Rain. I've spent my life in rain. The hard, sideways downpours of December. The occasional showers of May. The constant drizzle the rest of the year. I'm from western Washington and I know rain. Don't love it, but it's part of life.

I thought when we came to the Dominican for a year, I'd be escaping the rain for the most part. Boy was I wrong. I don't think there has been a week in the past year that it didn't rain. It doesn't rain for 12 days in a row, a la Grays Harbor, (thank God for that) but there haven't been any drought concerns, that's for sure.

But rain in the tropics, at least in the Dominican, is different. Yes, it still travels down from sky to ground, and it's still wet. But it's effect on life is different; and in many ways, much different from what I'm used to. People dread it, or should I say fear it. I've always disliked rain, but I'm not afraid of it and it doesn't alter my life, except for perhaps the biggest storms when they hit.

But people here don't want to be caught in the rain. If they have an appointment at three, and it starts to rain at 2:30, they won't go and the meeting will likely be cancelled. Blowing off an appointment because of rain flabergasted me when I first heard of it.

Like back home, many mothers chide their children to stay out of the rain (with limited success). But even adults themselves are this way, avoiding rain at all costs.

One day Abby and a friend pulled up to a building. The doorman normally comes out and opens the door for them. But today it was raining. He didn't have an umbrella, and he said he had "gripe (gree-pay)," a cold, so he didn't want to step outside. They had to manage the door on their own. It seems to be universally accepted that catching a cold comes from recently getting rained on. You can explain that having wet hair doesn't spread viruses any more than dry hair, but it won't matter. Rain brings and exacerbates sickness.

And sometimes, just plain old water in any form is the enemy. Months ago at one of Malachi's baseball practices, his face was beat red from running in the blazing sun. I took his water bottle and poured water on his head, sloshing around his hair to cool him off. One of the mothers there quickly rushed over and told me not to do that. It'll make him sick if you put water on him when he's hot.

That was the first time I'd heard of that. I explained it was the opposite. You need to cool down as much as you can when you're hot. Water's a good way to do that.  She was certain that was wrong, that if he gets wet he'll get sick, and warned me not to do it again.

I thought these ideas were very silly. And perhaps in some ways they are. But I've also seen some things happen that show me why these beliefs are held.

Rain messes up travel in ways we rarely see in Washington. Usually when it rains here, it rains hard. The drainage can't handle it and the streets flood within minutes. Driving through large puddles is never a great idea, but here there's a bigger problem. Potholes. Potholes are everywhere and cars constantly swerve to avoid them. But when it rains, they fill and you can't tell where they are. If you hit one of those at regular speed, you can pop a tire or break an axle. It's a nightmare.

Beyond this, a large segment of the city population doesn't drive. Which means they walk or stand in the rain as they head for public transportation. And then show up soaking wet at their destination. Even if you have an umbrella, cars and trucks drive by drenching you as you stand on the sidewalk. Best to avoid that if you can.

And as bad as this is, it's worse outside the city. There the streets are mud, and so are the house floors. A heavy rain can not only make your street impassible, it can destroy your home, washing it away in a flash flood of garbage and refuse. Undeniably the illness fears comes from this very thing, as sanitation fields and garbage piles were overrun, and the foul water carried into towns and villages, sickening many. They remember major illnesses that followed the rains, and the two are forever linked.   

So the rain is the same no matter the plain it falls on. (Couldn't resist). But results may vary.   

Toothbrush Day

Friday was toothbrush day. I guess it goes without saying that in these poor areas, dental hygiene can be neglected a bit. There's a grandma of several of the kids that Veronica lets come and eat. She's clearly not quite right in several ways, and Veronica tells me she lets her come because otherwise she wanders the streets and she's worried she'll get run over and killed. She shuffles in every day wearing a thin, dirty t-shirt, caprice pants and worn-out sandals.  She rarely speaks. Just sits on one of the plastic chairs waiting for the food to be served, and then shuffles back out sometime afterwards. I suppose she's lived in the neighborhood her whole life.

 At any rate, this lady doesn't have more than 5 teeth in her mouth, I wouldn't guess. She sits eating with her head cocked a bit to one side, pounding the food into submission with her jaws. She's older, but it's common to see clear signs of tooth decay in adults younger than her as well. Of course, this can lead to a whole host of health problems, even illness and infections throughout the body.

So a while ago, after talking with Abby, my Mom went around to some local dentists in the Grays Harbor area and got donations of toothbrushes and toothpaste. There were several that were very generous and we had two large bags of supplies.

Over the past month, Veronica has made some changes. They have started serving food everyday again. That's a major leap of faith considering the amount of food it will require. But she has also started to set up a system to make it all work. The parents or guardians of the kids have officially "enlisted" them at the center. There is a critical second reason for this, but the first reason is now she knows how many kids to expect daily. About 120 for now. Also, she can assign roles to the older kids. This, in particular, has been awesome.

There is a small group of older children, 12-14 in ages I would guess, that are small group leaders. They make sure their group of kids is there, seated, ready to pray, ready to eat, and behaving. A few older teens oversee the leaders. And of course Veronica, the 2 or 3 adult volunteers (and Abby and I the days we're there) are always available. It's great to see the leadership skills and sense of responsibility being developed. They are developing a vital skill that will benefit them for life.



Big thanks to hometown dentists, Dr. Tomlinson, Dr. Cowles, Dr. Earnest, and Dr. Lemon!!!!!!! THANK YOU so much!!!!



 So that was how the toothbrushes were dispensed. The group leaders took a handful and passed them out to their kids as they sat in their groups waiting. This may seem unremarkable, but undoubtedly some of you have been to a very poor location and have seen what can happen with gifts. An outsider showing up with something to pass out for free can be an absolute nightmare. The poverty and need combine with greed, desperation and a mob mentality that can literally endanger the safety of everyone there as the crowd presses in shouting and reaching for anything that can get.

I wouldn't call the scene here in Bienvenido "quiet" exactly, (they ARE kids after all) but at least it was calm and organized. Everyone got a toothbrush, and almost everyone got toothpaste. When the toothpaste ran out, we tried to make sure a sibling had one so at least it would be in the house.

But first, I lectured them sternly about using it, not just getting a prize. "Raise your hand if you're not going to use it," I said. A few hands went up.

"You won't use it? Well that's good to know because we can save yours for a different kid then."

"Oh, no, no." The hands dropped quickly. "I'll use it," they all said enthusiastically.

I hope so. I'll have to check in when we get out there next.