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!

Fourth of July

I had a really wonderful visit to Wyoming over the 4th of July. It was the fourth time I've been back to the U.S. since arriving in the Dominican Republic last year, but the first time in Wyoming. I flew in to Salt Lake and spent the night with my dear sister, then drove the 4.5 hours to Lander the next day. My heart lifted as I drove over South Pass: I was home.

Wind River Mountains.

Red Canyon.

My sister-in-law graciously put up with me, H (and H's boyfriend) and L (and L's girlfriend) for several days and we had a great time. I got to go running outside for the first time in a year (yay!) and we hiked to the Popo Agie Falls. We went to the parade on the 4th and the Buffalo BBQ in the park, and then watched as the town exploded in fireworks as soon as it got dark. I got to discuss a book with my dear book club and spend time with friends. And I got to see my dad. 

It was wonderful.

The good friends of my book club. I miss them already!

On the hike to Popo Agie Falls. 

Love all these girls!

Popo Agie Falls.

Me and my dad.

Dad and H and L and me.

My amazing girls.

Me and my sister getting ready for Finding Dory.

Onward Assignment

I just got back from Wyoming where I spent the 4th of July. I've been constantly checking email since last week to find out our onward assignment, and it finally came in this afternoon:

Yekaterinburg, Russia!

We have another year in the DR and then we'll have language training at FSI in Virginia, but then, come April 2018, we'll be seeing a lot of this:

Monte Cristi

While I'm mulling over the possibilities on the bid list (I have to submit it by midnight on June 22), a friend and I headed up north to Monte Cristi. The trip was a great way to get my mind off of the stress that is bidding and focus on what a beautiful island the Dominican Republic is.

After driving nearly four hours, we arrived on Friday evening and checked in to the El Morro eco-lodge. My friend had a great coupon and we ended up paying just $75 per night. The room was clean and comfortable and there is a restaurant on site in case you're too tired to go find something to eat after a long drive. Dinner was really nothing special, but the coffee/caramel flan dessert was yummy.

We rose Saturday morning and walked across the street to take in the view of the ocean:

And then we walked up the road for about 10 minutes to get a different view. This beach isn't really ideal for lounging around with a cocktail, but it is pretty.

We had arranged a boat tour when we checked in, and were picked up at the first beach at 1:00. There were three other hotel guests who joined us in the adventure through mangroves and around the coast.

The mangrove roots provide habitat for fish.

The water was so clear! At one point the guide stopped the boat and we all got out and paddled around in the waist-deep water. It was warm and pretty wonderful.

The entire tour lasted about three hours and was interesting and fun. I definitely recommend it. I understand that there is a very beautiful beach that offers spectacular snorkeling about an hour away from this spot. It's on my list of things to do with R this fall.

Monte Cristi is a popular place to stop and stay the night when venturing in to Haiti to visit Cap Haitien and the Citadel, also on our list of things to do during our time on the island. 

San Antonio

H and I were able to enjoy a relaxing four day weekend in San Antonio over Memorial Day. We had been planning this little mother-daughter getaway for awhile after randomly choosing Texas as a place to visit.

Both of our flights were delayed getting in to San Antonio, and by the time we were ready to go off in search of the rental car company through which I'd made reservations, it was after midnight and they were closed. Fortunately for us, Avis was able to accommodate our last-minute request and we drove out of the airport at 2:00 a.m. in a white Mustang convertible. A great start to a great weekend!

The Alamo - this building is called The Shrine.

Texas does know how to grow trees. :)

Not sure what this monument is, exactly, but H suggested it was the rock upon which
Sam Houston washed his clothes. We'll go with that.

 And we visited the zoo, of course:

A very photogenic stork.

And the gorgeous Botanical Garden:

We were fortunate to get to see an abundance of statuary by Mexican artist Jorge Marín.
The exhibit was due to close on June 5.

And one more, of my beautiful girl:

I ate more than my fair share of Starbucks' lemon pound cake, the River Walk offered some good Mexican fare, and we had a really nice dinner atop the Tower of the Americas. Yes, basically, I did what I usually do when visiting the U.S. - I ate my way through my vacation.

It was really wonderful - the city, the history, the food, but the best part was being able to spend time with H. It's one of the biggest sacrifices of being in the foreign service, this time away from family, so of course I have to take advantage of every opportunity that comes around.