Realizations

Hello again to all of my 'fans!' I am writing with more updates! I am sorry if you guys get sick of me writing all the time-but I have decided to use this as my journal as well...so it is nice to get everything out there as I think about it! It also helps to vent via my blog about things going on in this side of the world. We had a long weekend this weekend because yesterday was some sort of national holiday.... I would love to tell you jus what holiday it was ..but I can't..the only thing that I know about it is that mine was spent at the beach! :)

A few things that I have observed or learned since being here...
1) Dominicans do not go to the beach for sun...they go for the pleasure of sitting by the water:
What I mean by this is simple: I went to the beach with a few local people that I have met since being here... we went on Sunday and everyone was sitting under umbrellas...I, on the other hand sat next to no one because..well..I am at the beach for a purpose, and that purpose is a tan! The one person who decided to sit beside me finally put a towl around his body because he did not like the sun. Then, I went to the beach with the same group of people on Monday...we didn't even go until 2:30 and when we got there the people we were meeting were all sitting under shade trees.... CRAZY! There was not much sun yesterday and everyone kept talking about how it was "the perfect day for the beach...no sun, the water is cool, perect." For me... heck no! Give me some sun all day long and I am a happy camper! But it was fun nonetheless. We had food, drinks and the beautiful water to swim in so Iwas content!
2) I can't dance
Friday night we went to a discoteca which is basically just a bar where umm..pretty much EVERYONE dances...and when I say dance I don't mean dance like us white people who have no rythm dance... I mean... move their hips, latin American, Rico Suave dance... the guy who tried to teach me ended up giving up and said ok well let's just do it however you want... I felt really cool!
3) When it rains, it pours
Today after we left work it POURED!!! I thought there was a hurricane coming our way! We had to stand under a parking garage for a good half hour waiting for it to let up even a little bit...Then as we walked to the restaurant for lunch all of the streets were flooded! It was terrible but instead of being like the Cassie from last week and complaining about it, I decided to embrace it! Yah it sucked but you know what... I am living on a tropical island..life is good!!
4) Americans are the only people who sweat here
Last week after Sonja and I had walked to work we were both sweating like no other and we got onto the elevator...a Dominican woman got on and said "esta lloviendo?" or Is it raining? To that I had to say ... "no...estoy sudando." No..I am just sweating...again I felt really cool! :)
5) Everything here is VERY unorganized
We were supposed to be moving tomorrow.... we still have no clue when we are moving. So.... here I will sit! (But again...as annoyed as I am...I am trying to embrace it!
6) During the day if you are driving through an intersection you just honk your horn to let others know you aren't stopping...at night you just flash your lights...( I am not sure if this is 100% accurate but I am working on figuring it out..that is what I have gathered so far!)

I have met some very nice local people who take me out, watch after me, have cars, all of the above... and I love it! I have finally got this city figured out (which is amazing because if you know me at all you know that I have NO sense of direction...but here..I am ROCKING it! The Spanish is still very difficult to catch onto...people here speak sooo fast and do not pronounce their entire word so it is tricky unless you are used to speaking with the person...for instance, I can have a conversation with my dona (my host mom) just fine but yesterday in the car with 5 other Dominicans at the same time on the way to the beach... not so easy to figure out!

I have GOT to buy a mosquito net very soon because I am getting eaten alive! Hopefully this week I will do that! I have had a terrible cough since I got here but one of the local friends that I have made took me to the drug store yesterday and bought me some medicine which acutally seems to be helping!

What else?? I am still loving life in Santo Domingo, but I am ready to be unpacked! I am very tired of living out of my suitcase..I am running out of clean clothes... ( I have been having to wash my underwear in the shower which is very enjoyable). Oh..and side note.... I have fallen in love with every child that I have seen here! I want to bring them all home with me! They have the biggest, cutest, brown eyes and I love them all....which bring me to my next point to which I referred to in my last blog regarding being thankful to be an American...

I learned here last week that if you are a Dominican resident you cannot simply get a passport and go visit another country as we can as United States citizens... you have to acutally apply for a visa to be able to leave the country and there is a waiting line of about 2 years...then after it is your turn you go meet with the government or whomever and they decide that either A) you have a valid reason or B) you don't and you have to reapply and wait in line again... I talked to a guy whose entire family is in the United States... they are all legal residents but this guy is having issues getting a visa because the government here thinks that if he goes to visit them he will not come back to the DR... it is very sad because these people ask me where all I have been , etc...and I feel guilty telling them when none of them have ever left the country!

Anyway...I am here, hopefully helping them to become a better candidate to get their visa and get the opporutnity to leave if they so choose!

Hope all is well back home as always and keep in touch! I love hearing from people!

Love you!!