Spanish final!

This morning we had our written Spanish final, and I think it went pretty well.  The concepts were all fairly straightforward and the layout was easy to understand.  I also got a 98% on my midterm, so I do not need to do super well on this to get an A. The other part of the Spanish final will be an oral exam, which is ten minutes of my powerpoint presentation about my research topic.  This will be finished on Sunday when I present.  I am just thankful that I am able to get credit for Spanish 311 here instead of needing to take that class in Madison, since that class is notoriously difficult.

Rain rain rain

This past weekend it rained practically continuously for 2 to 3 days.  This was awesome because it kept the temperature down.  It was not so awesome because the rain is extremely loud against the corrugated metal roof of the house.  Also there are holes in the roof.  Holes above my bed.  So my bed is in a perpetual state of dampness.  Also, when it rains, water does not flow through the pipes, so the toilet did not flush and bucket baths were the name of the game (not like that is all that unusual).  There was also no effective way for me to get from my room to the bathroom without getting drenched in the process.  However, there was no permanent flooding, and it appears that the people here are accustomed to this sort of thing.  It does seem to rain a little at least every day here. 

I hate spiders

I hate spiders.  This is no secret to anyone who has known me more than a week.  Therefore I find it important to point out that the spiders here are terrifying... and in my room.  My first week here I found a tarantula the size of my hand on my dresser... 4 inches from my hand as I was applying sunscreen.  After screaming a few choice expletives, I alerted my mother to this fact.  She promptly laughed at me and told her husband, who also laughed at me.  He then proceeded to grab his machete and impale the tarantula.  Being male, he then found it necessary to chase me around the house with the corpse of the giant spider on the tip of the machete.  Last night I found a different spider, the size of my palm on my wall.  I did not scream.  Instead I grabbed my 98% DEET bug spray, sprayed twice, and watched the spider ¨sprint¨ out the window.  It is probably dead, or at least partially melted.

Campo

On Saturday we arrived in the campo to begin the second half of the program.  My mom is pretty old, but she is a sweety.  I also have a dad and a 30 something year old brother that lives in the house.  The first day here they slaughtered a pig in the backyard and were cleaning and preparing the intestines for future consumption.  The smell was a bit overwhelming.  Yesterday I tried the intestines, and just could not do it.  It was too much. Oh well.  I am otherwise well fed and nearly always hopped up on the sugary coffee that my mom offers me every three hours.  Today we will go to the nearby pueblo of Nagua to check out what that place has to offer. 

Tearful goodbyes

On Saturday I left Jarabacoa with many tears.  I was very sad to leave my host mom, Daisy, because I feel like we had grown quite close over the three weeks we spent together.  I have her phone number and intend to keep in contact with her, and she wants to keep in contact with me.  I am also friends with her son and daughter on facebook, so keeping in touch should not be a problem.  She gave me a photo of herself before I left, so I will always be able to remember her.  I do intend to return to Jarabacoa, and I hope I can come back in the summer of next year for a week or two. 

Sickness

So, Ive had the pleasure of getting sick here in the Dominican Republic.  Last Monday I woke up feeling a bit under the weather.  Nausea, intestinal discomfort, you get the picture.  Im fairly certain that it was caused by my accidental ingestion of water the previous Saturday while we were white water rafting.  In any case, my Monday was filled with worship of the porcelain god.  The Tuesday that followed I felt a bit better, still could not eat anything, but I was keeping water down, which was a distinct and much appreciated improvement.  However, feeling better does not prevent me from being an idiot.  My mom here gave me two 500 mg tablets of ampicillin to speed my recovery, and I took them.  Apparently I am allergic to ampicillin, because 20 minutes later I got really cold, which should not happen when it is 90+ degrees outside.   After a few more minutes I began to shake uncontrollably, which led to a full body seizure which lasted 45 minutes.  20 minutes in my mom found me and got someone to take me to the clinic where they promptly gave me something that gradually stopped the tremors.  One hour later I was back home.  It was quite possibly the scariest experience of my life, but hey, live and learn, and dont take strange pills.  Also, the whole thing cost me 540 pesos, which is roughly 18 dollars, so that was pretty nice.

More stuff I've been up to!

Well, it's been more than 2 weeks now and I'm having a great time here in Jarabacoa.  I'm really getting to know my host mom and brother fairly well and I'm very comfortable hanging out with them.  I find that it is getting much easier to understand the Spanish spoken here than it was last week.  I've narrowed down my research question, created my survey instrument, and have nearly finished my literature review, so I am well on my way into my research.  In the next few days I will be interviewing people!  I am a bit nervous about this, but it has to be done!  In other news, last Saturday we went to a place called Ebano Verde.  It's a cloud forest and nature preserve on a mountain.  The 15 minute hike to the summit was easily the hardest hike I have ever done.  It was disgustingly steep.  But I have to say the view was worth it.  From the summit we hiked down for 5 kilometers, and the vegetation was absolutely breathtaking (we didn't see much wildlife).  At the bottom there was a waterfall and a swimming hole.  The water was COLD (and I slipped on the rocks) but it was so awesome.  Sunday I went out dancing with a group of Dominican women.  I dance poorly, but it was still a lot of fun!  Yesterday myself, 3 other students, my host brother, and a few of his friends walked to the river after class.  It was pretty sweet.  Apparently the river is the place to go in Jarabacoa if you wanna hang out!

First week in Jarabacoa!

Sorry about the gap in between updates, my life here has been super busy!  So, the 15th of June we had our program orientation, in which we talked about all the health and safety things that we need to abide by while here.  For example, we cannot drink any form of tap water, and we have to be sure to avoid ice cubes and produce that is difficult to wash like lettuce.  We also cannot ride on the back of the motorcycle taxis at night or without a helmet, which is totally understandable, considering how crazy people drive here (more on this later).  Wednesday night we went out for a nice dinner at a restaurant in Santo Domingo, and on the way back we saw an outdoor concert and dance show.  I tried my first Presidente, the Dominican beer of choice!  It was quite good, if I do say so myself. 


The next day we went on a tour of the colonial district of the city in the morning.  It was very long and full of information, but it was difficult to absorb much because it was all dates and people.  I did get a few photos, which I will post later when I remember to grab my phone cable.  After a short siesta following lunch, we all piled in the gua-gua to head off to Jarabacoa!! Yay!!  It was a 2-3 hour bus ride through dense traffic and winding roads, but finally we did arrive in Jarabacoa.  The place that we arrived at was called La Poza.  It's a school-house/recreation area by the river and it is a mosquito haven!!  My mother, Daisy, was not there to pick me up herself, but she sent one of her neighbors who was hosting another one of the students to get me in their pick up truck.  After a short drive they dropped me off at my house and my mom was there to greet me!  The first thing she did was show me my room, which is awesome!  It has a giant bed, dresser, fan and its own bathroom!  I proceeded to unpack all my stuff and my mom brought me some orange drink.  Afterwards my mom and I talked about what I like to eat, what I don't like to eat, etc.  We then went to visit her cousin who happens to be hosting another girl in our group.  Everyone is super-nice and friendly here.  Later that night I played cards with my mom and a guy that lives somewhere in the neighborhood, but I don't remember his name.  It was an easy variation of poker. 

After sleeping like a log, I woke up the next  morning and had a cheese and ham sandwich with an oatmeal/cinnamon type beverage.  It was delicious!  I was then driven to La Poza, where we had our first class.  We talked about our night, did an ice breaker, and I got COVERED in mosquito bites on my legs (because I'm stupid and forgot to bring bug spray in my backpack).  We then were assessed according to our Spanish abilities, and got to walk back home for lunch, which is quite the long walk, especially in the sweltering heat here.  I had Spanish class in the afternoon, where we learned about some Domincan-specific greetings and goodbyes.  The accent here is very difficult to understand at first.  They drop nearly all the endings of their words and almost all s's.  I need to creepily stare at people while they're talking to me in order to understand them well. 

As far as the insane driving that goes on here:  There are hardly any traffic lights or signs, and the ones that exist are generally not obeyed.  People just honk their horn as they approach the intersection in order to warn others of their presence.  Also, most people drive motorcycles or mopeds and dont wear helmets, and they drive very fast if they can. 

The rest of Friday was very nice.  I talked with a bunch of random people and family members, and got to know a lot of people.

Saturday I slept in and went to the pool in the afternoon.  At night me and a bunch of other girls went to Emily's house so her sisters could teach us how to dance.  We can't.  But we did drink a lot of Presidente and various rum concoctions! 

Sunday I slept in again and spent the day trying to avoid conversation with my 6-8 year old neighbors who are madly in love with me.  They are ALWAYS staring at me, and it is somewhat disconcerting after a while.  I got to know my mom's brother and sister, and we talked a lot.  They are all very nice and welcoming.


Yesterday we began classes seriously, and I am in the most advanced group.  We talk all the time in Spanish, but it is not a challenge to understand.  My computer is about to die.  Shall update more later!! Bye fore now!

First Night!

So after a delayed flight I managed to arrive in the DR at about 9:35PM.  Going through customs and getting my bags went smoothly.  According to the man checking passports I am a "mega-mami" haha.  I met up with the rest of the group.  Of the 16 participants, 15 are female.  We all took the mini-bus from the airport to the hotel, which was a ride of about 40 minutes.  The bus had awesome blue tasseled curtains!  The city of Santo Domingo is vast.  We drove through part of the historical district, which is where our hotel is, and the streets are so narrow that only one car can get through going one way.  After a small dinner and quasi-orientation, most of us are off to much deserved sleep.  I am among them!  Tomorrow we will have a full day of orientation and touring the historical/colonial district!

Pre-Departure Overview

So I'm keeping this blog to chronicle my summer of studying abroad in the Dominican Republic.  I will be departing from Milwaukee on the 14th of June and returning to Milwaukee on the 4th of August. I will be spending the interim first in Santo Domingo, then in Jarabacoa for 3 weeks, then 3 more weeks in a rural community near the coast, then finally in Santo Domingo again.  During my time in the DR I will be studying Spanish in an intensive practice based setting and will be attending a seminar on Health, Nutrition, and Environmental Issues in Latin America.  Part of this seminar entails me doing a 10 page research paper on a subject that pertains in some way to the theme of the seminar.  I will be researching the prevalence of diabetes in the DR and try to relate that in some way to the recent ratification of CAFTA-DR which facilitates the influx of highly processed foods and meat products from the USA which may increase the prevalence of obesity, which is a known risk factor for type 2 diabetes.  During my stay I will be living with a host family, which I am very excited about.  I can't wait to be on my way!