My beach..paradise

This is where I would go in the afternoons. It's wonderful. There are no waves at Sosua's beach. If you want waves, there are other beaches to go to. This is the one that was in walking distance from where I lived. This is also the beach that I was walking to when I fell and busted my knee.

Los Charimicos

Los Charimicos. This is where Antonio's mother lives. There are all these little paths between the houses. Antonio also lives here, but down a different path. These are the houses that the government is going to demolish.

Home

So, I'm back in DC. I actually came home a couple of days early. My mistake. I had some stomach issues (I won't bother you with the details) and I knew that I had two trials starting on Monday. Basically that meant that I would not have any recovery time when I came back. So, like an idiot, I came home early so I could get better. Come to find out, both trials have been continued. If I hadn't come home early, I would just now be getting to the airport instead of sitting in the Wales room waiting for a demonstrative exhibit to print. So I'm home early, it is very nice to be in my own bed, but today for the first time in a month, I woke up with a headache. I know now is not the time to be making any life altering decisions, but if I wake up with a headache on the day I'm returning to work, what does that mean?

Villa Liberación

A while back, I wrote about the government's plan to move the neighborhood where Antonio currently lives. These are the new apartments that all of the residents of El Tablón are going to be moved to. I think that each apartment has two bedrooms. According to Antonio, he gets one, his mother gets one and his sister gets one. He has two other brothers that I think live with his mother and I don't think they get their own apartment. I think you have to actually own your apartment in Los Charimicos to get the new place. The conditions that they live in now is nothing like anything I've ever seen before, so you would think this is an improvement. I'm just a little wary when the government decides that everyone is just going to up and move. Especially considering that where they live now is right on the river and will be prime real estate which of course the government will be able to develop. Also, Antonio keeps talking about this guy that keeps coming by and offering to buy his apartment. It sounds like there is money out there, but only certain people are going to get it.

We've got cows

As I've said before, I'm a city girl. I get excited when I see cows and chickens and horses. These are not things I see on a regular basis. The chicken that I see is wrapped in plastic in the grocery store. However, in the DR, there are chickens everywhere and roosters don't just crow in the morning, they crow all the time.
So we are riding up this hill to pick up Erika (her actual name is something like angelika, but it sounds like erika to me) from school to take her home and there is this cow just walking up the road. So, I say hi cow (actually hola vaca), which Antonio thinks is just the funniest thing. (Yes, I talk to animals and I know most of the people reading this post also talk to animals, so don't give me any grief.) I just want to know where this cow is going. It's not on a farm, it's just walking up a hill. It seems like it has someplace to go and I just wonder where and who does it belong to. I mean, someone has to own him, right? I also wonder about the donkey/mules (I don't know the difference) that are just tied up to a tree on the side of the road. Out in the country, every few miles you will see a donkey on the side of the road eating grass, tied to a tree. Who does he belong to and what is he waiting on? These questions didn't really get answered with my broken Spanish and Antonio's broken English.

Waterfalls!

Ok, so I have finally gotten to see waterfalls. It's not the El Limon waterfalls, but still a much bigger waterfall than I have ever seen before. Antonio took me to Jarabacoa, which was about 2-3 hours away. We went on the moto (big mistake). I keep forgetting that his sense of time and distance is always underestimated. We went to the Salto Jimenoa Dos, it's one of three waterfalls in Jarabacoa. I wish I could post my pictures. To get to the waterfall, you have to walk this trail and cross two wooden suspension bridges, but it's worth it.
On a side note, Dominican women always wear heels. I don't know how they do it because there are no smooth roads or sidewalks, but they always have heels on. Anyway, even walking a trail and a suspension bridge, they're wearing heels. This one woman was walking the bridge and every other step her heel slipped between the wooden slats. Obviously, I would have had multiple broken ankles if I had worn shoes like them, but somehow they pull it off.

Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore...

well, maybe Kansas, but certainly not Washington, DC. Let me just say for the record, I am against outhouses. I have a huge amount that I need to write about, but I'm not feeling well and my posting is going to have to wait until later. The short version is I ended up in BFE with an upset stomach, I worked the whole mind over matter for a long time, but finally I had to go to the outhouse. I'm not sure how it's suppose to work, but I obviously wasn't doing it correctly. I think I would have preferred to just go in the bushes. I am a city girl. Always have been, always will be.

I miss...

my bed and my 6 pillows - so very much
my family and friends
my cat :(
a wash cloth
kraft mac & cheese
daily phone calls with my mom
quiet
the privacy of my condo
being able to condition my hair well enough to get the tangles out of it
straight hair
Papa Johns pizza
a good book
DSL
cell phone

PB and J

Ok, so money is getting tight. It´s the end of my trip, so I need to budget some. I went to the store yesterday to get some peanut butter, jelly and bread. I practically lived off of pb&j before I came, so I figured no problem. Ok, the jelly is NOT the same. I don´t know what it is, but it´s not the jelly that I know and love. The peanut butter is fine (skippy) and the bread is ok, but I will not eat that jelly again. It really was not right. Just no to jelly. I´m working on a new plan. They do actually sell ramen noodles here, we´ll see if it gets to that point. The problem with that is I don't even have the nice little hot plate that I had at Don Antonio any more, so no cooking the ramen. To think I scoffed at the hot plate when I stayed there.

Obviously, Europe didn´t get the memo!

Speedos should never be worn unless you are competing in an Olympic swimming/diving event. PERIOD, EXCLAMATION POINT. Even IF you are young and good looking, NOBODY looks good in a speedo. And if there is the slightest doubt in your head if you are young and good looking, you´re NOT. I think there should be a UN resolution banning speedos. They are an eyesore, it messes up a perfectly good beach view.
To be fair, women also really need to think twice and a third time before wearing bikinis. Again, if there is any doubt, DON´T.
Lastly, if your breasts are real, you probably should not go topless, unless you are 18. After age 18, they really aren´t where they are supposed to be and not attractive without support. But I guess guys don´t care where they are and are just happy to see them. Trust me, the other women on the beach see you and are talking about you.

Weird European Guy

Ok, so to add to my list of the ¨crazy german lady¨ and ¨touchy teacher¨ I now have weird European guy. I go into the ocean, it´s a pretty big place and I´m just swimming/floating, minding my own business... This older european guy comes into the (massive) ocean and ends up swimming/floating within 2 ft of me. WTF! This is not some crowded beach, there are maybe 5 people in the water within shouting distance. I turn around and kick and I actually hit his foot. I decide it´s time to get out of the water. Of course, he also gets out of the water. WTF! I go lie down on my chair and he stands on the shore, just past where the water comes to. I´m thinking seriously? I´m on my stomach, with my eyes closed and I peak out every few seconds. He´s standing there like superman with his hands on his hips and feet about shoulder width apart. Every few seconds he turns a quarter turn. The guy is standing up sunning himself. On occasion, he will hold his arms out to the side with palms up then down. This went on for about 30minutes before he walked away. I still don´t know why he felt the need to swim so close to me.
Maybe I need to get out more, because some of these people just seem crazy to me.

Antonio and el motoconcho

This is Antonio. This is how I get around Sosua and Los Charimicos. Yesterday, there were 4 of us on the moto, two kids, Antonio and me. I often picture my death, falling from the back of it. But so far so good. Actually, I don't piture my death, I picture extreme pain for a long time. I wouldn't be lucky enough to die quickly, I'd be all cut up and bloody with no hospital nearby. (just joking dad, it's perfectly safe)

Updating old posts

I now have a cord for my camera, so I will be updating old posts with pictures. It's a slow process, because I don't have uninterupted periods on the computer, but check out some of my old posts.

Spanish class

Ok, I'm getting close to my limit with class. Somehow I am now sitting next to the "teacher" and he feels the need to touch me. Now you know I don't like being touched. I'm screaming in my head stop touching me, stop touching me... (just like with the crazy german lady, stop talking, stop talking). He's says mira!(look), and puts his hand on my arm. First, I can hear, you don't have to touch me to get my attention and second, I want to look at my book because that is where the exercise is that I don't understand.

Another reason why I have a short fuse now is I again am the slowest one in the class. I feel like George Bush must feel during head of state meetings. The other three girls are more advanced in Spanish than I am. I've also noticed that while I'm learning Spanish, I'm losing my English. It took me 30 minutes to remember the word pipe. It's a very weird feeling to look at something and not know what it is called.

How DC and DR are alike...

-Everybody knows everybody else and in some way, everyone is related.
-Whenever you walk around, there is someone trying to sell you a bootleg CD or DVD.
-The music from the cars is insanely loud. The difference here is that some pickup trucks put 3 feet tall speakers in the back and play their music for the world to hear.
-The same crazy homeless who want change. Although I am much more likely to give someone in DC change when it's 30degrees than someone here when it's 80degrees.
-Just because people say they are married, does not mean actual legal marriage.
-Men don't wear wedding bands.

Where the boys are

Ok, Keeshia this post is for you. I found THE Dominican men that everyone is talking about. They live in Santo Domingo. This is where the professional, well-to-do men are. Very good looking and well put together. Of course I was with Crazy German Woman, so I didn't get to have any interaction, but they were out in the bars and restaurants. Unfortunately, Santo Domingo does not have a beach. There is one nearby, called Boca Chica, but I didn't see it. The people in Sosua look down their noses at it and call it ugly. Santo Domingo is a city, it has a lot of history, but it is definately a city. I don't think I could live there.

Stop talking, stop talking, stop talking.....

Ok, why did I go to Santo Domingo with crazy German lady? I had a whole conversation in my head about whether or not I could smother her with my pillow while she slept. She talked constantly usually about nothing. "oh, it's raining, oh they are happy people, oh, they have pretty faces, oh blah, blah, blah...." And even if she was asking a question, she didn't want any imput. Crazy Geman woman. She's not actually German, but Austrian... but it seems as though it's very similar. She drove me crazy. If an Austrian or German told her something, well it had to be right. (Even though it was proven wrong often) She was very impolite and short with the Dominicans. Then she would say they were stupid if they got her order wrong, but her Spanish was horrible, it made no sense. Let's not even discuss how Jews are dirty, and Swiss are stingy... She travels all over the world, but her opinions of others is so narrow minded... Oh my god I was ready to scream. I'm so happy to be back and alone.

Primo will be the death of me.

Ok, so just about daily, I have been doing something pretty dangerous. I ride the motoconchos around town, with out any protection or anything. But nothing has happened to me, it´s been perfectly safe. So today, I´m WALKING to the beach and boom, down I go. See, I blame Primo (actually, I blame a lot of things on Primo, but that´s for a later time). Flash back to New Years Eve, and Primo decides to tackle Katie when we are leaving Hamiltons. I was an innocent bystander, but of course Primo tackles Katie and they both fall into my left leg and I also go down. So, since then, my knee has hurt, nothing major, but pain if I tried to kneel on it and sometimes on the stairs. Today I´m walking down the path and I crash down on my knee. I get up with no grace whatsoever, brush off and limp down the path to where we get on the beach. My knee is bleeding, my ankle and palms are scraped. Now three hours later, I´m still limping. Tomorrow touring (walking) Santo Domingo is going to be interesting. I had a perfectly good knee until Primo. So if I come back with a permanent limp, look to Primo.

Santo Domingo

This weekend a classmate and I are going to Santo Domingo. We are taking the bus, it's a 4 hour trip on Saturday and coming back on Sunday. My classmate is Renalta, she is an older German woman. Has lived all over the world. Must have money because she says whenever she finds a place she likes, she buys an apartment there. Must be nice. I'm going to be eating ramen noodles in my "retirement".

My Routine

I get up around 8 and take a shower and then go get breakfast. Now that I´m at the school, breakfast is included. They usually have a choice of some cheeses, bread, deli meat (I can recognize the pepperoni and maybe ham, unsure of the rest), mango, pineapple. Today, they had ¨hard¨ boiled eggs that weren´t really hard. OJ and milk, I haven´t tried the milk and of course coffee.
Class starts at 9'ish. We work until 1030 and then there is a coffee break until 11. Then from 11 to 1230 class. Our afternoons are free. Some afternoons, they have group activities, like going to Puerto Plata or a BBQ (all for an additional fee). I either go to the beach for a couple of hours or go get lunch and then go to the beach. Then I spend an hour or two working on my spanish. I try and complete a couple of lessons ahead of the class so I don´t have to try and figure it out during class.
I´ve met a guy Antonio who has taken me around the area and shown me areas away from the tourist area. I´ve gone to where the Dominicans live, it´s basically concrete floors and walls with tin roofs. Lots and lots of people. In a couple of months, they are going to move them all to this big apartment complex. Three levels, each apartment has 2 bedrooms, 1 bath, kitchen and open room. I think the real reason is to clear them away from the beach. Where they live now can then be torn down and many hotels can be built on the beach.

Puerto Plata

On Wednesday, we went to Puerto Plata, 6 people from class, our "tour guide" from the school and our taxi (minibus) driver. We toured the rum factory. I can't bring back 151 because it is flamable and not allowed on the planes. I can bring back the "normal" rum (Eddy and Keeshia). We also went to the Museo de Ambar. Pretty interesting, but small and no gift shop. They have the amber that was used in Jurasic Park with the mosquito in it. They also had one that had this little lizard in it. The best part of Puerto Plata was the telerifico (cable cars) to the top of the mountain. It was beautiful. I always said I wouldn't die in a plane crash, but I wasn't too sure about dying from a cable car crashing. At the top of the mountain, they have a Christ the Redeemer statue like in Brazil. All around the top is their botanical garden. It's really a site. Unfortunately, some of the fountains aren't being kept up, so it's a little lacking. However you don't know that until you've already ridden the cars to the top of the mountain. Then of course, you have to go back down. Anyway, it was well worth the dangerous drive to Puerto Plata.

Don Antonio

Tomorrow I get to leave the hotel-apt Don Antonio. What can I say about the Don Antonio. First two good things. It has cable and if my head hadn´t felt like it was going to explode last night, I could have watched the season premier of Lost. I was also able to see some of the Carolina game. Second, it has air conditioning. But it´s winter here, so I don´t need air conditioning. The Dominicans are freezing, but it´s comfortable to me. It gets to about 83 degrees.
The bad... Don Antonio is the local prostitute hotel. My first morning leaving, I walked out with at girl wearing a skirt up to there. Nothing left to the imagination. I came home and a different girl with a guy were leaving together.
My bathroom flooded the first night. They fixed it after two days. My bathroom is literally 5ft by 5ft. The toliet is to the left, the sink right in front of you and the shower is diagonal to the left, between the two. Taking a shower is complicated and difficult. However there is good water pressure and hot water. I will never walk in there without my flip flops on. I expect I will try and shave and end up falling over and cracking my head open.
It is the loudest hotel ever! The taxi stand where the guaguas (buses) and motos pick people up is right next to the hotel. I have motorcycles all night long right next to me. Even with the windows closed it sounds like they are in the same room.

Tomorrow I move to the school!