Life is good

On Sunday night, I went to bed having no idea what I would wake up to in the morning. Rumors were circulating that the country was going on strike against the government. Workers were “agitating for wage increases and economic reforms” and there was to be a complete shut down of the country on Monday. Despite protest from the government, this is exactly what happened. I woke up on Monday morning to absolutely nothing. No cars. No motos. No public cars. No nothing. When I walked into the kitchen, the family was huddled around the small TV in the living room watching the strike play out on the morning news.  They showed live coverage of the streets of Santiago, desolate except for the piles an piles of unkempt garbage that scattered the streets and the occasional tree burning in the middle of the road. For the most part, the strike wasn’t violent, but my host mom told me it would be better to stay inside for the day. So instead of going to work, I made lunch for the family and helped Pilar clean the bathrooms. What a good tenant I am…

In the DR, workers are given 15 days of vacation per year. They are encouraged to use all 15 days at the same time. On Friday, Dani informed me that he would be “de vacaciones” this week. When I asked him where he was going, he responded, “oh no where, just the house.” This just baffles me. Why on earth would you want to take a week off of work to just sit in your house? To me, sitting in my host family’s house for a week without leaving would be absolute torture. I love them, but what would I do for seven days? I guess it is probably a thousand times easier to entertain yourself in your own house than in someone else’s. Dani hasn’t come out of his room except to eat since Monday.

When Dani first told me about his plans to take his vacation this week, I was concerned (to say the least). I thought to myself, “If Dani is not coming to work next week, how will I get to work?” The answer: public car. My biggest fear is taking a public car and having no idea where I end up. This week, I conquered my biggest fear, and since Monday have taken the public car multiple times by myself! It’s a good feeling to know that I can find my way from my office to the house using public transportation! Tomorrow and Friday, I’m going into the field with Rosa.  Friday, she wants met to meet her in the community. Finding the meeting will be an adventure, but I’m definitely up for the challenge! After conquering the public transportation system of the Dominican Republic AND jumping off 27 waterfalls, I feel like I can do anything.