The day has arrived...we're headed to Don Juan in the Dominican Republic for the Mission from the Heart trip, 2008. Pilgrims making the trip this year from Sacred Heart and Saint Ann are pictured above:
Back row, left to right:
Shawn Doyle, Dave Rescott, Frank DeOrio, Lynda DeOrio
Middle row, left to right: Pat Messina, Kathleen Doyle, Meghan Churney, Mary Doyle, Katie Collier, Dale Rescott
Front row, left to right: Penny Anderson, Pat Collier, Marissa Rescott and Charlie Greene.
Father Ron, Sister Veronica and Johanna from Mustad met us at the airport, along with Jamie Dunnick, our interpreter, and her friend Katie Esmark, who arrived earlier on a separate flight. Our suitcases went into a pickup, the tarp was put over it...and then we headed to Mustad for a tour...
Then to the village of Don Juan, our home for the next several days. Traffic through the city of Santo Domingo is crazy; drivers pay no attention to what we would consider "rules of the road," in and out of lanes, passing on left and right. People selling everything from windshield wipers to cell phone chargers, and they walk right up to the vehicle in the street. We saw many half finished buildings, and were told by Father Ron this is common. Power lines are a mess...
Here's some pics of the village...
We were all taken to our host families, and introduced. We are staying with Chica. Dinner was ready, which was chicken, plantains (which look like bananas, but taste and are treated like potatoes), and cane juice.
The house is a cement block home, with three bedrooms. There is a bathroom, but no running water. There is a sink in the bathroom, a toilet, and a shower stall. There is a huge rain barrel in the shower stall, along with a five gallon pail, which is filled with the rain water. The toilet is flushed by pouring water from the five gallon pail into the toilet; the paper goes into the wastebasket. This was explained to us by Jamie, who came into our home with us to introduce us to Chica and help us get the "lay of the land." Chica does not speak any English, and we speak only a few simple Spanish phrases. We have a double bed, and have to sleep with a mosquito net over us.
There was no power when we went to bed at 9:15. Just had an oil lamp in our room. We were using our portable fans all night, as it was so hot. Lots of music and talking outside. Dogs bark into the night; they sound very protective.
Back row, left to right:
Shawn Doyle, Dave Rescott, Frank DeOrio, Lynda DeOrio
Middle row, left to right: Pat Messina, Kathleen Doyle, Meghan Churney, Mary Doyle, Katie Collier, Dale Rescott
Front row, left to right: Penny Anderson, Pat Collier, Marissa Rescott and Charlie Greene.
| Our trip begins; we leave home at 4:00 AM, with Penny Anderson. Our Delta flight leaves Syracuse at 6:00 AM with a stop in JFK. We are delayed for an hour, and arrive in the Dominican at 2 pm. In the airport, we bought a $10 tourist card, with cash, went through customs and got our luggage. We were told to keep the luggage claim tag that the airline rep gave us in Syracuse, with the original boarding pass, to get out of the airport. |  |
Father Ron, Sister Veronica and Johanna from Mustad met us at the airport, along with Jamie Dunnick, our interpreter, and her friend Katie Esmark, who arrived earlier on a separate flight. Our suitcases went into a pickup, the tarp was put over it...and then we headed to Mustad for a tour...
Then to the village of Don Juan, our home for the next several days. Traffic through the city of Santo Domingo is crazy; drivers pay no attention to what we would consider "rules of the road," in and out of lanes, passing on left and right. People selling everything from windshield wipers to cell phone chargers, and they walk right up to the vehicle in the street. We saw many half finished buildings, and were told by Father Ron this is common. Power lines are a mess...
Here's some pics of the village...
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| We went on a tour of the convent in the village - this is the chapel in the convent... |  |
We were all taken to our host families, and introduced. We are staying with Chica. Dinner was ready, which was chicken, plantains (which look like bananas, but taste and are treated like potatoes), and cane juice.
The house is a cement block home, with three bedrooms. There is a bathroom, but no running water. There is a sink in the bathroom, a toilet, and a shower stall. There is a huge rain barrel in the shower stall, along with a five gallon pail, which is filled with the rain water. The toilet is flushed by pouring water from the five gallon pail into the toilet; the paper goes into the wastebasket. This was explained to us by Jamie, who came into our home with us to introduce us to Chica and help us get the "lay of the land." Chica does not speak any English, and we speak only a few simple Spanish phrases. We have a double bed, and have to sleep with a mosquito net over us.
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There was no power when we went to bed at 9:15. Just had an oil lamp in our room. We were using our portable fans all night, as it was so hot. Lots of music and talking outside. Dogs bark into the night; they sound very protective.
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