If I were to describe my first week in Santo Domingo in one word it would be-overwhelming. I feel like enough has been thrown at me these past few days to last me a lifetime. In one way it seems like my time here has been a quick blur, and then in another way it seems like I’ve been here for months. While the trip here and the week of orientation has kept me very busy, I have also been able to take time to observe this new city and culture and begin to understand and enjoy Santo Domingo for all that it is. Santo Domingo is a city that is very alive and vibrant. The short walk that I often take from my homestay to the program center, is filled with beautiful green palm trees, small lizards crawling across building walls, and street vendors selling fruit. Of course, there are a lot of noises. One thing that I’ve learned quickly about Santo Domingo is that there is NEVER silence; at all hours of the day there is merengue and reggaeton blaring from cars, roosters crowing, children laughing and playing, and “piropos”-which is a form of a catcall. “Rubia, “bonita”, “princesa”…these would all be very flattering if they weren’t coming from “tigueres”! I’m starting to get used to the fact that just because I hear a guy say “hola” to me as I walk down the street doesn’t mean that I should automatically turn to him to offer a friendly hello, but rather to ignore him.
One of the things that have really struck me about my time abroad so far is the contrast between the familiar and the new. So much about this experience is new. A new language, a new “family”, new friends, new culture, new foods, new rules-the list goes on and on. And even though I’m in a foreign country that I’ve never been to before; there’s so much about it that seems familiar. Granted that a major reason for that has to do with Western influence with restaurants such as Taco Bell, Wendy’s, and Outback Steak House scattered around the city. However, there are moments where I feel like I’m not in a foreign country, but that I’m actually in a place very close to home that shares the same values, joys, and pains of home. The challenges of being in a place that at times seems completely foreign and new combined with the familiar elements creates a beautiful landscape for my coming semester.
With all of the new elements of the culture have come a lot of challenges. The majority of the time I have NO idea what anyone is saying, which can be frustrating when I’m trying to communicate with my host family, usually resulting in me just nodding my head and saying “sí” over and over. I had a lot of doubts when I first arrived, and I still struggle with them: “Why did I decide to go to a place where I don’t know ANYONE?” “I’ll never learn Spanish, this is so useless”, “Why did I even become a Spanish major to begin with? I could’ve chosen English and been able to stay at Gordon with my friends and boyfriend.” “Why did I go to a country where even the police shouldn’t be turned to in times of emergency, and robbery is extremely prevalent?” Having so many doubts can be difficult and cause me to fear, but they have also resulted in me clinging to God to provide me with the peace of His presence more than ever. My daily devotional time has become a priority in a way that it never was in the States. I’m ashamed to say that it is the case, but it’s true. Being alone, helpless, nervous, out of my comfort zone and dependent upon God has resulted in desperation to spend time with Him unlike any other time in life and I know that if for no other reason, that is enough of a reason for me to be in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, for the next 4 months.
