happy two-month-iversary to me!

To commemorate my two-month-iversary of being in the Dominican, I’ve decided to summarize a few of my feelings and experiences thus far. (Hint: look for intra-list parallels.)

Things I Miss About Being in the U.S.

• Seeing family and friends
• Not having to eat rice and beans every day
• Being able to communicate in my native tongue with almost anyone
• Air conditioning
• Being comfortable

Things I Like About the D.R.

• Making new friends with other study abroad students, Dominican and Haitian students at the university, my host family, etc.
• Eating fresh avocado every day. Even if you’re not lucky enough to have it growing outside your window, which I am J, you can buy it on the street for about 50 cents US$.
• Getting/being forced to practice Spanish. My Spanish is still sorely lacking, but at least it’s better than it would be otherwise!
• The sun! After three years of living in the land of endless winter, aka Wheaton IL, I am loving the fact that I can wear a tank top every day.
• Being able to go to the beach, race a horse through the mountains, or jump off the top of 27 consecutive waterfalls, just because it’s the weekend and why not?

Things I’ve Accomplished So Far

• Surviving in a foreign country! It was a little touch-and-go there at the beginning, but I’m still kickin’
• Reading lots and lots of Spanish literature
• Taking public transportation alone (and loving it)
• Learning the basics of merengue and bachata
• Having my first and probably last RDT (the Wheaton acronym for Relationship Defining Talk) entirely in another language. “No, no soy tu novia, y no quiero conocer tu madre.” No, I am not your girlfriend and I do not want to meet your mother.

Things I Hope to Accomplish

• Climbing Pico Duarte, the highest peak in the Caribbean. It’s a journey of 3-4 days (!) that I hope to do after my classes finish.
• Going to Puerto Rico. It’s only a short boat ride away from the eastern coast of Hispaniola!
• Getting significantly better at Spanish. I’ve been on a plateau as far as my improvement for a while now, but I’m hoping for a long upward slope soon!
• Learning how to make mangú and tostones. Who knew I’d be such a fan of plantains?
• Building and strengthening relationships with locals. I enjoy spending time with my host family and support students (Dominican students who volunteer to be friends with foreign students). I’m just starting to branch out to other students from the university, as well as people I meet around town, like the mother and son who sell apples down the street from my apartment.
• Watching lots of PELOTA! If you know anything about Major League Baseball, you know that many players come from the DR. Unlike most of Latin America, the big sport here is not soccer but baseball. The season starts after the end of the World Series, when many of the players return to the DR to play in their home country. The Braves didn’t make it, but maybe the Águilas, Santiago’s baseball team, will have better luck!