On December 29th I flew out of NYC to return to the Dominican Republic for a couple weeks on a visit back with my best friend from my semester, Elizabeth.
We started out in the capital, Santo Domingo, where we somehow found each other in a strange airport in the middle of the night without cell phones. We thought it wouldn’t be too hard to find a lone gringa, but we really had no idea what we were walking into. The capital proved to be less than exciting and by 1:00 the following afternoon we were out of things to do. We passed some time with an English-speaking Dominican girl named Genesis who loaded us up with “natural” key chains, jewelry and hair accessories. And with the remaining time to spare we did as gringas do and saw “New Moon” after having a heart-to-heart in the middle of the food court. You’d be surprised how much you have to talk about with your best friend after 2.5 weeks apart!
The final “F-you” from 2009 came on the 31st and our journey back to Santiago to stay the night at our mission/school; ILAC. We were efficient and ecstatic to be back in Santiago, but as we turned the corner toward ILAC, shit hit the fan (as comunidad 7 would say.) One of the ILAC staff members ran up to our cab and informed us that ILAC was closed and everyone was on vacation for the next 6 days. Awesome. After a couple hours of breaking into ILAC, searching for the proper keys and settling into a rented casita out back, E and I departed for the grocery store to stalk up for our upcoming campo visit. We should have known that 2009 wasn’t done screwing us, because when we got back to the deserted ILAC we discovered that we had the wrong key and our casita would not open. This continued to be an issue for a few hours until another staff member left his New Years’ party to come break into our casita. The night, however, improved and I rang in the new year with E on the roof of the church. It turned out to be one of the coolest New Years I’ve had…
2009… brought me to the DR twice; buried me in a loving, understanding, supportive familia; gave me some new heroes, introduced me to a new best friend; taught me how to work my ass off; grew me up in my new apartment; brought a lot of tears, some death and too much cancer; took the Amanda-train on a trip; and leaves me inspired to keep changing for the better, push myself head-first toward the future, to grow up and to live everyday.
Our “Welcome to the Beach House” was almost everything we had hoped for. Getting to our cheap, rented beach house was slick and we had no problem finding delicious Dominican food on the beach. We celebrated E’s 21st birthday with filling meals, flowing drinks, and hours of much-needed conversation on the beach. Not to mention the lights went out and we were “forced” to continue on in our plastic chairs by candle light. What a shame. We had a little run in with a monster spider and some blood, making the night one to remember. However, the theme song for this portion of the trip turned into “Monsoons” by Jack Johnson, for all it did was rain, rain and rain some more. We didn’t get to lounge around, tanning and reading like we had hoped. Instead we spent our few days touring around the surrounding towns, taking pictures, playing cards, and (of course) talking. So it wasn’t exactly what we had hoped for, but… it is what is and we made the best of it!
Going back to visit the campos was something we had both been waiting for since we left last time. The journeys there were priceless and so exciting and full of anticipation. We were greeted by hugs, screams, tears and joy. There were feelings of instant acceptance and a sincere “welcome home.” It was great to get caught up on the latest gossip, see old friends and to just be with our families. I played a bunch of casino and dominó, did a lot of mountain walking and took a ton of pictures and video for the comunidad. A couple highlights include cooking in both campos, dancing in Hato Viejo, making s’mores in San Isidro, heated debates with the gentlemen of San Isidro and my new niece (Scarlet) in San Isidro.
Leaving San Isidro this time was very different for me. I was not crying. I was smiling so big, that it hurt. We wound up taking a moto for 1.5 hours, down the mountain and into the nearest town to catch a gua-gua back home. It was the 1st day that the sun had really shone and everything was beautiful. The only word I could think of was; “love.” It was me loving the country and the country loving me back. The sights were stunning. The sounds, the smells, the heat… everything was perfect. There’s something about being on the back of a moto in a jungle on a mountain... Love it.
For the last few days in the country we passed time at ILAC with Kyle, Anna Buddinger, Cameron Hinkson (previous Encuentro students) and Mike Rios (a friend.) This was more perfect than we thought it could be, we had so much fun! We redecorated Kyle’s office, had some great conversations, laughed until we cried, and just enjoyed each others’ company. It was here that I realized something. Encuentro Dominicano for me was an amazing experience. But I think the piece that I carry closest to my heart is my comunidad, my familia. I am so lucky to have found them and have secured myself in this indescribable bond with such inspiring, loving people. I am also very fortunate that this part of the DR is transportable and only 7 min away as opposed to 14 hours. Being around them (Kyle and Nick included) makes me feel safe in the right way. Safe to dream and imagine my life however I want it to be. I feel a constant, supportive shove down the path that I know I need to be moving down.
Going back for 2 weeks was the perfect amount of time for a little bit of closure on a place that I love so dearly. I was able to do everything I needed to do without feeling rushed or stressed. The trip came at a perfect time in my life and reminded me how to find my inner peace and live calmly, like a “tranquila” Dominican. I was reminded of the girl with the burning passion for life in May, and set back on the right track. I am so thankful for both experiences I have been fortunate enough to have in the DR. I am peacefully content with putting the DR-book up on the shelf, ready for re-opening whenever I need, but politely out of the way of future books. I am ready for the next step, the next adventure, the next country. I carry the DR in my heart, for it showed me that I can do anything. And I will, so watch out!
"The search ends here, and the night is finally clear, and your heart is fierce. So now you finally know that you control where you go; you can steer."
