Catch Up

Ok so let me fill you in on the last few weeks here. I have now been in the Dominican Republic for a month and doesn't feel like it. In the past three weeks I have been to 2 different beaches, have been sick 2 times, met a legend, saw flamingo dancers and much more. I will begin where I left off.

Three Saturdays ago, we went to Santiago. On the way we stopped in Saulcedo to see the Mirabel sister's house. The Mirabel sisters, are three sister that were in the resistence against the dictator Trujillo in the 1940s. They died "accidently" in a car crash. Their faces are on the 200 peso bill. Everyone knows their story here. I highly suggest watching the movie about them, "In the Time of the Butterflies" or reading the book. The fourth sister is still alive and living on the same property that their old house is on. When we arrived we quickly found out that she was there and would love to talk with us. So we took the tour of the house and got to talk to a living legend. She told many stories of her sisters and having to live beyond their days. Sadly she doesn't know much English so i didn't understand everything that was said. After the Mirabel house we went to a museum in Santiago and then to a water park.

Being sick in another country is not what I like to call fun. I had a cold one week and a stomach virus the next. The stomach virus was the worst. I slept all day my host mom yelled at me (in Spanish) for not eating lunch until she realized that I was really really sick. Then she gave me the cure all for illnesses which is aparently hot lemon tea. I drank some form of lemon juice all day for the three days that I was sick. Needless to say I am sick of lemon juice, in any variety.

There is a restuarant in the Colonial Zone that has Flamingo dancers every Thursday and Sunday night. I have wanted to see it since the first friday that I have been here. Finally I got a couple of people to join me. When we got there they were not preforming yet so we decided to sit at the restuarant that had a tv and was showing the Superbowl. This was probably the most random Superbowl viewing of my life. We sat outside playing cards, listening to jazz, and watching the game in the midsts of tourist and Dominicans. Around ten o'clock the flamingo dancers began to dance, so ofcourse we left the game and watched the dancers. What a great night!

Last weekend Harriet, Karlyn and I decided to get out of the city for a couple of days. Two weeks ago the group went to Jarabacoa to go whitewater rafting. I still was not feeling well so I missed out on the trip. On the trip Harriet met some Americans that were teaching in the town. They told her that we could come and stay with them anytime, so we did just that. We made it to the town around lunch time. This town is called the "Garden of Eden" of the Dominican Republic and rightfully so. It is so beautiful there. The opening seen to Jurasic park was shot at the waterfall outside of the town...gorgeous. Unfortunately we did not make it there this trip. We did however go to the river, where Harriet and Karlyne rode horses. When we got back to our friends house they had a few Domincan friends over, that ended up teaching us how to dance. The rest of the time we just hung out and practiced our Spanish. The entire weekend was very relaxed so much different from our lives in the city.

I do not feel as if I am learning enough Spanish. This is partly due to the fact that when I am not in class, I am talking to my American friends in the program. Most of our Dominican friends are fluent in English so they always want to practice their English with us, which does not help me either. To solve my dilema I have decided to give up English for Lent. This is probably going to be the most frustrating forty days of my life. Luckily I have roped in a few of my friends in the program and ofcourse I do have a few exceptions to the rule. For instance I am allowed to speak English to friends and family back in the states and when I am in my English speaking class. Honestly I am not ready to do this but this is probably the best way for me to learn. Now I just have to find a small enough dictionary to fit in my purse.

I hope that everyone has had a wonderful Fat Tuesday!