Bienvenidos a La Republica!

Hola Mi Familia y Mis Amigos! Saludos de la Republica Dominicana!
3/10/09

I know I should have written a post a few days ago, but let me just say, so much has happened since Wednesday when I went to Miami for staging. I have just been overwhelmed, and I needed a few days to really absorb my experience here.
It’s so difficult to adequately describe what it’s like to start a new life in another culture. It’s a rather profound experience, and rightly so, I’m oftentimes at a loss for words (especially in Spanish, but also in English!).

When I first arrived at the Aeropuerto de Las Americas in Santo Domingo, I immediately felt different. I realized there was no turning back, and I would be forced to read, speak, and listen to Spanish. All of the signs were in Spanish. Even just asking an employee at the airport about the location of my gate-checked bag was a challenge. I was far from home, and it was at that moment in the airport that I realized that this whole new life was very real.

All of us trainees stuck out. We loaded our many bags into carts and then we proceeded to the airport parking lot in a very timid line of baggage carts. There we were greeted by current Volunteers and I was interviewed by a writer for the Peace Corps DR newspaper. I didn’t really know what to say, but I suppose I will be quoted in next month’s edition.
We all piled in a small bus, similar to that of a “guagua” (small public busses). Our first images of the country were miles and miles of beautiful coastline, obsolete Corrollas and Accords weaving through traffic, colorful cement houses, and people milling about on the sidewalks. Everything looked, felt, and smelled different.

After an hour, we arrived at a religious retreat where we spent our first night in country. There we were greeted and addressed by the Country Director, who told us that we made the best decision we could make. He described how the DR is a wonderful country in which to work and we would inevitably fall in love with it. Afterward, we received our first shots (for rabies!), “mosquiteras” (mosquito nets), among other things.

The next day was my first experience stepping out of my comfort zone; I moved in with my host family with whom I could only speak Spanish to communicate my needs. At first I felt really lost, but after taking a moment to reflect, I realized that I could indeed do this! Even though I have been here for only a week, I feel that I’ve learned so much and my Spanish is quickly improving. I live with a Doña and her daughter, and already I have participated in many cultural experiences.
There are always visitors at my house, and all of them come unannounced. That’s how things work here; everyone is so welcoming, so warm. “Vecinos” (neighbors) always visit with each other. Family members live closeby. Everyday, people participate in the custom of “compartir” (literally “to share”) by visiting with each other and oftentimes exchanging “chisme” (gossip). As you know, I’m not as extroverted as I could be, but I find that to be changing now. You greet everyone you pass here, and I find myself doing that naturally now. “Hola!” “Buenas tardes.” “Como està?”

Another cultural activity is hanging out at the “colmado” (“bodega” or general store). The past few afternoons, other trainees and I sit outside the colmado and have glass bottles of Coke (tastes different than the can and it’s a nice experience to sip coke and talk). We chat about our day, our families, how we got to be here. And then as the sun is setting beyond the mountains in the distance, we walk home.

This evening, I learned how to play dominoes, another favorite Dominican pastime. It was fun to connect with the other ladies around the table. Even though it is hard for me to communicate with them, we were able to connect through dominoes (I also won a lot too! Haha).

Every new day has been exciting, and I’m learning so much. I never know what will happen tomorrow…