We had a lot of rain last night, but I think the guys will practice today (a few of them are heading out onto the field already at 8 a.m.), even though there are some nasty-looking storm clouds bearing down on the complex. Abel told me that the two main fields have major league drainage systems and are the finest in Latin America. He said that it could rain in torrents for three hours, and 30 minutes later you could play on them. All the fields are kept in immaculate condition by a grounds crew of about 10 people. The outfields are in as good a shape as any fairway at a top-notch golf course and the infields look as flat and smooth as a billiards table.
I’m pretty pleased with the players as students. They’re mostly attentive and some of their language skills are better than I anticipated. I was talking with a couple of the Venezuelan players at dinner last night (spaghetti and bread), and they told me about a Venezuelan fast food joint in one of the malls in Santo Domingo. In fact, I realized it’s the mall that I always went to when I was staying in the capital. I don’t specifically remember the restaurant, but I’ll have to try it the next time I go back. I was going to go to SD yesterday to get some supplies, order some books, and get started with processing my business visa application, but I thought that if I’m going to Boca Chica today, perhaps I should work on lesson plans for Monday and Tuesday and go to SD on Monday instead. Naturally, I didn’t get started on my lesson plans, so I’ll be slaving away most of the weekend. Poor me. 🙂 More later.
P.S. Those ominous-looking clouds showered us for about an hour and then raced toward a rendezvous with the interior mountains. Now, the sun is brilliant again. Quick fact: Pico Duarte, at almost 10,500 feet, is the Caribbean’s highest mountain.
