Photomania! ! ! !

I am organizing abut 800 photos we took on the last trip. The photos remind me of so many WONDERFUL memories from our trip. The digital age has allowed us Americans to go overborad with our photo taking. Especially in the Dominican where they love to have their photo taken. You often hear the children yelling "photo, photo" if they see you with camera in hand. Each time I return to the DR I try to take prints back and give them to the people. It's a small thing to us, but to them cherished as I now see the photos in frames displayed in their homes.

This photo of Ragitta is one of my favorites. She is from a poor Haitian family that has five chilren. She has been in our school for the pasat three years. She now goes to the government school for 2nd grade. On this day I visited their home and brought nail polish. We polished all the girls fingernails. Not wanting to leave the boys out I offered to paint their nails as well. No way! That was a girl thing.....but I explained that it is really cool for the boys to have just their right hand pinky painted. Soon all the boys were thrusting their hands at me as well as the girls.

It is very rewarding to spend time with the children doing simple things and interacting with them. Their smiling faces capture the real essence of life - joy and happiness!