The Dominican Republic

Our first time vacationing away from the kids for a whole week was well worth all the planning and anxiety that lead up to our departure. We had Thanksgiving with our family in Arizona and then left our children on Thanksgiving night with the LeSueurs. Rebecca told us just days before that she was three months pregnant and had been on bed rest up until a week before that. AHH! If we would have known, we would have cancelled our trip! It turns out the she and the kids all made out OK while we were gone. It took us a whole night to fly from Phoenix to New York, and ultimately the Dominican Republic. I have to say, I was a little nervous leaving my children and flying over the ocean--the Bermuda Triangle, nonetheless-- but once we walked off the plane in the Caribbean and breathed in that warm, humid air, I was in Paradise and my worries quickly ceased. Mom and Dad Andersen picked us up at the Airport and were the best hosts a person could ask for.

This is the outside of an open-air market where we bought produce. It didn't look like the waxy produce we see in America, as it was pretty spotty and discolored, but it tasted SO rich. The mangoes and avocadoes were our favorite! Look how huge they are!

Mom and Dad showed us the city and the tour included Carol Morgan High School where both Sam and Spencer went to school. This is their outdoor gym attached to their cafeteria--so very different than the gym and cafeteria at my old high school!

 On the South side of the island where Santo Domingo sits, the shores are mostly coral. This is probably a man-made beach where they had to haul sand into the area. Whenever they build any buildings or structures, they have do dig through several feet of rocky coral just to build the foundation!

There's a ton of history in Santo Domingo, as it is the first place Christopher Columbus landed in his expeditions in the west. Because the Spaniards settled this island, the dominant religion is Catholicism. When they started building settlements, they attempted to force the natives to be their servants. The natives refused and the Spaniards started kidnapping people from Africa, and that started centuries of slave trade throughout the West. Thus, the majority of locals are Black Africans, who speak Spanish as their first language.

Inside one of the Cathedrals we toured was this manger set. The art is typical of the Dominican Republic with faceless heads and a variety of skin colors. The Dominicans feel they are a melting pot of ethnicities.

Downtown Santo Domingo is full of museums, cathedrals and monuments like these, honoring Christopher Columbus.

This was a restaurant that demonstrates the way Dominicans decorate with neon colors. Love it!

 The Dominicans claim that here lies Christopher Columbus under this elaborate grave, in a huge building constructed in the shape of a cross.

 This is the view from Mom and Dad's balcony where we ate our dinners at night and sometimes read books during the day.

 At Church, I realized just how little Spanish I actually understand. I had to wear translator headphones in Sacrament meeting. Again when we went to the Temple I had to wear them to understand what was going on. It was motivating to start learning the language again.

 Driving in the D.R. was always such an adventure. It is not uncommon to see truckloads of bananas driving by, often with a worker sitting on top of the pile. Seatbelts are just an optional thing here. Often, we saw a family of four riding on a motor bike down interstates. The dad would drive with a young child sandwiched between him and the mother, and the mother would be holding a newborn baby on their shoulder as they sped down the road!

 We spent a full day at Casa de Campo, a beautiful resort an hour outside of Santo Domingo. Now that we are back home in Utah winter snow, I think of this scene whenever I feel grumpy or cold and I always feel better. This was a man-made beach with perfectly manicured white sand and clear, bath water. This was such a relaxing day swimming in the ocean.

There were lots of fun places to explore at the resort, too. We drove through lots of residences where people own huge homes and they all have a yacht to go with it.

This area of Casa de Campo was built about 20 years ago for the owner's daughter as her 17th birthday gift. Sure beats the usual trip to Dairy Queen-- having a mini city built for you.

This is where we ate dinner, on the edge of a golf course. And what a delicious dinner it was! Beans, rice, mangoes, avocadoes and pineapple--we could survive on this stuff for the rest of our lives!

This is a world-renouned golf course familiar to many professional golfers. It was the first time I had ever heard of it, but I totally understand why they would want to come golfing here!

 We spent an entire day on the other end of the island. The Church has built a camp here to be used for "Especially For Youth" camps, Stake and ward gatherings, scouts, etc. They built over 60 of these little cabin/huts that the people can sleep in. It also includes several cooking/serving areas, a cultural hall, gymnasium, and amphitheater.

 We are standing in front of the manager's home here. He along with several other workers maintain the camp. 

Our last night in Santo Domingo, we went down to the park to see all the lights. The Dominican government put this on for the people. Some citizens had mixed feelings about it. Many of the people are so poor that they can't afford to light their own homes. Here the government put on this extravagant show of lights for the whole month of December using the people's tax money to pay for it. Other people were delighted that the government fixed up this old, run-down park and made it a safe place for people to gather.

It said in the newspapers that they designed the lights to look like the ones at Disneyland at Christmastime. Thus, this isn't a good example of the way Dominican's decorate for Christmas. This is totally Americanized. Most of them take bundles of sticks and paint them with glitter and make them into beautiful decorations.

Charamicos: Wood and straw decorations.

Visiting Mom and Dad on their Mission in the D.R. was the most ideal way to tour part of the Caribbean. They planned each day, drove us in the crazy traffic, cooked us delicious meals, and at the end of the day we had a nice, clean home to return to. Mom is a wonder in the kitchen and, unlike many of her wealthy neighbors, she cooks all her own food. Most of the locals in her condominium building have maids. They come in and out of a separate door than the front and spend most of their time in the kitchen or in the room outside the door pictured to the left.

Before we headed to the airport to return home, we walked along a street the city closes off between certain hours every morning and evening. There were throngs of people there at the wee hours of the morning before sunrise walking, jogging, and riding bikes. Everyone was so happy and friendly. Off the side of the road is this peculiar marker. It marks the location where Elder M. Russell Ballard dedicated the Dominican Republic for preaching the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ.