So I just got back from a week long vacation in the Dominican Republic where I stayed with Joel and his family...after four long years of being invited every time Joel went home, we were finally able to make it work that I got to go see his home country. Actually this trip couldn't have come at a better time since if I had stayed in Costa Rica just three days longer my visa would have expired and I would once again be living in a country illegally...(there is a very valid reason for the first time I was an illegal, if any of you are curious...). Anyway, so after making plans to go only two weeks before my departure I was quite rushed as the day came, doing most of my packing the morning of...once a procrastinator, always a procrastinator! Thankfully though, Taca allows online check-in which definitely saves like an hour of having to stand in line to check in! My flight left at 10:40 am on April 19th and after only a 2 1/2 hour flight I landed in Santo Domingo at 3:30 pm local time. Stepping off the plane I was blasted by a heat that I haven't experienced since my days in Sanford, NC during the middle of summer. It was raining (of course after Joel told me it wouldn't rain this time of year...) and the heat + humidity was suffocating...I did however get used to it once again after a few days...That night we went out to an outdoor bar/restaurant and met up with some of his old high school friends, all really nice people. The following day we went to the Colonial Zone, the very first city built by Christopher Colombus and his men when the reached the new world. I had no idea it was the Dominican Republic that Colombus arrived to, I guess I should have known that after years and years of history classes, but somehow I managed to forget all the small details...It was cool seeing a city that old though...seeing the first houses, university, school, church, etc. of the new world...one that now is absolutely nothing like it was back then. After hiring a tour guide to give us the indepth details, we got to watch locals make cigars, we got a free taste of a couple traditional drinks first made by the native indians centuries ago, and also got to see how the lagrimar, a precious stone exclusive to the Dominican Republic is made into jewelry and our tour guy was definitely a character...!
The following day we went to a book fair...dorky I know...but there was a concert of traditional Dominican music, which led to modern day merengue, and I also met another of his high school friends there...on our way out of the fair Joel and I got stopped again by a camera crew who wanted to know why we had chosen to wear shorts to the book fair...ummmm...because it's hot??? For some reason people in the Dominican Republic don't wear shorts...nor do they here in Costa Rica...crazy people. I just said that I was a tourist and wasn't accustomed to the heat...totally true...and that I felt like wearing shorts...weird question...anyway...
Then on Wednesday Joel and I woke up early to catch the 8 am bus to Santiago, about 2 hours north-west of Santo Domingo. Joel has an aunt that lives there, so we went up to have lunch with her and so that I could see the mountains and another city...Joel also had a dentist appointment :-S On Thursday we took a trip to the beach. The water was a beautiful crystal clear blue colour, the colour you see in all the Caribbean postcard pictures and the sun was warm, but not too hot thanks to the wind. Vicky, a friend of Joel's came with and we spent the afternoon conversing and taking random photos...
For some reason trips out of the country always go by so fast, and before I knew it it was Friday and time for me to leave. I had an awesome trip though, and I am really happy I finally got to go the Dominican Republic. Joel's parents are some of the nicest people I have ever met...they took such good care of me, and after only 6 days I seriously felt like I had yet another family! It was nice to come home though, to sleep in my own bed again, and to be around my friends here in Costa Rica!
Unfortunately, the day after I got home I had to go back to classes, from 7 am to 3:30 pm...the longest days of my life are definitely Saturdays! I was relaxed though, maybe too relaxed as I couldn't focus at all! Classes are going well though, for those who are wondering. I got good grades on my midterm exams so that is promising, I am still learning a ton every week in the majority of my classes, so they are very productive. We are about halfway through the first semester and it is time to start working on all my final projects so from now until June I won't have much free time...another reason to be super thankful for a great trip out of the country!
