Food

It happened again. I expected food to be one temperature and it was another. This morning my host mom offered me cereal. Corn flakes to be exact. Well, she brought out a bowl of milk and a bag of cereal. Usually I like the cereal first, but hey, things are different sometimes. I poured some cereal into the milk, dipped my spoon in, and took a bite.

The milk was hot.

... Really, I rarely know what temperature to expect until the food is literally already in my mouth.

Using my iPhone

My iPhone has been a great help to me. I have invested in a great app for practicing verb conjugation. (Thank you Sara for that one!) it's called Conjuverb. Great app for anyone studying Spanish. I also downloaded a Spanish dictionary and a flash card app. I use my couch to 5K app when I run in the morning and I still use the 100 push up app occasionally. I use my email to periodically send in a blog post, but I can type them here and keep them until I have an Internet connection. Instagram is fun and I still use my calendar to track things. Another girl, Sara, brought an iPad mini and I'm staring to think I want one tambien. It really has been more useful than not. The only thin I would want different is way more space. Since Internet, uploading, and downloading are few and far between megabytes are the real answer.
Below is my home screen. Most of the apps I use frequently are here. I really just wanted anyone with the desire to have a chance to check out the Spanish practice apps.

Funny thing of note

Today I am at a class with my project partner. The woman who came with him to pick me up four days ago is here too.

Funny thing: She is wearing the name tag Peace Corps gave her on introduction day.

I don't know why. It's just a simple paper, handwritten name tag. Everyone in this class knows her. I know she has changed her outfit since then. Does she now wear it everyday? Maybe she is proud of it. I don't really understand, but it is nice to have something families here, no matter how strange.


Later...
A man came in with a big name tag shaped like a giant cloud. Why is it trendy to wear old name tags? He is the director of the school. Maybe this is his everyday name tag. Either way, at this small weekend class, why is he wearing a name tag that is literally as wide as his shoulders?

I'm a spectacle

You know how sometimes you can feel it as six Dominicans watch you do you hair. While its happening you probably try to look away but you can still feel their gaze. You then try to be less interesting by finishing quickly. After that, you'll slip your glasses back on and look them in the eye. Then you all laugh because they realize you've caught them all staring.

Yeah... I live in a cage at the zoo.

Understanding

I will never again complain about finding my way around America. No subway, bus station, airport, boat dock, or train route in America is ever allowed to be considered complicated again. This decision comes from spending a good 45 minutes with my project partner simply trying to know we both understood the route to and from my city and Santo Domingo. It's actually quite simple. It's two guaguas and a motoconcho. The hard part comes in when he was explaining which city, which wasn't on the big map I had, I needed to dismount the guagua in. I was reminded of the time I spent in Europe. The transportation was similar to America in that I could look up a schedule and a price online before I went. Roads had names and trains listed prices. Maps were in foreign languages, but everybody spoke English after they heard me butcher their language just once. Here, I butcher Spanish and they ask me to keep going. It's interesting how easy things seem when I have a semblance of normalcy. Here, nothing is normal and nothing makes sense. Never again may I complain, because at least the information will be in English.

You've Got a Live One!

Picture this. It's the day we are all going to meet our project partners. I see a guy dressed to impress. He's older with a cool haircut. Tambien, he has a sweet mustache. I look to my new friends and say, "Look at him. I want him to be my project partner." Lobo said something about not being able to handle all of that professionalism. I remember thinking and then saying he was correct. He was wearing a suit and looked ready for business. I'm not even ready to use the word business.

Later I was told my project partners had arrived. Wouldn't you know it... There he was. He was suited up and ready for me to get started. Tambien, he talks... A LOT! He talks more than me. He said a bunch of stuff I didn't understand that I later learned was his plan for me to meet EVERYBODY in the world. Well, everybody in Gaulete.

As Sasha said, "You've got a live one." All the volunteers who speak fluent Spanish told me to watch out. Also, I was told I may need to set some boundaries...

It's my first full day here. I spent the morning learning that the community wants me here even though I speak almost no Spanish. They all plan to teach me. My project partner is VERY involved, but I like it. He says I have 50% of my time with him and his association and 50% with the other. He is a hand holder, but for now it works. He introduces me and the plan. I can understand that he knows the first few months are for diagnostics.

Also, I'm pretty sure he is already planning my puppy. I said I wanted one and he was about to get me one. I had to put that off. This is not the time. He put my birthday in his date planner and told everybody it was coming up. He is disappointed that I won't be here for it. I'll be in Santo Domingo.

I don't have cell service unless I walk up the hill, but it's okay. My phone doesn't usually ring anyway, and text messages will come in as they will. I'm going to have to seek out the person in the community with wifi though.

I'm really far away from most I my close peace corps people, but it turns out that doesn't matter. I foresee being really happy here. I can't wait for you to visit!!!!

My site!

For some of you, you will have heard my stories or read my stories before you read this blog. This will be my first introduction to my site. Others will be experiencing this with me as I go and will hear it along with me. The stories will evolve from here. Do you think I'll stay at this site for the entire two years? Will I extend? Will something happen and I have a site change? Will some of you realize that you could spend the money on a plane ticket and come visit me at this site sometime after the next three months? Where am I going and what will this place bring to me?

Let us get this party started!

Hear it is. I don't want to write, so here's a picture and a name.

America

So, not so far from my casa in Santo Domingo there is a five story mall. This mall is attached to a JUMBO (think Super Target) and contains a movie theatre. I went to this location today with Lobo, "Corney", and Corinna. I ate a McFlurry. I am currently sitting in "Los Croods" in 3-D. Yes, before I go to a campo or batey for the next two years, I wanted to pretend I was in anywhere, USA.

... That happened.

Update, post movie:

If you are going to see a movie in a language you don't speak very well, pick a movie meant for people's of your language level. AKA I saw a movie meant for children and I speak as many palabras as a child could. Entonces, Los Croods was wonderful.

Wonderful words

"Peace Corps runs on the fuel of people who care." My PCVL said that tonight.

It's not April

So, the other day I wrote that tomorrow was April. That's wrong. "Tomorrow" was May. I have somehow lost an entire month in this country training. Where has the time gone? What are all of you people in the states up to? Have any of you lost this much time? I am going to be 23 years old in 13 days. I am going to be living in my new community in 13 days. I am officially going to be a Peace Corps Volunteer in 13 days. In case it isn't clear. I am less than two weeks away from living a completely different life from this life that is already completely different from my real life. Every day I think of new ideas for sharing all of these new experiences. I want to share what I've already learned even though I have so much more to learn.

Tomorrow, when we leave CBT and head back to Santo Domingo we are in for the ride of a lifetime. From then on we will receive a packet of information about our new home, meet our project partner blind date style, and then head off on public transportation with all of our crap arranged marriage style.

I watched that movie Marie Antoinette. This is like that.