MY FIRST BURN!

Helloooo!

Let’s see, much has happened in these past few days! Well, as the title indicates, I have gotten my first sunburn of the season! Ocean Potion is currently my best friend, and I'm having trouble putting on tank tops because my back is so burnt... whoops! It's a love-hate thing I have going on.. primarly love! We went to Puerto Plata as an excursion on Saturday, which is a beach on the northern end. It is about a 2 hour bus ride, but definitely worth it. The beach was GORGEOUS! Before we got to the beach, though, we took a "teleferico" which is like a cable car up suuuper high and it was so beautiful. We were in the midst of mountains and ocean, and it was breathtaking. I was situated near the window in the cable car and I got to stick my head out and take pictures, which was great!

I didn't actually burn on Saturday, I was lathered with SPF 30 (thanks mom!) But, yesterday me and three other girls took a bus back to the beach and spent the day there, thus my burn! It's crazy that I'm getting around the country on my own... speaking Spanish and living the life!

I had my first class today, Afro Caribe culture. I'm actually very excited for it, it should be interesting and I think fun! I'm heading back to my house soon for the Domican "bandera" (flag) lunch which consists of beans, rice, and meat. Yum! Then, after lunch, I have my dance class- woo!

Things are already getting better, slowly. It is becoming easier to understand people here, even though I still ask them to slow down from time to time. The Dominicans seem to slur things together (or maybe it’s not so much the Dominicans as it is people outside of Spanish class) which can be tough for me at times. But, I really am starting to get better at understanding. Speaking is still tough, but when I try to just talk, and not think, I can do better. Although, that rarely happens… usually I plan out every sentence before I say it! Haha. SO! Where to begin.. ok I think I left off at the part where I had the disaster at the store… let’s see, since then I have learned to dance! Bachata and Merengue… and I tried Salsa, but it’s pretty complicated! Ha, for the Dominicans it seems to come naturally, but for many of us Americans, it’s difficult. Anyway, I’ve tried! And will continue to as I am taking a dance class here in the University, as noted above.

 We also have gotten a tour of the university, it is SO beautiful! There are millions of beautiful trees and plants, and everything is green! It’s such a nice sight after being in the snow! (For all of you still struggling with it, sorry to bring it up!) Anyway, I have met many Domnincan people, but so far my favorites besides my family are some of the friends of my host brother, Luis! There is also a group of students from PUCMM who are Dominicans that attend the school, but want to work especially with the international students (so weird that I am an international student!) Most all of the students in this group are very nice and I’m excited to get to know them better! Also I love my small neighbors who live in an apartment across from ours… Theres a girl who maybe is anyway from 10-15, and then there is a baby boy, Israel, who is 1 and SO CUTE!

One thing that has really helped my Spanish is watching TV! Haha I have watched a lot of Tv, be it with Maite or Bienvenida… I think I might be getting hooked on this telenovela called “Aurora”. Its about a girl who died when she was 20 after having a baby, but then science preserved her body, and they were able to bring her back 20 years after…. Or so I think? Haha, from what I’ve picked up that’s the general story line… it has a very catchy story line and reminds me of my Rubi days J

Something crazy about the Dominicans is their driving! They are CRAZY! The “pedestrians have the right of way” rule is definitely not in existence here. It’s more like the drivers have a right to get where they are going, and pedestrians have the right to get a taxi! Haha, it’s crazy. People drive sooo fast and rarely follow traffic rules. I’ve literally been scared every time I have gotten a car ride somewhere. The thing is though, because of the craziness, all of the drivers pay very good attention, and are skilled at handling stress and the unknown.

Also, every single man/boy here makes some type of comment or gesture to women, especially Americans. “Mi visa, mi amor, mi rubia, mami…” the list goes on and on. My favorite is “mi visa” which literally means, “my visa”. The Dominicans say that to Americans because they want to go to the US and if the American girl gets with them, then… you get the picture. It’s crazy. Haha… also, something common for the men to do is hiss at you. It sounds kind of like a cat/snake and they do it as another form of a compliment. I’m curious what they would do if someone actually responded to them (we just ignore them and keep walking). I’m sure they expect us to ignore them, so if we actually gave them a response I think it would be funny to see what they did! Of course, I’d never actually do that… too scary!

The internet in my house is no longer working for some strange reason, so I’ll now only be using internet at the university. Therefore, I will probably update less, but will try to keep people posted as often as I can!

Ok well I’m gonna go, hasta luego! Love to everyone!! Sorry this one was so long!