This morning I got to sleep in until 9 AM. I didn’t want to sleep any later, because I am sure my family already thought that was a late hour- although my Doña did tell me to sleep in today. She went out on the town today, to church and welcomed me to whatever I wanted in the fridge. I like my situation, I wash my own dishes (this avoids some conversations on me finishing the plate, because I can cover it, stick it in the fridge and save it for later with no questions asked, or at least that was today). Also, I can make my own coffee if I want it, etc. After she left I asked Melissa to take me to the local internet café/call center around the corner.
After I had an enormous lunch of this delicious eggplant concoction with tomato and some sort of picante, rice and beans and a salad with a very tasty dressing. Right after a group of volunteers had passed by to see if I wanted to play baseball. So I changed really quick and we walked across the highway and up the hill to a baseball field in another neighborhood, Los Alcarrizos, which is up the highway.
We decided to sit and share a liter of beer in one of the local colmados, where we ran into other volunteers who were playing at the field we had been looking for. After we decided to play some baseball. You would think Dominos and baseball would be the first national pasttimes of the DR, but there is one ahead- chisme. Chisme is the gossip going arund the neighborhood. I am sure that the whole neighborhood knows what I do, where I go and when. And I was wearing WHAT? And I didn´t eat all the chicken? Ay, que no! I must have hated it!
So we walked around the corner to the field which is nestled in amongst a bunch of house. There are a ton of kids in the area, so even though there were only six or so of us at this point (including one volunteer´s brother, so eight), we picked up about ten more players as a bunch of local kids (girls and boys) ranging in age. It was really fun, and I was the captain and had to keep telling this overly eager little bare foot cherub that he had to wait his turn to bat every minute, he kept being like am I next, when’s it my turn? Why am I last? I was like, no you’re first, but you have to wait! I had about two innings before I left to get back to my house when I said I was going to be there. It took a lot longer to get there than back, since we were back in about 15 minutes.
And that night we had the regular mix of Dominicans coming through our house. Doña Isabel’s second oldest boy (she has six children), Leonardo was over with his son. I sat out in the back porch for awhile. The elusive Don came out of his hidden door in the porch and was visiting for a bit. I actually spoke to him for a second yesterday and found out that he is a saxophone player in a band and plays every other weekend or so, and has played for the Embassy. I retired to the kitchen and began to read while they all visited in the back porch.
In our cross-cultural sessions we are told that going to our room and shutting the door is like shutting out the family, sending the signal that we don’t want to talk or hang out. So as long as I am in the common area, and still around everyone- it still is just enjoying the company! I actually managed to eat the leftovers from lunch for dinner, because my Dona had so much company over and I truly didn’t want to eat a huge meal either, so it worked out for both of us! She told me that Friday night Leonardo was going to come pick us up and we were going to stay at his house for the weekend in Las Americas nearby the airport. I said ok, but as long as I am back on Sunday early morning because I have to meet up with my group to go out during the day to a museum! I’m kind of nervous I guess. Where am I going to sleep? Is this a courtship?! Must ask these questions.
After dinner I took a ride with Desiree, Melissa and her boyfriend to drop of Desiree in Los Cocos, where she lives. I really like the family, they are all really nice and welcoming. When I got back I met the oldest daughter, Yane who is mid-thirties and has a 13 year old. We sat on the front porch and had a really long conversation. She sells clothes, and is a professor who currently works in the Department of Education for a business. She was talking about a recent trip to Montreal that she took, and also about cooperatives in the DR, which was super interesting, especially since I may end up working with some sort of cooperatives while I am here.
No comments:
Post a Comment