Favourite Memories

I have been working on this list of my favourite memories for awhile now. Some (okay, a lot!) of these will make little or no sense to anyone reading, but I don't ever want to forget any detail so I am writing them all down! Some of these are really good memories, some are funny things that happened, and some are just things that I want to remember about this trip!

-Being able to see Arroyo Seco school completed and filled with students
-Seeing Frangelis again and her running into my arms, so excited to see me
-Chickendie, and all the daily jokes that go along with it, the best probably being Alberto acting out chickendie with Melissa and Sam as the chickens
-Being able to use my donation money to take Yoandi to the hospital for his infected hand, which is now completely healed. Going along with that, seeing the gratitude in his mom, Sonia's, eyes
-Hanging out on the Melacon with the boys- probably the most carefree and fun times I have ever had
-Making fun of the art teacher every time we pass his art center, covered in self portraits of himself
-Motoconchos!! And the trouble that goes along with them... ex. We ask to go to the Melacon and he takes us to a gas station. On the same day, we ask to go to the supermarket and he takes us home!
-Being hissed at by every single Dominican man we pass as we walk down the street. Okay, so this isn't really a 'best memory' and it definitely gets annoying, but it provides us with endless entertainment just waiting to see the things they will come up with! Similarly, me and Melissa "being Dominican" and hissing at people as we drive by to see if they will look.
-Going for ice cream at least once a day... usually one ice cream and one Skim Ice- Skim Ice is only 5 pesos!
-The boys made us these really adorable bracelets. I wear the 2 that Alberto made me every day and love all the thought they put into them
-The boys' obsession with Michael Jackson, and watching them try to BE Michael Jackson. Also, finding a renewed love for Michael Jackson thanks to them!
-The boys arguing over who is the Jefe, and hearing them all call themselves the Jefe
-Going to Yohan's house on his birthday and seeing his mother tear up when we gave her a framed picture of her and Yohan
-Kelvin's mom hugging us and saying 'hello pretty' (in spanish) every time she sees us
-Meeting Lola, the grandmother living alone with her 16 grandchildren, and being reminded of how strong Dominican women are
-Melissa (attempting) to teach me how to cook... step 1) how to peel a potato
-Getting to know the boys, especially Domingo, Alberto, Seliel, Jose, and Junior... they are really amazing kids and friends and I smile just thinking about them. They are definitely people I will never forget
-Seliel calling Melissa mafiosa for 'stealing' his dictionary we gave him (she actually just put it in her purse at the beach so it wouldn't get wet, and forgot to give it back).
-After all the work of planning the new club, getting to see it in action and seeing the happiness in the 50 kids in the club
-On the first day of the new club, having some of the girls bring us fresh cut up fruit with sweet little notes for us written on them
-Watching Melissa tell Hilda that she will be sponsoring her family, and seeing the pure gratitude in Hilda's eyes as she cried and thanked her. She is an amazing woman.
-On our down time, trying to "be Dominican" with Melissa and going people watching on the Malecon!
-Getting tackled to the ground by Chichi after threatening to go talk to the gringa girls they all had crushes on at the beach. And then getting sand thrown in my hair after telling them the girls were too young for them!
-Having a bedroom with a Strawberry Shortcake mural painted on the wall. And then taking a series of photos with it and making our sign for our bedroom and our guestbook!
-Making photo albums for the boys. Bossy as usual, they made a list of other photos they would like printed off asap to add to the albums (on Domingo's list- a picture of Liz and Bella!)! But it was fun looking through the photos of all our memories with them...
-Taking the Arroyo kids to the Rio, and shoving 4-5 of us per motoconcho so we wouldn't have to walk the half hour. They were so excited and asked us every time if we would go with them again.
-Watching Yoandi come out of his shell as I got to know him better. From the shy and scared little boy I first met (while at the hospital with his infected hand) he is now one of the sweetest and happiest kids I know. One time when my family was sitting in his house, he sat on my sister's lap, thinking it was me. He was so embarrased when he realized his mistake, and he buried his head in his mom's shoulder until we left! He is my little buddy :)
-Finding out that the older girls in our club wouldn't eat fruit because their moms told them if they did, their boobs wouldn't grow. Crazy Dominicans!
-Moving into Liz's new apartment, and the amazing people we met because of it. Like the family that lives below, who treat us like their own family, and the family across the street who run the colmado, with Casey, the teenage girl who was always so sweet to us, and the little naked baby!
-THe boys trying to teach us the words to the song El Sol y La Playa by Monkey Black... it didn't go so well, despite their attempts. Pretty funny listening to all of them rap every single word though, complete with gangster poses and hand signs.
-Going to Luperon beach with the boys for my birthday. I couldn't have imagined a better way to spend the day or anyone I would rather spend it with. The best part- my Mom taking everyone banana boating! They were so ecstatic.
-When it came time to leave, seeing the love and support from everyone. It was really touching to see how we had affected their lives. Especially Sonia's family (Yoandi, Andy, and Andrieli)- they are people I will never forget, and whom will be among the first I go visit when I head back to the DR this Christmas.

And even now that I am home...

-For the first week of being back, having some of my favourite Dominican people calling me and texting me to tell me they miss me. And getting to tell them the good news that I will be back for Christmas!