Shopping!

After an uneventful morning at the office, I met up with Maria for an afternoon of shopping!  There were a few things, in particular, that I wanted to purchase and I ended up getting some of those things, plus a couple other things...

Since it is my birthday coming up, I had a bit of money to spend, so I ended up with some new sandals, a dress and a purse.  Maria did an amazing job of bargaining for the pair of sandals I wanted!  I'm so glad she was there!  We also bought each other our birthday presents.  They are the same style of dress, just in a different pattern.  Mine has birds on, hers has flowers.  We plan on wearing them on our birthday - don't worry, people will not ask us if we're in a band, since we won't actually see each other that day.  The clerk's at Zara found us amusing, since we got them to wrap the dresses up as gifts, and then we proceeded to give the bags to each other and wish each other happy birthday.  It was a lot of fun!

I was also very surprised to see a pair of sandals that I had bought at Nine West last summer (on sale) being sold for full price at the actual Nine West store (and at another store)!  I kind of wanted to be like, you know that shoe is from several seasons ago, right?  So weird.  But they also had some of the same stock that is in Edmonton right now (or at least just over two months ago when I was last there), along with some sale stock that I've had already for at least 2 years.  Granted one was a pair of booties, and I don't think those sell well here...  Kind of like we found fur trimmed leather gloves in one store.  I guess if you were heading north for winter... but why would Dominicans leave sun and sand for snow and cold...

Tomorrow I am heading to a few new sites in and around the city - so stay tuned for (hopefully) some great pictures!

The Week... So Far...

The truth is, this week has been rather boring.  A whole lot of being tired, going to work, having lunch, working, walking home, eating supper, and sleeping. 

Yesterday had a bit more excitement in it.  I was running a bit late so I decided to take the carrito.  Pavol also wanted to take one but he ended up catching a bus that came first instead.  I am still afraid of the buses and am still unsure of the proper procedures surrounding taking them, so I just waited for a carrito.  I ended up in one that was full, and I got the not-so-coveted console position between the driver and the other passenger.  Whenever I've ended up there before, the driver has always had a little cushion at least... not this one. 

At lunch today I headed over to the MC where Zak had cooked up a mini Moroccan feast for us!  It was delicious!

After work, I met Zak and Ozumy at the corner near my office, and from there we made our way to the International Book Fair at the Cultural Plaza.  We met up with Orlando near Nacional and then took the guagua to near APEC where the AIESEC Santo Domingo office is.  We then met up with Paula and Yeimy.  Unfortunately I only found out that we were going at around 10am, so I didn't have my camera or a lot of money.  And I ended up having to go in my work clothes.  It was all good though.  We all sort of shared one camera for the evening.  So essentially, the Book Fair is a large event with lots of pavilions where different countries sell books and stuff.  Paula ended up meeting some fellow Costa Ricans at their booth and Zak spoke to a woman from France, while Yeimy and I posed with either Thomson or Thompson.  There were also a few art exhibits and that sort of thing.  I ended up buying two books in Spanish, the Iliad and Little Women.  Don't worry they are condensed easy reading versions!  I also bought an English book on wine.  (Total book cost: RD$150)  I enjoyed some Yogen Fruz (RD$80) and a slice of pizza and pop (RD$50).  While we were sitting and eating our pizza and pop, this bat started swooping in around us.  Paula was quite frightened by this, and I was just hoping it didn't hit me or land on me.  I think that was my first experience with a bat that wasn't in a zoo. 

While wandering, we met up with a group of Dominican students that were studying English and they wanted to talk to us.  They wanted to know where Zak was from, so he said "Guess."  The best part was that they were like "Ohhh... Guess..." we had a good laugh and then had to explain in Spanish what guess meant (and that it was not a country). 

Our other main excitement was taking the newly opened Santo Domingo Metro.  It just has one line currently and they are working on the second line.  It seems as though there was quite a bit of controversy surrounding it, since as you can imagine, some people feel like perhaps having water supply to the entire city or enough electricity to supply the city may have been a higher priority.  Regardless, it was a nice subway.  For Ozumy, this was her first ever ride on any subway, so she wasn't really sure what to expect.  At first, she was a bit scared, but then, she ended up enjoying it!  Favorite "what not to bring on the subway" sign was this one.  We still don't know what it actually is, as the only thing we could guess was a fridge.  Not to worry though, we didn't bring a fridge with us.  The security in the train is also very concerned that people do not step on the yellow line.  In my subway experience, this is more of a caution than a rule.

The four of us, (Ozumy, Zak, Orlando and me) took the metro to the stop that is near our apartment, picked up one of the big bottles of Presidente and hung out for a bit at the apartment with Pavol and Maria.  It was a long day for me, and I'm quite tired this morning - but what's new, really.

Additionally, the receptionist today at work told me I had a good Spanish accent.  I found this funny because I can't roll my R's.  However, I don't think I have ever said anything that required a rolled R to her before.  Once she hears that, she'll take back everything she said!  Regardless, it was still flattering to know that my greetings are getting good.

AND finally: Orlando has also started a blog.  His first post is about carritos; should you like some good Spanish reading material.

Señora?

Quick post.  While I was getting groceries today, I was milling around the juice section when a man said, Señora? Señora?"  I turn around (why would he ask me when there were obviously some Dominican women nearby?), and he asks me in Spanish if the juice he was holding was a nectar or not.  I gave him a look of not being sure, and then said no. (I hadn't tried that juice before but judging by what it said, I didn't think it was)  He said, okay thank you.  Then when I walked away, I heard him say concentrate in a very English accent.  Later, I thought, I should have found out if he did speak English, because then I could have recommended the best orange juice in the place.  Oh well.  But, more importantly, someone asked me a question in Spanish, and I understood and replied (although it was only a rather feeble "no").

As you can see, my day was rather unexciting/uneventful.

A Busy Weekend

Thanks to Saturday being Labour Day, I had a two day weekend.  It was joyous!  And I was actually busy and social for once - what a difference that extra day makes! 

Friday night, I went out with the girls to Cappuccino for pizza and wine.  It was very enjoyable even though the pizza's were too big!  I met a few more of Maria's friends, which is always nice!  After dinner we went to the Colonial Zone to say hi to Jody and Quentin as it was their last weekend in the DR.  They are heading back to France this week.  Most everyone else went out after that, but I headed home since I had to be at Nacional at 9am to meet up with Ozumy and Orlando.

So yes, Saturday, I went to the beach with Ozumy and Orlando.  We met up with another AIESECer from Spain, Maria (from here on in she will be Spain Maria) and her boyfriend.  This time, the trip out to the beach only cost RD$60. (Our last trip was RD$100, and on a smaller not as good bus).  However, the bus ended up having some mechanical issues, so we had to get onto another bus that wasn't as nice and was more crowded.  At least we all got a seat.

We decided to go to Hemingway, since Pavol has said that it is nicer.  I agree.  There are more palm trees there which is nice since at Juan Dolio, the last time, we were out in the hot sun the entire time, no shade escape!  It was very relaxing.  The water was great, although had a bit too much floaty seaweed for my liking, but really, who am I to complain!  The trip back to Santo Domingo cost RD$80, which incidentally was the same price I paid for an ice cream bar at the colmado on my way back to the apartment.  I spent my evening, like I always do, playing board games online with Bart.  He beat me in the first game of monopoly (I didn't have a chance based on what I kept landing on...) but then in the second, even though he had no full sets, but all 4 railways, and I had two full sets, he was about to bankrupt me in about another 2 turns.  BUT THEN, I came back and bankrupted him and ended up with an over 200 million dollar net worth (since he had accumulated nearly 100 million in cash alone from not being able to buy anything...)  As a result, this was a really long game.  Yep, we are both geeks.  I guess that's why it works :)

The new MCP for AIESEC DR arrived today, Zakaria from Morocco.  All the interns, except Pavol, went over to the MC to have lunch with him.  It was pouring rain when I left, and I got splashed by a vehicle while I walked to Lincoln to catch a carrito.  However, the lunch was a lot of fun - and the food was great (thanks Jennifer, Ozumy and Orlando!) 

And now, another week begins...

24 and Dust

While getting ready in the morning, I usually check to see how hot it will be for my walk to work.  Yesterday it said, "24C, feels like 31C and Dust."  Dust?

Yes, apparently there was "widespread dust" throughout the city.  More googling informed me that this is frequent in the Middle East and Africa (which makes sense) and some places in the US.  But dust on a tropical island? And when the humidity was sitting at 89%?  Regardless, it felt fairly normal outside, just a bit more "stuffy" than usual.  That was until later.  I've decided that dust makes it more hot.  Really hot.  Which was what it was like at lunch and later on that day.

I ended up running a bit late, so took a carrito again this morning.  The first one that had room had only one person in (bonus!).  The driver was unable to pick anyone else up so he stopped just passed Nacional and waited.  Then he turns to me and the other guy in the car, and says he's going to go down Lincoln instead of Lope de Vega.  I'm confused since carritos don't usually go down the rest of Lincoln, but I'm like, well that's still okay for me - just a few extra blocks to the office.  So another girl gets in who wants to go down Lincoln.  But we wait longer.  Another girl comes by, but she wants Lope, so she doesn't get in.  We wait.  Finally, since the other girl who wanted Lope was still waiting, he changed his mind again and said, okay we'll go Lope (he wanted that extra 20 pesos!).  The girl who wanted Lincoln was unimpressed but stayed in the car.  Also, since the car was so empty for half the way, I got this shot of the inside door.  Probably about 1 in 4 carritos I take doesn't have panelling inside the door.

I had lunch with Marola at Wendy's.  It was yummy, but then I was too full for ice cream.  It was crazy hot out at lunch (yeah I know I mentioned that already).  Marola thinks I should buy a car so that I can drive us around haha.  If only I made that much money...  I was also very happy, that for the second day in a row, I got coffee in the morning and afternoon!  Excellent!

After work, I met up with Pavol and Orlando to get groceries for the evening's dinner.  I had some issues being in the fish section as too many of them still have eyes, and that's just not cool with me.  There ended up being 7 of us over at the apartment.  We made salmon, rice, beans, chicken and potatoes.  Maria brought some amazing fruity ice cream (more like gelato) for dessert.  It was ridiculously hot (especially in the kitchen), but a lot of fun!

7 Weeks in the DR

I decided not to write yesterday because it was just an overly bad day for me.  Nothing too serious, just a lot of frustration at work which made me stressed and homesick. 

When I woke up today, I decided that indeed, it was a new day, and considering I still have months of work to go, I need to figure it all out.  When I got to work, I opened up a new word document and started from scratch.  Lots of extra work, but at least I will be able to feel like the end product is good enough for the client.  Only problem is that I'm still waiting on the answers to a few questions and new data from J.  So there is only so much I can put together right now.  But at least I have a plan of attack, and that's all that matters.

Also, here is a picture of the garbage outside the Chinese restaurant which I had mentioned the other day. This is actually better than it usually is. The dark kind of ring around it is some sort of grease. It stinks really bad.

Lunch made me laugh.  Again, I was at EmpareDado (since I don't know how to order at anywhere else yet) and there was a new girl who took my order.  I thought I was clear with what I said, but then she asked me again which small size I wanted, and the other girl who was nearby (and who has helped me the last few times) was like "6" (the size I always get) before I could answer.  This made us all laugh.  Then the girl was confused and was asking me something about the water and I swear she said 20oz (which is the size of a bottle), so I said yes, but I guess this wasn't quite her question, so I ended up repeating my order and then she understood.  I then proceeded to sit down at my favorite table and when she brought out the sandwich, she asked me a question.  I had no idea what she was asking me, so I just gave that look of helplessness and said thank you.  She thought this was funny, and started laughing and so did the other girl.  And I laughed at myself.  Once I looked at what she brought I decided that perhaps she was asking me if I wanted a cup with ice.  Normally they bring that regardless, but today they didn't.  I have no idea though.  Even though they laughed at me, I think they still like me, so it's all good.

I also have to admit that I've become rather obsessed with Kady O'Malley's liveblogs on cbc.ca.  The political geek in me has been indulging a lot lately in her writing along with several others from the various media outlets.  But there is something about her liveblog that I am particularly attracted to. 

ALSO!  I got served coffee twice today!  The first time, it was already made with sugar (but not nearly as much as the first time) but this afternoon I was able to tell her "no azúcar" (although my azúcar comes out more like sucre - my constant issues with similar sounding French/Spanish words - but she got the point).  I hope I continue to be on the coffee round.  I'm still trying to get used to the small size of the coffees.  I'm a regular morning Grande Pike drinker at Starbucks, so this is fine for an afternoon sip, but in the morning I usually feel like I need more.  I'll adjust soon enough though.

Randoms from Yesterday:

We finally got toilet paper in our bathroom at work after a week without it.  I'm not really sure how this happens.  I've gotten used to having to carry around kleenex when out and about since several places will not have toilet paper, but you would think that at work, I wouldn't have to worry about that.

At lunch I saw the Pola security guard, who stands out near the parking lot entrance under an umbrella, giving himself a dry shave with a disposable razor.  No mirror, just casually going over his face.  Regardless of how silly this looked, it's definitely not good for his skin. 

Grab the Nearest Plastic Bag

My weekend was short, even more so than usual.  On Saturday, I woke up and found that we didn't have any water.  Some dry-shampoo and splash-and-go wipes later, I was off to work.  I ended up having to working until 4:30.  This caused me to miss out on meeting up with several friends to do a tour of the museums in the Colonial Zone and also saying goodbye to Andreea in person.  By the time I got home, I had enough energy to make dinner and settle in for the evening. 

Sunday was not overly exciting.  I slept in a bit and then proceeded to do a lot of cleaning and other things around the house.  I scrubbed (and I mean really scrubbed) the tub to get it looking a bit more respectable along with the rest of the bathroom.  I also attempted to mop the floor in the main area and kitchen but I really suck at mopping.  I tidied up my room, mopped, did laundry, hemmed a pair of pants, did some ironing, etc.  Lots of fun...  Once again, I took the late afternoon and evening to just relax and prepare for the harsh reality of having to begin another work week. 

The work day today was quite stressful for me.  The report we've been working on for the past while (the same one that caused me to work an extra 3.5 hours on Saturday) now has to have a lot more changes done to it.  I spent most of my time trying to shrink* the report and ensure there was no duplication of data.  All of this led me to be quite frustrated, but it is all a part of the learning experience. I'm trying to find a way to gradually introduce some more efficient ways of doing things. 

It was raining at lunch today.  I always carry my umbrella so this doesn't really bother me.  What I do enjoy though is watching people and their use of plastic bags as a rain shield.  The other weekend, when Maria and I were waiting at Nacional, I saw countless women, dressed very well, walking out of the store with the bright green Nacional bag tied around their head, protecting their hair (looking almost like a shower cap or kerchief - there appeared to be a sort of art to it).  Today, while eating lunch, I watched the delivery boys come and go, replacing their large black garbage bag with a new one, for their main cover-up, and placing new small grocery bags on their feet to protect their shoes.  There's something about all of this that I like.  I think it is the way that no one cares that someone is wearing a grocery bag on their head.  In my mind, I still go, oh, they look silly, but that's because in Canada, most people I know would not consider doing such a thing.  I know I wouldn't.  I could not imagine myself being at Safeway, realizing it is raining out and asking for an extra bag so that I could wrap my hair up into it while I run to my car.  It sort of makes sense though.  I mean, if you put all that effort into your hair and makeup, why let the rain ruin it.  Sure you may look a little bit silly, but when you arrive at your next destination, the beauty will still be intact.  Yeah, I still couldn't do it.

I made a very yummy supper tonight.  One of the girls that I lived with in residence in my second year has a blog with some yummy recipes and even yummier pictures.  I saw the one with the strawberries and thought that would be good.  So I made that, along with some pasta that just had a simple sauce of olive oil, lime juice and pepper with a bit of Parmesan on top, and I treated myself to a glass of wine as well.

And because I haven't had a Reinaldo picture in a while... this is the truck that was outside his headquarters today:

*Today I had to explain to Sr. S what shrink means.  He thought it was a funny word, which, in turn, amused me greatly.