You know? I have read the other guy's stories and I knew mine would be a little different being that I am "established" there in the Dominican Republic. What I can say here and now is what one man tosses away is another man's treasure.  I am glad that Rosaura was still free for me to find. I told you before I even met her that I knew I would get along with her. The things you told me about her were right on the money, Rosaura exceeded my expectations! It was a whirlwind week that started with my friends Rafael and Jose picking me up at Cibao Intl. Airport in Santiago. "Rosaura wasn't able to make it to meet you" Rafael and Jose said. Boy I was bummed out when I heard this. Here I was dressed up in a suit and tie for the occasion and she was not here to meet me. We stopped at a gas station outside of the airport and Rafael told me that he would be right back. Two minutes later a beautiful woman was climbing into the van, it was Rosaura.
This was the beginning of what would turn out to be a week that would change the course of my life. Rosaura is a simple but intelligent woman. As well as being very sweet she showed me that she wasn't just a pretty face. Her willingness to learn the English language and computers impressed me. The next day we went to Playa Grande  for a picnic on the beach. I brought along a digital camera for Rosaura. She took to that camera as a born natural. Posing here and there as I fired away. We sat under the trees at a table that was set up by man that works on the beach. The music played from my jeep and Rosaura and I danced under the trees. The music played a little too long and the battery in my Jeep died (oooops). This didn't bother Rosaura at all, she sat back in the Jeep and took a nap. The  Dominicans on the beach were right there to help out as always. This is the wonder of this country that cannot be explained in words. One must experience the beauty of these people to understand what I am writing. I didn't even get my fingers dirty as they worked away at prying the battery out of one of their cars and placing it into my Jeep to get me going. No money was asked for. "Just buy us a bottle of rum" they said.

Of course meeting her family was one of the first things I did that week. I spent a lot of time at her parent's house. When the family realized that I was very comfortable with their very basic accommodations they too were comfortable. This is an important factor for anyone wishing to visit the Dominican Republic to understand. An average North American or European man makes more money in one week then an average Dominican makes in several months. Poverty is considered "normal" here! If a person cannot accept the fact that these beautiful people live in corrugated metal, wood and cinderblock shacks they will not enjoy their visit there. Be prepared to see poverty but be prepared to experience the most hospitable and genuine people you will ever meet. I have already decided to make this country my country long before I met Diego and Rosaura. It is just until now that with Diego's help I was finally able to find a serious woman to share it all with.

I was able to earn the trust on Rosaura's father and mother and took Rosaura to a resort in Samana  My friend Jose and his girlfriend Yesenia came along with us. We took the 3 hour ride to Samana stopping for pictures along the way. Rio San Juan is a beautiful place to stop for taking Pictures. After a small problem with the a/c in our room we were then settled in and went to have dinner. Later that night we went to the disco and Rosaura and I danced for hours. Once again, it pays to know how to dance Meringue and Bachata as these extremely beautiful women cannot stop shaking their thing. The next day was spent at the pool as well relaxed and sipped drinks and ate lunch. A passing thunderstorm chased us under a roof of a poolside bar and Jose and I huddled there to keep our girls warm.

Sunday, September 21, 2003 would be a very eventful day! I took Rosaura, her father, brother and little sister to Nagua to visit family in the campo (country). For anyone interested in traveling throughout the country of the Dominican Republic should consider renting a Jeep (4X4) instead of a regular car and well worth the extra money. The roads here are horrendous but the scenery is wonderful. You will find yourself surrounded by complete desolation only to arrive into a small town completely isolated from everywhere else, it is fantastic! I took a bunch of pictures here at Rosaura' s family house. We went out to get plantain, banana and oranges in the groves. As Rosaura' s father and brother went to chop banana we relaxed to the music and even caught ourselves dancing in the middle of nowhere to meringue. Once we were back at the family house we chased our dinner (chicken) catching them and handing them off to the women to be prepared.

If you want to watch something that is quite entertaining try watching the men chase a chicken around while trying to hang on to his rum bottle at the same time. The music played once again and the camera was busy at work capturing images from scenes that can be seen daily in the campo of an average Dominican family live their life. We said our good-byes and loaded up the back of the Jeep with bananas a couple of chickens and a duck for dinner the next day. After more then three hours of enduring the rough roads and horrible driving of Dominican drivers we arrived BACK home in La Union, Sosua.

I went home a little before midnight and headed back to my apartment in Sosua. I was driving down a quite street and just passed my buddy Eddie Sports Bar when all the sudden my Jeep started lurching as I heard a huge boom and alarms going off. I am an east coast guy from New York and I experienced small tremors but never experienced an earthquake of a 6.5 on the scale.

People were out in the streets crying as I tried to make my way to a place that still had electric. I thought about Rosaura and her family and rushed over there to check on them. I spent the entire night comforting a very distraught family that could not even comprehend what was happening to them. I slept on a bed with four small children to keep them from being scared. This was an experience that I will not forget too soon!

The last day of my trip with Rosaura was spent doing what else but laundry, life does go on! After the laundry was done we decided to go into the campo in Jamao to visit Jose's parent's. Once again the chicken chase commenced as I sat there with Rosaura and watched with amazement. We ate and later I watched Rosaura and Jose win game after game in dominoes.

Later that night Rosaura and I visited with you at your House. We both conveyed our wishes to be removed from availability on your site. Thanks for waiting for us till almost 11 pm

Jeeesh...time sure flies down there. Once again not enough time to get together with you for any amount of quality time. I will be down there for your special day to see you marry your bride on October 26th. Rosaura and I look forward to a lifetime together and also a longtime friendship with you!

In closing I would like to say to any of you guys that are out there looking, that this guy Diego is the guy to see if you are serious in a Dominicana.  Diego will get the job done for you.  Best of luck!

Rosaura and Scott