Weather changed today friends. There is a ton of wind and rain headed our way as Hurricane Earl is slowly passing by us. We are all crossing our fingers that he does not change paths, because if this is the case, the Dominican Republic will get hit directly. For now he is looking good. I am enjoying the weather because I can actually breathe again. The only down side is that the win is stirring up stuff in the air and really causing my allergies to have some problems. The next hurricane, Fiona, is looking even bigger. Right now she is only a tropical storm, but is gaining strength as she moves north. My friend Fiona is pretty excited that a storm is named after her. Hopefully she does not give us a reason to remember her. We are all being very alert down here. It really is scary knowing that there is a storm that could hit, and there is nothing we can do. My host mom Gertrudys is being very protective, and I do not mind it at this point!
Since the weather is horrible, Fiona and I spent the day at both malls. We actually realized that they were not as expensive as we thought. Also, Dominican fashion is actually really cute. I hate to say it, but I must do some shopping before I come back! For the rest of the evening, I need to do some homework, shower and eat, and meet my friends for a drink at the Colmada. Hope all is well at home. Pray for the storm to pass right through, we could really use it.
XOXO,
Elle
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Monday, August 30, 2010
La Isla Saona
Hello friends-
Yesterday I woke up to one of the worst things imaginable, followed by a day in paradise. At 3:30 in the morning, I woke up to 2 giant cock roaches crawling up my leg and next to me on my bed. It was the most disgusting thing I have ever experienced. I screamed and my host mom woke up. I spent the rest of the night in my host sisters room on the extra bed. I could hardly sleep because I was paranoid. When I came home last night, she had completely cleaned my entire room and raided it with bug spray. She had gone through all my clothes and did my laundry as well as re-fold and organize all my clothes and shelves. I was in heaven. My mosquito net was re-hung and it worked great last night. But as for the rest of my day yesterday... Nothing can begin to describe the Isla Saona. It was beyond words. I have never been to a more beautiful place in my life. (I have not been many places, but still).
Yesterday was one of the most amazing days I have ever had minus the sun burns I currently have! We started with an hour bus ride to La Romana where we caught a booze cruise Catamaran ride for about an hour to the island. The entire boat was full of Spanish speakers and all attention was on Fiona and I because we spoke english, and had white skin (later to be the brightest red imaginable). We took several pictures, laid on the nets the whole way gazing down at the water below, and drank some rum and coke. We were in paradise. Except the only mistake we made was to start the day with SPF 8 lotion. I am completely regretting this! By the time we reached the island, I was really anxious. For about a mile off the beach, the water was completely clear. I have never in my 22 years of life seen anything like it. I have never seen anything more beautiful. White sand and palm trees covered the entire vacant island.
Right when we got there, we were greeted by other tourist boats, fresh juice and a delicious BBQ. We decided to swim a little before we ate because we needed to cool off. After swimming and relaxing for a while, we decided to eat our lunch. We had bbq fish and chicken, pasta with lobster, salads, fresh fruit, bread, marinated vegetables etc, etc. It was buenisimo! During lunch we tried to converse with an Italian couple who were extremely friendly. We really enjoyed their company. After lunch, we applied more sunscreen (this time SPF 30) and then swam and played some more. We were there for another 2 hours. We were approached by so many people who wanted to take our pictures and speak English with us. B the end of the trip, we were exhausted. After we left the island, we got into a smaller race boat, put on our life jackets, and went for a crazy ride in the ocean. My butt and back are still sore from the waves/bumps. They then took us to a place where we could feed the clown fish and feed them. I think I saw finding Nemo at least 100 times. Im sure they were his cousins and such. Then, we took another crazy boat ride over to a swimming area where the had the largest star fish I have ever seen in my life. Some were the size of my torso. This gave us an extra hour to swim and socialize with everyone as well as take pictures. After this we headed back to the shore, where Fiona and I were burnt and ready to get home. This was a bit of a shortened story of my experience, but pictures will do more justice. I had a great time, and Fiona and I decided that our last weekend here, we want to make a final trip to the Island. We have several other excursions planned in the meantime.
As for today, we have 4 new students. Norway, Germany (American born), Japan and UK. They are all very friendly. We plan to do a movie tonight. As for now, I need to have Gertrudys rub my back side with after sun. I will be needed a lot. I also need a nap. Hope all is well. I miss everyone and will officially be returning October 16th, 3 weeks early!!!
Much Love,
Elle
Yesterday I woke up to one of the worst things imaginable, followed by a day in paradise. At 3:30 in the morning, I woke up to 2 giant cock roaches crawling up my leg and next to me on my bed. It was the most disgusting thing I have ever experienced. I screamed and my host mom woke up. I spent the rest of the night in my host sisters room on the extra bed. I could hardly sleep because I was paranoid. When I came home last night, she had completely cleaned my entire room and raided it with bug spray. She had gone through all my clothes and did my laundry as well as re-fold and organize all my clothes and shelves. I was in heaven. My mosquito net was re-hung and it worked great last night. But as for the rest of my day yesterday... Nothing can begin to describe the Isla Saona. It was beyond words. I have never been to a more beautiful place in my life. (I have not been many places, but still).
Yesterday was one of the most amazing days I have ever had minus the sun burns I currently have! We started with an hour bus ride to La Romana where we caught a booze cruise Catamaran ride for about an hour to the island. The entire boat was full of Spanish speakers and all attention was on Fiona and I because we spoke english, and had white skin (later to be the brightest red imaginable). We took several pictures, laid on the nets the whole way gazing down at the water below, and drank some rum and coke. We were in paradise. Except the only mistake we made was to start the day with SPF 8 lotion. I am completely regretting this! By the time we reached the island, I was really anxious. For about a mile off the beach, the water was completely clear. I have never in my 22 years of life seen anything like it. I have never seen anything more beautiful. White sand and palm trees covered the entire vacant island.
Right when we got there, we were greeted by other tourist boats, fresh juice and a delicious BBQ. We decided to swim a little before we ate because we needed to cool off. After swimming and relaxing for a while, we decided to eat our lunch. We had bbq fish and chicken, pasta with lobster, salads, fresh fruit, bread, marinated vegetables etc, etc. It was buenisimo! During lunch we tried to converse with an Italian couple who were extremely friendly. We really enjoyed their company. After lunch, we applied more sunscreen (this time SPF 30) and then swam and played some more. We were there for another 2 hours. We were approached by so many people who wanted to take our pictures and speak English with us. B the end of the trip, we were exhausted. After we left the island, we got into a smaller race boat, put on our life jackets, and went for a crazy ride in the ocean. My butt and back are still sore from the waves/bumps. They then took us to a place where we could feed the clown fish and feed them. I think I saw finding Nemo at least 100 times. Im sure they were his cousins and such. Then, we took another crazy boat ride over to a swimming area where the had the largest star fish I have ever seen in my life. Some were the size of my torso. This gave us an extra hour to swim and socialize with everyone as well as take pictures. After this we headed back to the shore, where Fiona and I were burnt and ready to get home. This was a bit of a shortened story of my experience, but pictures will do more justice. I had a great time, and Fiona and I decided that our last weekend here, we want to make a final trip to the Island. We have several other excursions planned in the meantime.
As for today, we have 4 new students. Norway, Germany (American born), Japan and UK. They are all very friendly. We plan to do a movie tonight. As for now, I need to have Gertrudys rub my back side with after sun. I will be needed a lot. I also need a nap. Hope all is well. I miss everyone and will officially be returning October 16th, 3 weeks early!!!
Much Love,
Elle
Friday, August 27, 2010
The day I feel in love with the DR
Hola mis amigas-
Ahhh, if I could only put into words how fabulous yesterday was. I was so busy with my adventures that I did not have enough time to blog. My day at school was just a normal one. After school, I tried a hamburger and fries from one of the fast food places on the Conde, and it was disgusting. Fiona nor I could eat it. After school, Fiona and I planned to meet up with her friends from Punta Cana. This is when the day got great. First one of her friends from a resort that she stays at met us in Gazcue to chat for a little while. He had also brought a visitor from Punta Cana with him and he was from Vegas... another American! We chatted and I later found out he is VERY familiar with Oregon, and its notorious reputation for being "wine country". I was even more surprised when he told me that Willamette Valley Vineyards had the best Pinot Noir he had tried. (Rachel, I know you would like this one) I couldn't believe he even knew the Vineyard. He truly was familiar with the Salem area. We chatted with them for a while and later met up with Fiona's friend Stefano, and two of his friends who also live in Santo Domingo. We were planning on going to the beach, but again, the weather turned bad. Stefano works at the hotel that Fiona visits and is an Italian man who is verrrry handsome and sweet. His two friends, Jean Michael and Emilie, were also great company as well. We then decided that we would head near Boca Chica to Stefano's house to hang out with his family for a while.
When we arrived at the house, I cannot put into words how amazingly stunning it was. I can honestly say that it was the most beautiful and exotic house I have ever seen. It looked like it was straight out of GIlligan's Island. Not to mention the roof was made of plan leaves. Everything was open and spacious and it had mixed country/beach theme to it. Their back gate was right on the beach, and the water was only 10 feet away. It really was a dream home I could see myself in. I really think that my dad would have loved it. On top of the house being beautiful, his family was also great. He had two little sisters who are half Dominican and half Italian. They were both beautiful. His little sister Amy was 5 years old. She loved having guests in the house because she really likes being the center of attention. She was giving us concerts, playing dress up for us, bringing us food and drinks. I really enjoyed her. We decided to make a few snacks, open a bottle of win, and sit out on the beach for a swim while the storm came in. We could see lightening in the distance, and it was amazing. It really was a great experience. I forgot to mention he had 9 dogs. It sounds a little overwhelming, but each of them had their own little hut the hang out in during the day. I liked the wiener dogs best! We ended up staying out on the beach for hours talking story and watching the sun go down and the moon rise.
At around 9, we decided to head back into town to get ready for a bar named SHOTS. The name is self explanatory, it is all they served. Fiona and I got ready quickly, and Stefano picked us back up. Last night was on of the best nights of my life. I truly fell in love with Dominican people and their culture. To just interact with them, watch how exciting they get to dance and sing to their local songs, as well as get more excited to hear American songs, and have a million shots bought for you, it was an amazing experience. And Dominicans love to take pictures with the Blackberries, which they call BB. They take them with them everywhere. It was funny to see how many of them wanted to take pictures with Fiona and I because we were white. Everyone was so generous to us, and loved to speak Spanish/English with us. We stayed at Shots until 2:30. We then all had the drunk munchies so a group of about 20 of us went to a little street restaurant and ate burgers and fries. These were way better than my last. We made it home at 3, and I stayed at Fiona's house. We could hardly get out of bed at 7:30 this morning, but it was well worth it.
I cannot put into words how much fun I had last night, but I really did. Great country, great friends, and great drinks. Nothing can compare to those, especially when combined. Today we are planning on recovering with a long nap since school is now out, and then we will get ready to celebrate Nikki's last night here in the DR. It is SO sad to see her go. She really helped me in the beginning of this experience when things were rough for me, and I cannot thank her enough. (So thank you Nikki, I love you very much). As for now, I better get my sleep on, because there is another long night ahead of us. Because like they say in the Dominican Republic, "Every night is ladies night!"
Chao,
Elle
P.S. I also forgot to mention that We visited the Acropolis which is a 4 story mall outside of the city the night before last. It was there that Fiona and I got to experience the Hooters of Santo Domingo! What an experience. The days just keep getting better.
Ahhh, if I could only put into words how fabulous yesterday was. I was so busy with my adventures that I did not have enough time to blog. My day at school was just a normal one. After school, I tried a hamburger and fries from one of the fast food places on the Conde, and it was disgusting. Fiona nor I could eat it. After school, Fiona and I planned to meet up with her friends from Punta Cana. This is when the day got great. First one of her friends from a resort that she stays at met us in Gazcue to chat for a little while. He had also brought a visitor from Punta Cana with him and he was from Vegas... another American! We chatted and I later found out he is VERY familiar with Oregon, and its notorious reputation for being "wine country". I was even more surprised when he told me that Willamette Valley Vineyards had the best Pinot Noir he had tried. (Rachel, I know you would like this one) I couldn't believe he even knew the Vineyard. He truly was familiar with the Salem area. We chatted with them for a while and later met up with Fiona's friend Stefano, and two of his friends who also live in Santo Domingo. We were planning on going to the beach, but again, the weather turned bad. Stefano works at the hotel that Fiona visits and is an Italian man who is verrrry handsome and sweet. His two friends, Jean Michael and Emilie, were also great company as well. We then decided that we would head near Boca Chica to Stefano's house to hang out with his family for a while.
When we arrived at the house, I cannot put into words how amazingly stunning it was. I can honestly say that it was the most beautiful and exotic house I have ever seen. It looked like it was straight out of GIlligan's Island. Not to mention the roof was made of plan leaves. Everything was open and spacious and it had mixed country/beach theme to it. Their back gate was right on the beach, and the water was only 10 feet away. It really was a dream home I could see myself in. I really think that my dad would have loved it. On top of the house being beautiful, his family was also great. He had two little sisters who are half Dominican and half Italian. They were both beautiful. His little sister Amy was 5 years old. She loved having guests in the house because she really likes being the center of attention. She was giving us concerts, playing dress up for us, bringing us food and drinks. I really enjoyed her. We decided to make a few snacks, open a bottle of win, and sit out on the beach for a swim while the storm came in. We could see lightening in the distance, and it was amazing. It really was a great experience. I forgot to mention he had 9 dogs. It sounds a little overwhelming, but each of them had their own little hut the hang out in during the day. I liked the wiener dogs best! We ended up staying out on the beach for hours talking story and watching the sun go down and the moon rise.
At around 9, we decided to head back into town to get ready for a bar named SHOTS. The name is self explanatory, it is all they served. Fiona and I got ready quickly, and Stefano picked us back up. Last night was on of the best nights of my life. I truly fell in love with Dominican people and their culture. To just interact with them, watch how exciting they get to dance and sing to their local songs, as well as get more excited to hear American songs, and have a million shots bought for you, it was an amazing experience. And Dominicans love to take pictures with the Blackberries, which they call BB. They take them with them everywhere. It was funny to see how many of them wanted to take pictures with Fiona and I because we were white. Everyone was so generous to us, and loved to speak Spanish/English with us. We stayed at Shots until 2:30. We then all had the drunk munchies so a group of about 20 of us went to a little street restaurant and ate burgers and fries. These were way better than my last. We made it home at 3, and I stayed at Fiona's house. We could hardly get out of bed at 7:30 this morning, but it was well worth it.
I cannot put into words how much fun I had last night, but I really did. Great country, great friends, and great drinks. Nothing can compare to those, especially when combined. Today we are planning on recovering with a long nap since school is now out, and then we will get ready to celebrate Nikki's last night here in the DR. It is SO sad to see her go. She really helped me in the beginning of this experience when things were rough for me, and I cannot thank her enough. (So thank you Nikki, I love you very much). As for now, I better get my sleep on, because there is another long night ahead of us. Because like they say in the Dominican Republic, "Every night is ladies night!"
Chao,
Elle
P.S. I also forgot to mention that We visited the Acropolis which is a 4 story mall outside of the city the night before last. It was there that Fiona and I got to experience the Hooters of Santo Domingo! What an experience. The days just keep getting better.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Public Transport and Boca Chica
Hiii all-
Today was quite the experience for me. I woke up with a bit of a stomach ache, but by the afternoon, I was fine again. Last night Gertrudys completely disinfected my bedroom with bug repellent, so I am not sure if it worked yet. As of now, I probably still have between 25-30 mosquito bites. Fiona and I paid for our excursion today so it is final. We will be leaving at 6:30 on Sunday morning for a fun filled day of adventures. I cannot wait. As for the rest of the day, we decided to try out the public transportation (the Guaguas) and take a trip to a beach called Boca Chica. It took us 1 hour to get about 15 miles away because the busses stopped so much. We had to change busses twice and it was so confusing. While on the first bus, Fiona was given a phone number by our driver. He really liked him. Everywhere we go, people stare at us like they have never seen someone with white skin before. It really is annoying. The busses were really loud and crowded and they smelled terrible. Everything here smells terrible. I can't wait to get into fresh air again. Right after we arrived at Boca Chica (since it was the last stop of the trip) we needed a beer STAT. The weather was horrible. On the way, it rained the whole time. We were hoping for sun and a tan, but never got either.
While looking for somewhere to sit, we walked for about 10 minutes until we were approached by a man who pulled out two lawn chairs for us right next to the beach. He said that we were allowed to sit there and to let us know if we needed anything. The entire time we were sitting there, we were approached by vendor after vendor for different types of jewelry and food. We bought nothing because to be honest the food looked sketchy and the jewelry was ugly. (Sorry, just being honest). Anyway, about 30 minutes went by and the guy came back and asked if we wanted food or drink and we said no thank you. At this point, he did not seem to happy. He stomps away and comes back presenting us with a bill of 300 pesos for using the chairs. This is the best part of the story because it is the first time that I have seen Fiona blow up and freak out on someone during this trip. I am always letting swear words slip out while we are talking and I always feel bad because she seems like such a soft spoken girl, but no. Not this time. Fiona's Spanish is way better than mine, so this is when the talking (more or less yelling) began. I have never heard someone swear and talk/yell so fast in another language in my life. She tried explaining to him he never told us we had to pay in Spanish, and he didn't understand so she then tried English. This made him mad. He was causing a scene telling us that this is the Dominican Republic and if we want to survive here we better know Spanish. No English! He was making fun of where we were from and pulling other people into the fight. It was HORRIBLE. Finally a vendor who knew English approached us and we told him we did not have the money. We had just enough to take the public transit back the Gazcue. We fought back and forth because of the language barrier for about 25 minutes, and finally he let us leave, after proceeding to tell us to come back tomorrow. Yeah right, never. Everyone and there mother were staring at us and giving us the "dumb American" look. It was probably the worst experience yet.
And then, the public transit back. It seemed faster, but maybe that was because the Dominican man sitting next to us realized that we spoke English and wanted to start practicing with us. He talked our ear off the entire hour. Asking questions, informing us of past Dominican olympians who participated in the Olympics, quoting Jim Carey movies, etc. etc. It was honestly really annoying. I am proud he was so passionate to learn English, but it was a little much after the day we had.
After arriving home, I was greeted by a full house (which is normal). Luissina's best friend Victor, who knows English, was eager to hear about our trip. He was really mad when he found out what happened. He let us know we did not overreact and if that happens again, he will get in his car and drive all the way to Boca Chica to settle things for us. He was embarrassed that we were treated that way. As for the rest of the night, Fiona and I will eat some dinner and head the the Acropolis which is a local Mall with bars and places to have drinks. We might meet her friends from Punta Cana there. Tomorrow, we will go out dancing with my host sisters and their friends. Starting tomorrow, the weekend will be a busy one. We have a ton of adventures ahead. I will be sure to inform you about them asap.
Sincerely,
Elle
Today was quite the experience for me. I woke up with a bit of a stomach ache, but by the afternoon, I was fine again. Last night Gertrudys completely disinfected my bedroom with bug repellent, so I am not sure if it worked yet. As of now, I probably still have between 25-30 mosquito bites. Fiona and I paid for our excursion today so it is final. We will be leaving at 6:30 on Sunday morning for a fun filled day of adventures. I cannot wait. As for the rest of the day, we decided to try out the public transportation (the Guaguas) and take a trip to a beach called Boca Chica. It took us 1 hour to get about 15 miles away because the busses stopped so much. We had to change busses twice and it was so confusing. While on the first bus, Fiona was given a phone number by our driver. He really liked him. Everywhere we go, people stare at us like they have never seen someone with white skin before. It really is annoying. The busses were really loud and crowded and they smelled terrible. Everything here smells terrible. I can't wait to get into fresh air again. Right after we arrived at Boca Chica (since it was the last stop of the trip) we needed a beer STAT. The weather was horrible. On the way, it rained the whole time. We were hoping for sun and a tan, but never got either.
While looking for somewhere to sit, we walked for about 10 minutes until we were approached by a man who pulled out two lawn chairs for us right next to the beach. He said that we were allowed to sit there and to let us know if we needed anything. The entire time we were sitting there, we were approached by vendor after vendor for different types of jewelry and food. We bought nothing because to be honest the food looked sketchy and the jewelry was ugly. (Sorry, just being honest). Anyway, about 30 minutes went by and the guy came back and asked if we wanted food or drink and we said no thank you. At this point, he did not seem to happy. He stomps away and comes back presenting us with a bill of 300 pesos for using the chairs. This is the best part of the story because it is the first time that I have seen Fiona blow up and freak out on someone during this trip. I am always letting swear words slip out while we are talking and I always feel bad because she seems like such a soft spoken girl, but no. Not this time. Fiona's Spanish is way better than mine, so this is when the talking (more or less yelling) began. I have never heard someone swear and talk/yell so fast in another language in my life. She tried explaining to him he never told us we had to pay in Spanish, and he didn't understand so she then tried English. This made him mad. He was causing a scene telling us that this is the Dominican Republic and if we want to survive here we better know Spanish. No English! He was making fun of where we were from and pulling other people into the fight. It was HORRIBLE. Finally a vendor who knew English approached us and we told him we did not have the money. We had just enough to take the public transit back the Gazcue. We fought back and forth because of the language barrier for about 25 minutes, and finally he let us leave, after proceeding to tell us to come back tomorrow. Yeah right, never. Everyone and there mother were staring at us and giving us the "dumb American" look. It was probably the worst experience yet.
And then, the public transit back. It seemed faster, but maybe that was because the Dominican man sitting next to us realized that we spoke English and wanted to start practicing with us. He talked our ear off the entire hour. Asking questions, informing us of past Dominican olympians who participated in the Olympics, quoting Jim Carey movies, etc. etc. It was honestly really annoying. I am proud he was so passionate to learn English, but it was a little much after the day we had.
After arriving home, I was greeted by a full house (which is normal). Luissina's best friend Victor, who knows English, was eager to hear about our trip. He was really mad when he found out what happened. He let us know we did not overreact and if that happens again, he will get in his car and drive all the way to Boca Chica to settle things for us. He was embarrassed that we were treated that way. As for the rest of the night, Fiona and I will eat some dinner and head the the Acropolis which is a local Mall with bars and places to have drinks. We might meet her friends from Punta Cana there. Tomorrow, we will go out dancing with my host sisters and their friends. Starting tomorrow, the weekend will be a busy one. We have a ton of adventures ahead. I will be sure to inform you about them asap.
Sincerely,
Elle
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Acrylic Nails & An Excursion!
Hey All-
I am super tired today so this post will be short and sweet. Today was super fun. After school today, Fiona and I ventured to Colonial Tours and committed to a Trip to Saona Island. Look it up on Google, it is magnificent. We will take day adventure to the island on a Catamaran with unlimited booze! We get to snorkel for a couple hours, have a huge BBQ with Chicken, Lobster, Carne Asada, Platanas, Potatoes and allll the yummy tropical fruits. Then after, we will snorkel (or dive) again, and take the hour catamaran ride back. It barely cost us anything for what we are getting. I am super excited to be able to make these adventures with Fiona. She really is great company and we have hit it off very well. We also got some pizza and ice cream after class, followed by a Churro. I got a little sick this evening and I think it is because of the street food. But oh well, it was great at the time. Afterwards, we went back to school and took some dance lessons. I learned the Meringue and Bachata. Fiona was a total natural. We ended our day with some 6 dollar acrylic nails and some Comida made by my host mom Gertrudys. I have to finish homework, and watch a movie while I fall asleep. I will talk with you all tomorrow.
Buenas Noches,
Elle
I am super tired today so this post will be short and sweet. Today was super fun. After school today, Fiona and I ventured to Colonial Tours and committed to a Trip to Saona Island. Look it up on Google, it is magnificent. We will take day adventure to the island on a Catamaran with unlimited booze! We get to snorkel for a couple hours, have a huge BBQ with Chicken, Lobster, Carne Asada, Platanas, Potatoes and allll the yummy tropical fruits. Then after, we will snorkel (or dive) again, and take the hour catamaran ride back. It barely cost us anything for what we are getting. I am super excited to be able to make these adventures with Fiona. She really is great company and we have hit it off very well. We also got some pizza and ice cream after class, followed by a Churro. I got a little sick this evening and I think it is because of the street food. But oh well, it was great at the time. Afterwards, we went back to school and took some dance lessons. I learned the Meringue and Bachata. Fiona was a total natural. We ended our day with some 6 dollar acrylic nails and some Comida made by my host mom Gertrudys. I have to finish homework, and watch a movie while I fall asleep. I will talk with you all tomorrow.
Buenas Noches,
Elle
Monday, August 23, 2010
It's been a week
Today marked an entire week that I have now been in the Dominican Republic. A week ago, who would have thought that things would look as good as they are looking now. I have had the most amazing day with the new student Fiona. We have already made several plans to travel around the country. She vacations here one or twice every year so she is very familiar with the area. She has many connections in Punta Cana and that is going to be a fabulous thing. She is actually applying for a job at a resort in Punta Cana where several of her friends are currently working. This is the same place she stays every year. Her "soon to be boss" has said that when she wants to take trips there for the interview, we can either stay at the resort for free, or with a huge discount. Things are really looking up. I am super excited that she wants to travel just as much as I do because this will make every weekend VERY interesting. Tonight we may go exploring for something fun to do.
After school today, we went and bought Fiona a cellphone and then decided to go get pedicures. While we waited for the pedicure we each had a beer. The beer here is called El Presidente and it is very delicious and inexpensive! You will also not believe it. Our pedicure today cost us 6 dollars each. And tomorrow we are thinking about getting acrylic nails put on which are only 5 dollars. Life is really great down here. I sure do appreciate the exchange rate. 1 hour massages are just as cheap. You can get a full day of pampering for under 20 dollars! Imagine that! After we got our pedicures we decided to walk down towards what we consider "our beach". It is not much, but you can still see ocean. Fiona was a little dissapointed because she, as well as me when I first arrived, thought we were able to swim in Santo Domingo. I guess this calls for a weekend trip to Juan Dolio or Boca Chica. We shall find some way to get to one this weekend! As for now, I must eat dinner and finish my homework. I plain to meet up with Fiona after. I cant wait until she meets Nikki (who gets back from Haiti tonight). I cannot wait to hear about her trip! Also, Fiona speaks fluent French since she is grom Quebec, Canada. Nikki will love this because she too, is fluent in French. I hope to learn some of this beautiful language. Still miss home more than ever, but I am really starting to adapt to life here. I will stay in touch.
Yours truly,
Elle
After school today, we went and bought Fiona a cellphone and then decided to go get pedicures. While we waited for the pedicure we each had a beer. The beer here is called El Presidente and it is very delicious and inexpensive! You will also not believe it. Our pedicure today cost us 6 dollars each. And tomorrow we are thinking about getting acrylic nails put on which are only 5 dollars. Life is really great down here. I sure do appreciate the exchange rate. 1 hour massages are just as cheap. You can get a full day of pampering for under 20 dollars! Imagine that! After we got our pedicures we decided to walk down towards what we consider "our beach". It is not much, but you can still see ocean. Fiona was a little dissapointed because she, as well as me when I first arrived, thought we were able to swim in Santo Domingo. I guess this calls for a weekend trip to Juan Dolio or Boca Chica. We shall find some way to get to one this weekend! As for now, I must eat dinner and finish my homework. I plain to meet up with Fiona after. I cant wait until she meets Nikki (who gets back from Haiti tonight). I cannot wait to hear about her trip! Also, Fiona speaks fluent French since she is grom Quebec, Canada. Nikki will love this because she too, is fluent in French. I hope to learn some of this beautiful language. Still miss home more than ever, but I am really starting to adapt to life here. I will stay in touch.
Yours truly,
Elle
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Fiona arrives!
Today started off a little rough because I was bored. But, it got better when I got to pick up the new student from the airport! Her name is Fiona and she is from Montreal, Canada. SHE SPEAKS ENGLISH. She will be here for 2 months, and I am so excited about this. I have a feeling that we will become very good friends. I rode with her host parents to the airport today and they ate Quiznos. I was so jealous. I ate before I left or I would have gotten that or Burger King. We waited for Fiona to arrive. That took about an hour total. The whole way home from the airport, Fiona and I shared stories about each other and I think we have a lot in common! I look forward to many adventures with her. She said she has a bunch of friends that work in Punta Cana, and invited me for a weekend to go visit them there. I think I might take her up on this offer. After we arrived at her apartment, I took her to the nearest store to buy a cellphone because she was just as desperate as I was when I arrived. Except, it is Sunday here so all the stores are closed. I will help her out tomorrow. As for the rest of the day, I think I may just relax at home, do some studying and try to read more of Eat, Pray, Love. I have a feeling this week will be looking up since there will now be 2 students in the school. Talk to you all soon.
Elle
Elle
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Juan Dolio Beach
Today was by far the best day that I have had in the DR so far. My host sisters and a bunch of friends invited me to a beach called Juan Dolio. The company was beyond nice. Since I have arrived, Luissina and Patty along with their friends have made me feel so welcome. Without them, I would probably be on a plane home already. I had such a great time listening to them talk all day. Sometimes they feel bad because I am really quiet, but I always have to remind them that I am trying to understand what they are saying, and it is good for me to listen. It helps my comprehension skills.
As for my beach adventure. We had to take two cars because there were 9 of us. It was a 45 minute drive to Juan Dolio, and the entire drive is on the coast line. Dominicans drive so crazy I feared for my life the whole time. They don't use blinkers, just their horns. It is insane! The drive was beautiful. I got to sit by the window so I could enjoy the view. This was also my first experience listening to the different types of music that the kids my age here like. Most of it was in Spanish, but there was a couple songs by Usher and Fergie that I knew! (And they were in English so I finally got to sing along). I also googled popular Santo Domingo songs before I came so I could get used to the music, and one of the songs that I had on my computer was playing in the car. I really am a dork, but I got to sing along with that one too!
Once we arrived at the beach, we used a private neighborhood walk down to the beach. Luissina's boyfriend Angel had the keys to a friends house there and so we were able to use lounge chairs from there. As we walked towards the beach, I already knew I was in love. Words cannot begin to describe how beautiful this place was. I have never seen water so clear in my entire life. You always see it in the pictures, but I can honestly say, those don't do the Caribbean any justice. I was in heaven. I was a little skeptical at first because most of you know my fear of the ocean. I was instantly reassured that no sharks would get me if I waded in to my shoulders (and they were right). Right away, Patty offered to walk with me along the entire beach so I could explore the different areas, different types of people and see some other Americans since this is more of a tourist/resort area. The first group of people we walked by the spoke English made me smile from ear to ear. It felt SO great to her my language once again. After a one hour walk and a couple pictures, I was ready to get in the water. We spent most of our day here. We waded in the water and I listened to everyone talk stories and joke around. Our friend Victor had a sister that was visiting from New York so I got to speak English with her. She and Victor are both very good at English, so it helps when I don't understand what it going on. That is when they inform me! Everyone is really great about making sure I know what is going on. I am sure by the confused look on my face, they feel I am lost A LOT! The water was SO warm, it almost was not refreshing. I loved the fact I could see all the fish swimming under me, and my feet were visible the entire time. This is my first time in an Ocean that this happened to me. Hawaii water is clear, but they have NOTHING on the Caribbean. We spent probably 4 hours at the beach and then decided to head back. I think we all fell asleep once on the way home, except for Angel who was driving our car.
When we arrived home, Gertrudys had made us some type of a Dominican rice with a bunch of yumminess mixed with it, a a delicious mozzarella and tomato salad and some boiled plantains. What a wonderful way to end the day. We were planning on going to to Discoteca tonight, but we all got a little tired. We went and saw Inception instead. And like I mentioned earlier, the movies are in English so I really enjoy going. Except Inception was in English, and it still confused me. Everyone else was confused and we discussed it on the way home. But of course I hardly understood what was going on because they were speaking in Spanish and Dominicans talk extremely fast! So, that was the run down of how my day went. If I could go to the beach everyday, I probably would never make it home. It truly is paradise. I hope we get to go back soon. Tomorrow a girl from Canada is supposed to arrive and I told Elina (the women she will be living with for the next 8 weeks) that I would accompany her to the airport. Gertrudys and the girls just invited me to go to a small mall in the morning and I think I may take up there offer. Of course I won't buy anything because I have no room to take it back considering I overpacked, but I would at least like to check out what a mall is like to them. I will fill you in about my next adventures as soon as I can. Hope all is well in the states! Hasta Luego!
Elle
As for my beach adventure. We had to take two cars because there were 9 of us. It was a 45 minute drive to Juan Dolio, and the entire drive is on the coast line. Dominicans drive so crazy I feared for my life the whole time. They don't use blinkers, just their horns. It is insane! The drive was beautiful. I got to sit by the window so I could enjoy the view. This was also my first experience listening to the different types of music that the kids my age here like. Most of it was in Spanish, but there was a couple songs by Usher and Fergie that I knew! (And they were in English so I finally got to sing along). I also googled popular Santo Domingo songs before I came so I could get used to the music, and one of the songs that I had on my computer was playing in the car. I really am a dork, but I got to sing along with that one too!
Once we arrived at the beach, we used a private neighborhood walk down to the beach. Luissina's boyfriend Angel had the keys to a friends house there and so we were able to use lounge chairs from there. As we walked towards the beach, I already knew I was in love. Words cannot begin to describe how beautiful this place was. I have never seen water so clear in my entire life. You always see it in the pictures, but I can honestly say, those don't do the Caribbean any justice. I was in heaven. I was a little skeptical at first because most of you know my fear of the ocean. I was instantly reassured that no sharks would get me if I waded in to my shoulders (and they were right). Right away, Patty offered to walk with me along the entire beach so I could explore the different areas, different types of people and see some other Americans since this is more of a tourist/resort area. The first group of people we walked by the spoke English made me smile from ear to ear. It felt SO great to her my language once again. After a one hour walk and a couple pictures, I was ready to get in the water. We spent most of our day here. We waded in the water and I listened to everyone talk stories and joke around. Our friend Victor had a sister that was visiting from New York so I got to speak English with her. She and Victor are both very good at English, so it helps when I don't understand what it going on. That is when they inform me! Everyone is really great about making sure I know what is going on. I am sure by the confused look on my face, they feel I am lost A LOT! The water was SO warm, it almost was not refreshing. I loved the fact I could see all the fish swimming under me, and my feet were visible the entire time. This is my first time in an Ocean that this happened to me. Hawaii water is clear, but they have NOTHING on the Caribbean. We spent probably 4 hours at the beach and then decided to head back. I think we all fell asleep once on the way home, except for Angel who was driving our car.
When we arrived home, Gertrudys had made us some type of a Dominican rice with a bunch of yumminess mixed with it, a a delicious mozzarella and tomato salad and some boiled plantains. What a wonderful way to end the day. We were planning on going to to Discoteca tonight, but we all got a little tired. We went and saw Inception instead. And like I mentioned earlier, the movies are in English so I really enjoy going. Except Inception was in English, and it still confused me. Everyone else was confused and we discussed it on the way home. But of course I hardly understood what was going on because they were speaking in Spanish and Dominicans talk extremely fast! So, that was the run down of how my day went. If I could go to the beach everyday, I probably would never make it home. It truly is paradise. I hope we get to go back soon. Tomorrow a girl from Canada is supposed to arrive and I told Elina (the women she will be living with for the next 8 weeks) that I would accompany her to the airport. Gertrudys and the girls just invited me to go to a small mall in the morning and I think I may take up there offer. Of course I won't buy anything because I have no room to take it back considering I overpacked, but I would at least like to check out what a mall is like to them. I will fill you in about my next adventures as soon as I can. Hope all is well in the states! Hasta Luego!
Elle
Viernes!
Hello everyone-
I did not get to write you yesterday about my first friday, so I decided I would do so now. Nikki left for Haiti in the morning, so I had to walk to school by myself. It actually was not bad. I decided to take the Conde because I feel more safe there when I am alone. I am beginning to realize that I am safe everywhere I go, I just need to ignore peoples comments. I also am trying to find a way to stay cool on my walks to school. By the time I get inside of the school, I am dripping in sweat. The teachers always laugh at me. I hope my body adapts soon because I am constantly feeling sticky! I tried walking with an umbrella, but that doesn't do much. One of these days something will work out. Maybe when its September or October and it is not so hot here!
After school I took a nap because I am still trying to catch up on some sleep. It felt really great. When I woke up, I snacked on one of the most amazing orange muffins from a bakery across the street and today I plan to go get some more. The bakeries here are SO cheap. I got a cookie, muffin a couple fried chicken sticks and some mozzarella sticks for like 1.50 in American dollars. I LOVE the exchange rate here. After my snack, I updated my Facebook a bit and chatted with my sister Luissina. We decided at the last second we would go to a movie. We saw Grown Ups. I was surprised at how nice the theater was. It was 3 stories and it had air conditioning. I can honestly say last night was the first time I was cold since I have been here, and it felt great! The movie was in English so that was even better. And to top it off, it only cost 3 dollars. Also, we both got a drink and some popcorn and it was only another 4 dollars. So with food, drinks and both our tickets, it cost about how much it is for only a ticket in Oregon. I think we will make this a regular thing because I had a ton of fun. After the movie we went to Luissina's friend Victors house to hang out for a bit. We all walked towards the beach where they have a bunch of open bars, ice cream and food places, live bands and people dancing salsa and meringue EVERYWHERE. This was my first taste of the Dominican nightlife, and I must say I could get used to it. We decided last night we would all take a trip to Juan Dolio, the beach I was supposed to go to the other day. That is our plan for this afternoon. I will update you all with pictures and stories. I have been waiting to see a nice Caribbean beach since I got here. Things keep looking up, and my new goal is 2 months. The only thing holding me back is the weather, I hate it.
I miss the fresh and green Northwest. I appreciate home so much more after only being here a week. Hope all is well up North. Talk to you soon.
XOXO Elle
I did not get to write you yesterday about my first friday, so I decided I would do so now. Nikki left for Haiti in the morning, so I had to walk to school by myself. It actually was not bad. I decided to take the Conde because I feel more safe there when I am alone. I am beginning to realize that I am safe everywhere I go, I just need to ignore peoples comments. I also am trying to find a way to stay cool on my walks to school. By the time I get inside of the school, I am dripping in sweat. The teachers always laugh at me. I hope my body adapts soon because I am constantly feeling sticky! I tried walking with an umbrella, but that doesn't do much. One of these days something will work out. Maybe when its September or October and it is not so hot here!
After school I took a nap because I am still trying to catch up on some sleep. It felt really great. When I woke up, I snacked on one of the most amazing orange muffins from a bakery across the street and today I plan to go get some more. The bakeries here are SO cheap. I got a cookie, muffin a couple fried chicken sticks and some mozzarella sticks for like 1.50 in American dollars. I LOVE the exchange rate here. After my snack, I updated my Facebook a bit and chatted with my sister Luissina. We decided at the last second we would go to a movie. We saw Grown Ups. I was surprised at how nice the theater was. It was 3 stories and it had air conditioning. I can honestly say last night was the first time I was cold since I have been here, and it felt great! The movie was in English so that was even better. And to top it off, it only cost 3 dollars. Also, we both got a drink and some popcorn and it was only another 4 dollars. So with food, drinks and both our tickets, it cost about how much it is for only a ticket in Oregon. I think we will make this a regular thing because I had a ton of fun. After the movie we went to Luissina's friend Victors house to hang out for a bit. We all walked towards the beach where they have a bunch of open bars, ice cream and food places, live bands and people dancing salsa and meringue EVERYWHERE. This was my first taste of the Dominican nightlife, and I must say I could get used to it. We decided last night we would all take a trip to Juan Dolio, the beach I was supposed to go to the other day. That is our plan for this afternoon. I will update you all with pictures and stories. I have been waiting to see a nice Caribbean beach since I got here. Things keep looking up, and my new goal is 2 months. The only thing holding me back is the weather, I hate it.
I miss the fresh and green Northwest. I appreciate home so much more after only being here a week. Hope all is well up North. Talk to you soon.
XOXO Elle
Thursday, August 19, 2010
My first Thursday
Hello my American friends!
This afternoon I was supposed to go to the beach with my friend Nikki around 3:00 but were told that it was too late to go. It is not safe to use public transportation here when the sun begins to go down. Nikki is my friend from California who is also taking Creole classes in our school. Her class goes until 3 and I am done at 12:30. She is leaving for Haiti tomorrow with one of her Haitian friends, so we will not get to go this weekend either. I am hoping that my host sisters will take me soon. I am pretty sad because Nikki and I have been traveling to and from school together as well as taking mini adventures. She is leaving next Saturday, and I will be sad to see her go. Although, one of my teachers Luca informed me today that there is a new student coming that same day from Canada. Even though she is not American, at least she can speak English. I look forward to being her guide the same was Nikki was for me. She made the transformation easier.
Instead of going to the beach, Nikki and I decided to walk in "El Conde" which is what I consider the Las Vegas strip of Santo Domingo. I mean there is even a casino on the Conde, but not one I would ever recommend. When walking, you are constantly approached by vendors trying to sell jewelry, art, books and music, etc, etc. This gets really annoying, but thats okay. When I am with someone else, my experience on the Conde is always a good one. During our breaks between classes at the school, Nikki and I are going to try to make an effort to go to the park and drink a coffee from our favorite little vendor everyday. This gives me something to look forward to. After strolling through the strip, we decided to head up to a Hostile that Nikki was familiar with. I guess a student that left this week stayed there on her trip. This was one of the best Hostile experiences I have ever had. It is owned by the sweetest Dominican man and French woman. They have a little son who is about 2 and speaks fluent French, Spanish and knows English. I am jealous. The Hostile had a rooftop terrace with tons of tables and cushioned beds and seats as well as a bar. There was a nice breeze up there so we had some drinks and practiced our Spanish with the owners and some of the guests. These Dominican people were beyond NICE. They were so patient with Nikki and I when we talked Spanish. When we did not understand, they would talk as slow as possible so we could. They took a ton of interest in trying to help us out. They even let us use their wireless internet for free. I am sure we will go back. There was a guy named Alex who was visiting from Spain. He really took a lot of interest in Nikki. (It is hard not to, she is one of the most outgoing and spontaneous people I have ever met!)
For the rest of the evening, I may watch a movie with my host sister Luissina, do some homework, talk to my parents on skype, and then SLEEP. I still need to catch up on lost hours. Again, the heat makes the days drag out realllllllly long and I am always tired. I just took a shower and I am already dripping in sweat. Not to mention it is my third day and I have at least 15 bug bites. I have to be careful I do not get Malaria or Dengue Fever. I was told this is not common in the cities, but it is also not impossible. I will continue to keep you updated. As the days go on, I do more, and have more to tell you all about! Hope to chat with you soon! I miss you all more than you could imagine, but my days here are getting better.
Elle
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Things are looking 2% better
Today school was so boring. I am beginning to notice it is nothing that I expected. I was hoping to be challenged a little more, but of course what you expect is never what you get. I wake up at 7:30 every morning and I do not go to bed until midnight because it is too hot to sleep and until I become restless and finally do, I just lay there. The heat again is indescribable. I probably will never adapt to it and certainly never like it. Because of my lack of sleep, the heat and all the walking I do to get anywhere combined, I want to do nothing but sleep. This leads to the massive amounts of boredom I have been experiencing.
Tomorrow I am supposed to be going to the beach with some friends and so I am hoping that will make things a little better. We are taking a bus or taxi (whichever is available) to Juan Dolio which is the closest and beautiful beach that you can actually swim in. I have not seen a beach with sand yet. I am sure once I begin to feel comfortable venturing throughout the country, things will be good. But until then, I will still feel sorry for myself. But in all reality, this is what I chose for myself, right?
I need to finish my homework and take a nap. I do not want to go to school tomorrow, but then again, why am I here? Oh, thats right, school. I cannot wait for the weekend so I can sleep in and attempt to have some fun. Not to mention I tried taking out 500 pesos from an ATM today and got 5000. Looks like I do not need to withdrawal money any more while I am here. Im set for life. Until next time, hasta pronto!
Elle
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Mi primero dia en el escuela
Hola mis amgios-
Hoy fue mi primero dia en la escuela de Hispanola. Mis profesoras son muy simpaticos!
I had a bit of a rough start this morning. I met a girl names Nikki who is another student from school. She is here for another two weeks and is from California. It is nice to have another American around to talk to. However, she likes to have a little more fun than I do, and I do not trust the city or the people enough yet to join. (Who knows if I ever will) Anyway, I walked to school with her as she talked my ear off about the city. After a 4 hour morning at school, I was then notified by her she had class until 3 and unless I wanted to stay for an extra three hours with nothing to do, I would have to find my way back to my house. This was probably the hardest experience that I have had since I have been here (given its my second day so obviously I have not ran into much). On my walk home, I was approached by 101 men telling me how beautiful I was, they wanted to date me, etc. etc. I was followed for several blocks and not to mention it was pouring down rain because we were in the middle of a thunder/lightening storm and it was the craziest one that I have ever been in or seen. It is hurricane season down here so I should be expecting a ton more. By the time I reached home, I was not only sweating because of the humidity here, but because I was so scared about what had just happened.
So far, it is not what I expected. I knew it would be a culture shock, but not this bad. I called my dad on skype and just started balling because I wanted to come home. Of course being the dad that he is said he would arrange something but I know the second I get home, it would not be what I wanted. He told me to set a 30 day goal for myself since that is so much shorter than 3 months. If I can make it to 30 days and it is still as hard and bad as I feel now, he will send me home. But if I make it to 30 days and things are getting better, I will set another goal for myself. I think that it is a great idea :) So as for now, I need to make it the first month and then I will look further into the future.
As for my family, again they are SO amazing. The food they are providing me is delicious. There are so many fresh fruits here it makes me happy. As most of you know, I don't eat fruit when I am home, but I cannot resist it here, it is great. Last night I gave my sisters Patty and Luissina and my little brother Alian salt water taffy I had brought for them from the Oregon coast and they LOVED it. Patty even ate some for breakfast this morning (clearly we are the same person). My sisters make things easier on me because they speak English and can help translate for me. Even though they speak English, doesnt mean they will speak it to me all the time. They force me to try everything at least once in Spanish and then they will correct me (in English) if I am not comprehending. We just finished our lunch and Gertrudys made us a very good pasta as well as sweet bananas, plantains and cheesy potatoes. Before my trip I thought that I would lose weight, but after her cooking, I am starting to change my mind. Well I have some homework to do from my first day at school so I better get to it.
As for now, hasta lueogo mis amigos! I will update you all soon!
Elle
Hoy fue mi primero dia en la escuela de Hispanola. Mis profesoras son muy simpaticos!
I had a bit of a rough start this morning. I met a girl names Nikki who is another student from school. She is here for another two weeks and is from California. It is nice to have another American around to talk to. However, she likes to have a little more fun than I do, and I do not trust the city or the people enough yet to join. (Who knows if I ever will) Anyway, I walked to school with her as she talked my ear off about the city. After a 4 hour morning at school, I was then notified by her she had class until 3 and unless I wanted to stay for an extra three hours with nothing to do, I would have to find my way back to my house. This was probably the hardest experience that I have had since I have been here (given its my second day so obviously I have not ran into much). On my walk home, I was approached by 101 men telling me how beautiful I was, they wanted to date me, etc. etc. I was followed for several blocks and not to mention it was pouring down rain because we were in the middle of a thunder/lightening storm and it was the craziest one that I have ever been in or seen. It is hurricane season down here so I should be expecting a ton more. By the time I reached home, I was not only sweating because of the humidity here, but because I was so scared about what had just happened.
So far, it is not what I expected. I knew it would be a culture shock, but not this bad. I called my dad on skype and just started balling because I wanted to come home. Of course being the dad that he is said he would arrange something but I know the second I get home, it would not be what I wanted. He told me to set a 30 day goal for myself since that is so much shorter than 3 months. If I can make it to 30 days and it is still as hard and bad as I feel now, he will send me home. But if I make it to 30 days and things are getting better, I will set another goal for myself. I think that it is a great idea :) So as for now, I need to make it the first month and then I will look further into the future.
As for my family, again they are SO amazing. The food they are providing me is delicious. There are so many fresh fruits here it makes me happy. As most of you know, I don't eat fruit when I am home, but I cannot resist it here, it is great. Last night I gave my sisters Patty and Luissina and my little brother Alian salt water taffy I had brought for them from the Oregon coast and they LOVED it. Patty even ate some for breakfast this morning (clearly we are the same person). My sisters make things easier on me because they speak English and can help translate for me. Even though they speak English, doesnt mean they will speak it to me all the time. They force me to try everything at least once in Spanish and then they will correct me (in English) if I am not comprehending. We just finished our lunch and Gertrudys made us a very good pasta as well as sweet bananas, plantains and cheesy potatoes. Before my trip I thought that I would lose weight, but after her cooking, I am starting to change my mind. Well I have some homework to do from my first day at school so I better get to it.
As for now, hasta lueogo mis amigos! I will update you all soon!
Elle
Monday, August 16, 2010
My first day in Santo Domingo
Wow. Besides that fact that I can hardly breathe due to the humidity here, I love it. The ride from the airport was such a culture shock for me. We past shanty town after shanty town and I could not believe my eyes. All the rivers were dirt brown and some kids were even wading in the water. And as for driving, Dominicans are maniacs. Tons of honking and lane changes without using a blinker. My host mother Gertrudys is absolutely amazing and crazy. She is already talking my ear off. She loves to show me pictures of the children and tell me stories about her family! I have two host sisters who are the same age as me and I have a little brother who is 11. I have not met them yet but they will be home later tonight. Gertrudys' best friend picked me up at the airport and she has two friends visiting from France. We all plan to go into town tonight so I can get introduced to the City life and see where my school is. It is borderline what I expected, but I was really nervous on the ride from the airport to my house. I have my own bedroom and bathroom, and right away I was offered food, juice and fresh water. I had the opportunity to talk to my dad on the phone when I arrived and he tried to tell me that I had the wrong number! I called from Gertrudys' phone so I am assuming he thought someone else was trying to claim him. I got a little teary eyed while I spoke with him because I miss them dearly, but I know I will be fine. 3 months seems forever from now, but this is a great experience, and one that may never happen again. I must get to unpacking. I have a fan in my room, but the temperature already seems unbearable. Oh well, I guess thats life. I have internet at my house every other five minutes so I know I can keep this thing going. Miss everyone tons.
Hasta pronto!
Hasta pronto!
The Atlanta Airport
Wow, I am extremely tired. My plane ride from Portland to Atlanta was horrible and the lady next to me probably wanted to slap me across the head for moving around so much. My back hurt the entire time and we had quite a bit of turbulence (as most of you know I hate flying) which did not make things better. I got to Atlanta around 6 am Eastern time and proceeded to nap on the floor until an empty seat was available. Not to mention my flight that landed was on the complete opposite side of the airport as the new flight I will be boarding shortly. And let me tell you, Atlanta airport is NOT small. I joked with my family about what my last meal would be and you will all be surprised. I figured I would have grits and gravy because it is something from the South, but turns out the only place serving breakfast on my side of the airport was McDonald's. Such a quality last meal before my trip. We are about to start boarding and my stomach is beginning to hurt. I am exhausted and not really sure of what to expect. I am experiencing a mix between anxiety and excitement. Well my dad just called, so I am off. Hope to get back on here soon! I miss everyone!!!
Elle
Sunday, August 15, 2010
The PDX airport
Hello my American friends-
As I am sitting here drying my tears in the Portland airport, I thought it would be best to start a blog of my trip so that I can remember all the crazy adventures that I will encounter along the way. I am full of mixed feelings as I wait to board the plane. To start off the flight, I am going to attempt to read "Eat Pray Love" as a little pick me up, but I am assuming that I will be asleep within minutes of take off. I hope to be able to write on this blog regularly and I hope that all of you get to read along with me throughout these couple months. I already miss my family and friends dearly, but I know such great opportunities lay ahead of me. As for now, adios and I will connect again when I reach Atlanta. (It may be my last opportunity of internet and my iPhone for some time)
Love you all.
As I am sitting here drying my tears in the Portland airport, I thought it would be best to start a blog of my trip so that I can remember all the crazy adventures that I will encounter along the way. I am full of mixed feelings as I wait to board the plane. To start off the flight, I am going to attempt to read "Eat Pray Love" as a little pick me up, but I am assuming that I will be asleep within minutes of take off. I hope to be able to write on this blog regularly and I hope that all of you get to read along with me throughout these couple months. I already miss my family and friends dearly, but I know such great opportunities lay ahead of me. As for now, adios and I will connect again when I reach Atlanta. (It may be my last opportunity of internet and my iPhone for some time)
Love you all.
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