easily made it through customs with our carefully-packed luggage, full of items which we will be donating and using in the health clinics this week.
We transferred our bags to a cargo van which went straight to the hotel, and then boarded our bus with Glen, our Driver. Soon, we were on our way north, although our progress was halted just outside the airport to allow a herd of cattle cross the largest highway in Santiago. An hour later, we stopped on the outskirts of Piedra Blanca to visit the local craftspeople, who had set up colorful displays of handmade rugs on the side of the highway, purchasing several. (Don't anyone tell the folks at KUA about the orange and black one that Erin Gregory-Davis is bringing back to Meriden!).
Another half hour, and we pulled into Cotui, wending through streets crowded with the ubiquitous motorbikes. There were nevertheless fewer than usual, since it is the Easter holiday, and many stores were closed. We pulled up to the Hostal Maria Yoban, and were delighted to see the hotel staff and several of our local friends welcoming us with a huge Dominican Republic flag. We checked into our rooms, refreshed ourselves a bit, and enjoyed a late buffet lunch of beans, rice, various meats and fruit tarts for dessert, washed down with fresh tamarind juice. It's delicious, and very good for you!
After lunch, we re-boarded the bus and headed out into the hills and the village of Hernando Alonso, which is where we will be working for the next week. Our friends had arranged an exhibition game played by the local youth baseball team, Jugo Papi Fernandez. The boys ranged in age from 8-16, and they are very, very good. We saw booming base hits, slick fielding, daring base running, high-velocity pitching, and smiles all of the time, as the boys showed us the way they honor the game they truly love. There were also roosters crowing from the home next door, chickens roaming foul territory. A goat grazing 10 meters from first base, and two horses in deep right field. We watched nearly 90 minutes, and were particularly excited to see several boys known to those of us who had come last year. We presented the coach with four new baseballs and a donated batting helmet from a CCDC family, congratulated the boys, and headed back to the hotel for supper.
We'll crash pretty early tonight, hoping the Easter Bunny finds us. Either way, we'll be up for breakfast and a walk to the cathedral in downtown Cotui for Easter Mass at 8:00. The rest of the day will be somewhat relaxed before we start our week's work in earnest. We are grateful to be here, grateful for your good wishes and prayers, and enjoying each others' company. Goodnight!
Three hours later we were gazing our our windows at the lush green hills of the DR, framed by puff white clouds. We landed to tumultuous applause from throughout the cabin, and easily made it through customs with our carefully-packed luggage, full of items which we will be donating and using in the health clinics this week.
We transferred our bags to a cargo van which went straight to the hotel, and then boarded our bus with Glen, our Driver. Soon, we were on our way north, although our progress was halted just outside the airport to allow a herd of cattle cross the largest highway in Santiago. An hour later, we stopped on the outskirts of Piedra Blanca to visit the local craftspeople, who had set up colorful displays of handmade rugs on the side of the highway, purchasing several. (Don't anyone tell the folks at KUA about the orange and black one that Erin Gregory-Davis is bringing back to Meriden!).
Another half hour, and we pulled into Cotui, wending through streets crowded with the ubiquitous motorbikes. There were nevertheless fewer than usual, since it is the Easter holiday, and many stores were closed. We pulled up to the Hostal Maria Yoban, and were delighted to see the hotel staff and several of our local friends welcoming us with a huge Dominican Republic flag. We checked into our rooms, refreshed ourselves a bit, and enjoyed a late buffet lunch of beans, rice, various meats and fruit tarts for dessert, washed down with fresh tamarind juice. It's delicious, and very good for you!
After lunch, we re-boarded the bus and headed out into the hills and the village of Hernando Alonso, which is where we will be working for the next week. Our friends had arranged an exhibition game played by the local youth baseball team, Jugo Papi Fernandez. The boys ranged in age from 8-16, and they are very, very good. We saw booming base hits, slick fielding, daring base running, high-velocity pitching, and smiles all of the time, as the boys showed us the way they honor the game they truly love. There were also roosters crowing from the home next door, chickens roaming foul territory. A goat grazing 10 meters from first base, and two horses in deep right field. We watched nearly 90 minutes, and were particularly excited to see several boys known to those of us who had come last year. We presented the coach with four new baseballs and a donated batting helmet from a CCDC family, congratulated the boys, and headed back to the hotel for supper.
We'll crash pretty early tonight, hoping the Easter Bunny finds us. Either way, we'll be up for breakfast and a walk to the cathedral in downtown Cotui for Easter Mass at 8:00. The rest of the day will be somewhat relaxed before we start our week's work in earnest. We are grateful to be here, grateful for your good wishes and prayers, and enjoying each others' company. Goodnight!
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