It took a week to recover, and now i'm ready to explain!

As of now, I have currently been home for about a week. And I am still exhausted. I seem to be on eastern time still and it is really starting to bother me. I would love to sleep past 8:30 at some point again in my life. It is hard for me to even stay up past 10:00. It took me about a week to have the motivation to update my final entry of my blog in the Dominican Republic. I have been extremely busy and tired this week trying to get caught up with old friends, unpack and unwind, and working out at the vineyard. I am so blessed to be home, but a part of the DR will always be in my heart. I cherish the friends and family I met there. I cannot wait to go back, but this time just to visit. And probably in Punta Cana since it is so beautiful there, Fiona will be there, and I can flush my own toilet paper and eat all the buffets that I want.

So for my last weekend in the DR. It was very eventful. I took my final test on Thursday and passed level four. I was so proud of myself. That meant that I got to go out and celebrate my final day at the school. That weekend there were also a lot of birthdays going on, so I knew that a ton of people would be out. It was Hennesey and Angel's birthday. So, thursday night, we decided to go out with my family. And of course, Fiona joined us since she is my family. I am not exactly sure where we went, but all I know is that ladies drank for free the whole night. The cosmos were not that strong, but Fiona and I had at least 5 or 6 before we decided to leave and go to SHOTS and meet up with some other friends. It was one of my last nights in town, of course I wanted to go to Shots. Thats where I started, and that is where I wanted to end up. Jean Michael and Emile were at Shots, so Victor dropped us off. Right away, since everyone knew it was my last weekend, a tremendous amount of shots were being bought for Fiona and I. As far as I can remember we had 4 or 5 double shots. We danced all night, and I almost threw up on the dance floor when a surprise red shot was bought for me and I took it not knowing it was half gin and half tabasco. Worst thing I had ever tasted in my life. This also was the end of me. After a night of great friends and crazy dancing, I was ready to head home. We stopped at a food stand for Nachos, and that was it. I don't remember anything else.

Fiona and I planned to lay by the pool the entire next day, but lets just say my last Friday in the DR was spent in my bedroom in bed. I slept until about 5 pm that day. I could not get out of bed. And of course, I  needed to prepare myself for my final night. I knew it was going to be crazy, we were going out with Stefano and his friends. And we were starting at Shots, and ending at Goal. Two of my favorite places. So of course, I finally make it out of bed to eat some dinner. My final meal at my house, and I had mac and cheese and plantains. It was fabulous. Fiona and I got ready together, had some singing and dance parties, and headed to the party. I knew it was going to be a good night. My sisters and all there friends were there. I could not have asked for a better crowd that night. I got to see everyone that I loved and say goodbye to them for a final time. It was bittersweet. I had a ton to drink, got in 2 fights, with a guy and a girl, and can only remember half the night. I would consider it a success. I would go into more detail, but a lot of it is a big blur. But I remember it being successful.

The next morning, after 3 hours of sleep since I got home at 5AM, I got picked up by Victor and taken to the airport. Saying goodbye to my family was so hard. I did not want to leave them. But I will visit, and I know it is only see you later. I got to the airport almost 3 hours early, and thank goodness for that because I ran into several problems. They couldn't figure out my ticket and I sat at check-in for almost 2 hours. I did not get to eat food and made it to my gate right as final boarding was being called. I was hung over and starving and had to get on a plane for over 4 hours to New York. I even ended up sitting next to a man with Turrets. It was the worst flight of my life. I was living off of peanuts and pretzels. When I arrived in NY, I was so excited to call from my iPhone and speak English to people around me! My layover was 3 hours long, then I hopped on another plane for almost 7 more hours. When I finally got into my parents arms in Portland, I couldn't even cry I was so exhausted. We got Taco Bell on the way home, and by that point, I was satisfied. I took a nice hot 20 minute shower and got into bed that night with a smile on my face. I think I woke up with that same smile. Right away, life fell back into the same pattern as I left. I am so happy to be home.

All in all, I think that this was one of the best experiences that I have had in life. I am so proud of myself for making the decision to go out and live in another country on my own for a couple months. It made me appreciate so many things in my life I never thought about before. I never appreciated flushing toilet paper, drinking tap water, or hopping in my car and just driving somewhere. I never even appreciated having my car until now. This trip has made me grow in so many ways, and I cannot wait to travel somewhere else again. As soon as I can get enough money. Now I just need a job so my parents don't have to support me anymore. Thank you everyone for your support this trip. I really enjoyed it, and also enjoyed keeping you all updated on my adventures. But really, it is great to be home! 

 So happy to be home!

This could be my last post in the city..

Well I just finished school today. I passed level 4 which is simply amazing. I feel pretty confident with my Spanish, but we will have to wait and see when I return home. Right now I am about to head with Fiona to eat at our favorite Italian restaurant for the final time ever. So very exciting. I have been anticipating these lsat few days for a really long time. We were planning on taking a trip to Saona Island tomorrow, but the weather here has been too mysterious lately. We were afraid we would get rained on, so we will see how tomorrow goes, and if it is nice, spend my final day at the pool. Fiona is down to do whatever I want, so it is very nice of her to go with the flow. For the rest of the night, we are celebrating Angel and Hennesey's birthday which should be a blast. I am not sure where we are going, but we always have a good time no matter what. My final night we will be attending shots, and I will be sure to update pictures and blog in the Santo Domingo airport on Saturday morning. And who knows, after that, I may be home the next time you all hear from me! I cannot believe that the last two months has gone by this fast. It is simply crazy and I am so proud of myself for sticking with it. Thank you to all my friends and family who supported me through this when times were extremely rough. I really needed the advice that you all provided me. Special thanks to Jamie Roupp and Alex Wright. You girls helped me out a lot with stories and advice from your own personal experiences abroad! As for now, I can hear pasta screaming my name!!! Talk to you all soon!

Mi ultimo fin de semana en La Republica Dominicana!

This weekend was a great last weekend, and one to remember. We started off with a bang. Right after school on Saturday, our Italian student Alessio invited our class to his house to try his homemade Italian pastas. Let me tell you, this was the best pasta I have EVER had. Everything was homemade, all the way down to the noodles. We had three courses. The first was a typical linguine with fresh tomato sauce and tomatoes, the second was eggplant lasagna and the third was broccoli sauce with penne pasta. We also had wine, homemade bread and finished it off with some coffee with a hint of Orange. It was fabulous. After that, I headed home for some much needed rest. I was then immediately greeted by my host sister telling me that I needed to get up because we were going to TGI Fridays for happy hour. This was pretty fun. We met up with some friends and had a couple long island ice teas and bloody marys. I was feeling pretty good. After this, we went to Chef Pepper for some dinner where I had a marvelous Philly cheesesteak. My night ended well when I fell asleep a little tipsy and full to the television show Ghost Whisperer.

Saturday morning we were supposed to go to a BBQ, but our friend Teilor had a sick mother who did not want anyone at the house. Instead, we all did our own things. I decided to go to a beautiful hotel pool that was close to my house and nap in the sun for a couple hours. The weather was great and I made a couple friends from New York while I was there. It was a great time, and I only got a little red. I seem to use sun tan lotion every time, and yet I still continue to get sun burned. Then for the evening on Saturday I went to bed at 8:30. Probably not the most exciting way to spend my evening, but I was exhausted. The sun wore me out. I ended up waking up yesterday morning to my sister knocking on my door around 8 asking if I wanted to go to Higuey for the day. Well of course I did!

I grabbed my swimsuit, brushed my teeth and met our friends downstairs. We were going to a church in Higuey where our friend Edwin needed to make a promise to the Virgin of Thanks there. This is a tradition that many Dominicans have here. I did not understand what was going on, but I went with so I could support my friend. It was a two hour drive, but we had fun. I spent the majority of my time listening to the three boys argue about politics and how much it costs to live in the United States. It was actually pretty comical. For the entire 2 hour drive there, we only spent 10 minutes in the church which was really interesting for me, but hey, I couldn't complain, it was tradition. After this, we decided to go to the beach, only for the weather to make drastic shift. All of a sudden we were in the middle of a tropical storm and the rain was coming down so hard. I hate driving here in general because everyone is so dangerous and it is very unsafe, but add a little rain and I am petrified! We decided to go to the JUMBO store instead and get lunch. We ordered the largest pizza ever and ate every last bit followed by some coca-cola and chocolate. After this, we went to get our black label rum and headed back into the city to the Zona Colonial so I could learn some history about Christopher Columbus and Santo Domingo.

The weather cleared up a bit and I had the opportunity to walk around the Zona with a whiskey and sprite in my hand seeing the first part of the island that Columbus discovered. I even saw the house that his son lived it. Halfway through my experience, my camera died and it started to rain, so we were interrupted early. After this, we went on a sweet rampage and searched the entire city for a place to buy cake or desert. We finally ended up at BON, my favorite ice cream shop. This was then followed by the movie Salt. I loved it, and I can't wait for the sequel. I ended up coming home and skyping with my parents and then went to bed. I only have 5 days left in this country and every day I get more excited. I cannot wait to get home!!!

Elle

Sorry again folks!

Hello friends. Once again I have abandoned you for the weekend. Who would have known I had NO free time on my last weekend here on the island. I am about to head to school, but I wanted to let you all know that I will be making a detailed post when I return. Fiona never made it back from Cabarete on time, so of course I get to start off my final week with walking to school along... Horray. I will chat with you all in a couple hours!

CIAO!

The almost ending to a boring week...

This would be my class :) Nivel cuatro. The best combination of students around. 

This week has been close to miserable. The only fun thing I have done was go to MegaCentro yesterday and bought the cutest pair of flats. We went with the class on an excursion after school. I also got to eat McDonalds which was amazing. It is sad how much you miss American junk/fast food when you can hardly ever have it and it is the only thing that you are really familiar with. As for the rest of the day yesterday, I laid in bed doing nothing. We lost power for a solid 3-4 hours so I spent some time in the candlelight bonding with my family. We actually had a really great time. My time here with them is winding down, and I am starting to get sad. I think I mentioned that in the last post, but it really will be hard for me to leave them. As for today, I could hardly stay focused in class. I have had the hardest time paying attention at all this week because I am so excited about coming home. I have actually realized too, that school is not for me anymore. I am so tired of going through the motions. I am ready to hit the real world and start a job and actually have something to look forward to getting up for in the morning. I need to get into a routine of something that I like. I cannot wait to start at the Vineyard with my sister when I return. It shall be exciting! I also cannot wait to go to some football games. I sure do miss the Autumn season when school starts, it starts to get cold, I can wear my UGGS and watch a nice football game with some cocoa and peppermint schnapps. Yes, I need the schnapps! And UofO jell-o shots. Well anyways, I think you all get the point that I am ready for Oregon. We were supposed to go horse back riding today, but the weather has been horrible so we canceled. Although, tomorrow we are in for a big treat. The Italian man Alessio has invited our class to his house after school where him and his wife are making us a bunch of homemade real/ethnic Italian food :) I am so excited for pasta. Then afterward, Fiona is heading to a concert and I think I may go out with my sisters and some friends. It is my last weekend so I need to get everything out of the way that I need/want to do because once Monday comes, time will fly (I hope). I still need to buy a couple things and study for my final test. I only have 4 days of school left! So exciting. Well I need to finish getting caught up on some shows and eat dinner here shortly. Only a week or so left of this blog, and I have accomplished staying dedicated to it for 2 months. I am so proud of myself. Hope everything is well at home. See you all soon.

Elle

Rainy Days

Today the weather was horrible. I have spent the majority of my time in my bedroom since school got out. It poured all day and I am actually wearing jeans and a long sleeve cardigan and am not hot! What a miracle. I did a bunch of studying and got caught up on some television shows. Not much to do the rest of the night except sleep and eat dinner. Tomorrow we are supposed to head to the plaza for some shopping after school with some of the teachers. I am really excited. And on Thursday Fiona and I are planning to go horse back riding at Stefano's country house with his sister. She has 14 horses, so hopefully one of them is nice enough for me to ride.

Before I go, something really funny happened today. One of the new students at the school (an older man from Toronto) was on the roof at school today watching the storm that was coming in the distance. He came inside and asked Fiona and I if we wanted to go up on the roof and see it. We were up there for a good two minutes when all of a sudden it started pouring. We then ran down the stairs and tried to get inside, but our other student Greg had locked us out for about a minute. After pounding on the door, he finally opened it and we ran in. Well, turns out our little friend from up top was not behind up and Greg closed the door on him. I am not exactly sure if you all understand how hard it rains here, but when it rains, it pours. It is the hardest pouring rain I have ever seen. So, we all proceed to dry off in the bathroom and continue onto class because the bell rang. Well a good ten minutes went by when a soaking and angry man walked by our classroom door. Turns out he was locked out a lot longer and was drenched. He was so mad at me he was yelling telling me he was going to get electrocuted and that I am such a bad person to forget he was up there and lock the door. I feel bad because right before he was lecturing me, I took a picture of him with my camera because I thought it was so funny. Greg ended up taking the blame after class and explaining it to him, but he was still heated. I hope he feels better tomorrow. Anyways, thanks for listening to my story. I will chat with you all soon.

XOXO,
Elle

Punta Cana Part 2

Oh what another fabulous trip to Punta Cana. This time was even harder for me to leave because I am not quite sure when I will make it back, or if I ever will. I officially have less than two weeks left here, and time is beginning to go by extremely fast. Now, onto details about my wonderful trip in Punta Cana.

We left Friday morning around 7. I got to sleep at Fiona's in a nice spacious room, and I actually woke up in the middle of the night chilly. I love when that happens here. Who would have known that I actually get cold when it is still 78 degrees? We all gathered at my house in the morning and took a taxi to the busses. There were seven of us going, but we met up with four buses of people. It was a holiday weekend here, so there were a bunch of people that were going to be in Punta Cana. The buses were nicer than the ones we have taken before. The seats lounged back, the chairs were comfortable and we had air conditioning and food! There was a lot of traffic from the holiday weekend, so it took us a solid 4 hours at least to arrive in Punta Cana. Right away, we checked in and headed to the beach. The weather was not the greatest, so we never got in the water. We also had to kill time for an hour and find something to do because our rooms were not going to be ready yet. So we ate some hamburgers and fries on the beach and watched the ocean for a while. We got some great pictures! After this, we went to our rooms, got our suits, and headed to the pool!

The pool was amazing because it had a bar in the center as well as a ledge where we could put our lounge chairs inside and be covered in water. The humidity is so bad here, that being in the water is something that needs to occur every 15-20 minutes. We also have to reapply sunscreen every hour at least. I am thinking about investing in so SPF 50 before our final Saona trip, because I really do not feel like riding home on an airplane sunburnt the next morning. Anyhow, the rest of the afternoon we spent in the pool taking Mama Juana shots. This was a HORRIBLE idea for me. For those of you who do not know what a Mama Juana is, well it is deadly.  It is a famous drink here in the Dominican Republic. It is a mixture of rum, red wine, and honey mixed with tree bark and herbs. It is supposed to be an aphrodisiac. Well, as most of you know, I am allergic to wine. So, taking five or six of these shots was not the best thing I could have done. By 8 o'clock that night, I was throwing up. This was the most sick I have been on my trip here. I was thankful that it was at nice air conditioned hotel because if I were to get sick in the city, I would have been ten times more miserable. I skipped out on dinner and the festivities that night, but got a great nights sleep. I even woke up to see the beautiful sunrise in the morning.

The next morning was great. Fiona and I woke up early and went to the buffet in the main lobby. It was huge and the food was great. I had some hash browns, a pastry and a vegetable omelette. After this, we decided to spend the day at the pool. I decided in advance that I would not be drinking during the day because for once in Punta Cana, I would like to go out and have a good time! We ended up lounging by the pool and made several friends. Our first friends were three little kids from Santo Domingo. Fiona gets mad at me because I have to say hi to everyone here because I am a friendly person. The only thing about this friendliness is that Dominicans take it as an effort to get to know the other person. So when you say hi, you are stuck talking with them for a minimum of thirty minutes. It definitely does not help that Fiona does not like children. Our second friends were from Spain, except not so much friends. It was probably 10 Spanish guys that were all very drunk and obnoxious. We got rid of them fast! 

Since we were getting harassed by so many people, we decided to head out to the beach instead. At least this way we got a little bit of relaxation. The beach was wonderful. The second day we were there we could not have asked for better weather. There was a wonderful breeze and the sun was shining bright. And just when we needed to cool down, a tiny cloud would go over the sun and give us a two minute break. The ocean felt fabulous. It was nice and cool. We got a tiny sunburn this time, so the cool salt water was quite a relief. There is always some interesting sights on the beach. We always see and meet some crazy people. Since many Europeans vacation here, every other person is always topless or in a speedo. And it is always the people you really could have done without seeing them that way. There is always games, contests and music within the hotels. On this fine Saturday we actually met three guys from Jersey. Of course, Fiona and I asked if they liked Jersey Shore. Obviously they get that a lot, but we had to ask anyways, it is one of our favorite shows! They were not from there, but lived close. They were some of the first English speakers that we had met. 

We ended up going in after a couple hours on the beach to take a nap and rejuvenate for the evening. For dinner that night, we had some amazing pasta and desert. I loved the soft serve ice cream in the hotel. I always managed to have it with every meal. After dinner, Fiona and I headed back to the room to freshen up and have a couple beers and a dance party while we waited for Stefano to come pick us up. No matter where Fiona and I go, we always manage to have some sort of dance party. This is what I love about her. It is like we have known each other for years, and it has only been 5 weeks now. We then headed to the lobby where we saw one of the greatest things of our trip take place.

While we were in the lobby, we decided to listen in on a little conversation at the table across from us. It was a group of four girls from Quebec who obviously spoke English as a second language. They were flirting with the Dominican band that was about to be playing on the stage close to where we were sitting. First, it was funny listening to both groups communicate with each other because they both were horrible at English. Then the band went up to play and the girls were yelling on stage to request a song. After a couple songs, the one they wanted came on. One of the girls got so excited, she ran up to get on stage except for that her foot caught the edge and her face and entire body pancaked onto the stage. Not to mention that she was wearing a dress and almost 200 people were in the lobby watching. It was extremely sad, but probably one of the funniest things we had ever seen. Also, we continued to share this story with our friends the rest of the night, but none of them found it as funny as us. It must have been one of those, "You had to be there!" things. After this, Stefano came to pick us up and we headed to the Iberostar to meet up with our friend David. He had to work until midnight, so we went to the disco there to get some free drinks while we waited. Again, encountered several interesting drunk dancers there.

After some good laughs, we headed to Imagine. This was hands down one of the most amazing clubs I have ever been too. Pictures and words will never be able to describe it. I simply recommend everyone takes a trip to Punta Cana and sees it first hand. This club, first of all, is HUGE. It is inside a man made cave underground. There are several different sections, and each section they play different music. Saturday night it was packed because there was a male porn star who was the DJ. I never really saw him, but we still had a great time. There were different types of dancers and entertainers that we up on the ledges of the caves doing there crazy little things. Also, there were a bunch of different bars inside. The bathrooms were also unbelievable. I wish I would have taken pictures but I already looked like a tourist as it was. I was taking pictures of everything. We even saw some really great mullets inside. Punta Cana really is a collection of some interesting people. From what I remember, this was such a great night, and we did not make it home until about 3:30-4 in the morning (which is an early night for Dominicans). 

When I arrived back at the hotel, I received a knock at the door. It was Victor! He wanted to go get food at the Sports Bar because we were both drunk. Such a fabulous idea. We headed that way immediately. I ended up having cheesy tots, onion rings, fries and a bunch of other fried crap. Victor had a hamburger. We had a nice drunk talk about relationships and he decided to give me some advice about mine. We ended up laughing about this the next morning because nothing that came out of our mouths really made sense. I ended up going to bed at 5 in the morning, and my alarm was set for 8:30. We wanted to get an early start for our last morning. I was not hung over, but I was definitely moving slow. 

The final morning we had a fabulous breakfast and headed out the beach for a little more sun. Here we watched dance lessons and listened to some Dominican music, which I love dearly. I have really begun to listen to it everywhere I go. We swam in the ocean for our final few times, headed back to the room to pack, ate lunch, checked out and got back on the bus after one final round of soft serve ice cream. 

The bus ride home was miserable. It took up 6 hours because of traffic. Half way on the drive, we stopped for a bathroom break and of course I had to go! This was a bad idea. This was the worst bathroom experience I have EVER had. So I am standing in line with a bunch of locals trying to figure out why everyone is partnering up and saying that two people have to go in at a time. Of course no one knows me so no one wants to be my partner. So when I get to the front I am thinking there is only two stalls inside. Well I was half right and half wrong. There were two toilets inside, but not any stalls. The two toilets were right smack dab next to each other. I am not even kidding you. I ended up peeing next to a Dominican girl who I had never met in my life. Imagine me squatting above a seat trying with all my might to squeeze something out while this random girl is watching me. That is the last time that I ever walk into a bathroom with a stranger. The rest of the trip was long. I slept on and off, but you can only do so much on a bus. The only thing that got me through the trip was my iPod and Limon Lays chips. These have become my life here in the DR. I plan to bring back a bulk supply in my suitcase or carry on. 

When I arrived home last night, I skyped with my parents, uploaded some pictures and got right into bed. I was exhausted. I am pretty sad when I think that my time here is winding down, and I really only have one weekend left for adventures. I am so excited to head home, but I know that I will miss everyone here so much. These people have become my family and I have so much fun when I am with them. I hope that at some point I will get to come back and visit them in the future. For the rest of the evening, I need to do homework and get caught up on some Spanish and sleep. It is a long week ahead of me because my plans for this weekend only consist of a BBQ at my friend Teilor's house. I hope school goes by fast so I can start having some fun!!! Stay in touch, and see you all VERY soon.

Yours truly,

 Elle