March 5, 2012 Luperon

Monday March 5, 2012

I have not been journaling for FB in awhile, (nothing I wanted to publicly post anyway) instead, spending more time getting my self better and doing a lot of reading and learning how to just sit and enjoy what I have right here around me.  Life has been good, even when it doesn’t feel like it is. 

One week and finally back to normal except I still cannot get online under my name.  They said 2 hours to have the renewed internet contract working and it has been 4 days.  Island time I guess.  We need to go into town today with my computer and make sure I am on line before I come back to the boat and try finding still no success.  This has happened before.  This is not the US and things are a few years behind so I am learning patience through all this, something I know God has on his bucket list for me to do before I get to stand beside him.   We just can’t seem to get out of Luperon.  Not that we want to, or that we are waiting for a window that has not arrived for us but we just happen to love it here.  It’s so different than the islands we visited on the way here.  Those islands were breathtaking and something I have never had the opportunity to experience on my own time, drifting through the seas.  Luperon is so different.  Even though I could actually smell this island before I even saw it, I knew it was here.  My senses told me and the GPS confirmed it.  Coming in was quite the challenge and it reminded me of trusting God, read “the book” know what is right and wrong and do the right thing.  Coming in here, if one decided they had a better way, they may end up missing the bottom of their vessel in short time.  There  is a direct way to come in here from the sea on a boat.  Once here, it sucked me in, enveloping me with energy I have never felt before.  It’s all over the place.  Something magic about Luperon to me.  I was talking to Rosa Van Sant yesterday and she knew we had not left the town of Luperon since we came.  She invited Fred and I to go to Puerto Plata because she needed to renew her license and thought we may enjoy the trip.  I talked to Fred about it and we are joining her, and offered to pay for the gas also.  She said no, we are friends and she is going anyway.  I am not sure if Bruce will be joining us but I am looking to getting my camera battery charges and empty the pictures onto my computer because I have a feeling I will be seeing things I have never seen before.  Luperon is nothing compared to the rest of the island, I hear.  I am excited for Thursday to come.  Fred and I love the Dominican Republic.  The people are beautiful, the country is spectacular, nothing fancy about it, just an island frozen in time, protected in some ways, not protected in others.  It is lush, water, mountains, open seas, poor in the US monetary standards, rich in gifts from God’s beautiful creation.  This place almost has a balance of existence I have never been in before.  The people are not greedy, nor are they ambitious.  They are satisfied to be where they are and with what they have.  They seem to appreciate anything extra but don’t seem to expect it.  If one ever wanted to be centered in life, this is the place to be.  You don’t see people smoking here like in the US, maybe one or two people a day and most times they are cruisers, not locals.  You don’t see people drunk on the streets here, except perhaps a cruiser here and there.  They do promote their premiere Dominican cigars and rum but I don’t see them including this in their everyday lifestyle.  They are happy to sit on their 2’-3’ wide sidewalk in front of their 2-3 room residence in a broken down chair and chat with their neighbors who sit on their sidewalk, in front of their residence about 6 feet from the next residence.  I step off the sidewalk into the street and give them space, nod and say Ola and smile.  They return the gesture and smile back.  Sometimes I glance inside their homes, they are neat, clean and sparsely decorated with a few pieces of furniture.  I can see out the back door from the front, both open to give a breeze room to flow in and out.  Down the street are some men who seem to have a daily schedule during their siesta, sometimes even before and after, playing dominoes, everyone intensely interested in the next move but still taking time to look up and acknowledge my passing with a smile and an “ola”.  I wish I saw more of that in the US.  People bond here and it is contagious.  I might not be a local native of this country but they certainly have made me feel welcomed here.  The language barrier is not too easy at times but I am known, by my friends, to speak with my hands and have found this very valuable here in Luperon.  I don’t have to tuck them under my calves or cross my arms to be still while I talk.  Simple freedom like that goes a long way.  About as far as a smile and hug will.  I am filled with simple peace and  serenity here.  I just had to share it.  It’s I just had to let go and let it happen.  I am overflowing with God’s gifts and hoping you can feel me sending it your way.  Everyone deserves this, even if you don’t think so.  Don’t give up on your journey!  There are speed bumps along the way although once over them,, oh, the reward of beauty will be something more than you ever expected.  a good thing I have to move my hands to type or you all would be in trouble ;)  I Love You All!   Gratitude and the promises go a long, long way!