There's no place like home!

I must admit, I miss the U.S. where certain things are expected and taken for granted. I am tired of being oogled by every guy I pass. Today, this one guy licked his lips as I passed and I told him he was gross and asked him in spanish why all the men here behave so rudely to women. Needless to say, that conversation didn't go too far. From age 15 to 85, it seems to be the general norm here for men.


I spoke with some people from Crouse yesterday and they asked about my living conditions. Well, let me just say that Saturday I killed a cockroach the size of a silver dollar in the kitchen. I didn't know they got so big. I knew that this house must have some, cuz the kitchen is pretty filthy, but I refused to look too hard and was just crossing my fingers. Now I'm skeeved.

Everything is very loud here, from the music to the animals to the car alarms to people's voices. Every night I go to sleep to the sound of the VERY LOUD TELEVISION in the living room. In the morning, around 3 or 4 am, I awaken to the sound of the chiwawa (sp?) nearby who begins his extremely annoying morning barking routine. For those of you who know how much I "adore" parrots, imagine my delight to arrive and find a parrot who looks (and sounds) identical to the screeching one that just left my house not too long ago. Only this one has perfected the sound of the local car alarms. How cute, huh? lol

I have only had 2 warm showers since arriving. All the rest have been cold (if I'm lucky) or bathing with a bucket of cold water and a margarine tub to rinse down. I have a fan at the top of my ceiling that vibrates at it's base all night long and I half expect it to wobble off and kill me during the night. For me, this is very much like a long camping trip.



But all is not horrible here. I do really love the climate and the foliage and will miss it desperately. And I'm thankful, truly for this unique oportunity to learn about a people and place I've never known.


There are so many natural wonders here. This coming weekend I will be traveling to Santiago to visit the little guy I sponsor through Compassion International. Then, I will continue north to Puerto Plata (with my guide, of course). There I hope to soak in some sun and take some pictures. On our return back to Santo Domingo, we have a few cool stops planned. So, stay stuned for more pics!

p.s. feel free to write or comment. It's been a little while since I've heard any feedback!