Where did the pics go?

Perhaps I should stick to text--my pics in the previous post have disappeared! Oh well, perhaps they will reappear later.

Yesterday I spent three hours standing in a line to get the required new ID card. Someone could've made some money renting out chairs. My reward was to get a piece of paper and to be told..."Maybe" in August, it will be ready, at which time I will have to go wait in another long line to pick it up. Long waits in lines are the norm, and everyone hates it, but no one does anything about it.

There will be something you have to do, and it will involve a long wait, and there is usually no way around it. Unless, of course, you have a friend or relative that works there...in which case they will get right in, and make everyone else wait longer. The only other way to get around it is to pay someone to go do your errands for you. There are even people who work as line place-holders, who will stand in line for you, and then call you when your place is close to the front.

(I just heard the children at a nearby school cheer. That means the electricity just came on!)

As soon as I arrived at Mi Esperanza yesterday, they wanted me to take a profile pic and send it off immediately. That meant a trip back home, and school was over for me for the day. It takes so long to get around that it isn't easy to get to the school twice in one day.

So yesterday I got some important things done, things that were necessary, it's true. But the day felt wasted, because everything took so long. I spent probably almost two hours of my time on public transportation. I was able to get several hours of computer work done, but any day I don't get to spend much time with the deaf students/teachers, feels like a day I didn't get much accomplished.

Ah, but that's American thinking. If I go into Dominican mode, I can be much more relaxed about a day like today. Because here we are not obsessed with time.

A girl's 15th birthday is very important. She has a big party, and she is dressed up like a princess, with crown and all. She has a cake that would rival a wedding cake. Her friends, relatives, and neighbors all come.

These days, one of the biggest features of the party is the picture taking. The birthday girl must pose with almost everyone there!

Usually a meal is provided. In this case a plate of various delights, among them empanada (dough wrapped around a filling and fried), spaghetti, potato salad, chips, and an apple slice.