It´s a strange thing to be a foreigner in another country. I´ve never experienced this before, but I must admit it´s an experience I will take with me for the rest of my life. I think I can say that I now understand the immigrant experience in our country. There are many, many different idiosyncrasies between the country, and they may be small but it takes some getting used. For instance, just typing on this Spanish keyboard is a challenge.
For instance, everyone notices you. Being a ¨rubia,¨ I really stand out. Some Dominicans try to practice their English with me, which is cute.
The other night I connected with my host family through language. My host mom emphasized my gringo accent (I speak slowly in English already, not to mention Spanish!). It was funny, and we had a laugh. And when I tried to pronounce the Spanish equivalent of the word ´probably,´we all laughed hysterically. For the life of me, I just could not pronounce ´probablemente!´ When I tried to teach her how to say the word ´sprinkling´(as in lightly raining), she couldn´t say it. Though it´s hard for us to have a real complex conversation in Spanish, we find ways to connect and laugh.
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