Community Center: At Long Last

 Here we go amigos. For years and years it has been a dream of ours to open a community center for teens and youngsters in Madre Vieja.  Our first plan, during Campamento #3 in 2015 was to renovate an old space that had been used as a de facto community center (for meetings, karate classes, chess club, things like that) many years ago. But, that plan fizzled due to the ever changing political situation of the country. You see, the space was created and sponsored by the central government so when the PRD (Partido Revolucionario Demócratico) was in control six years ago we had access to the space because the PRD is the party of Doña Yolanda and most of the Montás family (we won't mention those family members who have moved on to other political parties as that's a sore subject. Not really, but it would be interesting if it were) and La Doña is a bigwig in the party. So, we began planning. But then the elections came up and the PRD lost and all of its initiatives, including the support our community center went by the wayside.

So, five minutes has now passed since I wrote that last sentence because as I was writing it I wondered where the expression "gone by the wayside" came from and because I am writing on a computer and connected to the interweb I have easy access to lots of information. So, I looked it up. Here's what I found on Wixtionary:  

From the Parable of the Sower told by Jesus and recorded in the New Testament of the Bible, the term appearing in Matthew 13:4, Mark 4:4, and Luke 8:5. The parable is the story of a farmer who sows seed, and “some fell by the wayside, and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it” (Luke 8:5).^[1]

Hmm. That's interesting right? This last statement was then interpreted by the author of the New Testament to have some sort of critical religious meaning but this is not the space for such ...  digressions.

So, where was I? Oh yeah ... on to Plan B, which was to build our own community center, but we never really had the funds for that and so we have moved on to Plan C, which is to find a space to rent out, staff, and furnish.  And due to some serious fundraising efforts and a big old grant we got from the Burkehaven Family Foundation (BFF - in the texting definition as well) we now have the funds to make this dream a reality. Oy, that sounds so corny. How about this: 'to put Plan C into action'. Mejor?

And we're just about there.  Here's a picture of the space we found:

Everybody here in the DR and back home in the US has been working hard to get the space built out and ready to go.  Tanya and I arrived yesterday and we're going to put the final touches on the space and have a grand opening on Wednesday. Speaking of which ... we still have a lot to do and I just got a Whats App message that Tanya is waiting for me to help so I'm off.  

p.s.  Remind to tell you what happened on our way back from the airport picking up Zak and Alex.