| Eye Clinic Visit, 1996 In letter to Ralph (in South Carolina) from Barbara (in the Dominican Republic) Wednesday, August 7, 1996: Terri and I spent the day at the eye clinic in Santo Domingo. It was nothing at all like I expected it to be. It's not like eye projects used to be. Of course, there are not the crowds with a thousand people a day because the clinic is always open now, not just four weeks out of the year. They keep a busy but steady pace. And people can order brand new glasses, custom-made. People who can't afford it can still get the used glasses, and we saw the familiar mammoth sized boxes of donated glasses, and a new lensometer which is also huge. Everyone who works at the eye clinic looks sharp and clean. This is where Andrés works now. The men all wear starched, white, long-sleeved shirts and ties. They looked so hot I felt sorry for them, but they sure did look sharp. The place does not look terribly different from optical centers back in the States! Do you know they still use the same eyeglass drawers that Stan Cummings built in 1977?! New handles, and all have been stained and varnished. Everything looks great. They served us Burger King hamburgers and French fries for lunch, and a huge bottle of Coke which sure hit the spot. They have a large coffee pot of Dominican café in the front waiting room, and tiny little plastic disposable cups. I have been enjoying the café. The eyeglass clinic doesn't just cater to poor people anymore. One pair of frames had a price tag of over $1000 pesos, so they have all kinds of customers. They typically see about 150 people in a day's time. |
| Wake Up Barbara! And Help Me Find This Snake! Barbara Watson |