Santo Domingo and Playa Guayacanes – or – You Ought to go to the Beach

You ought to go the beach.

No matter what your worries are, if you see beautiful trees, sand, ocean water, and a man selling colorful rafts, you will feel better. Even if you just look at the pictures and dream, you will feel better. Here's what I mean:  
 
I was depressed yesterday morning. You see, I just had to move from Seville, Spain to Santo Domingo, the largest city in the Dominican Republic. Immediately, I was stricken by the angst only big cities can bring -- utter isolation while amidst millions, traffic, crime, etc. And yes, that's there. We can get to that at a later date, though. Today I want to write a happy, fluffy kind of piece. Principally for my sake, but yes, of course, also for yours, I want you to see people playing at the Guayacanes beach. Take these young people, for example:

A girl, playing in the ocean's shore, splashing water as she runs:

A little boy with a plastic cup in his hand, attempting to catch the ocean:

Another little guy, digging in the sand for treasures:

And don't forget the grownups, sitting on chairs and enjoying the afternoon:

Or the ones playing baseball:

Or the people who venture out on boats:

Or the young men, running on the beach:

And we must not forget the people who posed for my photos yesterday. These people saw me with a camera, and volunteered to be photographed...

A guy sitting on a tree stump:

Two more, also on a tree stump:

And finally a group photo:

So, what's the moral of this story? Well, of course, there isn't one, but I can make something up. How about "It's hard to have a bad day at the beach?" I can't complain, anyway. Well, actually, I could, but I won't. I'm too busy reflecting on the snapshots I can take of life -- on those little snippets of happiness that one finds just about everywhere.  

Yeah…you ought to go to the beach, even if it resides within the waves of your imagination. When you do, look me up. I'll be there.

Dr. Debra Payne Chaparro is the Spain Editor for Wandering Educators.