Our Longest Day Has Many Happy Endings

 Our first day in the Dominican Republic was an eventful one, as was the process of getting here.  I wrote a cheerful little post about being all checked I and on time at Logan Airport, and happily hit “send”.  Little did I know that our flight, scheduled to depart at 10:30 p.m. Friday, would not take off until 8:00 a.m. Saturday, after a largely sleepless night in the terminal.  Our boarding kept getting delayed because we needed to wait for the pilot to arrive from another flight.  Then he wasn’t eligible to fly us because he had logged too many hours. Then they found another pilot, and boarded us.  And there we sat for another hour before we were told that there was another crew snafu, and we would need to deplane and wait until morning. So from midnight on, we hung out at Gate 9 in Terminal C.  Some tried to sleep.  Others were unable to sleep owing to the ambient noise of shrieking children playing tag with no adult supervision. And there were rumbling maintenance vehicles going back and forth in the terminal.  Finally at 5:30 we boarded, and pushed back from the gate.  And waited.  There was a software issue with a navigational computer.  I’m all for good navigation, but please.  Finally, mercifully, we took off at 8:00 and had a smooth flight if you don’t count the brief stomach-churning bout of turbulence that filled the cabin with screams.

 From the minute we touched down it was smooth sailing.  We zipped through customs, were met by Rita, Lewis and our wonderful driver Glen, and soon the bus was loaded with 24 suitcases and 16 happy DR Projects travelers.  Our plan called for a stay at the Sana Secret Garden hostel, and we were able to adapt the schedule to make that happen.  We pulled in \to the lovely, flower-filled hacienda and had a refreshing breakfast of tamarind juice, papaya and pineapple, hot chocolate and toasted bread. We then had two hours to unwind, rest, relax and chill.  Several used the small swimming pool. Several watched Lewis, Glen and Rob play several rounds of dominoes, the national game of the DR. Then Olivia, Chloe and Nora jumped right in and played several games, picking up the game very quickly.  By 3:00 we were refreshed and ready for the next leg of the journey, a 90-minute bus ride to Cotui, where we will remain until the very end of the trip. It was so nice to see the beautiful countryside through the eyes of those in the group seeing it for the first time.  It. Is. So. Beautiful.  The sun-splashed mountains surrounding us, the flowering plants everywhere, and the deep, deep green. We drove through several smaller towns, weaving in and out of local traffic that can be called chaotic at best.  The last 30 minutes of the trip took us through vast fields of rice at the height of harvest time.  The green and gold of the ripe plants, and the vivid emerald of the new growth from the next crop were just stunning.  We passed many huge tractor-trailer trucks piled high with bulging 200 pound bags of rice.  As if that wasn’t enough, the bright sun shining on distant piling nimbus clouds provided us with a huge, visid rainbow that lasted and lasted.  What a great omen. We’ll see more great sights  tomorrow, including the horseback rice harvesting that’s part of the process in the marshy paddies.

 

The rest of the afternoon and evening were anticlimactic, and we followed a familiar routine of checking in, sorting the suitcases (we start distributing donated material tomorrow!) and finally dining.  Tired as we were, there was still time for a team meeting, and some good reflection before we covered the logistics of a busy.  We have a few great surprises in store.

 

I going to close by sharing a paragraph contributed by one of our guest writers.  I asked everyone to send me a brief reflection on the day.  They were wonderful, and several were moving, including this one from Nora:

 

“Arriving in the Dominican Republic has felt deeply grounding, the kindness feels effortless and time stretches long. I overheard Lewis and Rita talking about this as well, mentioning and laughing about how 30 minutes here is really however long you want it to be. In contrast to the constant motion of the US, life here invites you to slow down. I am excited looking ahead; going to church tomorrow, meeting Ana María tomorrow, spending the week with the kids and the group. The rainbow that greeted us felt like a colorful welcome that will hopefully set the tone for the week. There is a clear sense of grace here that is powered by the shared love of God.”

 

-Rob (and friends)
















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