DominicanRepublic

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DominicanRepublic (4-(1-3)-05)

"The Campo Weekend..."

And so finally I am able to find the time to post our first weekend in the Dominican Republic. After our first week of experiencing the Dominican Republic...specifically Santiago, we take a weekend service trip up to the hills and mountains of the DR to a Campo. A campo is basically poorer village in the rural Dominican Republic. Our main service project over the weekend was to paint and help renovate a school for the children of this particular campo. We left Santiago ~2:00pm on friday (Dominican time)...which means it was probably closer to 3:00pm. We then proceeded to sit in the hot bus for just about two hours where then we were dropped off at the school we were going to be painting.

Here is a photo from behind the school...

This is the green colored school...faded and looking in need of some help...other members of the community had already begun to take chairs and desks out of the school...and had just put in new windows that were not previously there.

Here is the inside of the school...it was divided into two with this center wall.

On the far back wall there was an infestation of some form of ant...they made these nice long tracks.

Here are the banos, otherwise known in english as bathrooms for the school...

These are the toilets inside the bathrooms...some had the fun opportunity to experience the sensation of sitting on these open metal and concrete cylinders...(not me though)

Here is the group...without our bus...

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I don't know what I am laughing at but it is sooooo funny!

Then kids from the school began showing up...and so we began to play with them...London Bridges is always fun...

Part of the barbed wire comprising just about all the fencing in the community...including the school...

I just had to add this photo of this girl...I don't know where she learned to dance...but she could put all of us to shame...

Beth and Jes...doing the "Chicken Dance."

Head, shoulders, knees, and toes, knees, toes...

How looooow can you go Renae?

This is Jonathon...one of the professional's sons who came down for the week to experience the Dominican Republic with us...

Lower....

Lower...

Joe...again...need I say more...

The two nights that we were at the Campo...we stayed with host families...no english...ack!

This is the daughter of one of my host families...her name is Eva and she is 17...

Jonathon and I ended (luckily) getting paired up with the same host family...(a little less nerve racking)...so here they are...but I can only remember Eva's name...

And me with our host family...Each person was assigned a family...

The typical facilities at homes we stayed at usually consisted of an outdoor latrine, similar to the one pictured at the school...or if you were lucky you were given a bowl bedside that you were supposed to use to dispose of both your urine and feces.

I know the middle guy's name is Pepe...basically we tried to communicate all night...feeling extremely stupid...then we watched the news about El Papa (the Pope) on a very small black and white tv.

The family set aside an entire room for Jonathon and I with two separate beds...which were actually more comfortable than the ones we used at the ILAC center...both days, while we were gone, they took it upon themselves to clean and make the beds, put up and take down the mosquito nets over our beds, and fold our clothes that we had left out.

The next morning we set up a clinic while half of us performed consults and treated patients and the other half went and got started on cleaning and painting the school...

(Jason with a patient)

Jason with another patient...

Beth.

Then right before lunch we were able to go and watch a biesball (baseball) practice down the street...the team was preparing for a league tournament the next day...

Batter-Up

The field...

After lunch...we all went back to the school...and finished painting...

Caroline painting the tin ceiling white. The teacher wanted it painted white to help keep things a little cooler...but the paint wouldn't stick very well because the metal was so hot.

Directing...

Jess diligently painting.

Sleepy time...

ZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz....

Awwwww...so tired....

Then we all went to Mass...this church was painted by last years group...still looking good...nice job.

Smile for the camera.

Just a pig.

On the way back...

Caught with my pants down at dinner...

Christen looking coy writing in her journal later after dinner.

Beth...again ;)

We were then invited to a little fiesta...where most of us danced...

Now...this is the next morning down by the river...this women has gutted the entrails of a pig to make a particular dish...(I do not remember what it is called at the moment...)..BE AWARE...graphic images to follow.