Our neighbors

The street that runs behind our apartment is a poor neighborhood. Tiny houses line one side of the street. On the other side is a sort of wooded area. It has tall palm trees and lots of shorter vegetation. A triple barbed wire fence encloses it and is used as the clothesline for the women in the houses. There appears to be a communal washing machine that sits in front of one of the houses.

The ground under the trees is bare dirt with dead palm fronds scattered across it. This is the playground for the young children. Today when we passed it appeared that they’d built a lean-to camp and were happily playing under the lean-to. Another time a table and some plastic chairs were inside the fence. Children were gathered around watching men playing a spirited game of dominoes.

Often a group of boys are playing marbles in the middle of the street, or having a rousing game of baseball using a stick and some seed pods that are about the size of a lime. It is fun to watch the enjoyment that they create for themselves.
Last night we took a walk on the beach early in the evening. Walking home at dusk we found the entire street filled with people. Chairs had been brought out and groups of adults were gathered in front of their houses. Their conversation and laughter was accompanied by music emanating from many of the houses.
Children were playing in the street, I couldn’t tell if they were organized games but seemed to be having a wonderful time. The occasional car or motor-scooter would come zooming down the street, the children would scatter and then resume their play.
It is moments like these that make our stay in Las Terrenas such a special experience for us.