Monday, January 26, 2009

That's it, I'm staying here forever!















Saturday night, we went to a bar where there was a band playing merengue and bachata music. They were really good. At one point, the lead singer asked us where we were from and we said we are students from the states studying in Santiago. He then announced that some had to teach us how to dance! I love how excited people are here to show us their dances. Merengue and bachata are Dominican originals and the people are very proud of them. There were two guys who danced with all of us at different times of the night.
Sunday we did nothing but lounge around on the beach. I underestimated the power of the sun and I now look like a tomotoe, but it was worth it. While floating around in the crystal clear Atlantic Ocean, I couldn't help but to think to myself "I'm sold on this place. I'm staying here forever!"

Las Terrenas is an interesting place. Most of the tourists were European and there seemed to be a heavy Italian influence on the place.We stayed in Los Pinos hotel, which was owned by an Italian man we were all afraid of and was right on the ocean. Despite our fear of the hotel owner, he was incredibly nice to us and patient with us. He gave us a deal on our rooms, organized our taxi to Samana for the whale watching (our driver was amazing!), and let us pay on our own clock. We payed for our rooms Saturday night and all parties involved were extremely relieved and the hotel owner seemed to relax a lot. It was nothing fancy, but we loved it there.

I've been in the country for a little over three weeks, and though I've gotten homesick at time and have missed things like English and cheese burgers, I really love it here. :) I don't know if I've just been talking to people who speak really clear Spanish or if I'm understanding the language better. Either way, I've been having really good conversations with people and I'm less timid about talking to people. My friends and I have finally started speaking Spanish to eachother. Sunday, we spoke in Spanish for pretty much the whole day.
Unfortunately, the only gua gua going to Santiago from Las Terrenas was at 6am Monday (today) morning. I've been sleeping most of the way, for the gua gua was impossible to sleep on. Today is Stacey's birthday, so we're going over there for pizza for dinner.

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