Last Tuesday we toured the stately Palacio National. Completed in 1947, under the regime to the dictator Trujillo, the palace exhibits strong European architectural influences. Our Romanian guide (who speaks six languages fluently) enthusiastically described the history of the building and of the beautiful local marble and mahogany found throughout the palace.

We came ‘this’ close to meeting the President (see Zach ‘knocking’ on the door to the President’s office). After our tour, we enjoyed ice tea in Trujillo’s former bar. From the palace we crammed into Williams’ truck and our jeep and traveled to Williams and Lourdes’ home for a party. The Velez family hosted us all for a relaxed gathering complete with dominos, cards and watching the pirated version of Pirates of the Caribbean III . Thank you, Velez family, for your generous invitation and a lovely party.

This weekend SSTers traveled in groups of 3-4 to sites around the country to complete their Village Study. Lindsay, Tom and I randomly chose the sites for the village studies—early reports are that some towns on the map don’t exist. But DR SST students are intrepid and make their own adventures. Happily, everyone returned safe and well from their adventures this weekend. This afternoon we’ll gather to hear their stories. On Tuesday we’ll hear different perspectives on service and we’ll spend Wednesday getting ready for students to leave on their six-week service experiences.

We’ll keep you posted!