Five Years

Five years…….

It’s hard to believe that we have been living in the Dominican Republic for five years.  Five years ago today Ross and I were sitting in a hotel room with Jack, Shelby and all our worldly possessions.  Where has the time gone?  The days seem to run into each other with a constant flurry of activity.

I’ve been reading back on some of my old blogs and can’t help but laugh at some of the things we have experienced.   Watching the “locals” doing things we just can’t contemplate as being wise or safe.  We thought we were seasoned – boy were we “green”!

We’ve experienced tropical storms, hurricanes, earthquakes and have decided wholeheartedly that these are events that not only should not be taken lightly, but we really don’t want to go through them on a regular basis.

We’ve made some amazing friends, made a few enemies, lost good friends whose health just gave up.  We have laughed and cried (well maybe more crying by me than Ross).  We’ve had our hearts broken a few times too.

We’ve missed family gatherings, and lost contact with a few family members for reasons we can’t begin to understand – but, we still think of them often with a variety of emotions.  We can only control our thoughts and actions and not those of others.

People often ask us “what is it like to live where you are living?”  Well, it is sometimes a daily challenge but isn’t life a challenge wherever you live?  What makes living in Canada right compared to anywhere else in the world?  Life is what you make it – so make the best of what you have and make each moment count. 

Living life in the DR is sometimes like living in the Wild West.  Lawlessness sometimes is the lesson of the day.  Petty crime and sometimes not so petty crime abounds around the world and it is not different here.  One of our biggest challenges is trying to figure out the concept of guilty until proven innocent. 

Weather was a big factor in deciding where Ross should spend his retirement years.  Who can complain about warm temperatures 365 days a year?  No snow although I must admit I do miss fall and early winter.  The aches and pains are not nearly as exaggerated as they are by cold temperatures but as we age, they are there.

One of the funniest questions I think we were asked was “so, what to you guys eat?”  Keep in mind, this came from someone who had never been to the DR.  My initial response wanted to be “bugs and grubs”.  Well, to live in this country, you must love chicken!  Fast food and convenience foods are not practical so you are forced to make a lot of “homemade” things.  You eat healthier.  We cook healthier as almost everything here is not fed antibiotics or sprayed with toxic fertilizers.

We’ve added to our dog family – thanks to a dear friend who lost his battle way too early in life introduced us to the love of Belgium Malinois.  We have a pack of amazing, intelligent dogs who keep our lives interesting to say the least.

The end of the first five years brings many emotions.  Where do we go from here?  Well, I would say to the beach but for anyone following my blogs, the beach isn’t always a good idea when you take dogs with you!  We will just keep on the path we are following and enjoy each day as a gift.

I have a dog

No, actually I have six dogs.....There should be a self-help group for people who have more than two dogs........

I have one dog who has an over-active bladder....she won't sleep more than five or six hours and begins to bark because she needs to pee.  I can sleep for seven hours before I have to pee.    A dog should be able to do the same.  I am tired.  Ross is tired.  You can not continue to sleep when this dog barks at you.  The dog should learn to use the toilet.

This is Gaby who is seven months old.  Gaby needs to learn that 5 am pee times are not appropriate.  Her sister, Titch, can hold her bladder for 10 hours.

My dogs like to eat.  They eat clothes, linens, trees, grass, rocks, five gallon water bottles, the fridge, bugs, dirt, money, cardboard, whatever is made of anything chewable and naturally their food.  It must be noted that when picking up poop in the yard, it is easy to find after they have consumed any colourful type of plastic.

We have the neighbours from hell.  They have 14 dogs.  Their dogs bark and howl 24/7 most days.  They are ugly dogs.  They are stupid dogs.  Our dogs hate their dogs.  You can probably see where I am going with this.  They need to join a self-help group.  This will make them and their dogs leave....permanently.

Our neighbours from hell are also deaf.  They yell, they don't talk.  They yell, their dogs bark.  They have their TV outside.  When they yell over their TV, their dogs bark and howl.  I think living close to the airport would be quieter than the volume on their TV.  They watch cartoons on Italian channels.....sometimes until midnight.  Our bedroom window faces their terrace.  I am learning Italian whether I want to or not.

I noticed that it has been two years since I blogged.  Where does time go?  Well, the obvious answer is that it flies past, and fast.  The days seem to run into each other and with our insane social calendar, life is flying by.

We are going to a Dominican Style Pig roast this week.  We have a birthday party invitation this week.  We had a going away gathering at our local colmado earlier in the week.  I have my volunteer work two half days a week.  Ross is busy trying to entertain the dogs from hell every day - Ebony Gaby and Titch are Belgium Malinois x German Shepards.  They are working dogs.  they need constant exercise and brain games or they wreck/eat things.

At some point we try and find time to clean the house.  And I forgot about the swimming pools that need to be cleaned by Ross three or four days a week (our dogs like to swim).  Oh, and there is my English Muffin sales plus a small bookkeeping job.  No rest for the wicked as they say.

About two weeks ago we had our second annual Calgary Stampede breakfast.  We showed our friends once again exactly how to have a great breakfast party.

I guess I should be grateful that our health is relatively good and we can enjoy each day.  We take the punches that this country gives us and we just keep on going.  Chin up and all that (I am learning to speak British - we have a lot of British friends.  They are learning to speak Canadian although I must admit, they don't learn very quickly).  We wake up to sunshine and warm (OK HOT) days as it is summer here.  The pool from hell keeps us sort of cool.  We are blessed with family visits occasionally.  We have great friends who offer a support network when times are tough.  We are alive and kicking!

and they sleep.......sometimes.....