Today was MUCH more exciting! My body is starting to adjust to the enviromental change because my headache is subsiding and my body is starting to act normal again. We started the day by going on a scavenger hunt. We took the guagua (a van that crams up to 25 people on it) into the city for 25 pesos . These rides are always interesting...I sat next to the open door and the cobradora (guy who takes your money and tells you where to sit) stands in the open door hanging onto the roof. We fit 25 people into the van and let's just say we were rather cozy, practically on top of each other. Good thing the Dominican people are so friendly:) Surprisingly we didn't get into any wrecks yet...car accidents are common as there are no lines in the road and rarely traffic signals. Motorcycles go wherever they like, the sidewalks, between cars. Debra and I made our own little music today with the inspiration of the car horns going off. They are definitely horn happy here and for all of you that are scared to drive in Omaha, you should see this chaos:)
We are all in groups of thress, Lesley and Debra are in my group, and our team leader is Dawn. Our challenge was to use Espanol to communicate with people on the streets in order to complete ascavenger hunt. A couple of the tasks involved finding a specific popsicle and asking how much it was and bartering for fruit. The popsicles (SkimIce) were delicious especially with the sweat literally dripping down my back. We didn't follow the directions exactly as we didn't barter for the fruit...we were a little nervous and not exactly sure how to do it:)
Today we also visited the sites where we will be working and let me tell you what, I ABSOLUTELY CANNOT WAIT!!! The children we saw melted my heart and they were very fascinated with us. A little fyi, the Dominicans LOVE our lighter skin hair texture. They call us "rubias" which means blondeeven though we aren't all blonde because ours is finer and smoother. Needless to say, we get a lot of attention and tt's very interesting. We literally walked up the streets and everyone stared and tried to get our attention. It makes us feel extra special but is an odd feeling.
We had another Spanish class when we returned and then all went as a group to get frozen yogurt and ice cream. We're improving on our skills in flagging down guaguas! A cobradora literally grabbed my leg and turned me sideways this time to make room for a mother and her 6 year old son (I asked the little guy how old he was in espanol btw) :). The frozen yogurt was great after we figured out how to order in espanol.
When we got back to the ILAC center, where we're staying, a party was going on. There was a band playing and people dancing all over. We've discovered that they dance very differently than us...it's ALL in the hips. Considering I LOVE to dance, a Dominican lady noticed i was interested and grabbed my hand, taking me right out to the floor. It was so fun and I tried my best to salsa and merenge with her:) It is so interesting to be immersed in another culture. Everyone was dancing regardless if they were good at it. The experience was so refreshing because EVERYONE was laughing, dancing and so welcoming!
Katie and I are now getting ready to study the charla which is a presentation we will be giving to the women (pomodoras) who care for children with disabilities in espanol. This document is 41 pages long and each group of 2 has to present a section. Our section is dealing with the development of children. I am fairly comfortable with this area considering I worked in pediatrics all summer. I am so excited to start working with the children and their families. The excitement helps me get up in the mornings along with some help from the roosters:)
Buenos noches!! (Good night!) :)
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