Dominican Republic Spring Break: Day 7

Thursday, 3/10/16 - Simplicity, Service, and Spoons

I enjoyed a little extra sleep this morning by not watching the sunrise.  We had our furthest clinic day in Dos Bocas.  The ride there was bouncy and bumpy, but so worth it.  Looking out the window at the mountains as we climbed up was glorious.  They were an even better sight than yesterday. 
At the clinic, I work in the nutrition group by giving the kids each an anti-parasite pill.  One of my favorite memories of today's clinic was when the baby boy I held fell asleep in my arms.  Once in a while he would stroke my arm in his sleep which brought such warmth to my heart.
After we were done at the clinic, we ate lunch and I went with the two cars going to pick up the kiddos at the preschool.  It was nice seeing them one last time before we head home.  And what was hopefully more of a "see ya later", as their sweet faces left such an imprint on my heart.
Now that we are all back to the house and have enjoyed some delicious Dominican food, we have since been relaxing.  Some of the group have been napping, others like myself have been journaling.  Before I lose my motivation, I plan to start writing my affirmations for the rest of my group.
I am excited I've had the opportunity to bond with everyone.  For the most part, I've been delighted by everyone's company on this trip.  It has been wonderful to have Nick as our student leader.  And I have enjoyed growing in friendship with those I already knew and forming friendships with those I didn't.  Surprisingly, I haven't felt like I really needed a shower until today.  And to think I've only washed my hair once and used some baby wipes to freshen up.
Dominican coffee has lived up to expectations of those who have been on this trip before.  I think I've had the most coffee I've had in my entire life on this trip and I've only had two cups.  I will definitely be taking some home with me.  Not what I expected to say, considering I didn't even think I liked coffee.  Until now.
I'm not really looking forward to returning to the states, to my responsibilities, to the grind.  But this week has served as a terrific learning experience.  I have grown to love my routine here and have grown accustomed to being woken each morning by a rooster.  I love you DR.  Hope to see you again.
Thursday night ended in the best way, the group playing spoons with two of our Dominican drivers, Junior and Kiko.  It was hilarious to watch how into the game Kiko got and how eager we were to get him out of the game. And after we finished playing spoons, we listened to music, participated in a massage train, and finished our affirmation letters.  It was bittersweet to have this be our last night in palo seco, but I have so appreciated forming and growing bonds with not only those in my group, but also the wonderful Dominicans we shared the week with.





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