For man two wings are necessary. One wing is physical power and material civilization; the other is spiritual power and divine civilization. With one wing only, flight is impossible. Two wings are essential. Therefore, no matter how much material civilization advances, it cannot attain to perfection except through the uplift of spiritual civilization.
(Abdu'l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 12)
All things Dominican have made their way into our lives: bachatas, Goya, cafe, and of course una muy buena gente....
These past few days have been a bit slow with the lack of vehicle. We spent our first day in the Baha'i Center situated on top of this pretty serious mountain.
In order to get anywhere we would have to walk all the way down and catch a bus, which is easier said than done. Anyway, we had no idea where we going or what we were doing our first day. Luckily the second day the gardener, Natalie, who comes to water daily, rescued us to her place. She and Dina--this fiesty grandmother type from Brooklyn--own a small and beautiful house built above Mafalie's Daycare, which they run and own. Being stuck inside all day we were dying for company. Not only did we get the pleasure of the two best friends but also Dina's grandaughter, D.J. who is about as sharp as a fresh machete. They took us to Plaza Extra where Nasim and I went crazy for groceries. So many vegetables!
Since then we've gone on a walk around the hills near our house and have met two sisters. They were on their way out but we hope to have them over soon for dinner. Friday was a day out with the Dina and Nat again at an open mic where some junior youth and one second grader shared some of their poetry about stopping gun violence and taking care of the environment. Nas and I were floored. Junior youth don't seem to be scarce on this island, neither are animators. We just need to get crackin'!
Nasim and I have discovered our social ineptness after being at the University and the World Center for so long. We realized how much we tend to keep to ourselves when in public. We've been making an effort:
"What'd you get at the Fruit Bowl? Anything on sale?"
"What you got on your shirt, Scarface? Whadyou know about Scarface?!"
"Afernoon! How you doin' today?"
People are quick to answer and often crack a big smile.
Every Sunday the friends hold devotions on the beach. While I spent the majority of my time getting burnt with the kids playing in the sand, Nasim made her way over to two sisters from the Dominican Republic whose names are (no kidding) Virginia and Virginia. You can imagine the excitement when they found out later that I was from Virginia. We asked them about the state of their community and we all felt the need for unification therein. They were especially interested in starting Ruhi Book 1, which addresses our spiritual capacities and helps us realize our ability to serve our communities. They knew at least three people in their neighborhood who would be interested in studying together with them. Next Saturday we'll be meeting them at their house for a Dominican feast for body and soul. They also mentioned that they'd be willing to help us make friends on St. John to help start something over there.
We're meeting another Natalie from Jamaica tonight and her husband Dilip. I've spoken to her a few times on the phone and from what I can tell she's about as sincere as people come. If I had a penny for every smile around here I wouldn't even need the support of the funds!
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