its now my 2cd week in D.R. I am trying to tan up but nothing i see is happing and im a fun time still. My host mom feeds me still alot I think she’s trying to make me pop. My little host brother keeps talking about the earthquake that happened and the reaction we all had. his sister screaming mommy me sitting down like what what in the world is going on the little baby falling on the floor and my friend sitting down not noticing it and then after awhile he noticed and ran out the house like earthquake!. spanish is still difficult but day by day I try to learn new thing. We got to do some fun activites. the bad things are still the bugs. I was and still am scared of the bathroom because the waterbug’s it’s hard to face my biggest fear or fobea but everyday i have to try not only for my benifit but also for my host mom because i dont want to discrimanate her life style. I got to dance alot in the disco they have great song’s. The gp meetings have been going good through i dont really always make it on time but i feel I’m learning more and more with so much in D.R.me and one of my GP friends Megan get to paint a mural for the town, we also get o make the town map. We get to help with other GP people such as Nuohou and Keisha. We seem to be doing a good job.

The past few days have been great. We’ve been bonding amazingly with one another and the community. Our paseo was great. First, we went to Enriquillo, where we all walked around and got ice cream. Then, we went to see iguanas and have lunch. After that, we went to the tainos cave. Finally, we stopped by a local pool and danced bachata. It was really fun. Everyone was talking, laughing, and just having a good time. It’s crazy how much closer we all got in the past two weeks. Everyone is so funny, nice, and welcoming. I would’ve never thought that we all would get so close. You would think someone doesn’t like you and then you end up becoming really good friends. It’ll really suck when we all have to say bye to not only the community, but one another. We’re all just one big family, and hopefully it’ll stay like that even after we leave here.

This is the second week in the dominican repulic and im getting use to the daily routine. The community members are so kind and im making a lot of new friends. Yesterday we went on a paseo and we went to a cave. It was scary because we had to walk on broken rocks just to get to the top. But the view was beautiful and I didn’t mind after we got to the top.  We also went to the lake and put our feet in.  Overall my day yesterday was amazing . Im really loving the Dominican Republic.  I learned how to dance bachata. I cant wait to go back to new york and show my moves off.  Im getting use to the food, and I love platanos.

The best part about my internship is that I get to play baseball with the community and the coach is really helping me out and im getting better everyday.  My Spanish is still horrible, I started trying to learn Spanish and then this week I kind of gave up because it was so hard and it’s a lot of pressure on me. Just hope that I keep pushing myself and by the end of this experience I will be able to get through a conversation without a problem.  I feel embarrassed when my host mom asks me a question and Im not able to respond back.  Well I hope this upcoming week gets better and I will be able to communicate more.

8 juil 2012

j´allais a Baharon à l’internet ensuite au  resto apres à la place de Baharon , ou´ on  a fait  des photos, on discute un peu comment cette ville est jolie et comment cette ville est tres propre  et tres securiser par-ce-que je voyais beaucoup  de policier qui controle tout ce qu´on fait et ce qu´on fait aussi les autres gens.

Pour   les autres juors c était tres bien la reunión et stage c´est tres bien.

14 juil 2012

Le groupe nous enmène visiter une grotte denomer ´´las caritas de los indios´´ làs baso on peut voir beaucoup de choses comme ,la mer, la montagne ,la route ect. on visitait aussi une place à Jimanni, elle est tres belle et tres propre et beaucoup de gens vient visiter aussi là on a manger et boire aussi du creme à la glace c´etait tres superble ensuite on visite un peu la picine en gros c´etait une belle journeé.

Eleven days and my body is already giving up. I can’t complain though since I am also having fun. Because of BPS policy, I am missing out on the real fun, but at least my feet get to touch the water. We are bonding with the community faster than I thought. I already have my best friends over here; the teens are pretty cool (some), so we get to hang out like we belong. The food is good, it’s nothing new to me but I got to give out props to my homestay mother; she knows how to cook! My host sister is pretty cool; we are still trying to communicate but we have the same interests (Dancing), so we go along pretty well. I love the Caribbean heat so I can’t complain of how hot it is over here, I only know it’s hot because I am getting darker and darker every day. I don’t get to miss my beloved that much except at nighttime because I am so busy at daytime. I don’t feel as if I’m in danger since each one of has a body guard. The community is making sure that we are safe and returning home as we came. I am having fun and I keep on hoping for the next day.

Hola gente, La he pasado muy bien aquí en el Batey. Ayer fuimos para nuestro paseo, primero fuimos para Las Caritas de los Indios y subimos unas rocas muy grandes para ver caritas que los indios de antes habían pintado. Nos tiramos muchas fotos y la pasamos bien. Después fuimos para la Zurza a donde pudimos meter los pies en el agua para refrescarnos. Cogimos mucho sol en la troca y llegue más morenita para mi casa J Ese paseo fue un paseo muy largo pero la pase bien porque tuve un chance de conocer mejor a las personas del Batey y la estafa. Nos hemos levantado a las seis de la mañana para crear conucos y pintar casas con la ayuda de los muchachos aquí en el Batey. Sinceramente le he cogido mucho cariño a los niños, a los adultos, y hasta a los viejitos! Me siento muy a gusto aquí y espero que siga de esa manera. Siempre estoy haciendo algo aquí en el Batey y no me dan chance de extrañar a mi familia. Pero algo que no dejo de hacer es pensar en ellos.

This week was scorching! The sun had no mercy on me and my sun screen, which was kind of a bummer because I am starting to pick up a tan. Not only was the sun unhappy this week but also the Earth considering we experienced an Earthquake! Do not get me wrong, it was not deadly or traumatic, but I have to say it was interesting considering this was the first big natural disaster that I have ever lived through. My thoughts when it first happened was that a big truck or something was just passing by, because I did heard something driving by outside not too long ago before the Earthquake happened. But everyone was completely fine; it was harmless, just think of the motion almost like a train passing by underground.

Okay so now I will tell you about my family. My dad, Edward, is actually the community leader who basically runs everything in the Batey. Instead of a mom, I have an awesome aunt who cooks really well (which most of the time involves bananas or eggs but still tastes delicious). I have about four cousins; the oldest one is so helpful and is always there to support me. I actually took up on a paseo with me yesterday to visit a lake and a cave. The second oldest is practically scared of me and refuses to talk to me whatsoever; he probably still views me to be a stranger. The third oldest is nice but talks way too fast, I do not think he is aware of the fact the Spanish is definitely not my first language. My last cousin is the only girl and is so adorable. Although sometimes I think that she is a part of my imagination, I see her so rarely, compared to all of my other siblings as if she does not even exist!

Otra semana más en Batey 1. Esta semana paso rápido, hoy ya es sábado. El Lunes pasado empecé a trotar, eso me ayuda a tener fuerzas durante el día, y para distraerme un poco y no pensar en mi familia. Durante la semana estuvimos haciendo Servicios Comunitarios, en los cuales pintamos tres casas, hicimos una especie de cultivo en la casa de una Señora mayor. Limpiamos totalmente un lugar donde logramos convertirlo en un lugar para cultivo. Me sigue gustando la comida que me hacen J de verdad que la extrañaba. También empecé mi  pasatiempo, el cual no fue lo que esperaba. Espero que me lo puedan cambiar así me podre sentir mejor. El viernes fuimos a nuestro paseo, el cual fue un poco agotador, porque estuvimos el día entero viajando en un camión. Todo está bien en Batey 1, por ahora. Pásenla bien todo aquel que haya leído este mensaje.

El 14 de julio 2012

¡Hola!

DR has been pretty great so far, other than the sun beaming down on me. Pero, everything is great. The community members are fun to be around with. We would play card games and it will get so hectic. Ayer, we went to the Supermarket, and I noticed that the things in the Supermarket are pretty cheap.  Every day is becoming muy facíl cada día. Yo entiendo a little bit more of what the people are saying to me. I also cannot wait until the French is coming!  The only problem I have right now is my tan, which is very mean since I have only been in the DR less than two weeks. Me gusta mi internship mucho. I have an internship in agriculture, and my mentor, Eduardo, showed me some plantanos, aquacartes, yucas, and some other things he showed and I forgot the names. I brought home the food for my family, but the avocados are not ripe yet, so I have to wait, sad faces. Mi familia es muy simpatico. They give me so much food. Other than that I am having so much fun here even though the heat is sucking the energy out of me.