Reunions

March 24, 2026 – Seattle to Dominican Republic

After a brief stopover at home, we are back on the road again – this time to the Caribbean. First stop is the Dominican Republic to visit Siri’s Peace Corps host family. It will be quite the reunion after 35 (!) years away. We will spend a few days in the capital, Santo Domingo, playing tourist – things we didn’t get to do when Siri lived here. Then, we will take the 3 hour bus ride to San Juan de la Maguana to visit Rivin and Fefen, Siri’s host family for a year when they lived in the farming village, Laz Zanjas.

We know a lot has changed since 1991 when she left. Google maps show us that the dirt road into Laz Zanjas now looks paved and there is a whole city now where there used to be just a few homes. I was able to visit Siri for a few months in the DR (Dominican Republic) when I finished up my volunteer teaching in Indonesia, so I’m also interested to see how it has grown up over the years and reconnect. I remember Fefen taking me on a day long motorcycle ride when I knew no Spanish. I remember lots of hand gestures and smiles – gets you pretty far actually.

Rivin is very excited to have us visit. She is a bit disappointed that we didn’t bring our kids along. Rivin says she has kept all of the photos and materials from when Siri was there. She also said that Siri did leave a lasting impact on her and the village. The public health committee, Siri started to first build latrines and improve children’s nutrition, seems to have kept going for several years after she left. Rivin has became active in local politics. It will be good to hear these stories first hand and reminisce about the good ol’ days.

Siri has gotten out the old boxes of letters and materials from her Peace Corps days. There she has found the quarterly and annual reports she made to the Peace Corps head office. She has found the community newsletters that she would create by copying then hand coloring to make them interesting.

“Rividaria Rodriguez (Rivin) was by far an overiding force in the amount of things accomplished by the comite.  She is very dynamic and inteligent, open to new ideas adn new ways of doing things, and she is interested in working, not talking.” Siri wrote in her final report in October 1991.  One can see why Siri and Rovin hit it off.

Under the heading of “Things Accomplished” she lists the 50 latrines built with 50 more on the way, reforestation education, and the formation of the The Comite Pro-Desarollo de la Communidad de las Zanjas (that Siri helped form in 1990).  “It has given new life and growth to Las Zanjas” she concludes.

We have also gone through all the photos –  bringing back memories and emotions of a much earlier time when we had just finished college and were just starting our way in the world.

• There is the latrine being built – after Siri said she would never do that, except that is what the committee wanted to do first, so she took their lead.
• All the kids – running in the dirt streets, swimming in the irrigation canals, always smiling
• The friendly families – always inviting you in for coffee
• The baseball games – that is right, baseball is REALLY big in the DR – lots of Major League baseball players grew up here
• The adventures – biking across rivers, summitting mountains, illegally crossing into Haiti to get to the local market, lots of time in long bus rides from cities to towns to beaches to visit other Peace Corps volunteers.
• The dances and parties – remembering sneaking in the rum to mix with the cheap Coke at the dance club – with Rivin and Fefen!
• The people – as always it comes back to the people. Those who invited you in, when they didn’t need to, those who helped out others, and those who had whole backstory. Laz Zanjas was a true small town.

So, we head back into those memories and rush of emotions about coming back after so many years away. It will be good to create new memories and friendships on this trip. Wish us luck as we embark on this next adventure down memory lane.