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Peter has asked me to fill you in on what's been happening since our first half of the team got here. I'll try not to ramble, as a lot has happened in a short time.
We arrived in San Juan by 7:30 pm on August 4 after a very long day of travel. Our flights went well, as did the bus ride from Santo Domingo to San Juan de la Maguana. It was so interesting to watch out the window and see all of the different things. Some of the biggest differences that I noticed, besides the fact that everything is in Spanish and all of the people are Dominican, were the driving and buildings. The driving seems to be like a chaotic dance, that some how everyone makes it through. At many cross roads there are no stop lights, so the traffic going every which way just barrels through in all directions with horns blowing incessantly. The cars come so close to each other that I was sure someone would hit. At least 50% of the 'car' on the road are motor conchos, small motor bikes. People on them zip through the traffic everywhere. At one point, we passed a car that was completely flipped over. There were gawkers everywhere and a big traffic jam. The buildings are mostly made of cinder blocks painted bright colors. The doors and windows all have bars on them for safety. The bus ride was about 3 hours long and we were all glad when we got to the Solid Rock Missions guest house.
Last week there was another group from Ohio Northern University at the SRM guest house, so we couldn't stay the nights here. So after a delicious and much needed Dominican meal, we loaded our stuff into Joe's (the SRM guest house host) truck, and drove off. In the DR, there is no law against riding in the back of pick ups. So we piled in to the back and held on as we raced through the streets of San Juan. It is so much fun! We stayed at another guest house where a group from Adventures In Missions (AIM) is staying for a month. I think Peter explained a little bit about what they are doing here in his previous blog. It was so fun to fellowship with them and get to know them a little bit. I miss staying with them now that we are all moved into the SRM guest house.
The next day, August 5, we came back to the SRM guest house for breakfast. Then we started to unpack all of the suitcases full of supplies that we had brought down. The breakfast tables and benches were covered with everything from boys underwear to kids vitamins to water bottles stuffed with everything you could think of: granola bars, silverware, sharpies, toys, and underwear. In the afternoon we sorted and labeled pills for our out clinics in El Cercado.
That night we had a special treat. Cora and Tammy, our two group leaders, took Charlie, a prosthesis consultant from Roanoke, VA who was down here for two days to measure some patients, out to dinner at a local restaurant. The rest of us got to go along and experience a Dominican restaurant. It was very confusing trying to order from a menu that was completely in Spanish. But the food was delicious and the fellowship was wonderful. We got to walk back in the dark under a beautiful sky full of stars.
On Friday, August 6, we went to the market in the morning. Three of the people from the Ohio Northern group came with us. It was incredible to experience a little bit of what some Dominicans do for a living. You could find and buy almost anything at the market, from clothes and shoes, to spices and freshly cut meat. It was so fascinating. Afterward, we drove to the local hospital where we had a quick explanation of the medical system here and got to look inside a little bit at the front of the building and the waiting room. We also stopped at the local Catholic church, but it was locked, so we couldn't go in.
We arrived in San Juan by 7:30 pm on August 4 after a very long day of travel. Our flights went well, as did the bus ride from Santo Domingo to San Juan de la Maguana. It was so interesting to watch out the window and see all of the different things. Some of the biggest differences that I noticed, besides the fact that everything is in Spanish and all of the people are Dominican, were the driving and buildings. The driving seems to be like a chaotic dance, that some how everyone makes it through. At many cross roads there are no stop lights, so the traffic going every which way just barrels through in all directions with horns blowing incessantly. The cars come so close to each other that I was sure someone would hit. At least 50% of the 'car' on the road are motor conchos, small motor bikes. People on them zip through the traffic everywhere. At one point, we passed a car that was completely flipped over. There were gawkers everywhere and a big traffic jam. The buildings are mostly made of cinder blocks painted bright colors. The doors and windows all have bars on them for safety. The bus ride was about 3 hours long and we were all glad when we got to the Solid Rock Missions guest house.
Last week there was another group from Ohio Northern University at the SRM guest house, so we couldn't stay the nights here. So after a delicious and much needed Dominican meal, we loaded our stuff into Joe's (the SRM guest house host) truck, and drove off. In the DR, there is no law against riding in the back of pick ups. So we piled in to the back and held on as we raced through the streets of San Juan. It is so much fun! We stayed at another guest house where a group from Adventures In Missions (AIM) is staying for a month. I think Peter explained a little bit about what they are doing here in his previous blog. It was so fun to fellowship with them and get to know them a little bit. I miss staying with them now that we are all moved into the SRM guest house.
The next day, August 5, we came back to the SRM guest house for breakfast. Then we started to unpack all of the suitcases full of supplies that we had brought down. The breakfast tables and benches were covered with everything from boys underwear to kids vitamins to water bottles stuffed with everything you could think of: granola bars, silverware, sharpies, toys, and underwear. In the afternoon we sorted and labeled pills for our out clinics in El Cercado.
That night we had a special treat. Cora and Tammy, our two group leaders, took Charlie, a prosthesis consultant from Roanoke, VA who was down here for two days to measure some patients, out to dinner at a local restaurant. The rest of us got to go along and experience a Dominican restaurant. It was very confusing trying to order from a menu that was completely in Spanish. But the food was delicious and the fellowship was wonderful. We got to walk back in the dark under a beautiful sky full of stars.
On Friday, August 6, we went to the market in the morning. Three of the people from the Ohio Northern group came with us. It was incredible to experience a little bit of what some Dominicans do for a living. You could find and buy almost anything at the market, from clothes and shoes, to spices and freshly cut meat. It was so fascinating. Afterward, we drove to the local hospital where we had a quick explanation of the medical system here and got to look inside a little bit at the front of the building and the waiting room. We also stopped at the local Catholic church, but it was locked, so we couldn't go in.
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