Blogs from Pantoja, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Central America Caribbean

So things are still going well with el cuerpo de paz! I´ve started spanish classes which has been a little difficult since Dominican spanish is WAY different than spanish I´m used to learning. It´s basically like being thrown into the deep end of the pool, but I´m doing okay. I´m a few levels above where I need to be in order to become a Peace Corps Volunteer, so as long as I stay on top of everything I should be good to go. The bad thing is I´m learning Domincan phrases like ¨tigere¨ and ¨te fuñiste¨which won´t do me any good in Honduras, but it´s never a bad thing to learn about another culture. I get destroyed in dominoes on a nightly basis by the men in the community, including 12 year old kids, but I´m ... read more

A theatre history teacher in Miami begins all of her classes by saying, “Death is all around us.” And I suppose it always is. But when we inhabit the modern world, its inherent order, its many rules that codify our behavior, that lead a city to flow like a machine because we are programmed into it, implicitly stopping at every red light and seeking the help of cops and judges instead of relatives with guns (for the most part anyways) - all these restrictions and limitations bred into our freedom of choice over action prevent an array of deaths that would otherwise result in the increasingly complex landscape of urban life. Likewise, health and safety codes further deter us from getting electrocuted, poisoned, trapped in a burning building, buried under the rubble of a poorly ... 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