PCV Alexis

Just today I was looking at a rooster’s feet and thinking how obscenely large and disfigured they were; so obviously a chicken foot has to end up on my dinner plate. Unfortunately, I was sucking its rubbery toes before I realized I was not holding a regular drumstick. I soon found out my doña had given it to me as a treat; she later proceeded to bite the shit out of it. Welcome to El Seibo - a podunk town by American standards, but the capital of a province here, and my new home for the next four weeks. Instead of the one main road lined with Mickey D’s, BK and Walmart, here we’ve got the Domincan staples: the discoteca, a few car washes (which double as bars complete with dance floors), and a couple ... read more

Not ten minutes outside of Santo Domingo and you’re already catching glimpses of the infamous beauty of this country. Mountains in the distance and lush green hills dotted with palm trees in the fore ground. All of it increasing in diversity and complexity until you reach the Cibao Valley - banana trees lining the road and rice fields seemingly extending to the mountains. Then as you turn toward the northwest, the landscape grows rockier, dustier, and despite the climb in altitude, hotter. Palm trees give way to pine trees, and town after town covered in orange dust: the border approaches. About three times a week, all along the border, Haitians flood into the country to pawn off the used clothes and cheap perfumes they receive from U.S. and international aid agencies for items they actually ... read more

Buenos chicos, llege al Caribe. And the colors here really let you know exactly where you are. I’ve found myself on just staring at a sky that carries a rich and heavy blue, almost fluorescent; and the color of the sea is tinged with the same radiance. However, should you step out of the shade at all, sentiments of aesthetic appreciation are quickly tempered by the burning light of the star that gives the island its color and beauty - not to mention the enormous amount of trash that decorates most of the streets. Yesterday, I went for a walk along a main highway whose shoulders are full of ramshackle businesses selling lottery tickets, phone cards, cooked meats, beer, batidos (fruit shakes) - but it’s also scattered with massive trucks, tires, all kinds of rusty remnants ... read more