Week 5

"Yon je louvri. Yon je fèmen."

- One eye open. One eye closed.

This is a Haitian saying that everyone always loves saying to me, seeing as I'm always half-awake according to my friends! SO I have been in the Dominican Republic for just over a week now on a very unplanned and sporadic trip. I left Haiti by bus last Tuesday with Rea, Daniel, and Bissy so that Rea could come see a doctor here (nothing major to worry about, just a higher level of care here in the DR) planning just to tag along for a few days to see a country I've never been to. But since we left major protests have erupted across Haiti, and with non air travel in and out of the country being completely shut down we have been stuck here, graciously housed by Rea's cousins. I will talk more about the protests in my next post, which I highly encourage you to read, as a lot of misinformation or shear lack of information has reached those at home. BUT for an update on my life in Santo Domingo, here's a little about the adventures I have had.

Santo Domingo, the country's capitol, is home to Cuidad Colonial (Colonial Zone), the oldest permanent European settlement of the Americas. Getting to explore this part of the city has been an incredible experience, and I constantly found myself in awe walking the first street in the New World and exploring the first university and convent of the Americas. The abundance of time and public transportation has afforded me something I haven't had the chance to experience yet: being a tourist! Exploring the cobbled streets and sitting in small cafes to grab a coffee (or a Shock Top!) and read (just finished The Goldfinch - big fan) has been such a beautiful retreat and I find myself loving every second of it.

I also was lucky to connect with the cousin, Luis, of my mom's friend Ylmia who gave me a driving tour of the entire city. It was incredible to see all of the different parts of the city, their various "downtowns", their "Central Park", which all contrasted starkly with the history and architecture of the Colonial Zone. He treated me and Daniel to some true Dominican food: Dominican ceviche, a delicious root vegetable fried with cheese, and more I can't even remember! Luis took us to see some live Meringue, which was quite the experience as I had no idea the dancing was so much faster than even the quick Haitian kompa.

And of course I have spent much time at my favorite place in the world - the beach! There is an incredible small beach named Juan Dolio just an hour bus ride from the city so I have been there everyday I can. Spending my days swimming, basking in the sun, and meeting people from all over the world. I met a father from Philadelphia who's daughter's high school is traveling to Haiti for the first time in a month and I promised to show her all around Port au Prince. I met a Swiss couple with a black lab (which is obviously what drew me over) that work all over the world, never spending more than four months in any country. My over-talkative nature has definitely served me well. I have also been so lucky to spend a lot of time with Dinel (Rea's cousin) and his family (shoutout Wood!). Having family meals, working on my Creole, trying to learn guitar from his younger brother Alex (it is not going well sadly), and just getting to learn more about their lives as Haitian's living in the DR.

While I miss my friends in Haiti every day (the girls at the orphanage are not pleased with me for not being by in over a week so they can pull my hair out braiding it) and literally all of my possessions (as in I have three shirts here, just three) it has been such an adventure to explore this other half of the island I call my second home.