Hello
Seems that back home this is April Fools' Day. Hm. Never really gave a thought to it until now.
Today I moved to Monte Plata, and I am practicing community integration and diagnostic approaches. All that is still overwhelming but we haven't really started learning how, only the what. And the what is sheer madness. I really hit the jackpot here with my new host family. Running water in the bathroom, including the shower, internet wifi, and an indoor toilet. Stunning how three simple things feel like I am basking in the luxury.
Also, I seem to have landed in a hothouse of Twins fandom. The oldest brother in this new family lives in Minnesota and is a big fan of the Minnesota Twins. I also saw a car today with the TC logo on the back windshield. Makes me wish I'd brought my Twins hat but I just had so much STUFF to pack for five weeks that I didn't feel like adding another thing on my head. Plus, I was not sure if I would have to wear my helmet to get down the stairs at the SD house. I didn't, but only because the brother-in-law carried my suitcase down those rickedy, narrow metal stairs for me. Had I worn my helmet, it may well have saved my life after tripping. Fortunately, I did not trip, as I had enough hands and arms for all my remaining bags.
As for adjusting, I feel like I am on the verge of being used to this sort of thing. My Spanish is a lot stronger than it was just three weeks ago. I can hold a conversation, discuss things, and make requests for important stuff like recharging my minutes on a cell phone. The local colmado owner saw me a bit later and said that I should always go to his store for my minutes. Guess he likes having repeat customers, but who wouldn't?
And culturally, I am getting more used to the whole "Hi, I'm going to be living with you now" thing. It's always a bit weird, and definitely does not feel quite "real" yet. The human brain is a marvel of adaptability but even the sharpest mind takes some getting acclimated when one is dumped from one country, to another, from one family, to another, to another, to the second, and then to a third.
Tonight, I am simply exhausted. May have to go to bed really early. Good luck, Twins, on your first game. I'll check the score on twins.com and then I may hang with the fam for a bit before calling it a night. Even now my Spanish still falls off when I am tired, but it improves when I drink energy drinks. I learned that last night. However, the improvement in Spanish comes at the cost of a night's sleep, so I think I'd rather study up and expand my speaking skills the hard way.
The Dominican Wolf
Seems that back home this is April Fools' Day. Hm. Never really gave a thought to it until now.
Today I moved to Monte Plata, and I am practicing community integration and diagnostic approaches. All that is still overwhelming but we haven't really started learning how, only the what. And the what is sheer madness. I really hit the jackpot here with my new host family. Running water in the bathroom, including the shower, internet wifi, and an indoor toilet. Stunning how three simple things feel like I am basking in the luxury.
Also, I seem to have landed in a hothouse of Twins fandom. The oldest brother in this new family lives in Minnesota and is a big fan of the Minnesota Twins. I also saw a car today with the TC logo on the back windshield. Makes me wish I'd brought my Twins hat but I just had so much STUFF to pack for five weeks that I didn't feel like adding another thing on my head. Plus, I was not sure if I would have to wear my helmet to get down the stairs at the SD house. I didn't, but only because the brother-in-law carried my suitcase down those rickedy, narrow metal stairs for me. Had I worn my helmet, it may well have saved my life after tripping. Fortunately, I did not trip, as I had enough hands and arms for all my remaining bags.
As for adjusting, I feel like I am on the verge of being used to this sort of thing. My Spanish is a lot stronger than it was just three weeks ago. I can hold a conversation, discuss things, and make requests for important stuff like recharging my minutes on a cell phone. The local colmado owner saw me a bit later and said that I should always go to his store for my minutes. Guess he likes having repeat customers, but who wouldn't?
And culturally, I am getting more used to the whole "Hi, I'm going to be living with you now" thing. It's always a bit weird, and definitely does not feel quite "real" yet. The human brain is a marvel of adaptability but even the sharpest mind takes some getting acclimated when one is dumped from one country, to another, from one family, to another, to another, to the second, and then to a third.
Tonight, I am simply exhausted. May have to go to bed really early. Good luck, Twins, on your first game. I'll check the score on twins.com and then I may hang with the fam for a bit before calling it a night. Even now my Spanish still falls off when I am tired, but it improves when I drink energy drinks. I learned that last night. However, the improvement in Spanish comes at the cost of a night's sleep, so I think I'd rather study up and expand my speaking skills the hard way.
The Dominican Wolf
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