Tag Archives: family

My 49th Birthday

Posted by on November 25, 2008 2 comments

>Well, as usual I’m behind on writing on my blog. Can you regular readers please forgive me (It’s not easy when I’m this old to remember everything) and for the non-regular readers maybe you should become regular readers so you could accept this little apology with the regulars.

My daughter (I’m her second mom, we are not blood even though it seems like it sometimes), Janna and her mom Xio made me a little birthday party in the Parque San Jose in Colonial Zone. I’m not really into celebrating my birthday. In USA I usually went camping to hide from all the party people. But here there was just no place to hide and I didn’t want to disapoint my Janna.

It was fun. I even got some pineapple upside down cake and little fancy sandwiches. Thanks Xio, Janna and my neighbors for the party.

I just cannot believe I’m 49. Almost 50! DAMN! I remember when my grandparents were 50 and I thought they were soooo old. Now that I’m almost there it just doesn’t seem that old anymore. funny how perspective changes.

The First Week

Posted by on January 11, 2006 No comments

When I got into the country and all through customs with my dog Sniffy and a few extra boxes of belongings (I didn’t get searched, I think they just wanted me and my barking dog, who had to pee, out of the airport). I was wheeling down the ramp to my waiting friends.

They both arrived in separate cars because of all the stuff I had. Good thing, it would have never fit in one car. Of course Uncle Juan had to reprimand me for being s stupid moving to DR when most Dominicans want out. But then he knew me well enough by then that I had a hard head and would do as I wished anyhow.

We got all loaded up and Carlos had the back seat all covered, don’t want to mess up his fine leather seats!. We were on our way to a big adventure.

They made arrangements for me to stay with an Aunt because she had dogs and would be OK with it. Of course first we had to stop and get a Presidente beer. Sniffys first time in a Colmado. She was right at home.

We arrived at the Aunts home and first thing she wanted to tie my baby out back with her dogs. Sniffy would never go for that. She would howl all the time she was chained up. She has never really been tied outside. She’s part of the family. Where I am she is. We discussed it for a while (which I have since learned that this is the Dominican way also, everything that one does or plans to do has to be discussed, “what if this happens”, or “maybe this might happen”, instead of just doing it and moving on. I kept telling them that I could not stay there if Sniffy had to stay outside.

So after it was dark outside, and we were still sitting there discussing where I was going to sleep, I finally got out the number for the hotel I always stayed in. I finally got them to let me use the phone after more discussion that the hotel probably wouldn’t let a dog stay there. I say just call the place and ask. Carlos decided he’d call because my Spanish wasn’t good.

The girl in the hotel remembered me and she asked the boss if I could have my dog, since it never came up before. She came back and said it was OK I just had to stay in a room in the back. Thank God for Apart Hotel Millenium! And also that I do work hard making myself be a memorable person..LOL!

Sniffy was right at home in the place. We went to the cafe and had a late night snack. Then we walked to the Colmado to say hi to some friends. Of Course drank some beer with them. Went back to the hotel, we both got our shower and went to sleep. She on her pillow and I on mine. Not sure if the hotel knew she slept in the bed too! But she is cleaner than a lot of humans I know!

We woke in the morning to Carlos calling to see if all was OK and he couldn’t take me around to look for apartments. So I started making phone calls to people I knew with cars, made arrangements to meet, got my paper and was off to look for a place for me and Sniffy to call home.

Felix Navidad

Posted by on December 25, 2005 No comments

Christmas again. I’m not really into Christmas anymore. About 2 years before my move to DR I decided not to celebrate Christmas. I told people it was my way to rebel against the commercialism of the holidays. I sort of liked it. I didn’t feel the pressure of having to buy gifts for people. I didn’t spend all that money an things that most people won’t use or need. (I feel if I want to buy someone something it means more if its not an obligatory gift bought on a day when one is supposed to buy a gift). My family didn’t like that I didn’t get into the season but I did what I felt I needed to do.

Now I sort of enjoy not celebrating. Getting together with friends and family is good but the gift thing. I’m not into that any more. That’s one good thing about Dominican Republic. Gifts are mainly for the children. Food and drink are for the adults, both of which I do enjoy.

When I was living in Colonial Zone for my first Christmas it was so nice. All the neighbors pitched in and put lights in the park and got a tree. They even had a band come and play in the park for tree lighting. The TV people were there also. It was a big thing. The ladies (not me) all cooked food and we shared all in the park. For me that was more special than all the gifts in the world. First that it was so simple and neighborly. Second that they included me, the new American neighbor, in the festivities. They all took me in. Even though I did not speak Spanish well. It was difficult communicating. Where I lived most have lived in the area for generations of at least knew someone that lived there. So for them to accept me really meant a lot to me.

I miss all my neighbors and friends there so much. I do hope when I return I can live in the same neighborhood with the people that I know and care about. Where I feel accepted and safe. I feel I belong in that neighborhood with those people. More than I ever felt I fit in to a neighborhood in USA.

Well..I have to call my Felix now. I miss him so. Then I’ll call my Dominican family, Mamita and Jimmy. Then my real Blood Aunt is coming for me and we will spend the afternoon with my grandparents, Maw and Pappap. After Aunt Lois is staying the night with me. We will have some laughs I’m sure. We always do.

Merry Christmas to all!

The Week of the Big Move

Posted by on December 18, 2005 No comments

The final week to be in USA arrived. Everything I had left at the flea market I sold for $50. I didn’t sell my Mobil home so I abandoned it. I sold my shed I built for $1000. All my credit cards had a forwarding address. Had my accounts all in order. All bills paid up. All was ready.

Preparing Sniffy, my humane society dog and best friend. I gave her a breed, a Miniature Barrel Shepard, because she didn’t have one and I didn’t want her to feel bad about that. I got her her flying crate filled with her favorite blanket and her cat bowl. All labeled. She had her traveling pills to relax her. She had all her stamps from Dominican Republic. She was already a Dominican citizen. I took her to the Vet for her papers to state she was healthy for the flight. When we came back to my parents house. My mother was sitting in her room. I went in to tell her Sniffy was all ready. She started crying,”Sniffy is going to die on the plane, she won’t like it there”. She cried over the dog! She never worried if I was going to be OK (this was a family joke for a long time)!

My friends had a going away party for me at the old local bar. My friend, Patty, took a video of it and I’ll cherish that video forever. It was a good time. An end to one life and a beginning of another. When a person moves all the promises of keeping in touch and visiting are forgotten in time. With the exception of a handful of special friends we have all lost touch. But its all OK. Memories of past times are always good.

My family also had a going away-Birthday party for me. It was a sort of picnic in the yard. Then we did a family dinner. It was nice. When we left the restaurant I hugged my grandparents good bye. I’ll never forget this in all my life. When my grandfather hugged me, and he hugged me tight. He whispered in my ear to go and do what I dream. Don’t worry what anyone says about what I do. Then he said, in a broken voice “I’ll probably never see you again. I love you”. It took everything in me not to cry. I didn’t want to break down in the parking lot. *My Pappap is now 93 and I have seen him again. Even when I think of this now I still feel tears welling up.

The day to leave came. Billy Jay and my dad took me to the airport. My mom didn’t want to go, she didn’t want me to go and didn’t want to cry in public I guess. I had Sniffy, the dog, who weighed about 80 lbs. I had my 2 check in suitcases which I weighed to make sure they were exactly the correct weight, I had my carry on piece of luggage, correct weight. I had 2 a large plastic tote box filled with my computer and all that went with it. Got weighed in but it seemed that the scale was a bit off. They let the luggage go but I had to unload some of the things out of the plastic tote. No fax machine and a few other things. Standing there emptying out the box with all the cases and the dog barking in her cage surround me. I’m sure I was a sight to be seen.

So all was done and proceeded to the line to enter the airport. Hugged and kissed my dad and my son. I didn’t cry. It was hard not to when my son and dad both had tears in their eyes. But I did it. Even as I had to stop to get my carry on luggage checked out. I had a box with all my jewelry in it. There was porcupine quill jewelry, coon peckers, a few coyote teeth. Not your normal jewelry pieces. They inspected, questioned and let me through. As Billy Jay and my daddy looked on.

As I flew away from USA I didn’t feel sad. I was so excited to start a new life in Dominican Republic. Then when I saw “my island” I cried, as I always did and knew I was home. The Dominicana Gringa has arrived!