Bonoa, Dominican Republic - Michael Smith's Blog

        Bonoa, Dominican Republic; Visiting my wife's home town is definitely always a humbling experience. I appreciate the blessing of growing up in the United States.
        The streets sound like they are populated by giant mosquito's as hundreds of Mopeds zip by to all hours of the morning. The local government shuts off the electricity at any unpredictable hour so business my run through the night to take advantage of the missed hours.
        Did I mention that her parents house has not one screens on their windows combined with the tropical heat it makes for a night of hardly any sleep, until early morning between three and four when the tempature finally gives in along with noisy streets and at six it all begins again.
        I'm posting this blog from the municpal park which amazingly has free wifi. As I sat down two little boys about ten years old ask if the could shine my Docksiders. I relent at first knowing the shows will be ruined, but my sense of love dominates as I speak the words okay. Of cours, they do not understand English so I nod giving the go ahead as my wife assures them in Spanish. I watch in humility as my shows go from brown to red as the young boy sets the dye on the sidewalk. As quick as the color change a police officer appears as if from nowhere to chastize them for putting the chemicals on the ground. My wife reassures him that it will be cleaned and he quickly moves on to his next target. The boys finish with a big smile as they put my shoes back on my feet. I turn to my wife Milagros to inquire of the price. Thirty pesos she says and I realize my smallest bill is fifty. I look around to see where I might find change thinking i am unwilling to part with the extra twenty Pesos. Decicding to get more information I ask how much thirty pesos really is and finding out it is only a dollar seventy eight. Upon finding out that it was so little I part with the whole fifty.
        Despite, these things I enjoy being here knowing these people are children of God like myself and even with the language barrier I feel privileged to find such wonderful people here.

Andrea Dietrich Date: 6/16/2012 11:14:00 PM This is a lovely story, Michael. I thought you were on a cruise or something. Are you right there in the Dominican republic right now? how cool that your wife is from this place! And yes, we have many blessings we take advantage of here in the States. Login to Reply

Joann Grisetti Date: 6/16/2012 5:41:00 PM I think it is good that the boys are willing to work for the moey. When we lived in Cairo, the children begged for money, but then adults would come and take it. so I always carried fruit with me to give them to eat. People do not understand how it outside their comfort zone. Login to Reply

Carol Eastman Date: 6/16/2012 4:48:00 PM I've only once been outside the USA once, to Mexico... That too was a humbling experience. A young man we knew needed his widom teeth out but didn't have the money for the anesthesia. We offered him the money, but he had too much pride to take it. He got the teeth out any way. I doubt I would have done it without the pain killers... We are more fortunate than we know... Login to Reply

Michael Smith Date: 6/16/2012 10:07:00 AM Please forgive a lot of my spelling errors here. I have a splitting headache and didn't want to got back and reread this. Thanks soupers. If anyone read my new poem even though it fit the poem I contemplated that there may be some offended by it. I'm sure that's why I got no comments. It passed my wife's okay that's why I left as i did the first post. Login to Reply