I'm baaaccckkkkk!

In case you were all wondering over the break- no I did not disappear.  I was simply taking a hiatus.  But- lots of cool adventures did happen so here’s a brief sample:

El campo.

A couple of days after Christmas I headed out to the campo- for real this time.  A taxi, bus and moto concho (motorcycle concho) ride later found me on top of one of the mountains standing on the north side of the city.  Let just say we went up so far and so fast my ears popped more than once.  I stayed with friends of a friend who were very gracious.  The only real complaint I have is the COLD.  You can tell me all you want about how much colder it is back in MN or CO, but when was the last time you kept your house at 50 degrees and turned fans on (there was a wind and the rooms were not sealed!)?  And all you had to wear were chacos?  Probably not too often.  Needless to say I was glad to get back to the city, even just for some warmer footwear. 

New Years eve was spent with extended family.  As a dress up event (of course), my suspicions about dress-length protocol were confirmed: if the fabric covers your rear end while standing, you’re good to go.  Needless to say, my LBD that reached past my fingertips was far from scandalous.  Neither were my flats when placed next to platform heels. 

Here’s a Dominican New Years tradition: take a piece of luggage to wherever you’re going to be celebrating the new year, and when the clock strikes midnight, run into the new year pulling your suitcase behind you.  This will ensure you travel far in the year to come.  Also- HUGS ALL AROUND!

The new students arrived January 2, so Nea and I (bored as we were over break) went with the program leaders to pick them up.  After a few delayed flights, we finally met 4 of our new peers.  Exciting!  The only catch- some of their luggage had been ‘misplaced’ in transit and the airline was looking for it.  Bummer!  Not one person fall semester had problems with lost suitcases, and at least 4 of the new people had to wait a few days for their stuff to arrive.  Talk about an added layer of stress: new country, new language, new people, and none of the comforts of home.  Luckily, by this point, all possessions have been returned to their proper owner. 

A view of our hotel!

Los Hermanos!  January fourth brought a bus trip down to the capital, a ride out to the airport by a friend of the host family, some waiting around, and a joyous reunion between family.  Hooray!  Jim, Robert and Piere came to visit me for nine days.  Some highlights of our time together include: seeing David Ortiz randomly in Santo Domingo, traversing 27 charcos (‘It felt like I was in a dream’ – Robert), spending 3 glorious days at the ocean with my aunt and uncle (also vacationing from the US), eating lots of delicious food, visiting a cigar factory, playing Jin/Rummy, eating more delicious food- provided by both my host mom and this amazing restaurant, AND just a general good time hanging out.  Phew- it was a lot!  They are now back in the US and I am into my semester here. 

Which brings me to… the line up.  Here are the classes I am taking:

Survey of Latin American Lit (for my Spanish major)

Latin American Culture and Society (also for my Spanish major)

Teaching English as a second language (even though, let’s be honest, it might be someone’s 4^th or 5^th.)

Jesus, the Person (for a potential Religious studies minor)

Social doctrine of the Catholic Church (also for a potential Religious studies minor)

So there you have it.  That’s what I’ll be doing with my time for the next 3 ½ months.