Notes From the Dominican Republic

Overpacked

2009-05-10T09:58:00.000-07:00

I am organizing and trying to pack up as much as I can before I meet up with the underwater archaeology group from IU tomorrow. I am only bringing a small bag, but would like to have everything organized. I am realizing that I brought way too much stuff! Where did I think I was going that I would need 6 pairs of pants and 5 sweat shirts? That's just an example...

I have concluded that I have two many shoes, pants, sweatshirts, books, and beads. I will keep all this in mind for the next time I study abroad so I don't find myself in the same mess I'm in right now.

Pico Isabel

2009-05-09T21:22:00.000-07:00

There is a hill/mountain in Puerto Plata that has a Christ the Redeemer statue at the top like the one in Rio de Janiero only smaller. To arrive at Cristo, you can either take a semi-relaxing Teleferico ride to the top or hike. I felt horrible... gripe got the best of me, and so Kori and I decided to take the Teleferico ride to the top and then walk down. The other group, who was walking up, would meet us at the top and we would then walk down together. There were all these guides bombarding us saying that we couldn't walk up or down the mountain by ourselves and continued to turn them down and fight to be able to walk wherever we please with out a tour guide giving us watered down explanations of what we were looking at. Eventually, the hiking group just left and Kori and I got in the teleferico guide-less and content.

We had shakey cell phone reception at the top of the mountain and it was taking the hiking group a while to arrive. I called John and he told me that they were somewhere in the forest, there was no marked trail, and they were completely lost. I told him I was going to blow my whistle to see if he could hear it and he told the rest of the group to listen. The heard my whistle and were extremely excited, but then realized that it was coming through the phone. They eventually decided to walk back down, defeated by the mountain.

Kori and I had a wonderful time at the top! There was a small cafe where we had a cup of coffee, we walked through a garden, a little trail, and talked the people selling souveniers. We saw the prettiest paintings we had seen in the entire country in a shop up there! When we decided to go down, we were pretty nervous since our friends had gotten lost, so we asked for directions and we were directed to a paved road and were told that it would lead us all the way back to Santiago! When we called to tell the other group that, they were sooooo mad and thought were just being jerks. We had a really beautiful walk through forest and then through a small, rural community. Eventually, someone offered to give us a ride and we hopped in the back of a pick up truck and they took us all the way to our hotel! When we offered them money, the laughed, turned it down, and told us that they hope we enjoy Puerto Plata and then left.

The other group, after getting down the mountain defeated got into a cab who couldn't find the hotel we were staying at and swore that it didn't exist, so he just dropped them off at a random hotel and left. They wandered around Puerto Plata and I tried really hard to explain where we were. It was well over an hour before we all met up and all of us had used all our cell phones had zero pesos left when we finally found eachother.

From that point on, the rest of the trip was great. Our hotel was the best value hotel I've stayed in here. It was 600 pesos (US$18) for a room with two double beds and the lady who ran the place was insanely warm and friendly and the atmosphere was just very relaxed and fun. We spent the night in Puerto Plata and met a really nice woman who runs a colmado out of her house. We spent about an hour there playing with her adorable, snuggly, itty bitty kittens and drinking cherry juice. The next day, we had a lazy morning and spent the day at the beach.

The dunes, San Cristobal, the cave, and Puerto Plata were all considered one trip and overall, pretty much everything that could've gone wrong did. Perhaps it was because I forgot my traveler's protection pendent at home. However, despite everything that went wrong, we were still able to see everything we wanted to see and had a great time!

Reserva Antropologia

2009-05-05T19:46:00.000-07:00

After hours in a gua gua and a painfully expensive taxi ride we arrived at a cave famous for its taino art work and... it was closed. Fortunately, our taxi driver convinced the guard to let us in if we bought a flash light and batteries. It was awesome! It was pitch black and we would shine a flash light on the wall and it was full of paintings. It was really really fun and I thought it was cooler with the lights out than it would've been with the lights on.

Castillo del Cerro

2009-05-01T22:20:00.000-07:00

This a mansion that Trujillo built but never lived in. He would come here from time to time and stay for vacations. The house, though now used as a correctional institutional and school for adolescents. It was really interesting. There was a replica of a torture chair he used and a display of torture tools. It was awful. I can't imagine going through what those people did while he was in rule.

I thought it was really cool that now they use the building as a correctional institute. It's definately a step in the right direction. I feel like if Castillo del Cerro was in the United States, it would be perfectly preserved and beautiful, but serving no functional purpose. I was really impressed by the whole experience.

Caminar es muy buena para tu salud.

2009-05-01T21:48:00.000-07:00

Sand dunes across the bay from the ugliest beach in the DR.

We went on a trip to the sand dunes in Bani and it was not the relaxing day at the beach we set out for. First, the gua gua ride was pretty long, actually it was longer than it had to be. We told the gua gua driver to drop us off at the sand dunes and they dumped us off at the ugliest beach we had ever seen. It was so wierd because there were all these buildings that looked like they should be restaurants or beach side bars, but they were completely empty and boarded up. We asked the trusty Politur where the sand dunes were and he pointed all the way across the bay and told us the only way to get their was to walk and he followed by saying it would only take us ten mintutes to do so. Never ever ever has a Dominican suggested that we walk and so we really didn't know what to think, but we were pretty sure that it would take us longer than ten minutes. We asked him he had any advice for us to find a ride to get there and he said to find a ride is really difficult, but "caminar es muy buena para tu salud" -- to walk is very good for your health!

We finally arrived at the sand dunes after getting a moto ride for the last kilometer. We were told that the beach was right over the side but all we could see was sand. We felt like we were in Aladin. The sand was also extremely hot and I was pretty sure my feet were going to melt off. Climbing up the final dune was really difficult, but we did indeed get to the playa. Not the prettiest playa I've ever seen, but a playa never the less. The wind was really intense so we were doing some pretty extreme sun bathing and dying in pain at sand being pelted at our faces. It was fun though and we were the only ones there which was awesome.

All in all, it was a really day though nothing went right.

Bahia de la Aguilas

2009-04-20T13:24:00.001-07:00

This is what I woke up to after spending the night right outside of the bay. ^^^

Paraiso y Los Patos

2009-04-20T13:17:00.000-07:00

San Juan de Maguana

2009-04-20T12:59:00.000-07:00

Taino sculpture. The whole park isn't finished yet, but it looks like it will be really cool when it is.

The center of town

La Botanica de Santa Marta

La iglesia

Semana Santa

2009-04-15T15:44:00.000-07:00

For Semana Santa (Holy Week) we had Thursday off of school (it was more like a fin de semana santa - holy weekend) and so John, Jacob and I took off for the south. The southwest part of the country is the least travelled as we were super curious about what was down there.

Thursday, we went to Bahia de las Aguilas, which is the most isolated beach in the country and it was absolutely gorgeous! The water was incredibly clear... it felt like we were in a swimming pool and not in the ocean. Getting there was an adventure (and really stressful at some points) but everything worked out and it was totally worth it. I brought my snorkeling gear and I'm so glad I did. Right off of the beach was a small reef and then behind that the sea floor was full of enormous beautiful starfish! That night, we camped and it was pretty scary, but a lot of fun. It was also great to wake up and be right on the Caribbean Sea.

Friday, we went to Paraiso and Los Patos. The beaches there were closed in by dramatic cliffs and the were full of really smooth, beautiful rocks instead of sand. The water was incredibly blue and full of waves. In Los Patos, we went to the shortest river in the country where everyone was swimming and it looked like uttered chaos, however, when we got in it was more organized that it seemed. The older people sat in the back where it was calm and peaceful drinking and chatting. Then the center was where the younger hooligans splashed and played and the third portion was for the little kids. It was so much fun!

Saturday, we took off for San Juan de la Maguana which is more in land and famous for its mix of religious influences from Haiti and the Dominican Republic, so we thought it would be interesting to spend Easter there. We had heard that the city was alive with festivals. When we arrived, we got of the bus to find three masked people with whips and that made us so excited! Then for the rest of the day, the people we saw were all really "normal" and we couldn't find a procession or festival. The city was really tranquil and relaxing, but if the city is alive during Semana Santa, I can't imagine what it's like the rest of the year!

Getting home was rediculous! The bus station for the busses back to Santo Domingo were more chaotic than anything I've ever seen. John and I got on one bus, but Jacob didn't make it and had to take a different bus to Santo Domingo. We hated splitting up, but it would've been impossible to find a bus for the three of us, so it's a good thing we did.

I can't possibly convey how awful the weekend was in this blog. We didn't see any other tourists the entire time we were gone and feel like we celebrated Semana Santa the "Dominican way". The south was also really beautiful... definately the most beautiful part of the country I've seen so far.

The Lundines!

2009-04-07T17:45:00.000-07:00

Jenny, Mark, Owen and Mark's parents came to the DR for the week so I went and spent a few days with them. It was really fun. Mark's brother and his family live in Santo Domingo and we all stayed in a house in Juan Dolio, which is a beach town in the south east part of the country. It was my first time in the Caribbean Sea because every time I've gone to the beach, it's been on the northern Atlantic coast. I spent most of my time lounging around by the pool and John, Mark and I went to Bayahibe to go scuba diving, which was really fun. It was so great to spend time with family. :) Also, for the first time since January, I was able to flush toilet paper.

Coming soon to a store near you...

2009-04-07T17:23:00.000-07:00

The men of CIEE Santiago Spring 2009 calendar!

Las Terrenas y Samana con CIEE

2009-04-07T17:04:00.000-07:00

I am way behind on my blog, but here are photos from our group excursion to Las Terrenas and Samana two weeks ago and it was so much fun! When we arrived on Friday, we went on a hike to a water fall and it was so pretty and so much fun to swim in (but the current was really stong) Saturday, we went to the national park Parque de los Haitises to see a cave with Taino petroglyphs and kayak through the mangroves. We also had plenty of time to lay around on the beach.

A couple of us took a walk that we were told was really easy, but reality was not at all There were literally baracades blocking the path to the beach that we were trying to find. Luckily, we made it and the beach was, just as the name implies, bonita. :) We ate lunch at a hotel and it had a litter of kittens that were absolutely adorable. I wanted to steal one so bad!

2009-03-25T13:43:00.000-07:00

My Week with Casey

2009-03-24T13:36:00.000-07:00

The rest of my week with Casey was wonderful and we were so lucky that it only rained right after we had finished an activity and never during.
We arrived in Santiago Monday night after a full day of diving and riding in a really cold bus and just went to bed. Tuesday, I had a pretty full day of classes. During my break, we went to my host family’s house for lunch and to just relax. We were both feeling incredibly lazy on Tuesday.
Wednesday after my morning class, we went to the Central Leon, which is a museum of Dominican art and anthropology. There is also a cigar factory, but by the time we made it through the museum, the factory was closed. Casey did buy a box of the cigars though. That night, we ate really bad Chinese food and went to bed early so we could be rested for 27 Charcos on Thursday.
I had so much the last time I did 27 Charcos that I just had to do it again. We had a blast! It was amazing though how much more calm the water falls were this time as opposed to last. Last time I went, it was right after the week and half of rain so the river was crazy. While last time I felt like I was going to die, this time I did not. That night, we also went to a liquor store/bar and a discoteca to celebrate my friend Adam’s birthday. The next morning when we woke up at 7:30am, we were really regretting staying out dancing until 2, but it sure was fun!
Friday we went to Charco de los Indios with my program. Only like 8 people signed up for the hike and it was so much fun. We went to the only monumental artifact left of the Tainos. It is in ruins, but you can still easily see that it was once a face. The place we went was considered sacred by the Tainos and it was absolutely gorgeous. Casey, Nathaniel, Erin, Kori and I figured out a way to climb to the top of the face. I’m kind of scratched up from it, but it was definitely worth it. The view from the top was wonderful. After the hike, we stopped at a place where you can find clam and tube worm fossils that are between 55 and 100 million years old. It’s amazing because we were way up in the mountains. The clams are from the time millions of years ago when the island was under water. It’s amazing to me how much the world has changed since it first began. Friday night, we went to Santo Domingo. We checked into our hotel at 11:00pm and fell asleep pretty much instantly.
Saturday, we walked around Zona Colonial for a couple hours before heading to the airport. Getting to the airport was a frustrating, expensive process that I’d rather not discuss because it makes me so mad. Casey barely made his flight on time, but now he’s back in Savannah. I sure miss having him here.

Sosua with Casey

2009-03-17T15:02:00.000-07:00

Casey arrived on Friday and I love having him here! We had a wonderful weekend in Sosua snorkeling, laying on the beach and scuba diving! We did four dives in two days and had the best time ever! We had a very international group leading our dive, taking photos and giving instructions. Everyone was super nice and hillarious as well. Casey got his open water certification and I was finally able to do my deep dive for my advanced certification. :) While diving, we saw a ton of fish including a sting ray, a spotted eel and a gorgeous lime green moray eel. The coral was also gorgeous.

Playa Ensenada y Punta Rusia

2009-03-12T07:11:00.000-07:00

Last Friday, CIEE took an excursion to the isolated beach of Playa Ensenada. The beach consisted of nearly white sands, a few people, and lots of great little restaurants serving fresh sea food and chicken dishes. The main reason why any tourist would come to Playa Ensenada is get on a boat and head out to "la isla". Everyone was talking about how great the island was and that you just have to go, so me and 10 others chartered a boat and headed out to the island which turned out to be a lump of sand in the middle of the ocean renting snorkel gear and selling rum and coke. It was paradise! The snorkeling around the area was absolutely gorgous. within the reefs, fish of all colors, shapes, and sizes were swimming about. Upon returning to Playa Ensenada, we were told to get ready to board the gua gua and head back to Santiago, but Stacey, Kori, and I were not ready to do so and with and decided to stay the night. We had no plans, no clean clothes, a little bit of money, and no knowledge about the area, but were convinced that it would be fun to stay.

We were walking down the street towards Punta Rusia asking around if anyone knew of a hotel and that's how we buddied up with Myra. She took us to La Tortuga, where she was friends with the owner and we were given a room for RD$700 (roughly US$21.00). We had to sleep three to a bed, but all in all we were extremely comfortable and happy.

We had to call our host families and let them know we wouldn't be coming home, but we had a problem: no cell phone signal. We asked the hotel owner if he knew where we could find signal and he directed down the road and up a hill which is the only place in town with cell phone service! On the way up the hill, we saw discarde phone cards giving us an indication that we were heading in the right direction and we did see other people on top talking on their phones. We had found signal. :)

When we returned to La Tortuga, we waited around for a bit for Myra was taking us to her friend's restaurant. This place was amazing! The food was so delicious (and I don't even like seafood, but loved this fish!) and the workers were extremely friendly. After we finished eating, we were lucky enough to get to listen to the owner tell us stories of his adventures fishing in the ocean and he said that sometimes he takes people out on his boat for the day.

After dinner, we were pretty tired, so Mrya and her daughter walked us home and after talking the couple that runs the hotel for a bit, we went to bed.

The next morning, while sitting on the beach, the hotel owner came out to tell us he had made us coffee and it was waiting for us in the lobby. Thank goodness we had that coffee because we sure didn't have money for food! We had to save every peso to get back to Santiago, which we were beginning to get the inclination that that would be an adventure in itself.

We had met up with the guys who took us out to the island the day before and they had a friend with a gua gua who was willing to come out a little farther past his route and pick us up at Playa Ensenada. We walked along the beach to find sea shells, some dead, but still cool sea life, and isolated white sand beaches with crystal clear shallow turquiose water.

We waited around for about and hour and half talking to Falto and Danny, the guys who found us our ride, and then hopped in a gua gua to La Isabela.

In La Isabela, we had to get on another gua gua to Santiago. On that gua gua, the people were again extremely. Every now and then we would slip into English while talking to eachother and were quickly reminded to speak Spanish so everyone could enjoy our stories. It was hillarious trying to explain ugly Christmas sweater parties and other themed parties where it's a theme to wear ugly clothes to the Dominicans who dress to nines for every social outing!

We made it back to Santiago safely, hungry, and very satisfied with our decision to stay the night in Punta Rusia. We had an amazing time and met some of the nicest people. I'm planning on returning in April for Semana Santa and I want to go snorkeling again, fishing, and go to the near by manetee reserve.

Carnaval Santo Domingo

2009-03-04T13:11:00.001-08:00

Sunday, we met up with Lynne and Jacob and went to the national carnaval parade in Santo Domingo. It was amazing. There were groups from all over the country coming to show off their carnaval get ups. This was just a parade and we were in no danger of being hit. Even the on lookers were dressed up.

Many of the regions had costumes themed with something special about their region. Many coastal cities had a huge emphasis on marine life in their outfits.

It is impossible to try to describe, so I will just post a lot of pictures. Click on the photos to enlarge them and then just go back to view the rest.

El Violista en el Tejado

2009-03-04T13:10:00.000-08:00

The Fiddler on the Roof translates surprising well into Spanish! Going to the theater was so much fun! We had second row orchestra seats. The music was all the same, just the words changed. Not everything translated exactly, but most of it was really close and there were some songs where I liked the Spanish version better.

It was so relaxing to relax and watch Fiddler, a show I know so well since I was in it my junior year of high school. Kori and Susan were a bit confused because they didn’t know the story at all, but Stacey and I followed all of it. Everyone loved it. The guy who played Tevye was so cute and the daughters were excellent as well as their boyfriends. The dancing was absolutely incredible! I loved it.

It was hilarious for us to leave the theater where everyone was dressed to the nines and on their best behavior and go back to Hotel Independencia.

Fiesta del Palos

2009-03-04T06:48:00.000-08:00

I almost forgot to write a post about the Fiesta del Palos in Case de Arte Thursday night. It was so much fun! Palo drumming is an Afro-Dominican Religious ceremony that involves worshipping Catholic saints with incredibly lively music and dancing. The group mainly consists of three large drums playing complex rhythms and singing call and response songs. There isn’t choreography to the dancing. I was told to simply “feel” the music and then I’d know what to do. It was a great night of people of all ages and backgrounds dancing and having the best time ever.

Los Tres Ojos

2009-03-03T14:03:00.000-08:00

Saturday after getting all settled in Hotel Independencia we went to Los Tres Ojos, where we met Martha and her boyfriend Francis as well. The park was gorgeous. The main attraction is the three lakes underground in a cave. There are indicators that the Tainos used this cave as well for healing, religious ceremonies, and as a hiding place from the Spaniards. There is something in the rocks that causes the water to be a really bright blue. In the lakes are fish and turtles as well. There’s a fourth lake, which is not considered to be one of the ojos, that you need to can only get to by crossing the third on a little boat. The path way between the third and fourth lake looked straight out of Harry Potter and Phantom of the Opera. It is the filming site for part of the first Jurassic Park movie. I was really excited to find a big Taino petroglyph, which no one believed me was real, so I called Lynne and she said that yes, the one Taino petroglyph in the cave is real and the one I saw. It was quite satisfying. Also, someone approached me and started speaking French to me. I must really give off a European vibe.

My guidebook said that this site is “mildly interesting”, but we were blown away by how pretty it was! Our description will include that it is the filming site of Phantom of the Opera and where JK Rowling got her inspiration for the 6th Harry Potter book.

"Hotel Independencia provides you with a towel and a bar of soap."

2009-03-03T13:49:00.001-08:00

And that it did, but not much else. As soon as we entered our room, Susan, whose major is Hospitality and Tourism Managment yelled "This place is such a shit hole!" Our guide book said it provided a fan, a bar of soap, a towel, and some rooms even have windows (we were lucky!). It was extremely inexpensive, which made it quite appealing. It wasn't that awful. We had a place to rest our heads (well three of us had pillows) and were in a really good location.

Carnaval Vegano # 3 y 4

2009-03-03T13:10:00.000-08:00

Sunday March 22 was the largest carnaval celebration in La Vega. There were so many people there and the devils just kept coming and coming! I did not get hit like I did the first time and this time for there were way more people to block me from the blow. It was nearly impossible to walk through the crowds. The costumes were absolutely gorgeous. We had to pay to enter the caves and therefore, did not. Nevertheless, Carnaval was a blast. I'm so sad it's over.

Friday, March 27 is Independance Day in the DR and therefore La Vega had one more carnaval celebration. Susan and I went with my Haitian friend Christine from sculpture class and two of her friends. This time, the masks were off, because Lent has begun, which made everything more scary because all of a sudden, they were people hitting us not devils. I got hit the most at this carnaval and it was so scary! We met one of Lynne's friends at a Fiesta del Palos the night before and ran into him at carnaval dressed up like a clown. While giving him a hug to say hello and then again to say goodbye, I was wallopped in the butt by an unseen devil. I have a huge bruise as a souvenir. I got hit a few more times after that, but not as hard. Standing at a beer tent, we made friends with tour American-Dominicans from New York and Boston, which worked out especially well when it started down pouring for they let us hide in their tent from the rain. It was POURING! The funniest image I have from the entire month of carnaval is tons of people cramming themselves into portapotties to hide from the rain.

Carnaval Santiaguero

2009-03-03T11:58:00.000-08:00

The carnaval experience in my town of Santiago is one quite different from La Vega. First off, the costumes are not of devils, but of luchones, which are fantastical animals that appear to be a cross between a duck and a bull. There is lots of dancing, loud noises, and confetti everywhere. Instead of trying to avoid being hit by one of the things they swing around in La Vega, I spend the evening trying avoid getting confetti thrown in my face! The whips that they crack in Santiago make a terrifying noise, but they do not hit you, which is nice. All around the monument and the street of Calle del Sol carnaval was happening. There were people everywhere dancing and singing and whatching the parades. Santiago is famous for having a carnaval that has remained very traditional.

My First Casino Experience

2009-02-24T12:06:00.001-08:00

Saturday night, my friends and I went to the Casino. Expecting to lose anything I brought, I only played with RD$350.00 (approx. $11.25) and yes, I lost it all to the slot machines. There is an itty bit of strategy, but they are mostly luck. It was hillarious how much we stood out. We could get so excited whenever we won anything or got a Babooshka Bonus on out favorite machine. Everyone else, much older and spending much more money, never showed emotion. So long as I was playing (or pretending to) I was entitled to free drinks and food for the entire evening. The casino also provided us with a chauffer to drive us home. I made sure I got my $350 worth of fun, drinks, and food for the night and in the end a ride home. :) Even though I left with nothing, it was still a really fun night and I'll probably be going back again.

Jacob was the only person who won anything. At one point, I'm pretty sure he had RD$1,000.00 and he only started with $200. He left the casino with $400. He was holding on to my keys for the night because my dress didn't have pockets and it wasn't until he had arrived at home and I was on my way when we realized that Jacob still had my keys. In the end he broke even, but he spent his $200 on a taxi ride to my house at 2:30am to drop of my keys and then return home.

27 Charcos

2009-02-23T10:26:00.000-08:00

This past Friday went on the tour of the 27 Charcos near Puerto Plata and it was amazing! First, we had to climb to the top of this chain of 27 waterfalls which meant holding onto a rope and trying to climb up rediculously strong water falls as guides assisted in hoisting us up. We were all equiped with shoes, life jackets, and helmets while the guides were barefood and without life jackets and vests and hopping up those waterfalls with incredible ease. When we got to the top, the journey down was a series of high jumps and slides down waterfalls. It's so difficult to describe and there's no way I can do it justice by simply typing it.

17 of us from the CIEE group went on this tour and in general, though we all made it out alive, we were pretty beat up. On one of the first jumps down, Amanda landed wrong on a rock and her ankle swelled up pretty quickly. Unfortunately, the only way down was to continue jumping and sliding. She grinned and beared it and said she still had a lot of fun. Erin hurt her foot on the way up, but kept going and then at the end was in a lot of pain and her food was also swollen. I only have a couple scrapes and blisters. Most everyone has a couple scrapes and blisters from the weekend.

Like I said, it's incredibly difficult to describe. The image that I had in my head was completely different than what actually happened. Check out the website www.27charcos.com to see a video of it and learn more about the tour itself. It was set up as a Peace Corps project to help build the local economy and give jobs to people in the area. It has been really successful. :)

Disneyland Dominicana

2009-02-18T07:27:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine got this email forward from her dad. It's hillarious. I especially love the sections about the Gua Gua Ride and The Valley of Darkness.

Disneyland to open in Puerto Plata

10 FREE Tickets Up for Grabs...

Disney's share price rocketed last week on the announcement of Disney's plans to build a theme park on the North Coast of the Dominican Republic. Disneyland in the Dominican Republic...

The new resort, dubbed "Disneyland Dominicana" is set increase Disney's theme park empire while boosting the local economy and providing thousands of new jobs for the area. Allegedly, Disney has already purchased several large tracts of land using various holding corporations around the Long Beach and Costa Dorada area of Puerto Plata. We went to talk with Disney's head of PR, Lyon King and find out more about their plans. He was keen to fill us in...

-"We're really pleased to be opening up in the Caribbean. We don't want to ruin the local Dominican culture and make the resort too Americanized. Local food such as plantain and mangu will be served to visitors. Hot-dogs will be offered when they wander in."

Disneyland Hotdogs: two for 100 pesos

-"To transport visitors around the resort, we're investing in some two-wheeled vehicles with their own autonomous pilots. Although they are only about 5 feet long with one seat, they can carry 6 people comfortably. These things do make quite a noise, a cross between a hair-dryer and a grass cutter. And they emit some noxious gases, so should be entertaining while at the same time functional."

Disneyland Rollercoaster: Coming soon to Puerto Plata - Dominican Republic Some of the local Dominican companies are keen to be involved. Brugal Rum will be sponsoring the Brugal Run roller-coaster.

-"We were going to build a vertical drop ride, but we've got permission to use the cable car on the Isabela de Torres mountain which we'll tie in with the Moto Ride. We'll add in some wind machines and some waterfalls to increase the cable car drop speed. Should be quite a ride!"

Disneyland Rollercoaster: Engineer's sketch of one of the planned rides...

-"Instead of the Swiss Family Robinson house, we'll have the Casa Dominicana, which will never be finished. Every week, we'll add a couple more blocks to it."

Disneyland Prototype Ride:A prototype of one of the rides...

-"We've got some great new rides planned, some of them will be unique to Disneyland Dominicana. The Valley of Darkness is where people take a trip underground. Every so often, the ride will stop and they'll be plunged into darkness.Thankfully, we don't need any special equipment for this. We've spoken to the local electricity provider and they've assured us that the power will go on and off intermittently anyway, so this ride will be easy to set up."

Disney Gua-Gua Ride: A design for one of the new attractions

-"We've got some 30 foot tall screens coming for our new Gua-Gua 3D simulation. The idea is to simulate the experience of being a passenger in the local minibuses that travel around to the Dominican cities. We'll squash 40 people, some chickens and a donkey into a 10 foot by 6 foot room and try to create a real Gua-Gua experience. There will only be 6 seats, so people will have to stand or sit on each other. There'll be no air-conditioning, and we've got a great merengue soundtrack to liven things up. Since the ride isn't long enough to play the entire soundtrack on repeat, we plan to play the same 3 songs on repeat to get a real taste of the culture. The big screens will show motorcycles coming at you from all directions, loud horns blaring, trucks and SUV's narrowly missing you, and people crossing your path pretending you aren't there. We still have some work to do on this one, as in early tests people were so frazzled by the experience they couldn't last the whole simulation."

Instead of "Sleeping Beauty's Castle", we're planning the "Sleeping Watchey-Man's Castle".

Obviously, we'll be doing a Pirates of the Caribbean ride, but we'll be using real pirates this time.

- "We're training up some local staff to be able to give a great local feeling. They'll be trained to ask all visitors where they are from and ask if they can they polish their flip-flops. Any visitors who avoid eye contact or look like they haven't been there before will be offered a free tour of the facilities for just $20USD."

"How much will entrance to the theme park cost?" we asked. "Well, we've decided to leave that up to the staff. As long as we get 50 dollars each entry, they're free to charge what they want. I imagine they'll probably quote around 300 dollars and then it'll be up to each customer to haggle them down."
"But won't that mean customers will have to wait longer just to get into the park?" Well yes, I guess so. But hey, it's the Caribbean. They shouldn't be rushing around. They should relax while they're queuing. I'm, sure there'll be lots of street vendors providing the queues with interesting items to buy."

Taken from the Gringo Times

"Would you rather be sitting on a root waiting for an unknown objective or in the kiosk eating a sandwich?" - Constanza part 2

2009-02-18T07:07:00.000-08:00

Saturday, we piled into three "Safari" strucks to embark on a gringo parade around the town. First, we took about an hour ride to a breathtaking water fall. From there, we had to option to take a pretty difficult hike to the tallest water fall in the Caribbean or go to the kiosk and eat a sandwich. Many, including me, chose the waterfall.

Due to the rain, the path we were supposed to take was flooded, so we found ourselves sitting on roots, rocks, and mud, very high up for roughly an hour and half waiting for the guide to make a new path. We then started playing "would you rather" which led to the question "Would you rather be sitting on a root waiting for an unknown objective or in the kiosk eating a sandwich?" The new path was a 85 degree incline while we needed a rope to climb and could only do it one at time.

Susan, Leidy, Sarah-Naomi and I were the last to go up and see the waterfall and it was really breathtaking. I wish we could've had more time to just sit up there, but we were running so behind that we just had time to snap a few photos and then head back.

We then went into town for lunch. After lunch a tour of the different farms was scheduled and were all dreading it due to being hot, tired, and exhausted from the waterfall adventure. There wasn't a tour guide in my safari truck so we were driving around for roughly an hour and half through farms wondering where the farm we were going to tour was. Then, out of nowhere, we arrived at our hotel and it turns out that the ride was our tour! It was the most fun agriculture tour I've ever been on!

In the evening, we had a barbeque and hung out by a fire.

It was a really good day and weekend in general! :) The three guys in our group sure enjoyed being surrounded by 35 girls all day!

Also, note that I'm wearing a Moosejaw t-shirt... I'll finally get in the photo album at the store! Now I just need to take a picture with a bagel to get on the wall at Bloomington Bagel Company!

"Bring comfortable shoes. We're going on a little walk" Weekend in Constanza

2009-02-17T13:37:00.000-08:00

Not too intense of a hike, but definately more than little walk. Constanza is the chilliest part of the DR and the only place that can grow roses and strawberries. It's gorgeous. I'll post more pictures later.

When it rains, it pours

2009-02-12T06:05:00.000-08:00

It rained here consistently for about a week. My host mom said that this is really strange because February is usually very sunny and perfect for Carnaval, but so far, it's been rainy.

The rain has caused a ton of problems here. As far as I know, three towns have been flooded, many people have died, and many homes and a school has been destroyed. This has happened in rural villages and in the mountains near Santiago.

Santiago hasn't suffered great damage and the rain ceased yesterday. Today is nice and sunny and I hope it remains.

Dajabon

2009-02-11T13:16:00.000-08:00

<-- Haiti from the border

Me on the Dominican side of the border

This past weekend, my family and I went to Dajabon, the town on the Dominican side of the Dominican/Haitian border. We stayed in my dad's friend's house and it was very different from my apartment in Santiago. Dajabon is a much smaller town and is more of a campo than a city like Santiago. It was a really neat experience.

Saturday night, we went over to my dad's friend's uncle's house to make pastels, play dominoes, and just relax. There were so many people there and my family didn't know anyone, but it was still fun. I really enjoyed making the pastels. You put a pumkiny paste in a banana leaf, then on top of the paste put pork and olives and then you fold it all up and tie it with string and cook it for what seemed like hours because I was so hungry and the pork I nibbled on while we were making them was so good! They were delicous and it was really fun to prepare them with my dad's friend's uncle, his niece, sister, wife, and my mom. After we were done eating, my family and I played dominoes for a bit before heading back to where we were staying.

Sunday, I woke up to roosters, for it's impossible to sleep when they are awake. We went to visit more people on their farms. My dad gave one man medicine in return for an enormous amount of grapefruit and some coconuts. I love drinking the coconut milk straight from the coconut.

Also on Sunday, we went to the Dominican/Haitian border, which was a bit overwhelming. The difference between the Dominican Republic and Haiti is immediate. Dajabon is not a major city, but in crossing the border, you go from a thriving town into desolate and extreme poverty. I didn't expect the difference to be so drastic. Haitians cross the border the sell things in the DR. The border isn't very secure. The people who have passports go through the official gate, but then there are also many people who just walk across a shallow river that is the border. Throughout Dajabon, there are military stops to attempt and control people who cross illegally and drugs, but their method of the checking seemed so superficial. Here, dark skin is immediately associated with Haiti, however, there are many dark complected Dominicans and I'm friends with two very light skinned Haitians. When we were get stopped at the military check points, we would roll down our windows, and they would look at my family, whose all lighter complected and let us go with out any questioning. All in all, it was a very eye opening weekend.

Two different people this weekend, asked if I was from Europe and I thought that was funny. :) One asked me if I was from Spain and another from France.

My Least Favorite Place

2009-02-06T15:51:00.000-08:00

There is this place on campus called Copy City and it is my least favorite place in the Dominican Republic, perhaps the whole world.

Most of my professors don't have books for us to buy, they have articles that we need to buy copies of. Sometimes they make you buy all the articles for the class at once, but some teachers make you go to Copy City weekly to pick up your articles.

It's horrible in there.

It's always so jam packed with people that you can't even move and you have to wait for the workers to call you number before they will help you. Then trying to explain what you want it another adventure. I never know what I want because my instructions are always this "go pick up the reading in the copy center". Also, depending on what day you go, you may or may not get the right articles.

For example, I, like a good student, went to go pick up my copies for Procesos on a Monday at 9am. The next day in class, my professor told us of a problem: any one who picked up their copies before 5pm on the specific Monday that I went to get mine bought the packet from last semester and thus the wrong packet. There were two articles missing from my packet and I had 3 articles that I didn't need. I then went in to exchange my unneeded articles for the correct ones, which was quite the adventure. The people at Copy City were never notified of the mix up and it was so difficult to explain what I needed. I was the first one in my class to try and exchange articles... I wonder how the rest will make out in there.

There is also extreme confusion concerning articles for Community Service as well. We all only bought one packet. Our assignment was to read it and write a one page response. When we got to class on Thursday, we realized that there were three different articles circulating around that people read and wrote responses on. I hope I read the right one. I only have one.

I have to go back there to pick up more articles. I really don't want to. I hate it there so much.

Poochi

2009-02-04T07:15:00.000-08:00

Saturday, we got a dog! His name is Poochi and is is adorable. He sleeps with me every night and follows me all around. My granda says he's my "hijo"(son) My mom calls him "paloma" (pidgon/dove) because he keeps escaping through the balcony, which makes me really nervous and blows my mind. He's very small and some how jumps from the balcony to the staircase and runs out. Twice, my mom and grandma have had to walk around the street and knock on doors looking for him. The first time, they found in him someone elses apartment and the second time in the church. Now, we have to always keep the balcony shut and locked. He is really cute though and I love having an animal in the house.

CARNAVAL!

2009-02-04T06:30:00.000-08:00

Sunday was the beginning of Carnaval month! Yes, Carnaval MONTH! Every Sunday for the month of February there will be carnaval celebrations all over the country!

This past Sunday, I went to La Vega. My friend Alex runs a tour that is more like a party bus. It's round trip to and from La Vega and open bar. It was so much fun to go with a bunch of Dominicans. I went with John and Susan and there were a couple people from Nebraska as well, but the majority of the people on the bus were Dominicans. My Dominican friends Milton, Alex, and Jorge, and some of their friends whose names I forget stuck with the three us most of the protecting us from the blows and letting us in on the best places to go. It was so much fun! There were a ton of people on the street eating, drinking, dancing. Also, there were people in costume going around swinging these very hard things to hit people in the butt. The men were begging the devils to hit them. Evidently, with enough rum, you can't really feel the blow... until the next day! I got tapped a couple times, and then I got one huge blow because one of the guys in my group said I had to experience it. One of my thighs is significantly larger than the other and black and blue now, but it's all in good fun! :) In La Vega a ton of streets are blocked off and in off of main streets are "caves" that have a DJ and there's a ton of dancing. When flags are spotted, everyone rushing to sides to protect themselves from the devils and, mostly men, but some women were there too, jump into the street so the devils hit them. It's hillarious to watch people so happy and laughing and then go into intense pain after being hit.

Evidently, the first carnaval celebration is nothing compared to what's left to come!

I plan on attending carnavals in Santo Domingo, Santiago, hopefully Bonoa, and La Vega again.

I've heard two explanations for this: to get the bad spirits out of you, and in honor of the slaves when they were beat in the sugar cane fields.

This month, I'm going to many lectures, interviewing Dominican folklorists, and attending many carnaval celebrations as well to learn as much about this tradition as I can. It's so interesting... and so much fun!

There are different characters in every city. La Vega has devils. Some were gorgeous elaborate costumes, I saw people covered head to toe in mud, and then I saw these incredibly scary devils. I don't even know how to describe them, but they were the scariest creatures I've ever seen!

Pictures from El Campo

2009-02-04T06:25:00.000-08:00

Sorry it's blurry, but you get the idea of how pretty this place it. Vargas is my father's last name.

El Campo

2009-02-02T12:09:00.000-08:00

This past Saturday, my family and I went out to the Campo (the country side) for the day. It was gorgeous. The Vargas side (my dad's side) owns land with horses, cows, a pond, guava trees, plantain trees, and a gorgeous view. His entire family was there and they were incredibly nice. His brother and her wife are hosting exchange students from a differnt program. Some of his relatives live in the states and were down here visiting.

We spent the day relaxing, eating, drinking coffee and wine, playing dominoes, and laying around. It was so peaceful out there and so beautiful.

My mom took home a bunch of guavas and made juice. yum yum yum.

I will post pictures soon, for some reason I am unable to right now.

More photos from the Mirabel's

2009-01-31T16:47:00.000-08:00

The porch of the Mirabel's childhood home

Group photo with Dede Mirabel

Susan and I at the Mirabel's

Me in the gardens

El Museo de las Hermanas Mirabel

2009-01-31T16:21:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, we went to the Museum of the Mirabel Sisters. The Mirabel sisters were extremely influential in the rebellion against Trujillo. Trujillo was assassinated shortly after they were. The were killed on their way home from visiting their husbands in prison in Puerto Plata and then put in their car and it was staged to look like an accident, but everyone knew they had been assassinated and did not die in a car crash. They are buried on the grounds of the museum along with Minerva's husband Manolo.

Today, one of the four, Dede is still alive and she came to the museum to talk with us and sign books if we had them. I bought In El Tiemp de las Mariposas (In the Time of the Butterflies) which is a novel about the sisters, and had it signed by Dede.

The museum is at the house where the sisters lived the last 10 months of their life. Inside, it is set up with their furniture and their clothes are still in the closet. There was a display of things that were in their car when they were found dead.

Dede still lives in the house where they grew up and we went there after we left the museum. The gardens at both houses were absolutely gorgeous.

2009-01-29T11:18:00.000-08:00

more pictures of the whales thanks to Kori :)

That's it, I'm staying here forever!

2009-01-26T13:29:00.000-08:00

Saturday night, we went to a bar where there was a band playing merengue and bachata music. They were really good. At one point, the lead singer asked us where we were from and we said we are students from the states studying in Santiago. He then announced that some had to teach us how to dance! I love how excited people are here to show us their dances. Merengue and bachata are Dominican originals and the people are very proud of them. There were two guys who danced with all of us at different times of the night.

Sunday we did nothing but lounge around on the beach. I underestimated the power of the sun and I now look like a tomotoe, but it was worth it. While floating around in the crystal clear Atlantic Ocean, I couldn't help but to think to myself "I'm sold on this place. I'm staying here forever!"

Las Terrenas is an interesting place. Most of the tourists were European and there seemed to be a heavy Italian influence on the place.We stayed in Los Pinos hotel, which was owned by an Italian man we were all afraid of and was right on the ocean. Despite our fear of the hotel owner, he was incredibly nice to us and patient with us. He gave us a deal on our rooms, organized our taxi to Samana for the whale watching (our driver was amazing!), and let us pay on our own clock. We payed for our rooms Saturday night and all parties involved were extremely relieved and the hotel owner seemed to relax a lot. It was nothing fancy, but we loved it there.

I've been in the country for a little over three weeks, and though I've gotten homesick at time and have missed things like English and cheese burgers, I really love it here. :) I don't know if I've just been talking to people who speak really clear Spanish or if I'm understanding the language better. Either way, I've been having really good conversations with people and I'm less timid about talking to people. My friends and I have finally started speaking Spanish to eachother. Sunday, we spoke in Spanish for pretty much the whole day.

Unfortunately, the only gua gua going to Santiago from Las Terrenas was at 6am Monday (today) morning. I've been sleeping most of the way, for the gua gua was impossible to sleep on. Today is Stacey's birthday, so we're going over there for pizza for dinner.

Ballenas!

2009-01-26T12:51:00.000-08:00

We had a long weekend this weekend and and so me, Susan, Joana, Stacey, Erin, Cori, and April went to the Samana peninsula to go to whale watching! Friday it was rainy, but luckily it was nice on Saturday, which was when our scheduled tour was. We wandered around Samana Bay for a while looking for any sign of whales and then when some were spotted, we had to wait about 45 minutes before we could go to the whale watching area. Whale watching is highly regulated and only one large boat and two small boats are allowed in the area of the whales.

When we finally were able to see them, they were coming to surface spouting and then diving back under. At first they were in pretty shallow water, but then we followed them in to deeper water and they started diving deep and showing their tale. We watched the same two whales for about an hour. They were gorgeous.

It was fascinating to me how predictable the whales were. They were averaging being under water for six to nine minutes before surfacing again. Kim, our guide was also able to predict what side of the boat they'd be on. She would say "The whales have been down for about seven minutes. Organize yourselves for a viewing at 3 o'clock" and then everyone would frantically rush to that side of the boat. I though it was hillarious how much peolple scurried around on this wobbley boat to get a good view. It was amazing that the boat didn't flip!

I was on the top level of the boat and everyone was as happy as could be. The bottom level, however, had a different crowd. The people on the bottom were throwing up and lying around all over the place. Among these people were my friends Joana, Susan, and Erin. Susan said once that when Kim said the whales had been down for 3 minutes, she had just enough time to run to the bathroom and throw up and get back to still see the whales! The crew was all over making sure people had bags to vomit in and they were also moving things all around to make sure that no ones stuff got covered with vomit. It was amazing how clean the boat remained given how many people were throwing up. Stacey, April, and I were very happy that we felt fine.

While we were searching for the whales, they put on a tape of humpback whale songs, and this may have triggered the entire vomiting fiasco. The humpback whale songs sounded exactly like a person vomiting and the first person to vomit did so during the recording.

Now whenever I hear humpback whale songs on relaxation cds, I'll only be able to picture the infirmary that was the Victora II Whale watching boat. Also, everytime I hear some one say the time or use a clock as a directional reference, I'll picture everyone frantically rushing to one side of the boat to get a good view of the gorgeous hump back whales.

I wasn't able to get a picture of the whales' tales, but Cori was, so when I get the pic from her, I'll post it up here.

El Dia de La Virgen de Altagracia

2009-01-21T18:35:00.000-08:00

Today was the holiday celebrating the Virgin of Altagracia. The university was closed and I went to a block party with my family. This party was the livliest religious celebration I've ever attended!

It was held in a community center. Agaist the back wall was an alter full of candles, pictures, and statues of the Virgen. There was delicious food and LOTS of dancing!

I was the only gringa at the event and did I ever stick out! Not just because of my skin and hair color, but my inability to dance as well. The music was primarily merengue tipico, merengue con palos, and some bachata here and there. My host dad insisted that his friends teach me how to dance and that they did.

Merengue tipico is much faster than the popular merengue I've been hearing in clubs and merengue con palos through in tons of complex rhythm that I was not prepared for at all.

I feel like I'm really starting to get the hang out merengue, expect that it's so hard to keep my shoulders still! Last night at the discoteca and today at the fiesta as well, my dance partners would press my shoulders down to keep them from moving.

There was one woman today who was the craziest dancer I've ever seen! Every inch of her body -- including her shoulders -- was in constant, extremely fast motion! Her arms were flailing, she was kicked her legs, shaking her hips, and having the most fun in the world while staying in perfect rhythm! It was amazing.

My host dad told me that most of my music I heard today was folkloric music and that the palo drumming is from the south. I loved it! I though the discotecas were lively, but none that I've been to have been nearly as lively as this fiesta was! I need to find places that play this kind of music!

Un Presidente Para Mi Presidente

2009-01-21T17:20:00.000-08:00

It's a pretty big deal to be from the United States from now. The Dominican Republic loves Barack Obama. During lunch time yesterday, everyone who I know was whatching the historical inauguration. I watched it with my host mom and grandma (dubbed over in Spanish, of course), and they are both about as excited as I am about Obama being the president of the United States.

For the past two weeks, people have been really excited to talk to me about Obama when they find out I am from the States. When I told my neighbor that I'm from Ohio, he replied "Obama won Ohio!" Yesterday, since the inauguration, Obama has been all the talk.

It's really interesting that people care so much about our president. Last night at dinner, I talked to my host dad about it and he was telling me about how dependent the Dominican Republic is on the United States. Because our economy is down right now, so is the DR's. I guess is does make sense. The leading industry in the Dominican Republic is tourism and so if people from the US can't afford to take vacations, they won't be helping the tourism industry in the DR at all. Aside from that thought, the fact that Obama is our first African American president is also relevant down here because racism is still pretty high. He's seen as inspiring, intelligent, and what the world needs right now. I'm proud to have been a part of this historical political movement and I think we have a bright future ahead of us. I'm looking forward to seeing what the States will be like when I return in July.

Being that the most popular beer here is Presidente, I had to go out Tuesday night and grab a Presidente for my new president! Good thing I didn't have class on Wednesday! :)

Going Out Dominican Style

2009-01-19T07:25:00.000-08:00

This past weekend was my first weekend in Santiago (I was in Santo Domingo for my first weekend in the DR), so my friends and I ventured out to the discotecas!

Santiago is a city that never sleeps! Friday night, I went out with my friends from the states, Amanda and Susan, and two Dominican friends from the university, Diego, Viviano, and Amaury. First, we went to a pretty fancy discoteca, to Viviano's house, and then out to eat. Before I we knew it, it was 4am and Amanda, Susan, and I were exhausted and decided to go home, but the guys said that people stay out all night and were ready to keep going! I was really quiet coming in, but then when I was telling my host mom about my night, I apologized for coming home so late. She asked what time I was in and when I said 4, she replied "4 isn't late! People here stay out dancing 'til 6 or 7!"

Saturday, I went to the art and culture museum and did some window shopping. I need to buy art supplies for my sculpture class, but the store was closed. I love walking around the city and checking out all the stores. The stores are also great for practicing Spanish, which I need to do more of. This weekend, most people who I was with, even the Dominicans, spoke English. It was great because I could have a coherent, intelligent conversion (I sound like I have the intelligence level of a fifth grader. On the other hand, though I'm here to learn and practice Spanish. I really need to be more diligent about only speaking Spanish.

The art and culture museum was great. The anthropology and history section was really interesting and will filled with artifacts from the Taino people and the post contact as well. The art section was not that much different that what you'd expect in a modern art museum in the United States.

Saturday was also my host sister's 6th birthday. For her party, we went to Pizza Hut and it was amazing! I have never craved American fast food like I do here. Don't get my wrong, the traditional food here is incredible, but adjusting to a new place, language, and diet all at once is quite difficult and I find myself craving familiarity. Here, the only familiar restaurants are Burger King, McDolalds, Pizza Hut, Dominoes, and KFC.

Saturday night, after her party, I went back out to the discotecas, but tired out much earlier. Going out dancing in the DR is rediculously fun, but one of the most exhuasting things I've ever done!

My tummy is growling. It's almost time for lunch, so I'm going to be off.

2009-01-18T09:32:00.000-08:00

China Town Santo Domingo!

2009-01-18T09:10:00.000-08:00

Guacara Tiana

2009-01-14T17:45:00.000-08:00

Reconstruction of sugar mills Ruins of sugar mills

This is the location of the largest slave revolt on the island and where it was announced that there would be no more slavery in Spanish colonies.

2009-01-14T17:36:00.000-08:00

IU vs Purdue... Susan thinks she will win because her biceps are larger than mine and Amy's combined, but I say there's safety in numbers

2009-01-14T17:25:00.000-08:00

2009-01-13T19:53:00.000-08:00

The Ladies' Street

This is where the very rich and very sheltered women took their daily walk

2009-01-13T19:35:00.000-08:00

CIEE Santiago, Republica Dominicana - Artes Liberales Primavera 2009

Group photo infront of a monument for Columbus

2009-01-13T19:33:00.000-08:00

Las Aguillas' mascot

2009-01-13T19:21:00.000-08:00

Las Aguillas!

Las Aguillas

2009-01-13T19:12:00.000-08:00

Friday night, we all went to a baseball game! Unfortunately, the Aguilla (Santiago's team) spirit was down do there horrible performance in the play offs. Music between innings was cancelled and there were many empty seats.

They played and were defeated by El Toros. I guess my dad's saying is correct: "When you mess with the bull, you get the horn!"

Me encanta Santo Domingo

2009-01-13T18:59:00.000-08:00

I love Santo Domingo! The history and beauty of the city is overwhelming. Saturday, we went as a group to the city for the day and then me, John, Erin, and Kori decided to stay the night and catch a bus back to Santiago on Sunday.

It was amazing to walk the same streets Christopher Colombus did, stand in the exact location where it was announced that there would be no more slavery in any Spanish colonies, and to see the exact location where Trujillo was assassinated. It was also amazing to stand in the first cathedral and the first hospital in the Americas.

We had so much fun Saturday! We hung out at a local open air bar outside our hotel in the Zona Colonial and learned how to play dominoes (it's an insanely popular game here!) and listened to merengue and bachata music. We were the only tourists there and everyone was nice to us!

After we finished our game of dominoes, we left to go to some discotecas. First, we went to the "semi-legendary night club" Guacara Taina, which is a club 100ft underground in a cave! The place was incredible, but unfortuantely, there wasn't too much going on (perhaps 11:30 was too early to get there! haha), so we went to a smaller night club back in the Zona Colonial which was much more hoppin!

On Sunday, we let ourselves sleep in a bit and then went out to go visit some places we saw on our tour the day before. We spent a ton of time on the roof of an old fort relaxing in the sun and enjoying the view. We also went to the mosuleum that Trujillo intended to be completely his, but the Dominicans wouldn't permit him to be buried in the country, so now it is filled with people who were extremely important to the DR both in history and in recent times. We ate lunch in China town, which was an incredibly fun and confusing experience! We were never taught in our classes how to order Chinese food in Spanish! :) From there we tried to go shopping, but most stores were closed because it was Sunday, so we decided to walk through the city to the bus station instead of taking a cab. Along the way, we were welcomed to the DR by many people and ate at a Baskin Robins with two Peace Corps volunteers.

It was such a fun city! I hope to go back there a lot of the course of the semester!

La bolsa

2009-01-07T19:08:00.000-08:00

Today, Lynne, the resident director of my program told us that despite what Spanish - English dictionaries say and what we've learned in our US Spanish classes, the word "bolsa" does not mean "purse" or "bag" in the Dominican Republic.

It means "sack for testicles".

Had I known this, I would not have said "me gusta su bolsa" or "donde esta mi bolsa?"

I thought I was referring to a purse, but evidently not...

2009-01-07T18:56:00.000-08:00

Santiago is in the Cibao Valley. The monument is on a hill the overlooks the city and from all sides you see mountains.

2009-01-07T18:49:00.000-08:00

A group of us on a bench at the monument.

2009-01-07T18:44:00.000-08:00

The monument of Santiago

2009-01-07T18:36:00.000-08:00

This is my Dominican host mother, July

Day 3

2009-01-05T10:45:00.000-08:00

This is my third day in the DR and so far, I love it! I'm all moved in with my family and I'm really happy. We live right across the street from the university and very close to the center of the city! My host mom is a lawyer and my host father is a docter; they have two daughters, Perla (4) and Julissa (3).

So far, everything is perfect. The people I've met are really nice, the food is delicious, and the weather is amazing.

I haven't had a chance to get out and explore the city yet. My family drove me around and gave me tour yesterday. It looks like a really fun city and I can't wait to go out!

We have orientation every day this week and then classes start on Monday, the 12th.

I wish I had more to talk about, but as of now everything has just been a whirlwind.

I arrived Saturday afternoon, spent the day and most of yesterday in orientation at a hotel, and moved in with my family yesterday evening.

More later

Frequently Asked Questions

2008-12-28T23:31:00.000-08:00

I am leaving for the Dominican Republic less than a week from now. As you can imagine, I have been bombarded with questions about my plans. Here are the top five questions that have been asked to me and their answers.

1. How long will you be gone?
six and half months. I fly out of Detroit January 3, 2009 and will return home July 14, 2009

2. What language do they speak?
Spanish is the national language of the DR. All my classes will be taught in Spanish and I will living with a Spanish-speaking family.

3. Where will you stay?
See answer #2

4. After school gets out, what are you doing in the summer?
Though it's not set in stone, I'm planning on visiting an orphanage in Haiti for a week (www.freethekids.org). Then, my friend Jill is coming down to visit. I will then be working with other people in the Underwater Science program from IU. After that is done, Casey, my boyfriend is coming down and we are going to travel until the 14th.

5. Do you know anyone else going?
There is one other girl from IU going on the trip. We've met a couple of times and seem to get a long real well. Other than that, will be about 40 other students from a variety of universities.