When the world thinks of the Dominican Republic, they think all-inclusive resorts. Apparently so do Dominicans. I don’t know why this shocked me so much, but Dominicans will give just about anything to spend a weekend at a resort. I’ve always told myself that having seen the poverty in this country, I’d never go to Punta Cana. After three weeks of cold showers, nothing but rice, beans, and yucca, and lack of air-conditioning, a resort sounded pretty amazing.
The gua gua (Dominican word for bus) left at 5:00 AM on Thursday morning and arrived in Punta Cana around noon. Thank goodness for my extensive collection of Hannah Montana and High School Musical soundtracks on my iPod (thanks to having an eight year old cousin…obviously ;)) because I was able to entertain my coworkers’ adorable kids for the entire seven hour bus ride south (see my new friend below!) The hotel was definitely a locals’ resort. There were a few gringos around, but mostly Dominicans looking for a relaxing weekend at the beach. The best part about the entire weekend wasn’t the food or the beaches, but the company. I met loan officers and administrators from offices around the country and got to see the other interns as well!
I got back to Santiago around 9:00 PM on Saturday. Brunilda (one of the loan officers in my office) was nice enough to call me a taxi, so I had no problem making it back to the house. On Sunday morning, I went to church with my host family. We go to church a lot here, and most services last nearly 3 hours! The church we go to is very nice, and the congregation has been extremely welcoming. The templo biblico is an evangelical church, so it’s very different from my church at home, but there have been a few times when I’ve recognized a familiar hymn or contemporary worship song (translated to Spanish, of course!). The only thing I don’t think I’ll ever get used to is that the women cover their heads during the services. I asked my host sister why they do this, and she explained to me that it comes from a passage in 1 Corinthians 11, which they take as doctrine. My host mom gave me a scarf to wear and a hair clip to keep it in place for yesterday’s service. I wore it out of respect, but it definitely made me feel a little uncomfortable.
Every Monday night, my host mother Pilar and I cook dinner together. She says she wants to add a little variety to the dishes she makes, and what better way to do that then to try a few American dishes! Last week, we made spaghetti. It tasted delicious, but I had to improvise on the ingredients a little bit. First and foremost, I made ground beef out of frozen steaks. I also managed to make the entire meal using one burner. Tonight, I’m making my mom’s amazing chicken salad. I’m hoping it will be as big of a hit as the spaghetti!
My Dominican family with the spaghetti--Sara, Pilar, Rafael and David
This week, I’ll mostly be in the office and in the field, writing KIVA journals and conducting interviews at bank meetings. Helen (the boss) told me she might take me with her to the Puerto Plata office tomorrow. “Si Dios quiere,” (as they say here) I will be road-tripping to the north for the day!
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