March 21, 2010: DAY ONE
We made it! Almost fifteen hours of traveling later, the group has made it to Hotel Luxor in La Romana safely and without any major incidents! We are so thrilled to finally be here- within a half hour of arriving at our cozy hotel, students were swimming in the pool, playing cards together, or even just lounging on the comfy lounge chairs in the sun. To start at the beginning: we all made it to the airport and past security with just enough time to grab a quick bagel and coffee before boarding our first flight. The flight landed on time in Miami, and we disembarked to relax in the gate area for about half an hour before boarding the second leg of our flight, to Santo Domingo. Our second flight landed about 30 minutes late, but when the plane burst into applause upon landing on DR soil, we knew we were in for a good trip! The airport scene was pretty hectic, with some students guarding our carry-ons while others retrieved checked luggage from the conveyor belt. But, 30 minutes or so later, we had all 28 pieces of luggage loaded onto metal carts and were ready to head outside! Using the partner system (six sets of partners- Ali is mine!), with one partner carrying the carry-on luggage and one pushing the (incredibly inoperable) metal carts, we walked outside to meet our bus waiting in the parking lot. Zoe and Shyloe introduced us to Luis, our very nice driver who was apparently a big hit last year. He drove us safely through the wild streets of the DR (a lot of mopeds, a lot of wandering pedestrians, and a LOT of fast drivers- I closed my eyes a lot!) and got us to our hotel, Hotel Luxor. The hotel is so cute and welcoming, the staff have been so nice to us and our rooms are comfortable. The group was SO happy to finally reach our home for the week. We unloaded 28 50lb bags and brought them into the hotel and dumped them in Jen and Amy's room. Then, after a quick check-in, we were free to enjoy 90 minutes of relaxation until we ate dinner. This, for me, was the best part of the day. Dominique and I went swimming in the cool blue pool (enjoyed the 85 degree weather!!), while most of the group played card games on the deck bordering the pool. A few others lounged on chairs and read or talked. Some of us took showers, to clean off after a long day of lugging VERY heavy bags around (and around and around and around!). Around 7, we ate a delicious dinner prepared for us, including a cake to celebrate Dominique's birthday!! (We all sang, too!) At Rebecca's suggestion, we went around the dinner circle and said our Roses, Thorns, and Buds- the best thing and worst thing that happened in our day, and one thing (a bud) that we are looking forward to tomorrow. Hearing the Roses was so fun, everyone had a different take on the day. A few people listed emerging from the Santo Domingo airport into the bright sun and blue sky as a great moment, while others had the most fun during the down time in the evening. The big group games of Catchphrase that we played, first while waiting at the DR airport and then later before dinner were listed as high points. Almost everyone listed the early morning as their thorn. And, in general, the group is so excited to start working tomorrow morning at the hospital (a Bud). Now the group is split up- some helping Jen and Amy sort through medications to bring tomorrow morning, some working on the blog, others just showering and relaxing and maybe writing in journals. It's been a long day, but a good one. We accomplished everything we needed to and are well set to begin our work tomorrow morning. Hi to my parents, and I hope you remembered to fed little Ted this morning! We'll stay in touch, posting as often as we can get internet access. I hope everything's well in New England.
Love,
Hope
Hi everybody, it's Rebecca. This is going to be quick (unlike Hope's post). Today we shared our bus with a group of people heading to Haiti. As one of the women left she turned back and said, “You will really never be the same after this.” I hope this is true. We have so much to learn and see in the DR. Today was a long day and I know we are all eager to begin our trip tomorrow morning.
Rebecca
Ann Rheault Thanks so much for keeping us updated on how things are going. We appreciate your blogging efforts and understand how hard it is to maintain communications when you're so tired from traveling and immersed in your very different reality. Best of luck in the coming days. I'm sure I speak for all of us parents when I say we are so proud of you all, and our thoughts and prayers are with you always. Keep those posts a-comin!