Blogs from Santiago, Dominican Republic, Central America Caribbean - page 3

Hello everyone! I am in the Dominican Republic, safe and sound, and very hot! I got here without any trouble! I was nervous because in the ISA pre-departure information it said that you should have a note from the doctor for prescriptions explaining the large amount, which I didn't get...but, it was NOT a problem at all. When we got to the DR, me and the four other girls on my flight, we paid for our tourist cards, then they took it right away and put it into a machine, and then we got our passports stamped, AWESOME, and then we waited for our luggage, and then we waited in a super long line to "go through customs," but to go through customs, we literally just handed them a sheet that we'd filled out on the ... read more

The Dominican Republic has been absolutely amazing so far! It's gorgeous here! It's quite hot however and humid but the wind makes up for it as do the palm trees and delicious food. I met a few friends on the plane which was so relaxing knowing that I wasn't by myself! The other Americans in my group are so friendly! Plus the Dominicans here are so nice and friendly, I love it. They care a lot about relationships between friends and family so there are constantly people in my house and something is always going on whether it's a meal, talking, or just relaxing watching TV. My family is really affectionate and I couldn't have asked for a better one! They bought me a cake for my birthday which they covered in condensed milk...absolutely delicious. They ... read more

So yes back to my trip to Samaná, this place was about tour hours away from Santiago where I currently live and was absolutely breathtaking. The water was aqua blue and the sand was incredibly white. And, the part I liked the most was that there weren’t any vendors walking down the beach trying to sell me necklaces, fruit and odd-looking shrimp. It was the epitome of a Caribbean beach. Samaná was a lovely little town, the type of town a North American couple might retire in. Truly tranquil and serene. The next week, I made a trip to the mountains with some Dominican friends as well as two friends from my program. The trip to the actual was unreal, we saw the sunset from the mountains, which was like something from a postcard. We ... read more

This past weekend was quite uneventful, did some exploration of the city and tried a vegetarian restaurant, but it was disgusting. One fourth of the way through my ventures here, I can say I am almost completely comfortable, most of the time. Walking through the busy streets of Santiago; cars honking, people yelling and busily chatting I think I have come to a point of contentment. I love that I can walk down the street and say hello to everyone and they will not give me weird look. I like that everyone says good morning or good evening, its truly refreshing. One part that I have been growing very sick of is the constant use of white rice in every dish. Everyday for lunch we have white rice, some type of beef and a vegetable medley. ... read more

Today signifies the end of the first week of my stay in the DR. After orientation week I feel that my feet are starting to sink into this part of the world. There are people, places and things that I have not seen until this week and for that I am grateful. I would like to formally introduce the journal of me, Miss Natalie Moses to all of you; my family and friends. Here is a just a small window into the world I will be enduring for the next four months! This week started off late, as we departed the airport in Miami we were already fours behind schedule. So there was little orientation Sunday night, but the hotel was at the top of a mountain that overlooked the entire city of Santiago. From this ... read more