Car Wash´s, Carnival and the Campo

So this weekend was very eventful. On Saturday my Don wanted to take me to this special restuarant where they have rabbit. I said okay, I don´t want to be the American that never tries anything new. Big mistake, we drive up and there in the front are cages full of furry, live rabbit´s and I am supposed to pick one out to eat. I couldnt do it. It was a little distrubing. I should be used to it by now because most days on my walk to school, there are some farmers in some stage of butchering an email right off the sidewalks.

Saturday night, a lot of my Peace Corps friends and I went to a Car Wash. (That is also really what it is called, and in English as well) During the day, it is literally a car wash and at night time it turns into a bar and a dance club. Very intersting concept and a great use of space. To get there, we had to cross the Autopista Duarte, a major highway. THat was my first, and I am hoping my last cross. I was terrified. There, I did some dancing of the bachatta and merengue. I am still not very good even though I have learned the steps, hopefully with time I will improve.

Sunday the whole family woke up early to go to the campo (aka country). There was a river there and everyone went swimming in it. Except no one had told me and I was wearing jeans and a long sleeve tee (with no sunscreen under) I ended up wearing the donas bikini and got burnt to a crisp. A little disappointing, but also only my first sun burn. After we went swimming we went to my second cousin´s house and he had horses that we could all ride but they didnt see happy about having someone on there back so I was too afriad that I would get bucked off. (A note to Kendall that some volunteers do have horses, nice ones, so maybe I will have one in the future). We went from there to Carnival in Bonao. Also a very intersiting tradition. It has been going on here since about the 1500´s. It is basically a carnival and they have people dress up like devils, they have a contest for that as well. The diablos run through the streets with these dried and inflated pig bladders and hit people as hard as they can with them. I actually had a bodygurad for this (the second cousin again) he is in the army and brought his gun so I felt very protected. The tv people who are filming all this for their live national television pick me out of the crowd of everyone (basically I am noticeable because I am white and look American). I get interviewed by this guy, he asks where I am from and if I have a boyfriend. Then he wants a kiss on the cheek. I said ok (again, I need to stop doing that) so I go in for the kiss on the cheek and he turns really fast and plants on right on my lips! On tv! I was a tad bit embarassed. Anyways, the internet time is almost up again and I have already written a ton so I had better go! Love hearing from everyone! Hope all is well in the States, Japan and anywhere else people are living right now!

Un chin update (a little update)

I have had quite a few interesting experiences since the last time I wrote. I went to the beach and this guy in the water had a dead eel in the water and he was scaring me with it. I am not afraid to admit that I hid behind the don while it was anywhere near me. My family got to the beach by their truck that fit 10 people. Three in the front and seven in the bed of the truck. I have also been learning how to use public transportation. It is different than anything I have ever seen. I have to ride a carro publico to school every day and that is a really old car, usually a toyota corrola that fits 4 in back and 3 up front. You really have to learn the ettiquette of who sits where so everyone fits in. The electricity is a little iffy here, especially in the barrios so sometimes the stop lights work and sometimes they don´t. You really hope everytime you get in the car that the driver will stop at those. Let´s see what else, oh yesterday I went to an agricultural fair with my family, it also had food and stands of things to buy. And there was this little girl that was in her dad´s arms and he was giving her mouth to mouth and people were screaming. My family says that she fainted, but it did not look like that to me and none of us actually saw what happened to her. I was very scared for her, and I hope that she just fainted and is okay. On a lighter note, I did see the biggest cow ever. It was huge! I think I have some pictures, so I will try to put those on here if I have time!

A week since I left!

Yes, it has been a week. In some ways it feels like just a few days and yet it also feels like I have been gone for so long! Today my brother had some compartir time with me (sharing time). He shared all his music with me, he loves American Rock and Roll. He kept putting in a cd and asking me who it was singing. For those of you how know me well you know how this went. I didn't have a clue about music. It has been decided by my brother that there is no way that I am american. I have been invited to a party for tonight with my brother. It is actaully a birthday party for a one year old. There is no speration between age groups which is very cool. I am doing okay with my Spanish when I am one on one, but with this party...eeek! When all of them talk in a group, they talk really really fast and I can't follow the conversation. Well, that is all for now, I told my brother I wanted to come here so he said he would come with me. I didn't realize that meant he would sit there while I typed away. I feel a little bad and I am not sure what the culture says I should do so I will go now and take him home. Hasta luego!

First few days

Yes, I am finally here and it is not at all what I had expected. The first night we spent in a retreat center in Santo Domingo, I think they were slowly easing us in (you know, still having electricity and running water). So the next day we met our families. I have a Don, Doña and 2 brothers, and then this other guy how lives in my house but I am not sure about his relation to me. Its a small house, we do have electricty and when it goes out we have invertors to keep it running. The water on the other hand...I guess only runs twice a week from what I understood. There is this big bucket in the bathroom and when you want to take a shower (which they do twice a day so they are a very clean people) then you take a little cup and run it over you when you need water. The same for the toilet you just dump a bucket in the toilet to force it to flush. Now any of you who were thinking of coming to visit, it´s not as bad as one might think. It´s just different. My doña works in a salon here, so I go with her there and all the ladys come in to get there hair done so we all watch telenovellas. Today one of the girls who works there did my nails with the details, which seems to be a very dominican kind of thing. Anyways, I am running out of time on my internet so I will say more later. Just know that I am having a great time!

Last Day in the States

Hey all, this is my first blog:) We will see how this goes. Today is the last day in the US...at least I hope it is. There was a group heading to Honduras this morning but the airport shut down with all the snow here. Now they can't leave until Saturday or Sunday. Since I have not packed for this weather-we had better leave tomorrow. Today I actually had a little fall into an icy ravine (aka a gutter) on the way home from dinner. That was a lot of fun.

My group has 33 people, mostly girls. There were two elderly people in their sixties but they have had some unfortunate incidents. The woman, Janet, she fell on the ice today and broke her arm and now can't go to the DR with us. They might let her go in September with the next group but it is still up in the air. We have yet to meet the guy, he has been stuck in Chicago for the past 3 days. We are all hoping that he will make it to the airport tonight sometime.

I am feeling pretty nervous right now about everything, even with all the orientation we have been going through I still feel like I know nothing and I have no idea what to expect. But, I think it is going to be pretty amazing and I am excited to be living on a tropical island:)

Wish me luck! I'll write back soon...I hope.