a typical day

Classes start at 8:00am every day (except for Fridays, which are free). This means I get up a bit before 7:00 am to get ready, eat breakfast, and walk to class at Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestro - PUCMM or pucamaima for short.  It's been a bit rough, even though I am a morning person, but after a couple of days, we all got used to it. 

My favorite breakfast - it may even rival my usual oatmeal breakfasts in Stiles: grilled ham and cheese, mango (or cantalope, sometimes papaya) a banana, and some type of fruit juice. So far, my favorite has been passion fruit. 

Flamboyán: these trees cover the campus, and are my host mom's favorite 

It's about a 15 minute walk to get to class, but by the time we get there, we're already sweating in the 95 degree heat and blazing sun. We also have to cross a highway. There are two options: a tunnel or the underpass. The tunnel was constructed just for PUCMM students, so that they could cross safely. The government had planned to include space for little shops too, which would make the tunnel even more attractive. However, plans fell through and construction ended before the shops were completed, so now it's just a dark, concrete tunnel with cave-like spaces in the wall. All the mothers have warned us about people getting mugged in the tunnel, which is why we have to go in groups. The other option - the underpass - seemed much safer because it's just a simple underpass that was well-lit. The only problem was that we had to cross an exit off ramp, and could not see the cars coming around the corner. So given that we travel in groups to and from class anyways, the creepy tunnel was the better option. It's also really not long at all. The thing to keep in mind is that Santiago, and especially our neighborhoods, is considered the rich, uppity part of the country.

The only annoying thing about the tunnel is that this means I can't work out on campus. The only place to run is on the campus, which is a 1.5 mile loop, but I would either have to go before class around 6-7am, or right after class, 6-7pm. Either way, I would have to find at least a couple buddies to go with me, and that wasn't happening. It's also still sweltering at 6:00 pm. I tried running one afternoon and only made it through 2 laps. Thus, I joined a Gold's Gym that's close to my house and has....ZUMBA CLASSES!!! Soooooo excited :)

The "safe" tunnel: sometime's there's an armed guard at one end who carries  more weapons than I can name. 

We made it! 

After our first language class in the morning, we walk back to our houses for lunch, which is the largest meal of the day. I LOVE THIS CULTURE. Why can't we do this in America too?? So far, it's been a combination of rice, a meat (either chicken or beef), and a type of salad or cooked vegetable. It has been delicious every time. Fried plantains are also popular.

a typical lunch 

We're free until 3pm to take a siesta, hang out, do homework....whatever. But then class goes from 3:00-6:00 pm. We haven't actually had a full afternoon class yet, so this will be interesting. Paying attention in Spanish is even harder because the moment I lose focus, everything passes by me. Thankfully, we don't have class on Wednesdays, which means MORE ZUMBA! Dinner is around 8:00 and is very light. So far, I've had quesadillas, fried plantains and eggs, an omelet, and a grilled cheese sandwich. This is often accompanied by sweet tea or passionfruit juice. Sigh....so derricious. This is why I need a gym membership.

I'm SO glad that I'm living with a host family, because it's helped my Spanish so much. Of course, I still struggle to express myself and I speak slower than I'd like, but I find myself speaking in Spanish instead of English. I enjoy our conversations at meals, and every day, we talk about something different. We talk about food  a lot, but we've also chatted about the difference between Taiwan and China, my host sister's architecture projects, famous Dominican singers, and my host mother's family who lives in New York. I have a growing list of herga's - Dominican slang - and can understand most people on the street when I ask for directions. I really appreciate how everyone I've asked has been helpful, even if they have a little bit of an attitude, because it makes me so much less scared to speak up. Can't wait to learn more!