Arrival in Santo Domingo

Stepping off the plane in Santo Domingo, we were greeted by the most wonderful surprise. There, standing at the gate, waving fervently and beaming from ear to ear was sister Mary Alice! Her warm smile, generous hugs, and endless words of thanks were momentarily enough to distract us from our trepidations, and ALMOST enough to distract us from the heat! Marriem Webster must come up with a new word, because stifling does not even come close to sufficiently describing it. The temperature in the Batey will be in excess of 100 degrees Fahrenheit for the duration of our stay, and the humidity is so staggering that one can actually taste the water in the air with every breath.

Chulo and Dante, the drivers who will be our ground transportation for the week, loaded our bags into their van and we were off on our journey. Our first stop was to drop our bags, freshen up and head to Ms Alejo’s family home here in Santo Domingo, where we had been graciously welcomed for "almuezo" (lunch).

We were treated to an enchanting afternoon of being completely spoiled with traditional Dominican fare, endless laughter, and the comforting warmth of family.

We even got the chance to pick and eat mangoes fresh from the Alejo's tree in their back yard!

Exhausted from our travels, and completely stuffed from our amazing meal, we have headed off for an early night's sleep. Tomorrow morning we take the hour-long bus ride into the Batey, where we will finally meet the children and teachers of SHCJ.