View From My Baclony - Another Wreck

Do you ever wonder why there are such things as STOP signs?
Here in Dominican Republic they are called PARE.
You can see them on most streets.
Yet it seems that no one pays much attention to these important life saving pieces of metal.
Friday night, coming home from listening to some Palos music.
Getting ready for a nice nights, or should I say early mornings, sleep.
I heard lots of talking outside on the street.
So I went to take a look.
There was a tow truck, flat bed.
There was a SUV, or as they call them here, Jepeta, upside down.
There was a car where I could only see the back end from above on my balcony.
There were police and people looking on.
Again, as has happened many times before, people did not STOP.
Again, there was a wreck where someone ran into the side of the building where I live.
Again, the ambulance came and took bloodied people to the hospital.
The first time I saw a vehicle hit with such an impact that it turned on its top on the little narrow streets of Colonial Zone.
Check the pictures and remember the moral of the story is:
"Please, please stop at stop signs and take precautions even when there are no signs. Life is too good to not pay attention."

Dominican Women and Their Suapes

Ok, first of all a suape is a mop, just to make that clear.

If you've been around any neighborhood in the entire country you will notice that most of the peoples years, the fronts of their homes, and inside is always very clean. Even if the yard is dirt you will find the place swept clean.

I have always felt that Dominicans, especially the women, have a love affair with their brooms and mops. I found this to be all so true a few days ago with my very own eyes.

I was passing my neighbors door and was going to ask her if she needed anything from the store. She was sitting on a plastic chair in front of the TV. She was asleep. In her hand, almost hugging it, was her mop. she fell asleep holding onto her Suape! She was not just holding it, she sort of had it in her embrace, almost like she was hugging it. I didn't want to disturb her as she looked so comfy so she didn't get to request anything from the store that day.

Later in the day I told her what I saw. We both had a good laugh at the poor mops expense.

Picture Slide Show of Haitian Earthquake

A friend of mine, Jaime, was here after leaving Haiti. He and his friend came to Dominican Republic waiting for a plane to return to his home in El Salvador. He was working in Haiti when the devastating Earthquake hit on January 12, 2010. He took these pictures with his cellphone camera and sent them to me to share with the world.

Continue to pray for the victims and their families and donate whatever you are able to a reputable charity. Thank you.