I’m ready to head back to Michigan because…
10. There is hot water at home. I can’t wait to take a warm shower.
9. I can brush my teeth with water from the faucet without potentially poisoning myself.
8. Going to a restaurant and ordering a water doesn’t mean paying for a bottle of water.
7. Feeling like I will probably survive car trips. I feel like kissing the ground every time I step out of a car alive here.
6. I can drink milk! It’s weird how much I love milk (I sometimes drink a half gallon a day). Milk is so strange here, it is super pasteurized and is kept warm on the store shelves for months. I can’t.
5. Knowing how much things cost. 500 pesos? Is that a lot? I don’t know. Take 5000 pesos out at the ATM, sure!
4. Not getting hissed at every time I walk down the street. Yes, we are a group of light skinned and blonde young women, but staring and hissing is unnecessary, and is not going to make us like you, sir.
3. Normal doors. The door to my apartment has a normal lock, a deadbolt, a chain lock, a latch lock, and bars with a padlock. The hallway to my bedroom also has padlocked bars. It literally takes 5 minutes to get out with all of the keys involved. What if there was a fire?
2. Having independence. I love just getting in the car by myself and going to do whatever it is I need to do. I can’t even go to the grocery store alone here!
1. To see my friends and family, of course! So much fun is planned for this weekend in celebration of graduation. I can’t wait to see everyone!
I’m really going to miss…
10. Being able to count on beans and rice at dinner every night. Lula makes the yummiest rice!
9. Being greeted by Adela when she gets home from work. She is the sweetest lady ever! I’m going to miss hearing “Hola chicos! ¿Como estan?”
8. Practicing my Spanish skills with native speakers. I really loved talking with Adela in Spanish. I want to take Spanish lessons when I get home because it would be so great to be fluent.
7. Everyday adventures. If you’ve kept up on my blog, you know what I mean.
6. Warm weather. When I looked at the weather this morning it was 4 degrees at home. I was chilly when it was 72 the other day. I will be the one at graduation with a snowsuit, blanket, boots, and mittens under my gown.
5. Panadero! The bread seller rides his bike cart in front of our house every evening yelling panadero. Estela always goes out to buy delicious bread for us. How convenient!
4. Colmado. Basically a 7-11, but you can hang out with your friends and watch the baseball game over a cold presidente.
3. Knowing that the ocean is so close.
2. Relaxing on the patio with good friends. The 6 of us student teachers have gotten pretty close in the past few weeks. Spending our evenings on the patio with a game of euchre and conversation has been great.
1. Time passing so slowly. Dominican minutes last twice as long as American minutes. If it feels like I’ve been at school for 4 hours, it’s only 10am. It seems like we have endless hours of free time after we have finished all of our work.
Miss Hanel's Student Teaching Blog 