Galapagos

A blog post by Adam (pictures by Melissa). I wanted to opt for a cheap boat. Melissa did not. In the end she was right. Because we paid a little more, we had an amazing guide and perhaps even more importantly lots and lots and lots of gourmet food. Unfortunately we never took pictures of the food, but here are some photos of what we saw...

A land iguana, showing off its claws (North Seymour Island).

A male frigate bird attempts to impress with an inflated red chest (North Seymour).

Blue Footed Boobie (North Seymour)

Two marine iguanas stretch out, attempting to cool off under the brutal Galapagos sun (Fernandina Island).

A giant tortoise with it's mouth full (Santa Cruz Island). 

Posing on a "tunnel" - a rare volcanic formation over the ocean (Isabela Island)

A 20 day old baby tortoise next to a tortoise shell (from a breeding center on Isabela Island)

A flamingo spreads its wings (Isabela Island)

Lots of complaints, uncrowded streets, no begging kids, and advertisement free.

A blog post by Adam. For national security concerns, that's  all I can say.

Saying goodbye

A blog post by Adam. On February 3, 2014we left the Dominican Republic. We first arrived on May 14, 2013. On June 15 we moved to La Romana and on July 1 we began our volunteer jobs. In the big scheme of things staying in a country for nearly 9 months, or living in the same city for 7 and a half months, or working at the same place for seven months isn't all that much. I was at JFS for 7 years, and had lived in Seattle for a total of 15 years before we left on our trip. Nevertheless, it wasn't easy to say goodbye.

Both Melissa and I had become accustomed to our apartment and our neighbors, particularly the two little girls and boy who lived in our building. We were also really starting to feel integrated at our volunteer sites. It was hard to say goodbye to neighbors and co-workers alike. 

For me, however, more than anything else, saying goodbye meant saying goodbye to Mina. During our time in La Romana I had gotten used to dinners with Mina, and trips to the beach together, and even sitting around her bedroom to watch Downton Abbey. I wondered if we would ever again share time like this on a regular basis.

I had also gotten to see Mina as an incredible manager at work. I don't believe I've ever seen a boss so devoted to her staff, so concerned about their personal and professional well-being. The board of directors knew all too well how she managed nearly 80 staff and a $1,000,000 budget as well as anybody could. But were they aware that every weekend she visited ill staff members in their homes, supporting both the staff and their families? Did they know she personally wrapped all the staff Christmas presents by hand? Had they ever heard how much she thought about staff who were struggling financially? My younger sister was not only one of my closest friends but also a role model. That's not something you can really replicate.

And so saying goodbye meant far more than just moving on to our next adventure. It meant trying to cherish an amazing time in the DR - the place we lived, the people we met, and most of all, the time with Mina.

The three of us on our second to last day in the DR (at Boca de Yuma).

Our home

A blog post by Adam. We have left the Dominican Republic, which seems unbelievable. Our time went by so quickly.

Much of our life there was been spent in our apartment, which we made into a nice bare bones home. It will was hard to say goodbye and so for posterity's sake, here is a quick tour of our home...

Our kitchen and diner room table. Note the location of the stove.

The stove...precariously propped up between the counter and fridge. Below it sits the full gas tank.  Very safe.

The living room, as seen from the kitchen. Nothing was too far away in our tiny home.

The bed and closet (in the bedroom)

The closet with doors open.

A view from the bed...desk, bedroom window, bedroom fan, drying rack, TV, and of course, washing machine.

The bathroom.

Melissa re-enacts toilet use in the bathroom. With about a foot of space between toilet and wall, it was a tight fit.

A view of the other side of the bathroom, including our mirror hung above the towel rack instead of the sink.