Now I can officially say that I have been outside of the country;well besides Canada of course. Therefore, going through customs at the airport was very eye opening. It made me think about how people from other countries who are coming to America must feel. We had two forms that we had to fill out. One of which was written completely in Spanish. Thankfully my program director had pre-made a sheet that transalted what was required into English. Without this sheet I wouldn't have been able to complete the form. This was the first situation in which I encountered a "language barrier". However, this experience helped me to understand how many immigrants and tourists coming to the US must feel.
Upon leaving the airport I was able to see the beauty of the Dominican Republic as well as get a slight glimpse into their culture. The roads here are quite different than in the US. I have never seen so many helmetless people of all ages, including children, riding motos (motorcycles). Cars also frequently pass each other by going into the oncomings traffic's lane. There are also quite a few pedestrians to look out for. I don't know how I would adjust to driving in the Dominican Republic. With so many people, cars, and motos moving around I'd probably end up hitting someone or at least have a high level of anxiety while driving.
I am excited to see what the next weeks have in store. It feels good to be settled in so now it's time to explore and discover all that I can. I really want to put my 6 years of Spanish classes to use and do my best to communicate with the native speakers. It is my hope that by doing this I will be able to expand upon my knowledge of the Spanish language. For now I will leave you with something I discovered today; Gorditos Fresh Mex's salsa is the best salsa I have ever had.