I have officially signed up for classes, I have a Dominican cell phone, and I am being eaten alive by mosquitoes. So basically, I’m really here. I still can’t wrap my head around that! But a quick recap on my last couple of days, since my last entry was crazy rushed, and I was attempting to play cards while I was writing.
I have officially moved into my house, which is nice. I like it. I don’t have wireless, which some host families have, but it’s probably good that I don’t. It makes me turn off my computer and go socialize with my family. Speaking of family, I apparently have a huge host family, and they all live within a block of one another. I have met so many family members it’s crazy, and I don’t remember the names of most of them! My other problem is that my older brother’s name is Carlos, and my sister’s boyfriend’s name is Carlos, so I never know which Carlos is coming until they arrive. They don’t say “My brother is coming!” or “Melissa’s boyfriend is stopping by,” no, they just say “Carlos is coming over.” And then one of them arrives.
Yesterday we were given a tour of Santiago by los estudiantes de apollo. They are students who are actual students at PUCMM, the university I am studying at, who want to interact with international students. It’s like a volunteer position, and we will work with them throughout the semester. They are really nice, and have a lot of patience with us trying to speak Spanish, probably because they are used to it semester after semester.
Today I got a mosquito net, which is a fantastic thing because, as I said earlier, I am being eaten alive. No exaggeration. And I have been bathing in bug spray!! Earlier today, my host mom thought that I was wearing gross perfume, but no, it was just bug spray. Yet the mosquitoes seem to love me. According to Lynne, the person in charge of my program, they like “la sangre nueva,” or new blood. Apparently after about the first month, the mosquitoes will stop wanting to drink my blood, which is good news I guess. I just want this first month to have already happened. After a month, Dominican life is supposed to start making sense, and right now it seems crazy and I feel a little stupid. As someone said today, “We are like retarded kindergarteners!” But I am still having a good time.
I think my host mom wants me to leave 20-30 pounds heavier. She keeps feeding me fried plantains, which are delicious! And whenever I come home from orientation, she has some sort of cold blended drink ready for me, like a frozen lemonade or a non-alcoholic piña colada. Delicious! And unhealthy. But you can’t tell her no. I say I don’t want it, and she asks if I like it, and since I do I say I like it. Then she says, “Then you want one.” And gives it to me. But all of the food here is really good so far, and I’m pretty sure I could live off of fried plantains if I had to. Yum!!!!
Tomorrow we have a tour of PUCMM, which is just in time because classes start on Thursday! So hopefully by this time tomorrow, I will know which building is which. Wish me luck!!
No comments:
Post a Comment