What a week....part1

Woke up at 2:30 am after having 3 hours of sleep. I was packed and ready to start my journey towards the Dominican Republic. Several of us boarded the bus and headed to the Portland Airport. We went on Delta 207 flight to JFK in NYC. We had no delays or issues while getting through customs. We (Grant, Jim, Reggie, Leah, Jeff, Billy, Breck and myself) located Pastor Jose Lopez and loaded up the luggage and got on the bus and headed to the Barrio of Hainamosa. We all unloaded our stuff and set up our beds and changed into some cooler clothes since it was 90 degrees or close to it. We met Clive who was from Ontario, Canada, who was there before us and was helping deliver stuff to the flooded areas. Sunday we all went to church and hugged and greeted all the kids and adults who we see each year. Later that afternoon we all went to visit the Columbus Monument in Santo Domingo. I was there 5 years prior and this time I was able to walk around and take photos. I was able to take the photo which is posted - A dark storm was coming in and clouds black with heavy rain. All of a sudden a beam of sunlight bursts through the sky...all of us in total awe. Later, we headed over the La Sirena to pick up some last minute items (shaving cream, bathing suit, water).

Work Day 1 - beautiful weather...cooler than previous years, more clouds in the sky which held off the heat. We all grabbed several shovels, pickaxe's and wheel barrels to start moving the main level of the playground. Our main objective was to level off and flatten the playground. The main problem was that there was several inches of cement already there to remove. This hard and heavy task lasted for a few days and we all rotated through different jobs in order avoid using the same muscles. What a work out!

Work Day 2 - What a strange day. I noticed while working that several 9th grade girls looking and staring at Billy who is 16 years old. I eventually made my way over to the girls and told them Billy was single, which started a near riot. Later, a teacher approached me and wanted to know if I was available....I told her I was happily married and have 2 kids. She didn't seem to care, I made sure I limited my affection towards her for the rest of the week in order to prevent any hard feelings. Billy on the other hand was swarmed by a large group of girls for the rest of the week. Billy is shy and didn't know how to deal with language barrier and all the attention. It was so funny and innocent at the same time.

I will add more to this soon. More funny stuff to add!