I can’t believe that I have been here for a week. I have been going non-stop and it seems like while trying to learn my way around the city, improving my Spanish skills and visiting different service sites. While some days prove to be difficult, I am getting to the point where I feel absolutely comfortable here in the Dominican Republic.
This past week, we have done a lot of reflecting on who we are and what we can do to improve ourselves and figure out who has made us the people we are today. We have also focused on adjusting to change and realizing that this whole experience will be hard on us, but in the end we will feel as though we have accomplished many things.
I have also officially figured out my academics for this semester, which is a huge relief! My internship was set up on Friday and I learned all about my EDP class which focuses on the history, culture, literature and everything related to the Dominican Republic. Spanish classes have already started and I feel as though my Spanish has improved a lot just for the week I have been here. I was never really impressed with the Creighton Spanish Classes because I learned the same things over and over and nothing was ever useful in a real life situation. But here, we are learning phrases and terms that the Dominicans use often so we are able to fit in, understand what people are saying and actually have productive conversations.
Domino! This is the most important game in the Dominican Republic and a favorite past time of everyone. While I knew the basic rules before coming here, I definitely have learned that this is not a easy game of putting the same domino next to each other. Dominicans take this game seriously and it can become very intense. Because of that, I plan on becoming a pro so I can beat everyone I play, even the people who have been playing their whole lives.
I also learned how to dance the Bachata and the Meringue, which are the popular forms of dancing here in the Dominican Republic. These dances are what people use when they are at clubs, parties or just small gatherings. It is their way of life and it sure is difficult! I thought these dances were going to be pretty easy since I did ballet for many years, but the only way I am able to somewhat look like I know what I am doing is to count the steps and focus completely on what I am doing. This has proven to be difficult because dance partners always want to talk. So, WARNING TO ALL FUTURE DANCE PARTNERS: There are two options for the types of dancing quality you will get from me. The first is that I will be able to stay in rhythym, but my eyes will be looking at your feet the whole time so I can stay on count and I will be saying “uno, dos, tres, uno, dos tres, etc”. The other option is for you and I to have a conversation, with me constantly repeating, “lo siento” every time I get out of step or step in the wrong direction.
One of the most enjoyable parts of this week so far have been visiting the service sites that we can possibly go to for our service sites each week. My favorite site is Hogar Luby, which is a home for disabled children. While it is very depressing, I know that when we arrived there to hang out with the kids, they were so happy that we were going to talk with them and play with them. These kids are dropped off by their families and are basically orphans because, like the Hospicio, the families don’t want to take care of the kids or just cannot. These kids are put into large rooms with multiple beds, walk around in dirty diapers and even tied up to their beds so they do not hurt themselves or others. Just like in Cien Fuegos, these children are attention starved because there are only a few workers for the countless kids that are there. I was actually bitten by one of the children because I was paying attention to another kid instead of playing with the boy and talking to him. Yes, it was startling and shocking and yes, I do have my lovely purple bruise forming on my arm, but it made me want to go back even more to just hang out with these kids and get to know them and attempt to make sure that they have a better life.
This week has also had its fun and memorable moments. One day, we went to Centro Leon and heard the Director of the ILAC Center talk about the program and how it started and the improvements made since it was founded. Centro Leon is a museum in Santiago that is all about the history of the Dominican Republic, which has been extremely helpful because we are learning about the history in one of my classes. We also went to a cigar museum and watched the men make the cigars. I found out that a very wealthy family started the museum and cigar factory and contribute largely to improve Santiago and even donate money to the ILAC Center. This week we have also gone to Helados Bon, which is a delicious ice cream place in Santiago and went to the mall to explore and eat more ice cream!
More to Come!
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