We did the usual... swim, snorkel, beach ball, etc. Then pool, loungers and snacks.
While in the pool, Sammy made a new friend named Rebekah. She is 5 years old and lives in Santo Domingo. She only speaks Spanish although her mother Corina helped her so the two could communicate. Next year she will attend an "American" school which is basically an English immersion opportunity. Corina shared their story... both of her older daughters earned scholarships to study in the United States. Rebekah has two older sisters. The oldest studied in Kalamazoo, MI and currently lives in Dubai. The younger sister is 20 and is currently studying Communications at Michigan State in Lansing although she is in Rome for the semester.
The girls swam together for a bit while their mom's got to know each other. Eventually their party found a spot on the beach, right next to ours so the kids could play in the sand together. Tyler tried very hard to communicate with Rebekah... pointing and even drawing in the sand. It was adorable!
It was very busy today at the beach and pool... Corina says its a religious holiday and so many families came for the day from Santo Domingo. Since most of the units in this complex are second homes for people in the capital, it makes sense that they'd drive the 45 minutes to enjoy the beautiful weather.
We headed up to our condo a little after 2:00 pm noting that all of us were pretty red. We were a bit surprised since we had all re-applied sun screen today. The kids watched a movie and played with their iPads, Scott got some work done and JC, Mary and I relaxed on the veranda. There was a party going on next door... locals who met at the vacant lot to enjoy the day off. There was loud music which we all really enjoyed. Next, it turned to karaoke, which was not so enjoyable.
We decided to eat here at the poolside restaurant and enjoy the sunset.
It was a fabulous meal! JC ordered the Red Snapper and raved about it! After handing out samples, we all agreed it was the best we'd ever had. Scott ordered a seafood bisque. We still aren't sure what some of the meats were but he really enjoyed it. Although he did think it was odd at what he pulled out of the bowl.
We headed back for the night and rented the movie BoxTrolls. We've all had a few applications of aloe vera and are drinking plenty of water. It was a beautiful day today and we are all feeling blessed to be in the DR.
