I finally get out of the airport and my home girl Kali scoops me with my new friend Mr. Abel to take me home. Home is about 40minutes away without traffic. Dude, DR traffic makes NYC traffic look like Smithfield VA (If you don't know you should google it LOL). OMG. First of all people are crossing the free way to get to the water and go fishing, there are motorcycle cabs that have infants and babies stuck between two adults (hustle hard my dude LOL), dollar cabs (yes they original dollar cab did not start in the Bronx I'm sorry people) piled with like 12 people in a ford focus LOL and the list goes on. Talk about insanity. It's worst because you know they run on propane tanks which are in the trunks of the cars so if you get hit you really might just literally blow up LOL. We get home and I have Churazco with Mashed Yuca mmmmmmmm for dinner courtesy of Kali. We play Michael Jackson for the Wii (Yes, I went all the way to the DR to play Michael Jackson LOL) and then it's play time. We hit up this local bar and it is parking lot pimpin' hard body!!! So, the bar is a bar restaurant and they put tables and chairs in their parking lot for people to kick it on. They have a dj and they play sports on the flat screens. Next door to the bar is a liquor store. So my lovely Dominican people being the hustler's that they are, roll up in their cars, blast their music from their trunks, buy bottles at the liquor store and use the chairs from the bar to have what is basically a tailgate party LOL. So Kali and I are drinking (mind you I paid like $4 for a mixed drink (BAAALLLIIINNNNN LOL) and we're catching up on everything. No body is talking to us. Everyone is pretty much to themselves and no one is dancing. One of my favorite songs comes on (yes, I like reggaeton) and Kali and I get up and start dancing. Would you know a crew of 5 dudes all of sudden speaks perfectly good English and wants to our friends (Really pimp? I gotta shake it to make friends out here LOL). It was so much fun, the guys are pretty well traveled, one of them is a bass player in a local band and he also does graphic design (amazing work) so we still keep in touch. We had a debate about politics and racism in the DR and how the country's history has shaped the mindset of people today. It was lovely.
Saturday we laid low because we got home pretty late and because I'm a little lazy like that. We had pizza haha (I'm so american it's a shame LOL) and ice cream...Oh yes, the ice cream trip lol. So I'm shorts and a wife beater and we're walking to the ice cream parlor and we have to pass the bar we were at the night before. There are workers there doing some flooring work and we can hear them talking as we approach. Why when we walk by does all talking and all work stop so they can stare LMAO. I have never seen anything like this outside of a movie and I laughed so super hard. It was too funny. We messed up and got ice cream on a cone and sat outside and ate it. It only occurred to me that that wasn't a good idea when I noticed people staring. Ladies, do not have a phallic symbol near your mouth when you have just made life stop for men around you LOL. Sigh..the best most uncomfortable ice cream experience. We went into the toy store so she could show me how strange it is that there are only blonde headed dolls on the shelves. No black dolls, no mexican dolls nothing. Soooooo Strange. This racism is killing me inside LOL. We tried find Scrabble but no luck there and if you're wondering, yes, it was also a spectacle of men watching and following us around the store. I go hard in the mutha Effing paint. The ill bomb was that Everybody stared but NO BODY said two words. Not even hello LOL. You get used the objectification to the extent that you don't even notice it. It's very interesting how that works. As a matter of fact given my low key style of dress (just like chicks were in the airport in stilettos they were also at the grocery store, the ice cream shop, the toy store the whole nine looking like they were going to Club Amnesia LOL) I started to feel rather fly to be able turn heads in what they consider to be rags. ooooowwww LOL. Ladies, if you want to feel sexy, go to the DR. I'm telling you size doesn't matter. I saw women who were a nice 18 - 22 in fly a$$ cocktail dress and pumps, We even saw them in 2 piece swim suits and no one stared or treated them like they were wrong for that and men were buying them drinks. Sexy is not on the outside, it's on the inside. Don't believe me, go to Santo Domingo. We went to Zona Colonial later that day to look at the sites where Columbus first landed and I got my history lesson on. This guy tried to hustle us out of 900 pesos, Faiby talked him down and we had margarita's and chillaxed.
Saturday night we partied @ La Vanazuela, which is like the strip in Miami. I had some Brugal and let me just say, it's strong...like sneak up on you strong. Good good rum. I brought two bottles home. My graphic designer friend met us there and what a show. We saw a lovely transvestite put on a show in the streets LMAO. She was not playin' I've got pics. Kali tipped her 50 pesos (which is like 1 dollar us) it was too funny. We danced and drank and danced some more ( I love Bachata, Salsa, Merengue etc. so I was right at home) then we went to El Barrio on some straight street party ish. OMG..If you ever seen Daddy Yankee Video Dembo, that's exactly what it was like. It was shoulder to shoulder for like 4 blocks of people just dancing and chillin'. They had dance battles it was just real cool ish. We didn't stay long though as we were told that people get to shooting the later it gets. So I was outie 5K.
Sunday was recovery time, I spent the day at Boca Chica. This guy tried to charge me 300 pesos for a table. Umm, no pimp. So I talked him down like I was local and told him I've never paid more than 150 for table. So he dropped the rate :). The beach....first of all the water is amazing!!!! I was in water up to my neck and could still see me feet. So dope!!! The men are hot!!! So super sexy but they know it so they're all in love with themselves which is not so attractive so I didn't holla but we did enjoy the eye candy LOL. Here are My favorite things about the beach, 1. Men are swimming in Hanes...yes Hanes logo out and all LOL. 2. chicks are really walking in pumps...really? LOL that's what's poppin' on the streets LOL. 3. I had a 2 year old boyfriend who flirted with me the whole day. Super cute and his father encouraged him even though his mother was one table away from us (talk about starting early LOL) 4. You can always tell when Americans are coming by we look sooooo out of place LOL. I mean Jordan outfits? Really? You're gonna get sand in your sneakers. Why? Where are your speedos LOL. White chicks with corn rolls, you know you over paid right? You know by wearing your hair like that you're asking people to rip you off right? LOL too funny. 4. SWAT LOL. Yes, it was real life Call of Duty in that mug. As a Swat team of about 5 dudes in full uniform showed up to the beach and were just strolling and taking a few minutes to pose etc. It was the funniest, strangest thing ever. I had to take pictures. You can see it on my Facebook. I got caught taking pictures so I then had to explain why I was doing that LOL. Which landed me, a dinner date for my next trip ooowww.
Monday I had the best time ever! I got to teach Kali's classes. High School Students 9-12th grade and talk to them about the importance of being able to write well in any language and what kinds of jobs they can get by being good writers. The students were great and had wonderful questions and we just made a great connection. I can say though, I definitely don't want to be a teacher, at least not high school. There's way too much politics on the administrative end that I wouldn't want to have to deal with. The students are great but the rest of the job, you can keep it LOL. :).
I had the best time ever in Santo Domingo and made lots of new friends. I'm really looking forward to going back. I encourage anyone who is balling on a budget to plan a trip to Santo Domingo. It's cheap, the people are great, the island is beautiful and the weather is AMAZING (80 degrees all weekend! In January people. It's winter for them LOL. :)) So if you haven't been you should go and if you've been already, you should go back. I know I am.
