One problem-free day of traveling later and I am at my hotel enjoying the luxurious privilege of wifi, so excited to be here, and even more excited to spend the next two months in this beautiful country.
My morning started out around 6:30 AM as I left my house, early as always, my mother insisting we could have left a half hour later and still have made it in time for my 8:20 flight. Who can blame me for being excited? While this was an international flight, I was only flying to Miami, so there was no need to follow the “two hours early” rule. But, Mom’s always right! We had plenty of time, enough to sit outside of security and eat Cinnabons together, quality American food I wouldn’t get for another two months.
When I arrived in Miami, I found the currency exchange counter, which was a hike and a half away but that was well worth it. I walked up with 180 USD and walked away with 5540 Dominican Pesos, what a great feeling! Naturally, I also managed to make it to the Starbucks not once, but twice (note: only two blog entries, and already, I’ve mentioned Starbucks). The nice lady practically laughed out loud as she asked for my name for the second time, politely pretending to not know the answer.
I arrived in Santo Domingo, the capital city of the DR, at 2:50 PM and was warmly welcomed by Becca and Maximo, who both work for Esperanza. They took me to my hotel so I could put my bags down and we all (two other interns, Becca, Aaron, and I) headed into the colonial district to explore. In a way, it seems like it was just yesterday that I was touring the streets of Santo Domingo, but at the same time, I feel much more independent. Becca took us to her favorite Haitian restaurant (first meal in the DR and I’m eating Haitian food, how ironic), which was FANTASTIC. Rice and beans never tasted so good. It was a local family-owned place and I felt right at home. The people are so incredibly welcoming and forgiving of my not-so-fine-tuned Dominican slang.
A few things I have already learned:
1. Babies are communal property. In the US, mothers are very protective of their children. Here, mothers pass around their children. I don’t know if it’s because they want to share the love (they’re so darn cute) or if they’re getting too hot to hold them. It’s probably a little of both, but I’m happy to hold a Dominican baby anyday!
2. There is a calculated madness to the driving here. It looks like there are no rules, but Becca says there are.
3. In the month of December, all Dominicans get double pay so they can afford to buy all their families Christmas presents!! What a fabulous idea! The US should probably adopt that law…perhaps as an economic stimulus package? ;)
For the next few days, I’ll be training in the Central Office. Updates to come!
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