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i added them into 2 albums: My life in the D.R. & Las Terrenas. Check them out
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
More to come...but while your waiting look where I've been:)
http://picasaweb.google.com/mindyc234/LasTerrenas#
Friday, April 3, 2009
Para mi quierida, Kira
Entonces, Kira, estoy pensando mucho en ese idea por un programma del television. Yo pienso q nosostros tenemos una cosa buena aqui. Imagina eso: durante un episode, por ejemplo, estamos en espana. Cuando estamos tratando a hablar con la gente, hay subtitulos por la gente quien esta mirando en sus casas.que comico las tranducires (?) de nosotros. jajajajajaja.Nuestros piropos a los guapitos en espanol. jeje. podemos skype ese semana antes de mi semana santa por fa? gracias. tengo q chismear contigo!! te extrano y tqmmmmmm!!!!
Red Carpet Ready...
It’s Friday already! Man, do the weeks fly by☹ QUE TRISTE!!
So the rest of last week and weekend were AMAZING. Volleyball was cancelled on Wednesday night, which sucked, but whatever. Thursday night, we went to a friend’s apartment and played card games and Guitar Hero. It was so much fun, but then the electricity went off, and so we couldn’t play anymore:(. While we were hanging out on Thursday night,Amanda told me that her and Julie (her friend from home) sat around on her last night (before going back to the U.S) and made a list of her favorite things and people in the Dominican Republic during her visit. She also informed me that I was NUMERO UNO on the list of favorite people!! haha. After this, I met up with Sarah for a beer before bed. We went to the colmado by her house (small stores w/groceries, etc.). We started chatting with this man in the store and the man that works there. It was fun just to practice Spanish and get into these discussions with the locals. Those are perhaps my favorite times here.
On Friday, the group left for Samana. I was a little skeptical of how it would be with 40+ people, being someone that I had been before and feeling a little trapped within the group. The guagua left campus at 7am, so we slept most of the way there. When we got there, we checked into our beachfront hotel. I was roomed with Sarah, Amanda, and Annamarie. We had a room in the first building on the third floor. Therefore, the view was incredible and free from obstructions. Our room was a little house, complete with 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, full kitchen, patio (with table and couches), and a Jacuzzi. Pretty sweet. After we put our bags in the room, Sarah and I went to meet Doug & Helen for a drink and hello. Then, we met the group for lunch. We had traditional rice, beans, vegetables, and platanos for lunch. After lunch, half of the group went to the waterfall (Limon) and the other half went to Barrio Wilmore. Us gals all went to the Barrio, because we wanted to rest our ankles (Amanda went to the doctor for her hurt ankle and she has separated ligaments). Barrio Wilmore is a neighborhood in the city of Samana, where direct descendents of African-American slaves live. The reason they ended up here, were because they were freed slaves in the United States (from Pennsylvania), and the Dominican Government was trying to populate the country more (now free from Haitian rule) so they brought the former slaves down here, and gave them land (something like 100 acres each). Much of the land is sold now, because they made a hefty profit on it. It was interesting to have people speak English to us, but because English is still their native (and primary) language, they choose to speak it. Martha Wilmore invited us to her home, where we ate Johnnybread and drank Gingerbeer (like rootbeer but nastier). After that, we went back to Las Terrenas for dinner. As you can imagine, we weren’t very hungry after lunch and our treats. Dinner was on giant picnic tables on the beach by candlelight. We had the choice of white pasta or shish kabobs. Our group got 2 of each, and shared. That night, my roommates and I went to my friend Kelly’s restaurant. We met with some friends. Then Sarah and I went to a bar for a drink before turning in for the night. On Saturday, we went back to the town of Samana for a day to the national park, Haiteses. The easiest/fastest way to get there was by boat (about a 45 minute ride). All 42 people of the group boarded a catamaran. Only 6 people were allowed in the front of the boat, so Annamarie, Sarah, Amanda, Vankat, Adam, and I took the spots. They were the best spots on the boat full of sun! It was a beautiful day and the winds and sea were calm. Once we got to the national park, we circled around these rocks with birds and had to listen to them talk about them. I don’t think I’ll ever enjoy bird watching unless its an acquired taste because I find it so dull. Anyways, after that, we docked the boat. Half of the group went kayaking, and my half went into the caves. It was a living cave, with native Taino drawings. Afterwards, I went swimming although the water was a little dirty. Then, the group had lunch. The workers of the boat had already prepared us pasta salad, chicken, bread, and caprese salad. DELICIOUS. During lunch, we were all like little kids, we couldn’t eat fast enough to hurry up and get back in the water to swim. After lunch, we did jumps off the front of the boat, and I did a swan dive. Then, we went kayaking. I was in the kayak with Sarah, TEAM BOULDER. We set off to the swamps of the park. We saw crabs, listened to nature, and were in 1 feet of water. TEAM BADASS were splashing us with nasty swamp water. When we were on the return to the boat, we raced and caught up with them for a splashing contest. Vankat got out of his kayak and capsized ours. The floor of the ocean was nasty mud. Payback was coming. After they took off, we paddled fast to catch up. When we did we knocked them out of their boat and eventually won the fight. We had an audience there to cheer us on (photographs were taken too, I will try to find them and post them). After that, we had to go back to land ☹ On the way home, the wind had pick up, creating waves. So many people got seasick. Others were dancing to merengue and laughing. I kinda felt bad, but I was on the side getting splashed by huge waves coming in the side of the boat and laughing and smiling with the people around me while people were barfing the bathroom. Oh well, thank goodness I don’t get seasick. After that, we went back to Las Terrenas and dinner shortly followed. We had chicken Caesar salad and fish that night. Great food, but everyone was so tired. I think I got a lot of sun over the course of the weekend. On Sunday, we had a free day. Us girls in room 18 got up really early. We headed to Punto Poppy beach for the day. After swimming for a few hours, we went to Los Chichas (my favorite restaurant in the country) for lunch. We had a RDS 350 allowance from CIEE, which was nice. During lunch, we saw a fight go on across the street between 2 men. I guess one man was a landlord, and the other man owed him money. They were starting to fistfight. Then they picked up rocks to hit each other with before getting broken up by onlookers. About 15 minutes later, the owner returned with his friend. He had a machete in hand, and his friend was holding 2 empty beer bottles. The police came and broke it up, but it was really interesting (fun) to watch. We all felt so Dominican to sit and watch it from the window and gossip with all the women there. After lunch, we headed back to Santiago. Sunday night, I watched Pink Panther.
Monday started the week. Sarah and I decided to make homemade soft pretzels. We had to let the bread rise, so we went and saw “Vicky, Christina Barcelona.” It was a good film, made by Woody Allen. After that, we decided to finish the pretzel’s the next day. So on Tuesday, we did, but the oven was broke, so we made them on the stove. They tasted pretty great. The little girls came over and helped twist them into the pretzel shape. After that, we went to our friend’s house to hang out, and we brought them pretzel’s to try. Wednesday, I played volleyball for the first time since my ankle injury. I was a little rusty, but it felt good to be back! Thursday was a boring day for the most part. Vankat and I gave an English test to the kids, and then Sarah and us went to see “Slumdog Millionaire.” If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend it. Another one of those movies that I went into blindly, but loved. It makes me never want to watch a preview again! So today is Friday, and I spent the whole day shopping with Sarah, Leticia, and Caroline. They are friends of Sarah and I, but also our good friends younger sisters. We spent the afternoon on Calle Del Sol looking for dresses to wear to the Red Carpet Party tomorrow night (elegant dress code). Sarah and I went to the mall afterwards, and I found a really cute dress there. Tonight, I sat and had a nice dinner with my host mom. We chatted about this boring article that I had to read for class, she agreed that it was boring and hard to write a response to it. Tonight, a group of us friends are going to see the “The Fast and the Furious 4.” It’s been quite the week for movies. We’re taking it easy for tomorrow night.
Tomorrow, I think I am going to go get a pedicure, since they are only $6.00. I can’t wait for the Red Carpet Party. I can’t remember if I’ve told you about it, so I guess I will just tell you again (or the first time). A guy named, Stephane, invited me to this party. It’s on the first floor of some club that I’ve never been too. The paparazzi will be there and all! It’s a formal party though, so fancy dresses, shoes, jewelry, even an admission ticket to get inside. Should be a good time. I wish I would have brought nicer stuff, but it’s no big deal. It should be so much fun to dress up. A few other girls in the program were also invited, so I can’t wait! I’ll tell you later how it went. Other than that, nothing else is new. There is a heat wave, or something going on here because it has been hotter than Hades down here. I used to be able to walk to school in jeans and be a little sweaty, now I can’t leave the house with pants on, its too hot. It sucks because shorts are “socially unacceptable” here. Crazy Dominicans, I don’t know how they manage with pants on everywhere they go! Only 5 classes to get through and its Spring Break for me! Of course, we are headed to Las Terrenas. Sarah and I staying with Doug and Helen, but we have other friends coming as well. I found them a two-bedroom apartment (with kitchen) for only RDS 2000 per night (under $60.00). This is the peak of high tourist season here, so that isn’t bad. I’m excited for that week. I can’t wait to go to the beach for days upon end. Also, one of my favorite Latin singers, Omega (el fuerte) is giving a concert there during that weekend. Well, that’s it for now. Oh, one last thing…I will have to later put a copy of the email that I sent to Grandma, I LOVE APRIL FOOLS☺ Have a good weekend everyone.
So the rest of last week and weekend were AMAZING. Volleyball was cancelled on Wednesday night, which sucked, but whatever. Thursday night, we went to a friend’s apartment and played card games and Guitar Hero. It was so much fun, but then the electricity went off, and so we couldn’t play anymore:(. While we were hanging out on Thursday night,Amanda told me that her and Julie (her friend from home) sat around on her last night (before going back to the U.S) and made a list of her favorite things and people in the Dominican Republic during her visit. She also informed me that I was NUMERO UNO on the list of favorite people!! haha. After this, I met up with Sarah for a beer before bed. We went to the colmado by her house (small stores w/groceries, etc.). We started chatting with this man in the store and the man that works there. It was fun just to practice Spanish and get into these discussions with the locals. Those are perhaps my favorite times here.
On Friday, the group left for Samana. I was a little skeptical of how it would be with 40+ people, being someone that I had been before and feeling a little trapped within the group. The guagua left campus at 7am, so we slept most of the way there. When we got there, we checked into our beachfront hotel. I was roomed with Sarah, Amanda, and Annamarie. We had a room in the first building on the third floor. Therefore, the view was incredible and free from obstructions. Our room was a little house, complete with 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, full kitchen, patio (with table and couches), and a Jacuzzi. Pretty sweet. After we put our bags in the room, Sarah and I went to meet Doug & Helen for a drink and hello. Then, we met the group for lunch. We had traditional rice, beans, vegetables, and platanos for lunch. After lunch, half of the group went to the waterfall (Limon) and the other half went to Barrio Wilmore. Us gals all went to the Barrio, because we wanted to rest our ankles (Amanda went to the doctor for her hurt ankle and she has separated ligaments). Barrio Wilmore is a neighborhood in the city of Samana, where direct descendents of African-American slaves live. The reason they ended up here, were because they were freed slaves in the United States (from Pennsylvania), and the Dominican Government was trying to populate the country more (now free from Haitian rule) so they brought the former slaves down here, and gave them land (something like 100 acres each). Much of the land is sold now, because they made a hefty profit on it. It was interesting to have people speak English to us, but because English is still their native (and primary) language, they choose to speak it. Martha Wilmore invited us to her home, where we ate Johnnybread and drank Gingerbeer (like rootbeer but nastier). After that, we went back to Las Terrenas for dinner. As you can imagine, we weren’t very hungry after lunch and our treats. Dinner was on giant picnic tables on the beach by candlelight. We had the choice of white pasta or shish kabobs. Our group got 2 of each, and shared. That night, my roommates and I went to my friend Kelly’s restaurant. We met with some friends. Then Sarah and I went to a bar for a drink before turning in for the night. On Saturday, we went back to the town of Samana for a day to the national park, Haiteses. The easiest/fastest way to get there was by boat (about a 45 minute ride). All 42 people of the group boarded a catamaran. Only 6 people were allowed in the front of the boat, so Annamarie, Sarah, Amanda, Vankat, Adam, and I took the spots. They were the best spots on the boat full of sun! It was a beautiful day and the winds and sea were calm. Once we got to the national park, we circled around these rocks with birds and had to listen to them talk about them. I don’t think I’ll ever enjoy bird watching unless its an acquired taste because I find it so dull. Anyways, after that, we docked the boat. Half of the group went kayaking, and my half went into the caves. It was a living cave, with native Taino drawings. Afterwards, I went swimming although the water was a little dirty. Then, the group had lunch. The workers of the boat had already prepared us pasta salad, chicken, bread, and caprese salad. DELICIOUS. During lunch, we were all like little kids, we couldn’t eat fast enough to hurry up and get back in the water to swim. After lunch, we did jumps off the front of the boat, and I did a swan dive. Then, we went kayaking. I was in the kayak with Sarah, TEAM BOULDER. We set off to the swamps of the park. We saw crabs, listened to nature, and were in 1 feet of water. TEAM BADASS were splashing us with nasty swamp water. When we were on the return to the boat, we raced and caught up with them for a splashing contest. Vankat got out of his kayak and capsized ours. The floor of the ocean was nasty mud. Payback was coming. After they took off, we paddled fast to catch up. When we did we knocked them out of their boat and eventually won the fight. We had an audience there to cheer us on (photographs were taken too, I will try to find them and post them). After that, we had to go back to land ☹ On the way home, the wind had pick up, creating waves. So many people got seasick. Others were dancing to merengue and laughing. I kinda felt bad, but I was on the side getting splashed by huge waves coming in the side of the boat and laughing and smiling with the people around me while people were barfing the bathroom. Oh well, thank goodness I don’t get seasick. After that, we went back to Las Terrenas and dinner shortly followed. We had chicken Caesar salad and fish that night. Great food, but everyone was so tired. I think I got a lot of sun over the course of the weekend. On Sunday, we had a free day. Us girls in room 18 got up really early. We headed to Punto Poppy beach for the day. After swimming for a few hours, we went to Los Chichas (my favorite restaurant in the country) for lunch. We had a RDS 350 allowance from CIEE, which was nice. During lunch, we saw a fight go on across the street between 2 men. I guess one man was a landlord, and the other man owed him money. They were starting to fistfight. Then they picked up rocks to hit each other with before getting broken up by onlookers. About 15 minutes later, the owner returned with his friend. He had a machete in hand, and his friend was holding 2 empty beer bottles. The police came and broke it up, but it was really interesting (fun) to watch. We all felt so Dominican to sit and watch it from the window and gossip with all the women there. After lunch, we headed back to Santiago. Sunday night, I watched Pink Panther.
Monday started the week. Sarah and I decided to make homemade soft pretzels. We had to let the bread rise, so we went and saw “Vicky, Christina Barcelona.” It was a good film, made by Woody Allen. After that, we decided to finish the pretzel’s the next day. So on Tuesday, we did, but the oven was broke, so we made them on the stove. They tasted pretty great. The little girls came over and helped twist them into the pretzel shape. After that, we went to our friend’s house to hang out, and we brought them pretzel’s to try. Wednesday, I played volleyball for the first time since my ankle injury. I was a little rusty, but it felt good to be back! Thursday was a boring day for the most part. Vankat and I gave an English test to the kids, and then Sarah and us went to see “Slumdog Millionaire.” If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend it. Another one of those movies that I went into blindly, but loved. It makes me never want to watch a preview again! So today is Friday, and I spent the whole day shopping with Sarah, Leticia, and Caroline. They are friends of Sarah and I, but also our good friends younger sisters. We spent the afternoon on Calle Del Sol looking for dresses to wear to the Red Carpet Party tomorrow night (elegant dress code). Sarah and I went to the mall afterwards, and I found a really cute dress there. Tonight, I sat and had a nice dinner with my host mom. We chatted about this boring article that I had to read for class, she agreed that it was boring and hard to write a response to it. Tonight, a group of us friends are going to see the “The Fast and the Furious 4.” It’s been quite the week for movies. We’re taking it easy for tomorrow night.
Tomorrow, I think I am going to go get a pedicure, since they are only $6.00. I can’t wait for the Red Carpet Party. I can’t remember if I’ve told you about it, so I guess I will just tell you again (or the first time). A guy named, Stephane, invited me to this party. It’s on the first floor of some club that I’ve never been too. The paparazzi will be there and all! It’s a formal party though, so fancy dresses, shoes, jewelry, even an admission ticket to get inside. Should be a good time. I wish I would have brought nicer stuff, but it’s no big deal. It should be so much fun to dress up. A few other girls in the program were also invited, so I can’t wait! I’ll tell you later how it went. Other than that, nothing else is new. There is a heat wave, or something going on here because it has been hotter than Hades down here. I used to be able to walk to school in jeans and be a little sweaty, now I can’t leave the house with pants on, its too hot. It sucks because shorts are “socially unacceptable” here. Crazy Dominicans, I don’t know how they manage with pants on everywhere they go! Only 5 classes to get through and its Spring Break for me! Of course, we are headed to Las Terrenas. Sarah and I staying with Doug and Helen, but we have other friends coming as well. I found them a two-bedroom apartment (with kitchen) for only RDS 2000 per night (under $60.00). This is the peak of high tourist season here, so that isn’t bad. I’m excited for that week. I can’t wait to go to the beach for days upon end. Also, one of my favorite Latin singers, Omega (el fuerte) is giving a concert there during that weekend. Well, that’s it for now. Oh, one last thing…I will have to later put a copy of the email that I sent to Grandma, I LOVE APRIL FOOLS☺ Have a good weekend everyone.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
For Kira
OK, my bad... we rented a CAR, not a beach. Thanks Kira~!! To answer a few of your questions, no, i dont miss any food from the United States. The only thing I remotely missed (but can easily live without) was bagels, but it turns out they have them here. The bathrooms are dirty, but not terrible (depends on where you are, time of day...they get worse throughout). No, we cannot flush the toilet paper, unless you want MAJOR problems! I am coming back and going straight to VEGAS!!! whoooooo!!! I'm sorry I won't be there for the birthday celebration, but we'll celebrate in Las Vegas. I agree with your traveling show, that would be a great idea..we could pitch it to MTV. It would be way better than the Hills, we would have mountains, lakes, rivers, streams, the world...L.A. would look lame compared to us backpacking through Europe and South America!! I just need to learn a little bit of French to get me by. I know a little Portuguese, Italian, & German that should be sufficient:) Now, we just need time to go!!
I have class right now and teaching, I will update you on my weekend later!
I have class right now and teaching, I will update you on my weekend later!
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
~Chillllen, QUE CHULO~
Wow, I’m officially a bad blogger. That is only because all of my readers apparently have no reaction/commentary/feelings to their reading material. However, a few of you wonderful gem of gems (you know who you are) do request more writing. So let me start with wow…ummm…we’ll go way back in case I forgot something, which in that case you all probably forgot too. Keep in mind, that not writing blogs has helped lead to the deterioration of my native tongue.
The last few days of January went by quick, along with the rest of the month. I missed the class trip to the Museum of the Mirabel Sisters. They were 4 sisters who went against the regime of General Rafael Trujillo in the years of his rule (1931-1960). He had his people murder three of the four sisters. It eventually outraged people, and he was assassinated six months later. There is a great movie in English, titled “The Time of the Butterflies,” with Selma Hayak which is a great movie and related to the history of this country. The other sister is still alive, and she came and spoke to the group. I was writing my beautiful Communication School application essay, which if you haven’t heard by now…I’M OFFICIALLY IN☺ Side note: it’s weird, I feel like in anything I’ve ever done or applied for, I’ve succeeded. Maybe I just feel that way, but I have never had to deal with a disappointment or rejection. It makes me confident in my future…whatever it may be. I feel that even with the current state of the economy being crappier than a toilet in the Dominican Republic, I can find a good job. Maybe I’m being conceded or self-confident, but I really feel that people like my personality and have confidence or high expectations for me. I recently took a personality test that resulted in this to some degree. Ok…off the random side note (and patting myself on the back), FEBRUARY!
February is the month of carnival. I didn’t go the first week because it’s not very big. Homework started to pick up, and my volunteer job needed lesson plans. The first weekend was a rural work retreat to the countryside, but due to all the rain we’ve had this season it was cancelled. Nobody went out much this weekend because the rain was falling heavy. The second week I started my student teaching for English class at the university=NERVERACKING!!! The kids were really great though, thinking they were hilarious to yell, “I LOVE YOU” in English in the middle of class. During my Wednesday night volleyball practice, I hurt my ankle so bad. I twisted it off the step because the court is elevated. You have probably seen pictures. It’s been six weeks today, and it’s still a little fat but getting better. I am going to practice tonight for the first time since the incident. During this weekend, the group went to Constanza. This is 3 ½ hours away, tucked into the mountains. The climate was comparable to Steamboat in the summertime-PERFECT. I roomed with Amanda and Sarah. The weekend was filled with intense hikes (where I had to stay back☹), barbeques, dancing, bonfire, waterfall, and even a safari. We got back on a Sunday and a few of us went to eat street food and catch the tail end of carnival here in Santiago. The next week of classes were the same as always!! We were supposed to visit the Zonas Francas (free zones with many American companies, i.e. Victoria Secret & Levi’s) for a field trip, but it keeps getting cancelled and rescheduled. I have yet to go. On Friday, some of the group went on a co-pay trip to the 27 Charcos (waterfalls), where you have to wear helmets and life jackets. Intense waterfall jumping, which I had to pass on because of my stupid KANKLE. On Sunday, the group went on a day trip to La Vega for the biggest, best carnival of the season. Sarah, Vankat, and I ditched the group and went on our own. We took a guagua for RD$40, a little over US$1.00. I would be generous and say the van’s capacity was ten people, but we had twenty-one people in with room to spare. The kind woman next to me decided to start a prayer, like the people in the south do at church, chanting away…Hallelujah Jesus! So entertaining. I had a video of the guagua, but not of the pre-carnival prayers. Carnival was awesome, but really crazy. The costumes were beautiful and elaborate. The people carry baton-like things to keep people out of the street while the parade is going on. I was hit only a few times, which hurt!! But so much fun!!!! The next week was so busy. I had more student teaching. I had a thirty-minute presentation on the Zonas Francas (yeah, the one we never went to, ugh). I made a great PowerPoint though. THIRTY minutes in Spanish…UGHHHHH!! On Wednesday, I had CIEE seminar, where we speak English. We had to create skits about interactions we’ve had here. The twist, you had to create “thought-bubbles” of what you were actually thinking but didn’t say. My group decided to act out the scene of the American exchange student wearing jeans, t-shirt, flip-flops, and a backpack to class. She had an encounter with a typical Dominican girl; heels, jeans, matching shirt tucked it, matching jewelry, matching bag, and make-up. It was a friendly encounter, but they both made fun of each other in their thoughts. It was a fun activity. On Wednesday afternoon, I left for the capital. I had dinner with Joe and some other Dominicans (lawyers) and American investors into real estate here. We had dinner at a place called Sophia’s, great seafood. I had a shrimp pasta..mmmm! We went out to a club for a bit, but overall a chill night. On Thursday, I went to the airport in the capital to pick up mom and Hannah. We chilled in the Zona Colonial district of Santo Domingo for the day and night. On Friday, it was Independence Day so we went to a parade. Saturday, we came to Santiago and chilled. They saw my house and my city. Sunday, we returned back to Santo Domingo for the parade of carnival from every region/city in the country. It was great, colorful, and fun!! Hannah even bought an imitation of the batons that they hit people with. I took them to the airport in the morning on Monday, got stuck in a traffic jam, and took the bus back to Santiago. Later that day, I had to go visit a poor neighborhood with Sarah and Vankat to write an essay for class. We stopped and played checkers with the people, chatted, and played with the cutest baby. It was really sad to see the poor neighborhoods, but it was great to see the happiness of the people and the sense of community flourishing the their hood.
MARCH:
The rest of the week=boring. Friday, Sarah and I left for Cabarete. We stayed at a cute place near the beach. I am not one to complain if I’m in the sun and ocean, but Cabarete isn’t my type of place. The nightlife was cool, but as far as the beach goes, no me gusta. Swimming was not great because of the whitecaps and all the wind-surfers. A surfboard could have easily decapitated me. It was very windy, which makes sense why it’s the windsurfing capital of the world, but not great for a relaxing day at the beach. I still had lots of fun though. On Monday, Sarah and I went to the theater here to watch Jazz. It was such a cool environment. They have all the instruments, and musicians all take turns playing together. It was a mezcla of jazz, blues, Indian sounding music. On Tuesday, my Spanish class took a field trip to Centro Leon (nice museum of culture) and the cigar factory. It was a cool trip, but I had to leave early to teach English. On Wednesday, lots of my friends went out because it was the birthday of my Haitian friends (twins). We went to the university bar and listened to karaoke. On Thursday, it was Amanda’s birthday! It was the best night here ever. It started by having a pancake dinner and mimosas (that’s what she wanted) at her house. It was a great mixture of people though. There were 4 of her Dominican friends, and 5 of us Americans. Afterwards, we went out to this club called “La O.” Everyone in the program was there (minus 5), and everyone was having/being so much fun! We danced all night long, to the point where I was sore the next day. On Friday night, I chilled out and relaxed. Saturday, Sarah and I went to the beach. We went with her host-sisters German fiancée. She was in the capital for a class, so we took him with us. He is a pretty cool guy, full of funny American stereotypes. Sunday, day of rest. Sarah and I cooked salmon and pasta at my house. We had wine and dinner with my host mom, and she had 3 glasses!! So precious! Monday came around again, Jazz night. Tuesday was St. Patrick’s Day. We went out for a bit, but everyone was tired. Thursday was great because Amanda, Sarah, Vankat, Anthony, Julie (Amanda’s friend from home), and I went to Las Terrenas. We caught the 11:30 guagua. We were on the beach by 3:30. We stayed at a cute hotel with 5 beds and a kitchen for $93 a night. We cooked dinner every night so it was $1.50 for dinner per person. We planned on renting a beach and going to Playa Rincon on Friday, but we were too tired from dancing the night before. Turns out, it was for the better because it rained most of the day. It was a great day though, relaxing, and the first time I’ve heard thunder in awhile. At night, we went to a colmado and played dominoes all night. I know how to play, but my Dominican partner taught me the in’s and out’s of cheating in dominoes…hahaha! Now I feel very Dominican in my domino playing☺ Saturday we rented the car, and I got to drive! We went to Playa Rincon (about 1 ½ away). It is definitely the most beautiful beach in the Caribbean, maybe even the world (I guess I’ll find out one day). We got so lucky with perfect sun, no clouds all day long. The beach has a few lean-tos that cook fresh fish, so delicious. Other than that, no structures, I think that’s the beauty of it. The waves were big, and fun to jump. I got eaten by a huge wave where I got caught in the under toe. It was actually kind of fun because I knew that I couldn’t struggle or fight it, rather just let it take me in, and I just let it flip me in circles. Not gunna lie, it was pretty cool. There is a river along side the beach as well. Dominicans put on a funny jumping show for everyone watching. I will post videos soon. We went home and relaxed all night again too, with more rain. Sunday we left town, and Sunday night some friends and I went to see the movie, “Push.” Perhaps one of the first times that I’ve gone to see a movie without ever seeing a preview, let alone hearing the title.
This week has been school as always, but amazing life. I will write a few more details later, but I have class now. I am playing volleyball for the first time tonight. This weekend we are heading to Las Terrenas again, but with the whole group…I can’t wait!!! Hope all is well on the home front. I would like to say I miss you all, but then I would be lying…haha, just kidding. I just don’t think I’m human on that whole missing people/anything thing. I can’t say I miss anything about the states. Life is great here, thanks to everyone who is making it possible☺ My tan could be a little better though. And tell these darn mosquitoes that my blood isn’t sweeter than Dominicans blood. OK, I’m out. I wish I had a cool sign off phrase, but I don’t. CHAOOOOOOOO!
The last few days of January went by quick, along with the rest of the month. I missed the class trip to the Museum of the Mirabel Sisters. They were 4 sisters who went against the regime of General Rafael Trujillo in the years of his rule (1931-1960). He had his people murder three of the four sisters. It eventually outraged people, and he was assassinated six months later. There is a great movie in English, titled “The Time of the Butterflies,” with Selma Hayak which is a great movie and related to the history of this country. The other sister is still alive, and she came and spoke to the group. I was writing my beautiful Communication School application essay, which if you haven’t heard by now…I’M OFFICIALLY IN☺ Side note: it’s weird, I feel like in anything I’ve ever done or applied for, I’ve succeeded. Maybe I just feel that way, but I have never had to deal with a disappointment or rejection. It makes me confident in my future…whatever it may be. I feel that even with the current state of the economy being crappier than a toilet in the Dominican Republic, I can find a good job. Maybe I’m being conceded or self-confident, but I really feel that people like my personality and have confidence or high expectations for me. I recently took a personality test that resulted in this to some degree. Ok…off the random side note (and patting myself on the back), FEBRUARY!
February is the month of carnival. I didn’t go the first week because it’s not very big. Homework started to pick up, and my volunteer job needed lesson plans. The first weekend was a rural work retreat to the countryside, but due to all the rain we’ve had this season it was cancelled. Nobody went out much this weekend because the rain was falling heavy. The second week I started my student teaching for English class at the university=NERVERACKING!!! The kids were really great though, thinking they were hilarious to yell, “I LOVE YOU” in English in the middle of class. During my Wednesday night volleyball practice, I hurt my ankle so bad. I twisted it off the step because the court is elevated. You have probably seen pictures. It’s been six weeks today, and it’s still a little fat but getting better. I am going to practice tonight for the first time since the incident. During this weekend, the group went to Constanza. This is 3 ½ hours away, tucked into the mountains. The climate was comparable to Steamboat in the summertime-PERFECT. I roomed with Amanda and Sarah. The weekend was filled with intense hikes (where I had to stay back☹), barbeques, dancing, bonfire, waterfall, and even a safari. We got back on a Sunday and a few of us went to eat street food and catch the tail end of carnival here in Santiago. The next week of classes were the same as always!! We were supposed to visit the Zonas Francas (free zones with many American companies, i.e. Victoria Secret & Levi’s) for a field trip, but it keeps getting cancelled and rescheduled. I have yet to go. On Friday, some of the group went on a co-pay trip to the 27 Charcos (waterfalls), where you have to wear helmets and life jackets. Intense waterfall jumping, which I had to pass on because of my stupid KANKLE. On Sunday, the group went on a day trip to La Vega for the biggest, best carnival of the season. Sarah, Vankat, and I ditched the group and went on our own. We took a guagua for RD$40, a little over US$1.00. I would be generous and say the van’s capacity was ten people, but we had twenty-one people in with room to spare. The kind woman next to me decided to start a prayer, like the people in the south do at church, chanting away…Hallelujah Jesus! So entertaining. I had a video of the guagua, but not of the pre-carnival prayers. Carnival was awesome, but really crazy. The costumes were beautiful and elaborate. The people carry baton-like things to keep people out of the street while the parade is going on. I was hit only a few times, which hurt!! But so much fun!!!! The next week was so busy. I had more student teaching. I had a thirty-minute presentation on the Zonas Francas (yeah, the one we never went to, ugh). I made a great PowerPoint though. THIRTY minutes in Spanish…UGHHHHH!! On Wednesday, I had CIEE seminar, where we speak English. We had to create skits about interactions we’ve had here. The twist, you had to create “thought-bubbles” of what you were actually thinking but didn’t say. My group decided to act out the scene of the American exchange student wearing jeans, t-shirt, flip-flops, and a backpack to class. She had an encounter with a typical Dominican girl; heels, jeans, matching shirt tucked it, matching jewelry, matching bag, and make-up. It was a friendly encounter, but they both made fun of each other in their thoughts. It was a fun activity. On Wednesday afternoon, I left for the capital. I had dinner with Joe and some other Dominicans (lawyers) and American investors into real estate here. We had dinner at a place called Sophia’s, great seafood. I had a shrimp pasta..mmmm! We went out to a club for a bit, but overall a chill night. On Thursday, I went to the airport in the capital to pick up mom and Hannah. We chilled in the Zona Colonial district of Santo Domingo for the day and night. On Friday, it was Independence Day so we went to a parade. Saturday, we came to Santiago and chilled. They saw my house and my city. Sunday, we returned back to Santo Domingo for the parade of carnival from every region/city in the country. It was great, colorful, and fun!! Hannah even bought an imitation of the batons that they hit people with. I took them to the airport in the morning on Monday, got stuck in a traffic jam, and took the bus back to Santiago. Later that day, I had to go visit a poor neighborhood with Sarah and Vankat to write an essay for class. We stopped and played checkers with the people, chatted, and played with the cutest baby. It was really sad to see the poor neighborhoods, but it was great to see the happiness of the people and the sense of community flourishing the their hood.
MARCH:
The rest of the week=boring. Friday, Sarah and I left for Cabarete. We stayed at a cute place near the beach. I am not one to complain if I’m in the sun and ocean, but Cabarete isn’t my type of place. The nightlife was cool, but as far as the beach goes, no me gusta. Swimming was not great because of the whitecaps and all the wind-surfers. A surfboard could have easily decapitated me. It was very windy, which makes sense why it’s the windsurfing capital of the world, but not great for a relaxing day at the beach. I still had lots of fun though. On Monday, Sarah and I went to the theater here to watch Jazz. It was such a cool environment. They have all the instruments, and musicians all take turns playing together. It was a mezcla of jazz, blues, Indian sounding music. On Tuesday, my Spanish class took a field trip to Centro Leon (nice museum of culture) and the cigar factory. It was a cool trip, but I had to leave early to teach English. On Wednesday, lots of my friends went out because it was the birthday of my Haitian friends (twins). We went to the university bar and listened to karaoke. On Thursday, it was Amanda’s birthday! It was the best night here ever. It started by having a pancake dinner and mimosas (that’s what she wanted) at her house. It was a great mixture of people though. There were 4 of her Dominican friends, and 5 of us Americans. Afterwards, we went out to this club called “La O.” Everyone in the program was there (minus 5), and everyone was having/being so much fun! We danced all night long, to the point where I was sore the next day. On Friday night, I chilled out and relaxed. Saturday, Sarah and I went to the beach. We went with her host-sisters German fiancée. She was in the capital for a class, so we took him with us. He is a pretty cool guy, full of funny American stereotypes. Sunday, day of rest. Sarah and I cooked salmon and pasta at my house. We had wine and dinner with my host mom, and she had 3 glasses!! So precious! Monday came around again, Jazz night. Tuesday was St. Patrick’s Day. We went out for a bit, but everyone was tired. Thursday was great because Amanda, Sarah, Vankat, Anthony, Julie (Amanda’s friend from home), and I went to Las Terrenas. We caught the 11:30 guagua. We were on the beach by 3:30. We stayed at a cute hotel with 5 beds and a kitchen for $93 a night. We cooked dinner every night so it was $1.50 for dinner per person. We planned on renting a beach and going to Playa Rincon on Friday, but we were too tired from dancing the night before. Turns out, it was for the better because it rained most of the day. It was a great day though, relaxing, and the first time I’ve heard thunder in awhile. At night, we went to a colmado and played dominoes all night. I know how to play, but my Dominican partner taught me the in’s and out’s of cheating in dominoes…hahaha! Now I feel very Dominican in my domino playing☺ Saturday we rented the car, and I got to drive! We went to Playa Rincon (about 1 ½ away). It is definitely the most beautiful beach in the Caribbean, maybe even the world (I guess I’ll find out one day). We got so lucky with perfect sun, no clouds all day long. The beach has a few lean-tos that cook fresh fish, so delicious. Other than that, no structures, I think that’s the beauty of it. The waves were big, and fun to jump. I got eaten by a huge wave where I got caught in the under toe. It was actually kind of fun because I knew that I couldn’t struggle or fight it, rather just let it take me in, and I just let it flip me in circles. Not gunna lie, it was pretty cool. There is a river along side the beach as well. Dominicans put on a funny jumping show for everyone watching. I will post videos soon. We went home and relaxed all night again too, with more rain. Sunday we left town, and Sunday night some friends and I went to see the movie, “Push.” Perhaps one of the first times that I’ve gone to see a movie without ever seeing a preview, let alone hearing the title.
This week has been school as always, but amazing life. I will write a few more details later, but I have class now. I am playing volleyball for the first time tonight. This weekend we are heading to Las Terrenas again, but with the whole group…I can’t wait!!! Hope all is well on the home front. I would like to say I miss you all, but then I would be lying…haha, just kidding. I just don’t think I’m human on that whole missing people/anything thing. I can’t say I miss anything about the states. Life is great here, thanks to everyone who is making it possible☺ My tan could be a little better though. And tell these darn mosquitoes that my blood isn’t sweeter than Dominicans blood. OK, I’m out. I wish I had a cool sign off phrase, but I don’t. CHAOOOOOOOO!
Friday, March 6, 2009
Quick Update
I am at Sarah's house using the internet, so I thought i would write a quick update. I am off to Caberete for the weekend to catch some sun & ocean:) Life is good. Busy with school, like any good college student. I am officially a Communication Major...WHOOO! Mom & Hannah's visit was great. That's all I got for now.
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