Memories of First Trip to the DR

Awhile back, I put a couple of posts on various yahoo groups that I had/have belonged to about visiting the Dominican Republic. I had lost them, and searched, finally finding two of them, the first and the second. I believe that there was a third, but it may be lost forever in cyberspace... for sure, no longer on my crashed/fixed puter.

Now that I have found them, they are safe once again, and I can share them once more. The first trip there was November 7-12, 2001 and what follows was my first 'report'...



I am posting this from another club so that I don't need to repeat myself ten times. forgive me?

I just returned from the Dominican Republic on Mon night, and was working all week so have not caught up on any clubs, etc.

I was there because I have a friend who recently moved there to work for the Bishop in the new Diocese of Puerto Plata as a teacher of English as a second language for the seminarians in the not-yet built seminary. However, they have 28 current seminarians studying elsewhere at the moment, and over 100 waiting to get in! Bishop Pena...don't have Spanish symbols here, should be a tilda over the n... is the name of the Bishop there.

I went for two reasons, actually. I went because I had teasingly told my friend that since she was renting a two bedroom apartment, we could all come to visit her...free housing, you see. LOL She said that was why she GOT the two bedroom, as she WANTED us to come to see her. THEN she added, "But when YOU come, bring your instruments, cuz there is an orphanage here and you can clean the girls' teeth!"

Well, I told her that there was much more to that than just bringing instruments. Like, licensure, a dentist to work under if required like it is here in the USA, and the equipment, and supplies, and a way to sterilize, and also, most importantly, an INTERPRETER.

The Lord knocked down nearly every one of those. I found a mission to the children site, where they HAVE all the equipment and products that I would need, and even permission under Dominican Laws that enables him to practice dentistry there, so that I can work with him in Puerto Plata on future vacations.

I saw the 'resorts' that many tourists THINK is the DR, and I saw the barrios, which IS the DR. I saw the orphanage, and will be returning in the Spring to actually do some work there with Jack...he goes with his equipment, you see....and he couldn't figure out why all of a sudden he was getting 10,000 prophy angles and pastes!!! lol Now he may be getting some indication....
I am going to be putting my trip story on Dental forums, and also to all of my coworkers at our six offices, to see if any other Hygienists/Dentists would be willing to shell out a trip to work/vacation there since the expenses would be paid BY THEMSELVES...and also would be tax deductible since doing this for the Diocese, and under the umbrella of the mission to the children. I found Jack by searching for licensure requirements for hygienists in the DR. Since there are no Hygienists, lol, I found no information and had to keep digging.

I spent Wed to Mon there, and left the DR to return home on an American airliner about twenty minutes AFTER the crash of another airliner in NY. There were 175 Dominicans on that plane, and the entire country is in mourning. Ten were from Puerto Plata, and 40 were from Santiago...I was in both places.

I would be 'doing my thing' in Puerto Plata, as that is where my friend lives, and she can find more inexpensive housing for others who MAY decide to come. Pray for this. If others are supposed to come, they will need the prayers.

I will be working WITH Jack, but through the Catholic Diocese in Puerto Plata. Jack comes with his equipment and supplies, lolol (thank goodness, cuz I cannot do cavities, etc!!) This could be the start of something JUST for me, or much bigger than Grace and I can imagine. Who knows? God is in charge, not me.

These are a couple of sites that I have about Jack's ministry....he is a very nice guy, and he now lives there full time as a missionary, and works doing dentistry free for them and, the one that I met Jack through is this one...he will be putting a picture of us together in a future update, unless his digital camera broke when it was taken...lolol.

I was in Puerto Plata, traveled to Santiago, then took the guagua (pronounced waa waa) to Moca to meet Jack. The hotel she used to stay at is the Paradise in the Playa Dorada. We were there on a day pass, and for supper on Saturday, which is Dominican night, when they serve roast suckling pig and other culinary delights from the DR.

I was on top of Mt Isabela de Torres where the statue of Jesus is. Huge, but I am sure those in South America are even bigger! One way to get there is to ride the cable car to the top.


Since I wrote this in 2001, Bishop Gregorio Nicanor Peña Rodríguez has been transferred to another Diocese (Nuestra Señora de la Altagracia en Higüey) and recently Puerto Plata has a newly named person to be installed on July 16, 2005 as the new Bishop ( Julio César Corniel Amaro ) and my friend has spoken at several parishes in New York State each year to get funding for the new seminary and the poor of the Diocese. Last summer, she met a dentist, Jude, who has now come with several Dentists and Dental students and is currently doing a week long dental mission in Puerto Plata.