Observations II

• Avoid all things made with harina de maiz- which translates to corn flour (not exactly sure if that's actually what it is). They make oatmeal out of it, balls of corn flour (called bolas) and other "treats."
• Towels will smell moldy after a month of use, even when washed and hung on the line to dry. Just don't breath in when you dry your face.
• It gets even hotter here in July and the rains come less often to cool life down.
• There are different kinds of mosquites. Some that make puffy, itchy, pink bites and some that make red target-looking bites that don't itch.
• People here make a grunting/sucking noise in the back of their throats. And it drives me nuts.
• After a while, you forget you're white. It keeps surprising me to look at photos. I can see my arms and legs but somehow I keep thinking my face is darker.Being in the Dominican Republic does NOT mean that you will automatically get tan.
• People here don't understand exercise and very few do it. They also don't seem to understand the phrase "everything in moderation." In many ways, I'm surprised they are not all fatter.
• Kids learn at young ages here to make kissy faces at gringas and throw their trash wherever. It's disturbing.
• You'd be surprised by what you can transport using a motorcycle. Boxes of fruit, 10 foot long rebar and, oh yeah, propane tanks.
• People here wear clothes from the US. Often shirts have frases in English which they can't understand but makes it fun for me. Examples: college chick, I hate everyone, UCLA, Utah, Relay for Life, etc. Unfortunately, much of the clothing looks like its meant for a club rather than a farm and its usually a size or too two small so the women don't look too classy.
• English is everywhere, as are international products. The US has a big influence here and you can see it wherever you look. Frito Lay makes baked salted banana chips here. You can buy Twix and Snickers in certain little shops. They have brands here like Polo, Lacoste, Rayban, etc (though not the real deal). Our TV channels are just dubbed over. Yet interestingly enough, religion has not been cut out of daily life like it has in the states and even public transportation has bumper stickers like "Cristo viene" (Christ is coming). For an example of all these characteristics, check out this bus I saw- New York Yankees stickers (they love baseball here since some of our best players are Dominican) and a Christian phrase on a Hyundai. Talk about a flat world.