I'm heeeeerrrreeeee

Sunday, May 4th 1045am
Well, I have made it safe and sound to San Juan, Puerto Rico. I left Boston a little after 0630 and touched down in San Juan right around 1010 local and EST time. The flight was good and the landing was one of the best I have ever experienced - lack of kissing the seat in front of you while the plane is braking and fearing the gear is going to break off from the intense jarring of plane to ground makes you thankful for a landing you hardly feel. Puerto Rico seemed nice coming in - it appears to be very mountainous with peeks and valleys. The airport area is very built up with a lot of houses and buildings around it. I am told the temperature here is around 75 degrees.
I am now sitting at gate 1D awaiting my final departure to Dominica. I am essentially sitting on the tarmac - I will be boarding the plane from the ground, which I can’t say I recall ever having done before. Dad says I must watch out for the propellers.
So right from my arrival, I got lost in the Duty Free shop. I’m not exactly sure how that happened. One second I was looking for my gate and the next second I was checking out jewelry. I finally broke free and then again found myself detoured to the food section. You know, just incase I starve in Dominica because I can’t find any source of nourishment… so hot dog it is. I also purchased a nice little Puerto Rico shot glass - I’m not sure how it came down to the shot glass, but I figured I needed a little memento of having visited Puerto Rico even though I’m only sitting in the airport… Hey I figure it still counts.
So I awoke this morning around 2am in a super-adrenaline state to leave the house at 0330. Once we got two cars packed with my entourage (Mum, Dad, Chad, Amanda, and Chris), we were off to Logan. Once again, luggage issues ensued because, well to be honest, no one really knows what’s going on. So I finally got through security with my over-stuffed bags and immediately boarded the airplane. I must mention a surprise airport visit from only the best, Jessica and Sam. Now, not only did they come to VISIT me at 4 am at Logan, but those little buggers also ruined my new herbiviferous diet by bringing my last taste of beef - a WHOPPER! I’m going to pretend like it wasn’t the most delicious, probably best tasting whopper ever to reach my taste buds, and say Darn you Sam and Jess! I’m a herbivore now! Well, it was scrumptious and I chomped it on the place while the mechanic fixed our broken emergency slide (oh, yes, I must mention here that the lady next to me was worried that the people in the back of the plane would get sucked out because the back door wouldn’t close properly. Hmmm…. This reminds me of someone I know…. Amanda, perhaps!?! ).
I must stop here to tell you all that the hot dogs from Puerto Rico are yummy.
On that note, I am in a food coma and can’t think of anything else to write. Next entry will be from the one and only - DOMINICA!!!

Monday, May 5 1:30pm
Well, I have arrived. I have been here in Dominica since around 2:30 yesterday afternoon. So I’ll start with the flight.

Yeah, that pretty much scared the hell out of me. I felt like we pretty much fell out of the sky we had such a rapid decent, and then you literally fly in between mountains to find a patch of tar on the ground. Oh, did I mention the cloud cover that makes it impossible to see ANYTHING!?! So, I am told that the plane actually flies around the airport before it lands and I think we all know why that is - they have to find the damn thing! Then you get out and you feel like…. You’re in another world. The airport is the smallest international airport I have ever seen. You walk into the airport (after getting in trouble for taking pictures of the “terminal”) and you walk directly into immigration, which are two booths. After you walk through immigration and the guy tries to steal your nice Advair pen, you go and fight to get your luggage to turn around and get in line for customs. Yes, it is one room for all of this stuff. Then you walk outside and they throw you in a van where they load baggage in behind your head and it falls on you. You then drive and hour through the most windy, narrow, up and down road you will quite possibly ever find in the world. I am pretty sure we almost hit a woman and a dog. Not to worry though. These vans are equipped with lighting blue windshield wipers.
So like I said, this road is extremely narrow and windy. Not only does it wind, but it goes up and down mountains. And Dominica is just a lot of big mountains (it’s volcanic). Now when I say Dominica is a lot of big mountains, that is what I mean. There is next to nothing on majority of the island because it just doesn’t make sense for people to trek up and down those mountains. They are filled with all kinds of trees. I did see cows, billy goats, dogs, and people. The people here seem to like to sit outside their homes and just watch. I can’t imagine there is much to see, though…
So then you finally get to your new school and they say okay go in here and then someone will take you to your apartment. So that’s what happened. My driver, Victor, gave me a mango and let me tell you - it was DELICIOUS!!! That, along with a Cookies and Cream Hershey’s bar were my dinner. So after getting to my new crib (heh), I immediately got on the internet and called home. I then proceeded back down to Ross for a social they were having. On the way, I decided to buy a cell phone. This deal was AMAZING - I paid them $20 US and got a cell phone, $20 worth of minutes, and a free DVD player. I made out like a bandit!!! Then it was over to the social where I learned that the sand is black and makes your feet look nasty. I met a couple people at the social and then walked back with them, as I have received multiple warnings not to travel alone.
Today I awoke around 6am and went out for a tour. The tour took us through more winding roads through the mountains. Along the way, we stopped at a natural cold spring where it reeks of sulfur. The spring was pretty cool, though. I understand there is a boiling spring here as well, but because it’s boiling, no swimming allowed. I also heard there was a three hour hike to get there. One thing about Dominica is it rains, then is sunny, then rains, then sunny. It seems impossible not to get stuck in a shower and we got SOAKED when we were hiking to the natural spring. After the tour, I went to the only open “grocery store,” as today is a holiday. Okay, I spent $50 US here and I barely bought anything!!!!!! AAAHHHH Well, at least I have some food now and I don’t have to live off mangos and chocolate - I don’t have any left anyways…
Tonight we have a couple of orientation meetings, which should be pretty boring. Tomorrow is more of the same.
I have a bunch of pictures, but my camera is almost dead and I have to wait for my barrels to come to upload the pix and post them. Sit tight until then!

Oh P.S. I guess I don’t have to be a herbivore - I found bologne at the grocery.

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