An Update and some Thoughts

I am back in the DR, and eager to get this project moving forward. We have now taken a 4 week break while some necessary things have been worked on - like a more efficient way to transfer money! The generous help provided by the CAT dealer caused us to move ahead without really having things aligned the way we want, so with the CAT equipment work completed, now is the time to get all of our ducks in a row.  Another week or two and I hope we will get rolling again.

and now, some thoughts ...

This country is both a wonderful place and a crazy place. 
  So many beautiful things - the tall mountains north and south of us, the agricultural fields filled with corn, beans or rice interspersed with various type of random palm trees, the dramatic sky - sunsets here are hard to beat - the pronounced light beams look like the God's powerful vision cutting thru the clouds, the great attitude of the people and their customs and want to help out. 
  Then there are the crazy things - the beautiful mall that sits empty in the middle of the city (2 years and counting), the trash that litters a beautiful place, the cultural issue of saying yes, not wanting to say no to you, but not following thru, conveniences like light fixtures in your home or stop lights at intersections that just don't work - might have never been hooked up,  the bureaucracy in businesses making things like signing up for cable and electricity an absolute pain in the @$$ !   Its a mess and a great place.
  And it makes me think that God looks at us with the exact same opinion - they are great, these creatures of mine, but boy are they a mess! 
  This country and I think everywhere and everything in this world to me reflect ourselves - anything we may look upon and think "wow, that is crazy" could be found in our own lives or place we call home. We are amazing creatures that can adopt to most any situation or condition, but that also means we are very good at picking the right pair of rose-colored glasses that helps us see things as we would like, to help ourselves feel very good about ourselves. 
  That can be a shame, because you can be fortunate to spend your life in a beautiful setting and never really appreciate it, or be blessed with amazing community strength or financial security and just bop along like "this ain't no big thing". 
  On the other hand, what is also wonderful about this ability to adapt is that we can be quite content in a situation or setting many would find very harsh. I think many Dominicans here fit this model. This simple, clearer mode may also allow a closer connection to what we are all here in this life to do - Serve Others. Not having a feeling of entitlement can clear the air of many issues and allow a soul to just be - and be content and not wanting.

I had a very interesting discussion with Dr. Canario and Frank a while back talking about the people the Clinic now serves and the plan for the new Clinic. This Clinic serves everyone - everyone. If you cannot pay, they make it happen, If you can pay, you are asked to do so on a scale appropriate to your ability and sometimes with some positive sacrifice. Four dollars for a procedure can be too high for some - they won't admit it however in order to maintain their pride, they will just not come back for the procedure. 

To me this the reason for the Clinic - to provide care (and hope) to the poorest of the poor.  Serving Others.
   

    

Phase Complete

I will go ahead and say it - We are done with this phase. 
There have been some times in the past when I was hoping to share this good news with everyone, only to see things drag out as we added work, encountered problems or experienced the reality of working in the Dominican Republic. 

But alas, it is done. 

The Fill is in place, the test results are terrific and so we have a super solid base upon which to build the Clinic. 

IMCA has picked up the Dozer and Loader this morning, they will get the Compactor in the morning.  

Remember When ... The machines being delivered to us in January 2015

The Loader is now headed back to Santo Domingo

A 2-1/2 hour meeting today between myself, Frank and the Engineer has laid out the items we would like settled and in-place before we begin the Platea.
It is a challenge at times working with the situation we have here which is out of the ordinary for both us and Dominicans, our agreement is a mix of US expectations and DR realities. Our Engineer Eduard is a good person, also stuck in a difficult position needing to work with our US expectations verses the way things usually occur here. We are working well together with good communication between the three of us, so I feel good about things moving forward.

Now we really can start a building structure. There will be a pause for a few weeks as we get some issues resolved, materials lined up, bank accounts re-established and so forth. Going forward we are attempting to have a very efficient and cost-conscious process. So there will be little to report over the next few weeks until we start the Platea.

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Away from the jobsite, I've settled into a neat rental home for about the same cost as the other place. I'm excited to have Stacy (my wife) join me in June and it will really feel like home. We will have a spare bedroom, so anyone using some lame (not really ...) excuse about noise or comfort will be welcome to our American Dominican Home. Heck, I've even continued to have water even though the neighborhood has been dry for several days now (due to a water tank on the roof)! Screens are now on the windows, door sweeps are on the exterior doors and so the battle is on with anything that crawls or flies! If you are lucky, you might even have a chance to eat some Caribbean lobster! And, when Stacy is here, you will eat very well - unlike if you were to come by now (lobster being the exception!). 

We did take a fun day trip to a beach south of Barahona, which was about a 2 hour drive and pretty much due south. 

Amazing setup at the beach with a whole bunch of happy Dominicans playing on the beach or in the fresh water pools made from the cold river water coming down from the mountains to the west. 

Plenty of places to buy deep-fried fish (from grouper, snapper, etc) with tostones - the fried plantains that are a staple here. Fun day with most of the SRI staff and Breagan being the Energizer Bunny lasting all day, nonstop. Jeff, Randy and I had a long snorkeling/spearfishing venture off the beach - lots of pretty thinks to see but nothing to catch and eat! We did come home with 14 spotted lobsters though

Best lobsters I've ever had - they were on the small side,
but these spotted lobs are generally sweeter than their spiny lobster cousins
 - and boy were these sweet and amazingly tender.

... of course we purchased them from a couple of guys who had been out spearfishing. I'm not going to tell you the price, but it was low -  however it was what they suggested.
  
So thats all for now from the DR, be sure and remember your mom on Mother's Day! Thanks for your generosity and prayers!