My first Thursday

Hello my American friends!

  This morning I had a great experience in La Zona Colonial. I tried Dominican Coffee for the first time ever and I have a horrible feeling it was a bad idea. For some reason, the Dominicanos think that coffee should be half coffee and half sugar. It is the sweetest most delicious thing I have ever tasted in my life. It beats starbucks by a long shot, and it only costs .27 cents in American dollars. I am beginning to noticed that everything on the street it dirt cheap. When I went to a restaurant with my French friends last night, each of our meals was around 30 dollars each. This was for one beer and a buffet of Dominican Food. The restaurant was called Conuco. I have not really developed a taste for their food yet, so I hope to do so soon. I tried the Sancocho, and was not a big fan. I did like the rice desert they had, but again, Dominicans LOVE sugar.
   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