Monday, January 29 (lunes, 29 de enero)

The Trashing of Sosua ... People love coming to Sosua. Many of us live here much of the year. Others find a way to vacation here as often as possible.

I read about and hear many refer to Sosua as "such a beautiful place."

If you have selective vision, it is a beautiful place with tropical flowers, palms swaying in the ocean breeze, an above average beach situated at the end of quiet Sosua Bay.

But, it is impossible to walk anywhere in this little city without seeing the tons of trash virtually covering Sosua.

It would take 1000 people several days to clean it up.

I was going to call today's blog, "The Trashing of the Dominican Republic." But, I really cannot do that because I have not travelled enough throughout the country to say that with accuracy.

I do know this, Sosua is a littered mess. Such a shame!

The reason it is a littered mess is because the dominicans here take no pride in keeping their little city clean.

Hundreds of times I have seen them walking down the street and toss their empty soda bottle or their candy bar wrapper to the ground.

It is not that there are no garbage cans around. Places to throw the trash are situated all around town. The dominicans just see no value in using them. It is easier to throw their trash to the ground than to walk a few steps to the nearest garbage can.

I guess it is a cultural thing. The people have not been taught to clean up after themselves so they do not place any priority on doing so.

I suspect only when the government declares cleanliness a priority and institutes serious fines for littering will our city rebound from the mess it is now.

Sosua is a tropical paradise as long as you have selective vision and see only that which is beautiful.

"Favorites" ... Favorite Place To Connect To The Interrnet

For me it is Hamburger Paradise because it is right across the street. It is very handy.

But, I believe the best place in town to use your laptop with it's wireless connection is Rocky's Blues Bar. Rocky's is a nice place to spend the morning. Breakfast is a bit more than $100 pesos. It is covered and quiet and a nice place to meet friends and make new ones.

Hamburger Paradise Is Moving

Tom will be moving his restaurant this week. He is moving across the street to the News Cafe site. I think it is going to be a great move for him. The News Cafe site is completely covered and is much bigger. It is even closer for me since it is directly in front of our little apartment complex. I know I will be spending lots of time there. I hope it will be a successful move for Tom.

Word For The Day

Es Tu Turno ... It is your turn

Kids Learn Languages Much Faster Than Adults ... There are two Hungarian men living in our little apartment complex. One of them lives with his son and daughter. His daughter, Jenny is, I would guess 8 or 9 years old. Already Jenny speaks three languages fluently; Hungarian, English and Spanish. Incredible!

Often I go to her for help with a spanish word. This morning I asked her how to say, "it is your turn." She knew instantly. When I looked it up, I found she was correct. I am so envious of her ability to pick up the language.

La Vida Aqui Esta Muy Bien ... Hasta Luego!