Back in the Dominican Republic

After two weeks in the States, I made it back to the DR last night. My flight go in at 7:05, I was through customs and everything by 8, and at the Hub by 8:30.

Some observations about the DR after having been gone for a little while:

• The hassle of everything. I didn't have my residency card because I went to get it too soon before I left. Instead I got a letter authorized by the Peace Corps saying to waive the reentry fee of $10. I had to go back and forth between these two lines about 5 times and in the end I had to end up paying it. Peace Corps better reimburse me.
  
• People trying to rip you off if you are perceived to be a tourist. I called a reputable cab company as soon as I got out of customs and they told me the fare was RD$400, and the cab was on the way. In the meantime I figured I'd ask some of the airport taxis how much the fare was. They told me RD$600. After seeing that they weren't getting any fares from anyone he told me he would drive me for RD$500. I said a cab was already on it's way for me and I was paying RD$400. He then told me he would take me for RD$400. Why not just tell me the right price in the first place. Sure there is the lure of making more money, but this guy didn't end up making any money, so it was his loss. My cab arrived after about 15 minutes and I was on my merry way, with 200 extra pesos in my pocket.
  
• The dirtiness. I think I had just gotten used to the uncleanliness before I left and didn't even realize it was here. One of my first observations in the States was just how clean everything was. Here it is just dirty. Not intolerably dirty, but dirtier than the US.
  
• People drive crazily. I actually like this aspect of it here most of the time though. Traffic would be so much better in the States if people just grew a pair and didn't leave 3 car lengths between themselves and the car in front of them.
• They put ketchup on sandwiches. I had my first sandwich today since being back, and there was ketchup on it. It adds for a lovely flavor. I'm pretty sure though that if you went to Subway in the States and asked for ketchup they would just give you a weird look.
• Last, but definitely not least, its so freakin' HOTTT! Luckily my cab had air conditioning. But the Hub does not. I was soaked from head to toe in about 10 minutes. I showered because I was nasty and smelly after a day of carrying bags through airports and whatnot. After about 10 minutes more, I was all full of sweat once again. And this was nighttime. So far today I have been in the AC the whole time. I'm going to try and keep it that way for as long as I can. With that said, I still prefer the heat and humidity to the cold.

All this is just part of life here. A different life from the US, but enjoyable nonetheless. So those are my first few observations after getting back in the country. I'll keep you updated if there is anything else interesting I notice.

The States

The past two weeks I was in the US for a little respite from the DR. I used some of my annual vacation leave in order to go home and see friends and family, and just to enjoy all the loveliness the States have to offer.

I was picked up at O'Hare airport after a little while thanks to my sister Lisa, even after a little bit of waiting due to some miscommunication, and my lack of a cell phone. For my first meal I chose Portillo's. But instead of getting a beef or hot dog, I opted for the chopped salad. I just really had a taste for it.

Some other highlights of the two weeks included seeing my sister, brother-in-law and their two kids after not seeing them for a year; a little reunion of friends and family the first Sunday I was home; hanging out at my friend Denise's new condo (thanks to her I'm able to be writing this post right now!); a Beck concert at the Aragon (the show itself wasn't that great, but hanging out was); visiting all my old coworkers at CBBEL and finally just enjoying all the great food and hot water that is available (also drinking water that comes out of the faucet).

I should have made a little scorecard for how many times I ate a hot dog, pizza or tacos. Those were pretty much my three main food groups for the trip. I just can't get a good hot dog in the DR like I can in the States, so I had to take advantage.

Things I'm going to miss about being home:
- Family and Friends
- Food
- Cleanliness and being clean
- Hot water
- Constant availability (and reliability) of internet (already during typing this post my internet connection has failed multiple times)
- Personal space

With all that said, I was sad to leave home, but I'm also happy to be back in the DR.