Although we've only been in Santiago for a little under a week, we've still managed to take advantage of the nightlife that this city has to offer. And not even Hurricane Isaac could keep us from going out and having fun. Mid-week a few students in my program and I went out during our down time in the Centro Internacional area. Quite an upscale area of town, we came upon several fancy bars and dance clubs (discotecas) where the most stylish ladies and gentlemen of Santiago go to have a good time. We decided on a discoteca called Sahara. Unlike any dance club that I have ever visited in the U.S., Sahara truly "went all out" for its guests. For one special girl at the club, it was her birthday. In celebration, the DJ played a special reggaeton birthday song and she also received a huge cake to celebrate with. I thought it was the coolest way to celebrate! After all the birthday excitement subsided, we continued dancing to some of our favorite U.S. pop & hip-hop music as well as some typical Dominican bachata and merengue music. Just last night, I went out once more. We hopped from one discoteca to the next when the strobe lighting and hyperactive DJ proved to be too much to handle. After cramming a ridiculous amount of people into one SUV (to avoid taking a taxi/concho), we arrived at a popular Latin dance club. Sadly, after only a few minutes of dancing, we were asked to leave because we hadn't bought any drinks there.
Early this morning, I went to a Dominican dance lesson with the Estudiantes de Apoyo at my university here in Santiago. In only two hours, our animated instructors went over the most basic Merengue, Bachata, and Salsa dance steps. It was a whole lot of fun. And, certainly a nice escape from the dreary weather outside that is Hurricane Isaac.
Following our early morning dancing, we met up with our Resident Coordinator to begin our Busqueda de Tesoro or Scavenger Hunt. Everyone in the program split into groups of three or four. I selected a most befitting name for my team, "Tigres no Tigueres." Tigres are tigers, and in the Dominican Republic, los tigueres are men (typically) who whistle or make cat calls at women in public places. As our group included three American girls, I thought this name worked well.
After receiving the rules of the hunt and our clue packet, we all took off. It really felt as though in the Amazing Race: Santiago Edition, or at least that's how seriously I took it. Thankfully, I was teamed up with three other enthusiastic and competitive students. We found the answers to our first few clues just across the street from campus. Soon after, we had to grab a concho to get to our next destination. I was pre-warned for the unique experience of a concho ride, but I must say that you cannot fully understand it until you are forced into the vehicle yourself. I chose the passenger front seat, and to my surprise, I would lose the comfort of that spot when an Dominican man waiting for a ride on the street joined me in the front. So just imagine how packed this vehicle was. Three up front: driver and two passengers, and then three in the back. Believe it or not, this is not even typical for a concho. Most concho's normally will take six people in addition to the driver. That's four to five passengers sitting in the back seat, plus a small child if need be. Well, after my first concho experience, my team went off picking up clues. I had unfortunately chosen the wrong outfit for the activity, as I was wearing some nice sandals and a skirt. Nevertheless, the athletic side of me came out and I raced to every spot often times scaring my teammates as I jaywalked across the streets along the way.
I also confronted one of my bigger fears today by braving the unavoidable filth of the city. I don't consider myself a germaphobe, but there are many life circumstances that reckon my anti-bacterial tendencies. This time it was walking along the streets of downtown Santiago. With no official garbage/waste system, there is a lot of basura (trash) just sitting out on the streets. Along with the rain brought by Hurricane Isaac, this combination produced a very gross situation for our scavenger hunt.
Needless to say, after a stressful, exciting, and possibly parasite-filled race through the city, my team came in second place. As a consolation for our trouble, we were treated with delicious nachos at a restaurant near campus. What a day!
Tomorrow we'll travel to the capital, Santo Domingo, to spend the day exploring the Zona Colonial. I really hope that the weather cooperates with us better than it did today, but the one upside of this hurricane situation is that it has brought some cooler air to the region, and that I definitely cannot complain about.
Here's a song I've been listening to recently, it is by one of the DR's most famous musicians, Juan Luis Guerra- "Bachata en Fukouka"
8.24.2012
Bienvenidos a Santiago
El Momumento a los Héroes de la Restauración
The Dominican Flag (La Bandera Dominicana)
I arrived in Santiago, DR this past Monday! What an adventure it has been already! For the past few days, I've been going through program orientation. It's really hard to wrap my mind around the fact that I'll be spending the next few months here! I really like it so far, except for the humidity/heat. That I could definitely do without. The weather (el climo) has been especially interesting in Santiago this week because of Hurricane Isaac. We're not supposed to get too much damage as a result of this tropical storm, but people seem to be taking some precautions regardless.
After this week passes, everything will be in Spanish for me. I want to keep my "compromiso al espanol," that is the agreement that I made to speak as much Spanish as possible while in the DR. The Spanish here is so rapid and often abbreviated, so it has been difficult to understand everyone that I come into contact with. Nevertheless, I can see an improvement already in my speaking and listening skills. Score! I can't imagine where I'll be at by the end of the semester!
I'm staying with a host family. An older woman named Geremania and her granddaughter, Priscilla. They also have a housekeeper who comes over every other day. It is always a bit of an obstacle to adapt to a new living environment, especially when it's with other people. My family here has been so kind to me though, it's made the transition so much easier.
Classes begin next week Thursday. So far, I have signed up for a Spanish course, a TESL/TEFL course, some Latin American Studies courses, and two electives: running and screen printing. Very random, I know, but students in my program will have the chance to alter their schedules in the next few weeks. So that gives me hope.
This weekend we'll be taking a day trip to Santo Domingo and hopefully going to an Afro-Caribbean drumming performance. I'm very excited about both!
I arrived in Santiago, DR this past Monday! What an adventure it has been already! For the past few days, I've been going through program orientation. It's really hard to wrap my mind around the fact that I'll be spending the next few months here! I really like it so far, except for the humidity/heat. That I could definitely do without. The weather (el climo) has been especially interesting in Santiago this week because of Hurricane Isaac. We're not supposed to get too much damage as a result of this tropical storm, but people seem to be taking some precautions regardless.
After this week passes, everything will be in Spanish for me. I want to keep my "compromiso al espanol," that is the agreement that I made to speak as much Spanish as possible while in the DR. The Spanish here is so rapid and often abbreviated, so it has been difficult to understand everyone that I come into contact with. Nevertheless, I can see an improvement already in my speaking and listening skills. Score! I can't imagine where I'll be at by the end of the semester!
I'm staying with a host family. An older woman named Geremania and her granddaughter, Priscilla. They also have a housekeeper who comes over every other day. It is always a bit of an obstacle to adapt to a new living environment, especially when it's with other people. My family here has been so kind to me though, it's made the transition so much easier.
Classes begin next week Thursday. So far, I have signed up for a Spanish course, a TESL/TEFL course, some Latin American Studies courses, and two electives: running and screen printing. Very random, I know, but students in my program will have the chance to alter their schedules in the next few weeks. So that gives me hope.
This weekend we'll be taking a day trip to Santo Domingo and hopefully going to an Afro-Caribbean drumming performance. I'm very excited about both!
8.02.2012
21 Before 21
Two years ago I made a list of things I wanted to have accomplished by the time I turned 21. 2012 was the year for me to complete the rest of my list and now my 21st birthday is just around the corner.
21 Before 21
Here we go!
1) Travel! Travel! Travel! ✔
Chiapas, Mexico. Aug 2010
Sri Lanka, May 2011
Quito, Ecuador. May 2012
2) Get an internship ✔
Embassy in Washington, D.C., Summer 2011
3) Participate in ASB (Alternative Spring Break) ✔
Feelin' Good: St. Louis, MO. 2011
Light Up My Life: New Orleans, LA. 2012
4) Get a better camera ✔
First DSLR: Nikon D40 (Purchased Dec. 2011)
5) Start an organization on campus ✔
VUMix (Mixed Heritage Exchange)
6) Visit a different part of the US ✔
Midwest: Missouri & Iowa. Spring 2011
Road-trip for Gathe Raho Acapella Group Competition at Univ. of Iowa
7) Discover someplace new ✔
Busboys & Poets, Washington, D.C.
8) Learn to sew for reals ✔
Still in progress. Definitely something I want to continue doing!
Still in progress. Definitely something I want to continue doing!
9) Take a trip to downtown Nashville ✔
Volunteering at Nashville Rescue Mission- Spring 2012
10) Start to cook at school ✔
Tofurky sausage wrap with baked sweet potato. Nom nom!
11) Eat Brazilian, Ethiopian, & Korean Food ✔
Ingera, Quindim (pictured below), & Bibimbap... I loved it all!
12) Improve in Spanish ✔
Ecuador and Mexico trips definitely helped in this.
Ecuador and Mexico trips definitely helped in this.
13) Get Organized ✔
I make lists for everything these days & I am so much more organized as a result!
14) Teach English ✔
Sri Lanka
Ecuador
15) Create your own major ✔
Entitled "Foreign Policy in the Americas"- I received approval to pursue my own interdisciplinary major during my sophomore year. Now when people ask me, "What's your major?" I get to say, "I made my own.
16) Get in shape ✔
Still a work in progress, but I've made some great strides in this area (mind the pun)!
Still a work in progress, but I've made some great strides in this area (mind the pun)!
17) Leisure read ✔
Hunger Games- Suzanne Collins & Bossypants- Tina Fey
18) Pay for someone in drive thru ✔
Dairy Queen in Illinois-April 2011
Dairy Queen in Illinois-April 2011
19) Create your own recipe ✔
Banana + Granola Kalmut Pancakes & Waffles
20) Memorize 21 Bible verses ✔
21) Meet someone swell ✔
So many wonderful people have come into my life in the past few years. I'm so grateful for them all!
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