Trunk or treat!

It's been busy around here with Halloween festivities! Last weekend, we participated in our first "Trunk or treat." American community members parked their cars in the Embassy parking lot and decorated their trunks. The kids went from trunk to trunk asking for treats. Our CLO outdid herself with a party involving lots of homemade baked goods as well.

The kids and I had been talking about this event for weeks. We made ghosts out of pillowcases and balloons and created lots of cats, ghosts, and pumpkins to hang. I forgot to take into account the bed of the trunk, so it looked a little bare, but I'll be better prepared next time.

We got L a Strawberry Shortcake costume, but on the day of, she wanted to be a fairy.

So here's a peek at our trunk and those of a few others. It was such a fun time!

My whole strategy involved hanging things...next time we'll use the bed of the trunk too

Here's M trying to make sense of this one

Yes, that's the B husband disguised as a rapper

Today we're going to a Halloween party and tomorrow M gets to wear his costume to school for a party there. I thought I'd be a little sad about Halloween in a tropical country, but so far, it's been delightful!

Happy Halloween, all!

Pomelo

I always enjoy reading blog posts about new fruits and vegetables people discover at a new post. So I just have to do one of my own. My husband has been telling me lately that there is "no fruit" at the supermarket. This basically means: no mangoes. The end of mango season has hit us hard- 3 out of the 4 members of the family adore them. (M, strangely, prefers most vegetables to fruit. L, on the other hand, doesn't believe in veggies and loves most fruits).

Anyway, I made a trip to the grocery store and came home with this big girl, a pomelo. I understand a common name in English is Chinese grapefruit. I know this fruit is available in the U.S., but I've never encountered it.

Apple there for size comparison...

I watched a you tube video to learn how to cut and eat it- good thing, because the inside was unexpected The kids were curious, too, and L was delighted to discover it was pink inside!

L proceeded to gobble it up, while M had to spit it out. Funny kids. It is slightly sweeter than a regular grapefruit, but basically the same taste.

Kids and friends

This weekend I took M to his first birthday party at an indoor amusement park. He was so excited. The family had rented out the venue so it was a kid's dream- no lines, just hop onto whatever ride you like. When we arrived, his classmates were already enjoying the rides. They waved and called out "hola, M!", which was nice to see. The timing with his friends was off, so he then proceeded to ride on a series of rides all by himself. I watched his classmates hold hands and run to the next ride together, while he was all alone.

My heart was breaking a little bit as I watched him. But then I realized he was doing just fine. He kept looking over at me and grinning from ear to ear.  When he finally did join them, they welcomed him into their buggy or parachute and I saw him laugh a little louder and smile a little wider. But he was happy alone, too. I think at that moment I realized that he's pretty comfortable in his own skin right now. It's probably a good thing that he wasn't desperately running after his friends, begging them to play with him.

His dad and I have been worrying about his making friends at school. His teachers assure us that the other kids like him, and I could tell that they do. There's just not much communication going on right now.  He doesn't seem too troubled by it, honestly. He is mostly happy to go to school and happy to come home. I have to believe that as time passes, his bonds with his classmates will grow, especially as his language improves.

And a note about his teachers. What loving, caring women they are. They spent 3 hours at a kid's birthday party on a Saturday and seemed genuinely delighted to see everyone. I think we hit the teacher jackpot and I am really grateful for all of them.

The Secretary was here!

We had the honor of welcoming Secretary Clinton about ten days ago to Santo Domingo. She came to participate in the Pathways to Prosperity Ministerial meeting, and if you're so inclined, you can read more about it here.  Our leadership asked for volunteers, and I was a bit nervous about throwing my hat in the ring, since I've been slightly overwhelmed by my consular role. But I figured this would likely be my only chance to work on an 'S' visit in the DR, so I volunteered for a small role.

Instead, I was assigned to be the site officer for the place where most activities were happening- the Ministry of Foreign Affairs! Over the next two weeks, I visited the site frequently with the Pol/Econ chiefs and other staff, and got to know key government personnel as well as the site itself. On the day of her visit, everything went smoothly, I am happy to say!

It was an incredible privilege to work on this visit, as well as an amazing professional experience. I feel like I grew in 2 weeks from a baby diplomat to maybe an adolescent diplomat- I learned so much! I am indebted to my colleagues who trusted me with this important job and took the time to explain my role and answer my questions. We have a wonderful team here in Santo Domingo and I am proud to be part of it. 

Bliss (aka Las Terrenas)

We headed to Samana this weekend. It's the little peninsula jutting out in the north east of the country- a place I only heard about when I lived here in 1999. It was just too far away, as I was living in Azua, in the southwest. But since then, they built a lovely toll road that helped us make it in about 2.5 hours.

Courtesy of Lonelyplanet.com

We went to Las Terrenas, a small town on the north side of the peninsula. Here is what the beaches look like there.

What a beautiful, blissful place. The sand is so soft and fine. At the beaches we visited, there was absolutely nothing on the ocean floor- just soft, silken sand.

I can't wait to go back and explore more. I understand that further out on the peninsula, it's even more rugged and isolated. I couldn't get over how empty Las Terrenas beaches were, so that will be a sight to see.

We went with our friends, the K family, and stayed in a 3BR home. It was slightly rustic, but the price was right and it was close to town and the beach. The outdoor space was my favorite part.

The kids loved being able to run around the yard.

M spent all day, every day in the water. On day two, the waves were pretty big, so he played in the surf. Otherwise, he spent his time diving and swimming. 

A rare sighting of the M fish out of water

It was a wonderful weekend with great friends! Again, can't get over our luck in being posted here.