Day Four in the Dominican Republic
Today was a good day. When talking to Steve about what we were doing today and the clothing expectations, Steve said that we were going to be doing some touristy stuff and could pretend were were "dumb gringos." We've decided we are good at being dumb gringos--comfortable being dumb gringos.
Most of the day today was spent at the Colonial Zone. This is a very historically important location in the Dominican Republic......and in the rest of the Americas. This colony is the oldest permanent European settlement of the New World. It's been around ever since Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue. Because this is the first European settlement of the New World, there are many "firsts" in this colony. We were able to see the first church of the new world (pictured below), the first hospital of the new world, and the oldest fortress. We spent most of the day walking around the Colonial Zone looking at the sites and visiting museums and shops. We also took a riding tour through the city on the "Chu Chu," which is a little car pulling some wagons behind it. It was an interesting little tour.
I also learned that I love shopping in markets. We spend a little over an hour in the Colonial Zone market and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Typically, I hate shopping. So, I was wondering about why I enjoyed the market, with all of the pushy sales-people. Then it hit me. Shopping in a market is basically a sport. There's strategy as to how you go about it. There's competition. It's many of the things I love wrapped up into one. So, we had fun. We only bought a couple little things because we plan on going back closer to our trip home.
We also had a lot of fun watching the filming of a music video (or maybe a commercial, we couldn't quite figure it out). It was really interesting watching them shoot and re-shoot the scene. When they would take a break, they would all run into the shade under the trees to get a break from the sun. They also had a crew of people who held umbrellas over the main singer during the break periods. It was pretty interesting.
Today was good for a number of reasons. It was good because we found multiple places with air-conditioning throughout the day. They were wonderful moments of respite from the heat. It was also good because it was respite from some of the culture-shock we've experienced. We were able to hang out as a family, relax, and enjoy the day together.
Here are some prayer requests:
Thank God for answered prayers
We had a great day today
We all slept really well last night
We're all staying healthy
Continued prayers for a break from the heat
Prayers for a meeting I have tomorrow with some people from Haiti
Pray that I can understand some of the conversation
Pray that I can be a part of the conversation
I've also been asked to preach this coming Sunday at church. I told them I'd think about it. Pray for discernment (should I try it or not). Pray for words to speak if I give it a shot
Buenos Noches!