We're NOT in (Ar)Kansas anymore, Toto.

Right now I’m sitting under my mosquitero (mosquito net), which I haven’t used in a while since I lived in a hotel, listening to the Evangelical Church service going on just a few yards away from my house. These Dominicans are very loud and passionate about their Jesus and I get to hear it every few nights (I haven’t quite figured out the church service schedule yet, but I’m sure I’ll get to know it very well after living in this house) Anyway, I’m listening to them over my Ted Leo music, as well as the sounds of my new neighborhood settling in for the night. I’ve only stayed here one night, but it’s pretty calm from what I can tell. I’m incredibly close to my neighbors (I can hear when someone takes a shower), which I think is good for security purposes, but obviously not great for privacy. It’s okay though because “sin vergüenza” (without shame) is how we Dominicans live our lives.

My house is very cute and Dominican. It’s only one room like my studio apartment in New York, but 1/10 the size. Right now all I have is a bed (box spring and mattress), a mini-fridge and a table top stove (it’s just 4 burners). My friend and the owner of my house, Sirilo, lent me a table so that I have somewhere to put my stove. My clothes are in my suitcase. I have no table for eating and no chairs for sitting. I’ll get paid again the first of March, when I’ll go straight to the store to purchase some sillas so I don’t have to offer my neighbors buckets to sit on when they come to visit.

Anyway, today felt very Peace Corps to me. I woke up in my new house after spending my first night here to one of my guías (a guide for the project I’m working on) knocking on my door. She wanted me to go to La Romana with her to look for a place that does ID cards (the guías want them for their job). I got ready quickly, went to the colmado and purchased some pan y guineos (bread and banana) for breakfast and then caught the next guagua to La Romana. When my guía and I reached the store, no one was there, which was disappointing, but almost expected since it was Sunday. So she went to class and I went to Jumbo (the supermarket – it’s the DR’s version of Wal-Mart) to purchase some things for my new house. Since I’m on a tight budget, I had to forgo things like a trashcan (I’ll just use plastic bags for the time being), a measuring cup, the cute plates and bowls, etc.

I returned to Bayahibe with all my purchases but not before visiting the fruit stand guy and buying a Styrofoam box of pina (pineapple) guineo (banana) and melon, which was delicious. When I got a home, I took a long nap (it’s customary in this country to rest after lunch, so I didn’t feel bad for spending my afternoon this way) and was woken up to a donkey he-hawing outside of my window. What a strange noise. I then started cleaning my little casita. After about 5 minutes of cleaning, my neighbors - 11 and 13 year old girls - were at my door asking if they could help. They were so cute. They washed my dishes (by the way, my “kitchen” sink isn’t yet finished. It doesn’t have tubing, so it drains into a plastic bucket under the counter top and I have to empty it every so often), mopped my floor, etc. As a “thank you” I cooked them grilled cheese sandwiches with peanut butter on bread as a desert (which they loved) and played Scrubs for them in Spanish, which I don’t think they really understood, but it was still fun.

In the middle of our peanut butter and bread deserts, Sirilo came over and I put on some bachata, which they loved. It was cute – a good bonding experience for my first full day in my new home. All in all a pretty Dominican day, which definitely made me think about how different my life is here, with my little 4 burner table-top stove, my bachata, and my cute Dominican neighbors cleaning my house. I can't wait for some of you to come and experience it with me!