Week One: Finding Coconuts and Hammocks

I stayed up the whole night before I left for the Dominican Republic. The combination of nervousness and excited created a strange feeling that prevented me from falling asleep. So I decided to stay up and watch a movie. Every so often I kept on double checking to make sure that I had everything I needed. I made sure I had the right amount of socks, bottles of sunscreen, and every last piece of clothing I needed. Luckily the night passed quickly and it came time to depart. I picked up all my bags (each bag weighing fifty pounds) and headed out the door. The world was in front of me and three months in the Dominican Republic was at my finger tips. I had to walk half a mile in five degree weather with all my bags and just a long sleeve shirt on. I have never been so cold in my life, but I knew that 80 degree weather and a white, sandy beach waited for me.

We arrived in Punta Cana after a very smooth plane ride. The longest layover was only two hours. I was asleep most of the trip, so I could not tell you how the food was or anything. After we stepped of the plane, I began to sweat and my hair began to poof up into a fro. It was so humid!!!! I had to take off all shirt and change because I began to sweat profusely, but after a few adjustments I became quite comfortable with the temperature and humidity. We took a bus from the airport to our dormitory which was only a few minutes away. The image to the right is the Ecological Foundation, sponsored by the Punta Cana Hotel and resort, which funds environmental projects around this area. The lower level has labs and classrooms for students and scientists to use, while the upstairs contains dorm rooms and a large area with tables and couches. The living area is very comfortable and feels like an ordinary dorm. We did not have hot water for the first week but after a while I got used to it.

During the first week, we had our Spanish class with Senora Lopez. I've had her before at Virginia Tech. We had class in the morning, which consisted of writing papers in Spanish and practicing grammar, and participating in activities around the hotel area to practice Spanish. After class the whole group would head down to the beach to catch some rays. We had a lot of beach time the first week. I was pretty much sailing, snorkeling, bathing in the sun, and relaxing on the beach after each class. Life was hard. At night we would head to the Punta Cana Village (a town that the hotel created with shops and restaurants) for dinner at restaurants that were designated by Virginia Tech. We have a menu for each restaurant that has a list of dishes that we can eat at each restaurant. They then check off the card after the meal. The first week consisted of getting to know the area. We took short bus trips to nearby towns and interacted with the local people. We stayed up late talking at the beach. I fell asleep in hammocks at night. I searched for coconuts throughout the day. I was living the tropical life. It was not until the second week until we were really able to see the real Dominican Republic and finally understand why we were here and what were going to accomplish.