Adjusting

Since today is independence day and a national holiday, we did not have training and were even offered a free tour of the colonial district. The tour guide was fabulous and it was great to learn about the history of the city. I didn't realize that the Dominican Republic was basically the central hub of the Indies and the Americas. Afterwards we went to watch the military parade but we waited until it was already an hour past the official starting time and we got sick of waiting so we left. I got sunburned but felt really bad for the soldiers dressed up in full gear with hats, face paint, camping backpackts, etc. I'm sure their clothes must have been soaked within minutes.

This weekend also went really well. I was worried about being stuck at home and getting bored, but it turned out great. Saturday night I went out with most of the group to celebrate another volunteer's birthday. We went to a car wash which is where all the action happens at night. Car washes have music, dancing, and beer. I don't think I've actually seen a bar, but car washes are everywhere...my theory is because the ground there is already clean. Anyways, it was fun to hang out at night and try to dance merengue (although I made a fool out of myself). Sunday I went with another volunteer to an internet center where they give classes and we interviewed the owners to find out about IT stuff. It was really helpful for our projects. Then I went to see the dominican movie "Sanky Panky" which is about a dominican man who tries to get an american girlfriend to take him back to the US. It was hilarious in that awful way. And the actor who played an american was definately from a spanish speaking country and had a thick accent- pretty excellent. Everyone danced out of the aisles when it ended to the theme song: "hey there, sanky panky." WOW.

Thursday I head out to visit another volunteer for the weekend to see what life is like for her. I am really excited. We also meet other volunteers who come to training once or twice a week and it is always good to talk to them and ask questions. I'm amazed that they say the two years just fly by...

Each day I am getting used to it more and more here, but it's still amazing how things just function differently (like waiting an hour to get money changed when there were only 5 people in front of me in line). Time to go home now...Love you all.