The phrase, “Si Dios quiere,” is the story of my life. I know I’ve used the phrase in previous entries, but today it’s seems appropriate to devote an entire post to this one sneaky little phrase. I like to think that I’m living my life according to God’s will, but to be quite honest, I have a tendency to make my own plans, hoping God hops on board with my agenda. If being in the Dominican Republic has taught me anything, it is that this outlook on life is completely backwards. I can make I all plans I want, but in the end, it’s God’s plan that will prevail.
Today, I planned to take a local gua gua up to Samaná on the northeastern coast to visit Rachael. Last night, Rachael called to tell me there was a possibility of a transportation strike for all busses in and out of Samaná. Knowing there was only “a chance,” I packed my bag for the weekend went to the bus stop. Sure enough, when I arrived, “no salen las gua guas hoy. Hay huelga.” It was the phrase I had told myself I wouldn’t hear. There would be no busses leaving for Samaná today. “Try tomorrow?” the man behind the counter told me. I didn’t want to take no for an answer, so I headed to the Caribe Tours bus station, hoping I could catch a bus out of the capital. The answer was slightly more positive, but they couldn’t promise me I’d made it to Samaná even if I ventured all the way to the capital. Noticing that I was obviously upset about something, a nice man approached me and asked if there was anything he could do to help me. I explained to him my dilemma, and asked for his advice. Should I stay in Santiago and go back to the office, or should I take a chance and get on the bus to Santo Domingo? His answer was exactly what I needed to hear. He explained to me that if Caribe Tours decided to not send their busses to Samaná, it wouldn’t be because there was a strike. It would be because they thought it was risky or dangerous. The last thing I wanted to do was put myself in a potentially dangerous situation. I was so upset. I wanted more than anything to get out of Santiago for the weekend. My host family is out of town, and the house is lonely without them. Deep down, I knew this man was right, so I hailed a taxi and told the driver to take me back.
Once I got back to the office, it hit me. This was the perfect example of the phrase “Si Dios quiere.” God did not want me to go to Samaná, and I listened to him. Late this afternoon, Rachael called to tell me it was a really good thing I didn’t try to get there. She saw a Caribe Tours bus driving down the road outside her office with several of its windows smashed in. Apparently protesters had destroyed the bus as it passed through each of Samaná’s four toll checkpoints. This was further confirmation that I had made the right choice. Better not to fight the country, but instead just go with it. “Si Dios quiere,” I’m going to spend the weekend in Santo Domingo with the Foundation for Peace Volunteers and my good friend Cristina. Whether or not this goes according to plan, we’ll just have to see “si Dios quiere.”
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