“I just want to taste everything!” This was one of the first things Jesus said
to me during our trip to Miami. I had
this same feeling for weeks leading up to our Christmas vacation. The both of us wanted to buy and taste
everything so we really had to pace ourselves and our wallets. We had so so much fun this trip! We stayed with Jesus’ aunt and uncle just
outside of Fort Lauderdale along with his cousin Eli and his kids and his
cousin Uki and his girffriend Karen. The
two bedroom house was packed! We did so
many cool things together! It feels
like too much to list but to name a few, we rode an airboat in the evergaldes,
walked on South Beach, shopped at the malls and Best Buy and then Best Buy
again, ate sushi and then ate sushi again, ate thai food, seafood and fancy cheese, walked on the pier/boardwalk,
visited several beaches, went to the Seminole Hard Rock and even made a day
trip to Orlando!
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| Miami Beach |
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| Florida gator |
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| Ready to ride the airboat |
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| One of many sushi experiences |
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| Cute! |
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| Trending at South Beach |
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| Joaquin wasn't scared of anyone in costume! |
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| In front of the Dominican display at a Christmas program |
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| Outside of historic landmark Viscaya |
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| Rare to see my serious husband being silly in public! |
Orlando was very special because we met up with Martin and
Katy, some of our best Minnesota friends! We got to spend time with their sweet
little twins who are 9 months now. We
walked around downtown Disney and had Italian food together for dinner. The day went by much too quickly because so
much of it was spent stuck in Orlando Christmas tourist traffic. I learned my lesson to not go to Orlando at
Christmas again…but still every minute of it was worth it to see our best
friends! We just love them so much and
were so happy they were visting Florida the same week as us!
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| Spencer, Madi and Joaquin! |
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| Spencer and Joaquin at the splash pad |
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| My favorite! |
I find that living in the Dominican Republic and the US are
like night and day and it’s true that you don’t know what you got ‘til it’s
gone. I almost forgot how different
things were until I left and came back.
There is so much in the United States I took for granted! The first thing I noticed once back in the US
was the level of cleanliness and maintenance of yards, streets, etc. I remembered what it was like to be in a car
driving around as a family with our baby safely buckled in his carseat. In the DR we have to taxi or walk and drag
the carseat everywhere. Since he is now in the convertible carseat that no
longer fits in strollers, it’s quite the task to bring him out. However I do walk a lot there and while it’s
scorching hot even in the winter, I’ve become accustomed to putting my
groceries or whatever I need in the
bottom of Joaquin’s stroller and trekking along. Other things taken for granted in the US are
road safety and the obedience of laws.
Do you know in the Dominican Republic you do not have to turn in the turn
lane? You can cut the whole turn lane
off and just turn from any point in the road.
It’s normal and is not enforced as being illegal. That’s just one example of how difficult
driving is there. While we were stuck in
back to back traffic in Orlando, that didn’t compare to the amount of
crowdedness and traffic in the DR. I’ve
even taken for granted the ability to pull over during a road trip to buy water
for the baby or to go pee. When
traveling on the “highway” in the DR, you can’t just pull over. Gas stations are few and far between so pee
before you leave and you better have everything you need prepared. Not that road trips in the DR aren’t their own
experience with the fruit stands, people selling candies on the side of the
road and the restaurants to stop at with fresh food cooked right out of
people’s homes.
Many people that we’ve visited here have commented on how
brave I am for making this decision to live in the Dominican Republic with my
family. These particular people happen
to be Dominican but have have become Americanized and recognize with me that it
really is night and day. I love the
people, the rain and a lot of things in the Dominican Republic but let’s be
honest, I like convenience in America and I never had dreams of living internationally. If I was single or studying abroad things
might be different, but it isn’t the easiest of places to raise a baby and have
no car. However it’s an experience we
will never forget and are counting our blessings. While a large part of me would like to just
stay here in Florida, another part of me is ready to return home to a routine
and structure in my life. I have English
classes to teach, a church calling to fulfill, my little puppy and I want to
see my friends! It’s good that I
recognize that I live there and being here in the US is now vacation.
Oh I can’t forget to note about Christmas! Jesus’ aunt cooks the best Dominica food,
actually she can cook everything. We had
some traditional Dominican items and a ham for me just like my mom makes with
pineapple on top. After dinner we danced
the night away starting with Merengue and bachata but finishing with American
hip hop. And the best was Joaquin
opening presents! When we clapped, he
clapped too with the biggest smile! And
who doesn’t love a baby rnuning around in new pajamas each night?! We are flying home on New Years Eve during
midnight and celebrating New Years on the plane. Domincans always clap when the plane lands so
we are pretty sure they’ll have fun ringing in the new year on board as well!
