Dominoes

We have been keeping pretty busy the past couple of days. Each morning we wake up early to make it to the players practice and document as much as possible on video and photo's for their profiles. The practices last from about 8am until 12pm- a four hour baseball practice! For me, being someone who doesn't usually enjoy baseball a whole lot and finds it to be fairly boring, I stay really entertained. It is mostly due to the relationships that I am building with the players and how much they have impressed me with their talent. It is a lot of fun to watch them and the passion they have for the game. They absolutely love to get out and play. Watching them turn double plays in practice in 85 degree heat as I stand 10ft from them taking pictures on the field is a rush! One of the things I have really noticed is the amount of respect I have for the players and their abilities. I have never really considered myself much of a baseball player, and to even think about playing with these guys is a humbling experience. They all throw so hard and hit so well that it is overwhelming. It's a good reminder for me and a great experience to stand back and just be impressed by the things they make look so easy.

In addition to baseball, Dominicans love to play dominoes. Most people probably think of dominoes as being a fairly reserved game, yet they add their carribean flare to the game. They love to slam the dominoes on the table, as if making their presence known that they are ready to take you down. Last year I watched a game played in Algadon, one of the batays (villages), and the players would slam down the dominoes nearly every turn. The added flare of their game was that the loser would have to wear several clothes pins somewhere on their face until the end of the next game as a punishment for being the loser.

Although we have remained busy during the dya by attending practices in the morning and editing video and pictures in the afternoon, we do get some free time. One of the joys of our freetime, or atleast mine, is playing dominoes. Much like baseball, dominoes has been another very humbling experience! Although I love to play and enjoy the leasureness and strategy of the game, I am earning the reputation as the worst player. We usually play in pairs against eachother and I have become a source of bad luck! It's terrible. Knowing that I enjoy playing, but that I have lost about 8 games in a row keeps me in check, much like thinking that I can play baseball.

Tomorrow we will be attending practice in the morning again, documenting like usual. The players so far have taken kindly to us. We will see if that continues tomorrow as Seth and I will be running part of their practice for strength and speed training. I just hope they don't hate us when it's all said and done because we plan on working them pretty well. Tomorrow we will also have a chance to meet the new cook who will be preparing lunches for them. It will be the first day in the start of the new program, one of the many accomplishments of the trip thus far. In the afternoon some of the members from the UPC team of 70+ people will be arriving, several of whom are good friends of ours. I have no doubt that we will enjoy our time together tomorrow night. I will try to post more pictures tomorrow. Until then, Adios!