La Ruta del Esclavo, part II

Full confession: It's really great to have R back in the Dominican Republic. I love that he hiked the Appalachian Trail, and supported him all the way, but I missed him and am so glad he's back. :)

He's been back for about 10 days now, and this weekend we decided to venture out and continue our exploration of the island. La Ruta del Esclavo has been simmering in the back of my mind since February, and we headed out in search of a third ingenio (sugar mill). This time, we did our homework and were rewarded with a beautiful ruin located in Parque Mirador del Oeste, Ingenio de Engombe.

Ingenio de Engombe.

Parque Mirador del Oeste (Mirador West Park).
The large sugar mill (ingenio) of the first photo is located to the left, just outside the frame of this photo.

A scene from the back to the front of the building.

The brick represents a more recent addition to stabilize the structure.

I love how groomed the grounds are.

A third building, complete with yardbirds. 

Haina River.

Look at the size of those roots! The building beyond is a chapel - when I tried to open the door, I found it locked, but there was definitely something inside. It whined like a dog, but never barked. It was very disconcerting, because something was definitely trapped in that building. R tried to reassure me that a park ranger or someone who had the key was aware of the creature's presence, but I remain unconvinced. 

A window through a window through a window.

Another wonderful outing in the Dominican Republic!

Vermont

R finished the Appalachian Trail!  YAY! Read all about his adventures, start to finish, here.

He finished on Sunday, August 7 (fewer than five months on the trail) and then spent a few days visiting family in Rhode Island, waiting for me to fly in to Boston on Saturday, August 13. R picked me up from the airport, and we spent then next four days enjoying Vermont. 

We had a really great time shopping, visiting the Ben and Jerry's factory, touring the Rockefeller mansion in the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historic Park, and visiting the stunning Shelburne Museum. I love how diverse the U.S. is, even in one small state.

So, I couldn't get that old "Reunited" song by Peaches and Herb out of my head.

R, looking mighty slim after his hike.

Bandboxes at the Shelburne Museum.

Closeup of a cross-stitch sampler at the Shelburne Museum.

Close-up of a postage stamp quilt containing over 12,000 pieces.

The grounds of the Shelburne Museum.

Antlers of an extinct deer that were found in a peat bog in Ireland.
The deer stood seven feet high at the shoulder and the antlers span 12 feet.

In the rain, near a covered bridge in Vermont. So happy to be together again.

First Week in Immigrant Visas

This week I began my work in the Immigrant Visa (IV) section of the embassy. Although I haven't yet conducted any interviews at the window, and have been limited to "shadowing" my fellow officers and completing routine "desk" cases to become familiar with the software, I know I am going to love it.

Some of the work at the window is surprisingly similar to the Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA) interviews I did in American Citizen Services (ACS), so at least I'm a little bit familiar with the expected outcomes and the questions necessary to arrive at an informed decision. This is in contrast to my first week in ACS, when I had no previous experience or knowledge from which to build a foundation.

The laws regarding immigration can be complicated, but that's part of the fun. It's like a puzzle, but with the ability to make judgments about how the pieces fit.

I can tell that the year ahead is going to be very rewarding. I like to work, and there's plenty of work to do. Santo Domingo is second only to Ciudad Juarez in Mexico in processing immigrant visas. Second in the world. The Dominican Republic is a nation of only 10.5 million people, but we process more immigrant visa applications than all of China (with a population of 1.37 BILLION, or 130 times larger). Yes, indeed, we stay busy. From what I can tell, we have a crackerjack team of professionals to get the job done. Usually, the section sees over 500 people every day. Crazy busy.

When I was in ACS and would ask my colleagues in IV what the work was like, there would always be a pause before they answered. They would carefully measure their words and say that I shouldn't expect the reasonable pace of ACS work. So I began to worry, to unconsciously dread moving to IV. But now that I have an idea of what the work is like, I'm really excited to get started. Maybe it's because I'm a consular-coned officer and this is what I'll be doing my entire career, but I'm genuinely looking forward to learning every aspect of the law, how to apply it, and all the nuances that make the work interesting.

I'll probably get "on the line" (i.e. begin interviewing) next week. Can't wait!