By now you’ve likely guessed the origins behind our newest visitors: SAIS Bologna. Leigh is the latest of our unique tribe to pack her bags – and her significant other – and visit us. We’ve known Reed and Leigh a long time. Many a dinner and football game has been shared with them. She is a Colts fan; he roots for the Chiefs. They compete to see who can root more fervently against my Patriots. The four of us are part of an ongoing fantasy football league. Three of us root for the Cubs. Reed roots for the St. Louis cardinals. Sports allegiances have a funny way of creating alignment or borderline contempt.

Like us, they are also International Relations geeks. So, when the talk is not focused on leisure, it’s focused on work and what is happening on the global stage as it tends to affect us all professionally in one way or another. Hence their need for a break, something Ray Ray and I were more than happy to help them with. We arranged another long weekend in Cabarete, our destination of choice when visitors want to relax and soak up some local culture.

By now, you know how this story goes. Friends arrive, we whisk them off to a quiet beach town, and we enjoy the sites, sounds, and flavors on offer. We only deviated from that formula for a side trip to Las Terrenas, a bit more pool time, and board games. Aside from that, it was just another awful weekend in paradise. You should come see it too!

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