The ocean

A couple shots from Kristins class. We had the oppertunity to go to the aquarium this past week for Kristins lessons on the ocean.

Kristin's class at the aquarium her brother and father were also down visiting so they were able to come with us. It went pretty good I was there helping out I was in charge of two kids. I lost track of the blind kid who we later found hanging out with another school group. He had no idea, he was chatting away with the other kids and the teacher it was so funny.

One of Kristin's lessons they used my snorkel gear to look under a sheet that was pretend water to count sea life. My wife is so creative.

Art project the kids did

Took one for the team

So I wanted to come up with a great story how I got mugged, or Kristin beat me up, but the word got around too fast. I was playing basketball and was running full sprint after the guy with the ball and ran head on into a player on my own team who came out of no where. All said and done, 5 stiches obove my eye and a nasty bruise, and a broken blood vessel in my eye. When I went in to get stiches they shot me with an anthestic and as soon as she put the needle in an inch above my eyes what happens? The lights go out, so I layed there still as can be with a needle above my eye until the electric came on the nurse has probably had to do this a couple times because she didnt even flinch

Ameba

So its oficial I have amebas what a horrible thing to get down here. It is the worst pain I have ever felt. I feel like my stomach is going to explode or I ate a bunch of nails and there are tearing up my stomach. I couldnt sleep Thursday night from the pain. So first thing Friday morning we went to the clinic at 6:30 am we got there waited a while int the waiting room where the lady next to us said they wouldnt open until 9:30 and we were #94 she told us to go directly to emergency. One of the craziest emergency rooms ever. The ladies at this desk were arguing about somthing totally ignoring me, I'd hate having to go there when a gun shot or somthing I feel like you'd die before they finished their conversation. They proceeded to sitting me down in a chair the tried to stick a needle in my hand that didnt work, they tried the other hand, that didnt work, they laters stuck it in by my elbow. They asked if I had breakfast and how I was feeling "sick I said" They asked I felt anything yet " no" do you have a plastic bag? " No, why?" because you are going to start throwing up. Which I started to do 5 seconds later. I puked up just water I was in the batheroom all day the day before so my system was pretty empty. The put me in a room and tried to stick an IV in my hand didnt work tried the other vein in my hand, didnt work tried the other hand didnt work all these viens were already tried the first injection I got so they proceed to my arm again. It worked there was already a hole there from the first one so it probably made it a little easier. The let me hang out for a bit then said I need to give a blood test and a stool sample. They gave me a wheelchair because at this point I was too weak to walk anywhere. Stuck a neadle in my upper arm without even telling me what it was some injection sent me on my way. Luckly I brought my own jar for the stool sample because what they gave you was a baby food jar which was much smaller. Try having diareha in a baby food jar with a IV stuck in your arm and nothing to hang the IV bag on.... not easy. Took care of that proceeded to the blood room where there are two ladies sitting there with a bunch of blood viles in front of them and little scrap paper wrapped around. The tried every vien in both hands once more and then one more time in my hand a second time, got me a new neadle and then stuck it back in my arm where I have already had poked 2-3 times each I was almost passed out when I got done. I had to sit there for another 3 hours before I could leave. I dont mean to complain but this had to be the worst day of my life. And to think I was born in a hospital here in the DR I don't want to know what my mom had to go through props to her. Right now Krisin's dad is here and we came to see him I have been in my room all day resting. Hope this post finds you guys in better spirits.

Water day

Today was agua purificadora day which consists of me bumpin some tunes on my ipod and filling water bottles. Its one of my favorite things to do because its pretty chill and the water only pumps so fast so you can't work too fast it's kind of relaxing.

sun-N-moon

Carlosito

So this dude lives in the house I eat lunch with. He is one of my favorite kids to hang with. I eat with 12-15 year old kids. This is Carlosito after a halloween party I helped Kristin with for halloween he's not in her class but saw my costume and wanted a picture in it so I lent him my glasses and hard hat. Kristin's halloween part went great however I think there were alot of confused Dominicans around because I dont think they haver really heard of Halloween here. It was alot of fun. Kritin made pumkin juice (Orange Tang) and we went tricker treating to the office where the kids didnt really get a whole lot of candy, but it was fun dressing up.

Ant's view

Sorry about all these beach shots, but I dont get to use the camera much Kristin usually has it taking pictures of her kids and school and so on which is cool and all but that leaves me with little from the orphanage to take pictures of. All that said I dont know if you'd like to see pictures of me spending all day trying to take a stripped screw out of a shower handle, but if you'd like to see these types of things let me know and I will try to make it happen.

Today I spent about 3 hours tearing out a tile in one of the houses because it wasn't level with the rest of the tiles under the front door so the door wouldnt open and shut, not really sure how long it was like this but I'm guessing it was a while. Everything here takes 3-4X's longer than what you'd think it'd take. I want to start counting my steps because I am sure I walk at leats 5-7 miles a day back and forth to our tool shed here just trying to find the right tools and parts I will need to finish any job. I will try to get a picture of the drain tube we tore out today for you you'd never think you could put some much crap in a 3 inch drain tube!

I've been drinking alot of COKE

Okay so one of the main industries here is sugarcane, and there is two things they know how to do right here in the Dominican Republic, make coke with real suger, and rum. Coke cost about 15 pesos. You return the bottle and you get 5 peso's back so its about 40cents or so a bottle word..........................................

Beachhh

Its been a little bit since I've added anything on my blog, and I appologize. This is a pic at the beach we were at this weekend, same place we usually go, however we found a new place to chill.... a much more low key spot. It's within walking distance of the place we usually go but we decided to check out the other direction and we stumbled about this place. Did I mention how chill this place is, a couple kids renting out chairs for the day in an old abandoned resort that got shut down from the huricane a couple years back I guess. Squatting rights or somthing you'd be suprised at how many resorts around that have been shut down and never re-opened which is all the better for people like us I guess.

Worms

So I got worms, well at least I think so I had to send in a stool sample so I really wanted to take a picture of that for you guys but I thought I would post some more pleasant photos instead

Kristin did a project on the five senses

Cathedral Downtown

Oh how I wish I had our sailbaot!

Like grandma always said there is always a silver lining, after cleaning sink drains you can almost always go out and enjoy the sunset. A shot of our water tower from afar at a spiders eye view.

mmmmm.......lunch time....

So I hope you don't scope this during your lunch break because you might not want to eat. There's nothing like doing a drain check before lunch, the Tia's complain that their drains don't drain water and you wander why? Just imagine the smell of diarrhea in a toilet for like a week top it off with the smell of some throw up and yeah.......

Clouds

I remember as a kid looking at the clouds and imagining, and seeing other objects/characters and so on. Right before I left Michigan I remember driving home from Grand Rapids and thinking we must of been very creative as kids to be able to see objects and imagining them being dogs, or cats, or cartoons, but now that I have been down here the clouds are so different then what they are in Michigan. Looking at them now here I let the creative juices flow and try to see other objects. The clouds here are amazing and I think I could spend an entire day watching them roll in.

Our Little Owl Friend

So this guy comes and sits at on this post in front of out house almost every night not sure what he does but he swoops down and eats somthing on the grass not sure if they are frogs or worms or what but its pretty neat none the less

My little friend

This is in a 1 gallon paint can, and the coin is a little larger than a quarte
I caught my first tarantula! I guess this is considered a little guy around here

Finally a day at the beach

After spending a week at the orphanage it was time for a break. We ended up catching a ride into the capital with the director of the orphanage where Kristin was able to make it to the teacher store and drool over everything she wished she had in her classroom here. I went to the tile store to look for new tiles for the new volunteer house and got some prices. After that we had the opportunity to check out Price Smart and buy some peanut butter and jelly, and some corn flakes since we get free bread and milk at the orphanage along with lunch and dinner if we want but its usually just Yuka, or rice and milk and sugar. So we thought we would get some necessities. Then the directors dropped us off in Juan Dollio a small beach town about 12 km from our orphanage which is a great place to hang and spend some time away. We found a cheap hotel that gives us a special discounted rate $12/night which is pretty good, and is about 1/2 mile from the beach.