Almost a Week since we left!

So tomorrow marks a week since we departed Wartburg for the Dominican Republic, and things have yet to really slow down. We are still working on making progress among the communities in the Bateys surrounding the area we are staying. Yesterday with the wall building we made it through all of the digging we needed to get done and also were able to make some supports to help to support the cement foundation once we get to a point where we can pour it.
Today we did not make it back to the Batey where we are building the wall. Rather, we spent our time delivering food, clothing, toys, and medication to other Bateys. I don´t think I will ever stop being amazed at how quickly the people in the Bateys find out that we have arrived and are giving out the things we do. We also had a doctor along with us that saw as many patients as he could for any examination of illness or to get vaccinations. After we had some what of a hectic and chaotic time distrubiting items it was decided that we could use a little bit of break or ciesta from everything that had been going on. In this light we headed to Boca Chica.
The water was absolutely beautiful, completely transparent, and pleasantly warm. I really enjoyed this experience not just for the relaxation but for being able to experience another part of Dominican culture. While at the beach as obvious ¨tourists¨, we were immediatly mobbed by vendors with everything from ice cream and coconuts as well as beautiful art. It was hard to resist not spending all your money since things were beautiful and also we all know that this is the only way they can make money and quite possibly if buy from them or not decides whether they eat or not. Now that we have taken this little vacation from our vacation we look foward to getting right back into work tomorrow.
So to this point I have mainly told what we have done but not really how I have been effected by it. So here we go. I honestly don´t think that the seriousness or extent of the poverty the people are in within the Bateys has really set in or hit me. Although I know that just as I was kind of worried, the language barrier has taken a toll on me. It has been able to frustrate me to great extents because I feel helpless. On the same note I notice that either way the children still want to play or just hold my hand even if I am unable to speak with them. They just want some attention as most of them probably do not see their parents very often as their parents are off in the fields for like 12 hours a day before being able to come home. I hope to be able to give a little more insight on this as we go to let you know how I change and what more I learn. I will write later but til then Adios!!