Day 2!

Sorry for the lack of postings!  We safely arrived on time Saturday night after a rather uneventful travel day, the highlight of which was definitely our 4-hour layover in Miami with the Panama team, during which Coach Brunk and Ty decided to play "sneak around" in the airport.  We also learned that asking for "water with lemon" rather than just "water" will save your group about $30 in bottled water prices in airport restaurants!

Sunday morning we attended a local Dominican church.  Kids were bused in from nearby and we were definitely the minority in speaking English.  However, 3 out of the 4 songs that we sang were songs that I knew from church at home that just had Spanish lyrics instead of English!  It was so neat to hear The Old Rugged Cross and Holiness, Holiness in Spanish.  Definitely a very cool moment. 

After church, we ate (lots of potatoes and rice, some chicken and other meats.... they've been putting out salad and watermelon for us but most of us don't eat it just in case) and found the beach.  The Dominicans definitely love their beaches; they were swarming with people on their day of rest!  A group from Santo Domingo approached us since one of their ladies spoke English decently, and soon we were singing their songs and dancing in the water with them.  It was great; they were so welcoming and friendly.  Not totally sure what we were singing about but... it was fun :)  We also found several sea urchin reefs and Coach Brunk ate a sea slug.   Ty tried eating some sort of tropical slimey marine animal, but after putting it in his mouth, it attached to his tongue and stung it, so that didn't go so well.

Some of the group rode horses after the beach, then we all walked around the area and were able to sample the local Limon Lays chips... they are, literally, Lays that taste like lemons.  I don't think they would be such a big hit in America but they seem to sell well here.  The area we're staying in really doesn't have much around it besides beaches and more rugged abodes, but the people are generally pretty friendly.  The guards and other workers all carry shotguns and handguns, which is really strange to us, but I guess at least we're protected!  They're all also very eager to have "American" things, too- today Coach Brunk traded shirts with the bus driver and almost traded his wife's plastic watch for the driver's handgun!!  Besides trading talents, we've also discovered that the wrestlers are extremely talented at synchronized swimming after last night's showdown between wrestling and softball in the pool.  The swimmers judged as both sports prepared a routine and were judged on creativity, aesthetics, synchronization, flamboyancy, and the wow factor.  While softball did well, wrestling really brought the heat and were formally invited by swim captains Zach and Brad to be the Messiah Swimming halftime show.  Can't wait!

Coach Weaver led devotions last night to get us all ready for what was to come today.  We all went to a sugarcane village about 45 minutes away to play games with the kids and hand out donations.  They seemed really happy to see us and really appreciated what we had to give them, both in gifts and in time spent with them.  Ty and Coach Weaver got to ride one of their motorcycles, which was one of their major goals on the trip ;) Pictures are sure to follow!

After lunch back at SCORE (whose facility, by the way, is actually really nice- we are by no means living in huts or shacks!!!), we each went to "clinics" that were specific to our sports.  Gathering from what everyone has been saying and from what I experienced on the swimming side, we were all drastically unprepared.  I think we all had the impression that we were coming down to teach lessons, but we all ended up just competing!  Sports are such a big deal down here that unless the kids are really young, they don't have much to learn, so our competitiveness is really just what they want.  Coach Brunk coached alongside the wrestling coach and they had a full practice; softball played against the Dominican Junior National team; and swimming trained in a practice with the Dominican National team.  IT WAS SO COOL.  The swimmers spoke fantastic English (two even go to school in Connecticut), but the workouts were written in Spanish- now I know how to say "200 swim, kick, pull, choice, IM" in Spanish!  Great day :)

We're all really tired, to say the least.  The food has been interesting- mostly carbs, but fortunately some form of protein at lunch and dinner.  The ice cream drawer here at SCORE has been looking more and more tempting though.

Tomorrow we go to two more villages to distribute the Sawyer filters.  Keep checking in with us!  Everyone says hi :)