The Grannies

"The Grannies"

That's not just the name of their blog, it is really what we call them.

Example:
Me: "The Grannies want to ride in the back of the truck on the way to the grocery store."
Eddy:  sighs and shakes his head and laughs "ok"

The people here have a name for them as well.  They call them "Las Doñas".

The Grannies are very entertaining.  They have a lot of fun.  They laugh a lot.  They are not afraid of looking like the crazy American grannies.  The people here really respond to their energy and had a lot of fun with them as well.  

 

This was Ruth's third trip and my mom's fourth.  But it was their second trip coming down as "the Grannies."  (just them, no group)

The DR is my home.  This is where I live, work, serve.  The best thing about this place is the people.  One of my greatest desires is for my family and friends (from the states) to have the opportunity to experience the hospitality, warmth, and love of the people here.  Unfortunately, the people here get a little shy around Americans (especially in big groups).

Since the Grannies are just a group of two, they have had the opportunity to experience some things that the work teams don't.  Last year, they were able to get to know and form relationships with some of the people here.  It was fun for me to see how those relationships grew this year, and new relationships were formed.  It was also interesting to see how the people here continued to get more comfortable and relax and joke with them and that the Grannies were more comfortable as well.  We left them on their own a few times where nobody spoke English (and they do not speak Spanish) but they were ok.  I think they can tell you it is amazing how deep of a relationships you can form with people who do not speak your same language.   I already have people reminding me that next year the Grannies need to go to their house for dinner or lunch or a cooking lesson, etc. 

It meant so much to me to see my mom and Ruth (who both are very important people in my life) being accepted, welcomed, loved by all of the people here who are also very important to me.  The people here (including me) are so appreciative of them and the love that they show by serving and helping here.  I am also appreciative to all of the people here who showed them a little bit of what my life is like here and why I love it so much.

We all can't wait for the Grannies to come back next year.