Rainbow Families Foundation Newsletter - October 2005

October 2005

The weather here has been unbearably hot. We've had a lot of rain. There was flooding on the west coast near Haiti and I heard people had drowned from the landslides and river rising. It has not affected the Puerto Plata area thank goodness. I still have the '96 Toyota Camry from last year. Thank goodness the car was in the same condition as I left it in last October. I need to pay for the car insurance. It was parked in a garage with iron bars (no garage doors) of Anny's cousin. She lives in the house of her mother with her husband and son. Her mother lives in Spain. Here there are not too many "garages" like we have in the US. I had to buy a used tire since the roads are so bad I had a slice in the sidewall. A used tire was almost $50. Gasoline is over $4 a gallon so I don't drive too much. Returned to the DR end of August. I believe my passport expires 19 November. I am staying in the home of one of the members of the church. It is small and cramped but I feel safe. There is not a refrigerator or stove. One friend loaned me a twin size air mattress to sleep on. The electricity has come on this evening and it is not raining for a change. I donīt remember the weather being so hot as it has been here recently. Very uncomfortable. Nothing new in the case I have. I am not sure of the process but the lawyer I have through the church does not speak english and sometimes we have communication problems. I sometimes think it is more frustrating for the Spanish speakers than for me. The sugar cane field workers finished work today. I understand that all the cane has been harvested. The workers returned from the fields in the back of the semi tractor trailers and the driver was tooting the horn and the workers were all shouting in celebration. I know they have been working 12 hour days, 7 days a week. Fortunately they get a break from working so hard but unfortunately they will be without work for several months.