Andy and Kerri Visit

Whew, it's been a while! A whirlwind final few months in the DR, a wedding, and now back to school. More on that later - let's start where we left off two months ago...

We were so happy to have Andy and Kerri visit us in the DR. They got a good taste of the country during their vacation. First, we showed them what we'd been up to (i.e. we had to work, and we drug them with us!). They spent much of this time at Rebekah's school.

Cute kids!

Yes, Andy, you're cute too...

After spending a few days in Santiago, we began to venture out. We hiked along some rural roads in Jarabacoa.

And ended up at a beautiful waterfall!

A bit of frisbee after a long day of hiking.

We continued on to the Samaná peninsula, and Andy and Kerri's vacation had truly begun!

At waterfall number two, we were greeted with a great swimming pool. Chilly water on a cool day, but we still couldn't resist.

This next picture has a story behind it. Notice the guy trying to sell me jewelry. Now notice his shorts. Look familiar? A month earlier, we had come to this same waterfall with Anna, and I had mistakenly left my swim trunks behind. Well, at least they were being put to good use!

Back in Santiago, Andy and Kerri had a visit to the local market and got some great shots.

We were so grateful to be able to spend some great time hanging out and catching up with our good friends.

Thanks Andy and Kerri!

Anna Comes to Visit

Anna came to visit during her spring break, too! She and Nathan overlapped in their visit by a few days, and we all had a jolly good time. Of course, she put her time in at the preschool...here she plays with Yorki in the Block Room.

We found a few new students for the school, including the cutie on the left, Crislobi. She's quite awesome...

After a few days in the mountains, we went to the beach--this time to Las Terrenas, on the northern side of the Pennisula Samaná. It's a fun place to visit, because of the French pasty shops, the gorgeous, near-empty beaches, and Salto de Limon, a huge, amazing waterfall.

We rode horses to get to the waterfall.

All of our horses were pretty great. Especially Micah's horse, White Lightening, who was a real treasure. He liked to stop at all possible opportunities to munch on the foliage.

But that allowed us to scout local produce...can you find the pineapples growing in the picture above? We were pretty excited to make it to the top of the waterfall...

As were our local guides...

The evening light on the beach was gorgeous, and we feasted on fresh fish and strolled along...

We had a blast, Anna! Thanks for coming!

Nathan's Visit

We were delighted to host Micah's older brother, Nathan, for a spell in March. He's got a brand new baby girl at home, so we felt really lucky that he was able to spend some of his spring break in the Caribbean. Micah & Nathan spent a weekend in the capital, buying street food and flying kites in the malecón (the avenue that runs along the end of the Caribbean Sea). They, along with our friends Ruthie & Abby, met me at the airport (I was in PA for the weekend) in funny costumes. We had a good laugh, and the Dominicans likely thought we'd lost our marbles.

Nathan brought a ton of supplies for both the preschool and the hospital/clinic, and we had great time looking through all the new treasures. A HUGE thank you to everyone who has donated items, money, and time in making the projects we've been involved with a success...the kids are really loving all the new goodies!

Nathan spent a few days in the mountains, and he was a very popular man in the preschool. He fixed bikes...

And prepared papers...

And supervised the water play...
And helped to keep these kiddos in line...

One afternoon we hiked to Gurabito, a small town with a path to the waterfall. Our local guide, Maximo, kept us entertained, and dry (we experienced a few small rain showers).We didn't quite make it to the top of the waterfall, but enjoyed the exercise and scenery nonetheless.
Thanks for coming to visit, Nathan! We loved having you here!

Jarabacoa

During the beginning of March, we went on a weekend getaway to a local mountain town, Jarabacoa. The town is only about two hours away from Santiago, and is known for it's cool climate, agriculture, hiking, and beautiful waterfalls. It promised to be a reprieve from the hot spell we were having, and also a place where we could finally use our hiking boots!

The first day and a half, it rained, but when the sky opened up for a few hours, we took advantage of it. We hiked about 5 miles up a mountain road, and here was the view that we were rewarded with.

We were able to hike right down to the bottom of the waterfall. We were the only people around, as hiking in the drizzling rain apparently isn't popular here!

It was nice to be able to put on jackets and feel cool for a little while!

Back at the apartment, we got ready for another week by bottling the second five-gallon batch of homebrew. Mmmmm.

Brown Rotation

Whew, it's been awhile! With the Brown Internal Medicine rotation here in February followed by family visiting, we've got some catching up to do...

We had an amazing group of Brown medical students, residents, and faculty here during the month of February. It was great fun to have our apartment full of friends (especially when it came time to cook!). With experiences at the public hospital in Santiago, rural medicine in La Cumbre, and disaster relief on the border of Haiti, we kept ourselves quite busy.

The month began with a trip to 27 charcos. One of the most beautiful natural wonders found in the Dominican Republic, it is a series of waterfalls that tumble down the mountain into pools, or charcos, that are carved out of the surrounding limestone. Likewise, you are encouraged to tumble over the waterfalls into the inviting pools (with a helmet on, of course).

Jumping...

...sliding...

...and generally having a great time!

We spent plenty of time at the public hospital, Hospitál Cabral y Baez. Morning lectures, rounds, and afternoon discussions comprised most of the time there. We also spent time in the emergency room and the ICU. It was great to have so many people willing to teach as we talked through cases that one would rarely see in the United States. Here we are trying to make out the patient charts in the hospital.

At the rural clinic, Pequeños Pasitos, we checked up on patients from previous years. Many students had the opportunity to do home-stays with families in the community. It was nice to get to know a community and it's health needs. Here, using the largest "view-box" ever made.

We also made some time for fun. During one weekend, we took a bus to Cabarete and spent the day eating fish, lying on the sand, and surfing. Here, we hungrily wait for grilled mero, or red snapper.

Ahhhh....

We couldn't get enough of the beauty of the mountains. One day, after doing home visits at the mountain clinic, we hiked to the Mirabel Sisters Monument. The Mirabel Sisters were political dissidents during the era of Trujillo, a dictator. We hiked to the location where Trujillo's cronies stopped and killed the three sisters on their way back from visiting their husbands in jail. It was an incredibly moving experience, and a breathtaking view.

Their code-names were the mariposas, or butterlies.

We all had the honor to serve the people displaced by the earthquake in Haiti. It was so humbling to work with the people of Haiti. Most mornings, the people who could walk would gather in the middle of the camp and sing, pray, and talk together. They often told stories of how they survived the earthquake - often sad, but inspiring.

Most doctors that were helping in Jimani did not know any Kreyol (the language spoken in Haiti). Many uninjured volunteers acted as translators from Kreyol to Spanish. They worked thankless hours to help their brothers and sisters. Here, Francois and Michele.

We worked 12 hour shifts, and became great friends with many of the patients. She wants to be a "doctora," and continually called me "seniorita" (little girl).

All of the patients had broken bones, many had femur fractures. We spent our days preparing patients for surgery, giving antibiotics, and cleaning wounds.

Fanny pack.

And, yes, the family dinners.