“Why are you holding her back?”

Sunday, March 29, 2026

The smiles, stories, laughter, and lots of photos come quickly.  Photos on phones are passed around as well to add to the mix.  Rivin is laughing, Siri is smiling and all is good in the Domican Republic on this first day of the reuinion of old friends.

Rivin has seemd to keep every photo and piece of paper from Siri’s time here from 1989 to 1991.  Siri only started renting out their old store front attached to the main house from Rivin in her second year, but that seems to have been quite the catalyst for more positive changes.

Katy, Rivin’s daughter now 44 and with three of her own kids, laughs along as they remember Siri telling Fefen that he should help out in the kitchen – and he did.  His first, and last time, that he washed dishes.

Fefen has mellowed now that he is 72.  He still checks on his rice fields, pigs and cows each morning with the 30-minute drive back to Las Zanjas.  He smiles at these stories and chimes in a few times.  I remember him as the gregarious one, with his shirt unbottoned showing his large gold chain, drinking and chain smoking, and dancing.  Now he is proud to tell us that he and Rivin have been married 50 years and retells the story of how he saw her after a baseball game when he was 22 and she was 18.  He courted her for a month or so, got engaged and then they were married five months later.  He says he couldn’t be without her.

But the highlight and the focus is on Rivin.  Siri remembers encoruaging her to go back to school and even telling Fefen that he shouldn’t hold her back.  Rivin ended up starting a local high school, so that her son and others wouldn’t have to go into the city.  Their first classroom was Siri’s old place, the old storefront.  When her son began his senior year, Rivin joined him (she hadn’t finished herself) – and they graduated together.  She then went onto University and graduated at 43.  She then worked for Public Health for 10+ years – even getting a report written for her good work.

A pretty amazing story. 

Just reminds me that you may never know the impact you have on those around you. 

Rivin was Siri’s second mom while she lived here in the DR and even Siri says she has many of the mannerisms of her own mom.  The ultimate hostess, understated, cares deeply about others, and just does the work.

You can tell that the feeling is mutual.  Rivin takes Siri in as one of her own children.  We find out that she was even following Siri’s career as an elected school board member – they even cheered as she won her first election. 

Rivin, and her family, have become very active politically these past two decades.  Due to the political patronage system, it is also the only way to secure many important governement positions.   Many of the conversations turn back to their candidate,  President Donilo Medina (2012-2020), who they feel significantly helped out their community and the country. 

We end the first day together playing games with Katy’s 12-year son.  We play cards – we teach Katy Uno and ‘Kings in the corner’, and in turn they teach us a version of ‘steal the pile.’  We continue on with different games we have brought as Rivina and Fefen smile and keep asking who is winning.  We aren’t really keeping score, just enjoying this time to reonnect.