A Little Something Sweeney: Family. Friends. Fiction. Food.

So, now that I´m almost 10 months into the mission (may have mentioned that before), I am getting Alzheimer´s de Hermana, o sea, I may have touched on this subject before (definitely don´t remember), but because I like it oh so well, I am only too happy to repeat it if such is the case. Once upon a time, in the 6th grade, I coveted a backpack in the form of the yin yang symbol that was being auctioned off in our classroom. And wouldn´t you know it, I seemed to be the only one who felt that way, because I managed to obtain it with relative ease. And since that moment, the Yin Yang has become my very favorite symbol. I´ve always liked the idea that there must be an opposite against which we can gauge the validity or value of an idea, experience, desire, etc. Cold exists, so I know what it means to be hot (especially nowadays). Darkness falls, and so I can enjoy anticipating the arrival of light. Everything has its perfect and equal opposite. But not all opposites are equally enjoyable. ...

Ok, so right out of the gate, I´ll come clean and say I have no time for this blogishness this week. It´s been real, and by real, I mean real hectic. But I will share some of my gems at least. I am known for nothing if not for my endless generosity. Firstly, I feel like I would be doing the world a real disservice if I didn´t mention that Olga FINALLY, finally got baptized, along with her two kids José and Rocío. It would have been a beautiful and proud moment if our drunk friend hadn´t had to have been escorted off the premises for harassing everyone and if the keyboard we had brought down from storage wasn´t missing two important keys and if José hadn´t gone into hiding right before the baptism started. Much like the famed YouTube video, "David after Dentist," most of the time I just have to slap myself and ask "is this real life?" Oh, it is. It is, and thus, so much juicer. But don´t worry, we didn´t force the young lad to get baptized. After searching for 15 min...

Well, I find myself once again sitting in front of this computer, in this computer café, in Azua. I think by the end of my time here in Azua, I´ll actually miss it. I feel like almost 6 months later, I practically own the place. I might even have squatter´s rights, if such a concept can apply to an entire town. But at the very least, I´ve been here long enough to make some friends, acquaintances, and whatever else you want to call some of the special members of the missionary "fan club." We´ll start with the good before moving on to the bad and the ugly. One of my favorite ward members is Hermana Fe. Of course, her real name is Esperanza, but no one here ever goes by their real name. Why would they? I sure don´t, even on the mission people still call me Sweeney, as I´ve mentioned before. It just makes me feel more Dominican that way. But to be fair, the name is on the tag I wear around all day, every day, so I guess I shouldn´t be so surprised. Anyway, Fe is one of those peop...

Here I am, world. Take it or leave it. Wow, that sounds like one of those horribly cheesy t-shirts that promotes having an individualistic attitude. But that´s nothing; I once saw a young lad right here in the D.R. sporting a doozy that said, "I dig your boyfriend." Well, if that isn´t ignorance is bliss in action, then I don´t know what is. But let´s get down to brass tacks. I am now officially nine months, working for 10, thank you very much. And yes, I did eat my pizza, and loved every morsel. Hermana Bryant thought it was a bit too doughy but that´s the difference between her and I - I have NINE MONTHS and my taste buds have been sandpapered down to nothing, so I enjoy even simple flavors. Don´t worry, Hermana Bryant, it will happen to you too, con tiempo. But speaking of dead, I feel like it would only be fair to point out that I am killing off all the men of my mission. To kill a missionary, as I think I may have explained, you have to be in their zone and have a connec...