Changes

I was in Miami last week for an adoption conference. I've been assigned to handle the adoption portfolio in my new unit (for family/non-FS friends- I previously worked in the Non-Immigrant visa unit, where I processed visas for people who want to visit as tourists. This week I started work in the Immigrant visa unit, where I will issue -or deny- visas to people who plan to move to the U.S.). The conference was interesting, the food was great, and I'm excited about the portfolio, as I've always been interested in international adoptions. The DR doesn't do a lot of adoptions, as the requirements are pretty cumbersome, but any experience will be helpful.

Today was day three in IV. It's a big unit- about 8-9 officers, 30-40 local staff, hundreds of applicants a day, and the highest rate of immigrant visa fraud in the world. There is a lot to learn, but I have an advantage, coming from NIV, so it's not overwhelming. I wish I could blog more about work, but it's just not advisable.

In other news, it feels like summer is just around the corner. We're looking forward to seeing family and friends during our rest and recuperation (R&R) trip in May/June. We're having some visitors before that- mom and my friend H! - and will host some officers from Haiti. We're thinking about summer camp and next year's school tuition.

Before we know it, we'll be bidding and celebrating our year anniversary at post!

Mimi and Poppy's visit (Las Galeras)

We had a wonderful visit recently from Poppy and Mimi, my dad and stepmom. They spent a (rainy) day in Santo Domingo and then we headed up to the Samana peninsula, to an area we had not yet visited: Las Galeras. I completely fell in love with this place- the beaches are spectacular and perfect for kids, the town is sweet and boasts a lot of great food, and it's only about 3 hours away. Did I mention the beaches? Read on.

Here they are getting into their beach mode on day 1.

We stayed at a spectacular house  overlooking the ocean. The view was out of the this world.

I hope you can see this rainbow. It was so magical and stayed for quite a while. This photo is taken from the front of the house which overlooked the countryside.

This is Playita, a lovely beach 10 min from Las Galeras. As you can see, it's shallow and perfect for kids. You can rent chairs and umbrellas and have your choice of 2 restaurants- a fish shack and an actual building. My dad absolutely loved the fish shack.

Playita

Below is Playa Las Galeras, right at the end of the main road. Pretty beautiful. We didn't spend any time here...next time.

Playa Las Galeras

The kids had a ball playing in the water with Poppy.

And this, my friends, is the famous Playa Rincon, which some claim is the most beautiful beach in the country.

I can wholeheartedly say it is worthy of its reputation. The water was turquoise, aquamarine, and like three other shades of blue. The mountain backdrop was exquisite. There was practically no one else on this long, shimmering beach.

I took like 30 photos of this tree's shadow. I think this one is my favorite.

The photos don't even do it justice.


(Only one bummer with regards to this beach: trash on one end, where some food shacks have set up a small business. It was heartbreaking- this beach is such a national treasure.)

Road along the beach. Amazing.

I can't wait to go back to Las Galeras...and maybe we can convince Mimi and Poppy to come back next year. I think they liked it. And we sure loved having them here.