Honeymoon Part 1

Hey all,

So J.P. and I got married last Saturday, and had the best wedding ever (in my un-biased opinion). We had a really nice ceremony at St. Mary's, a delicious dinner at my mom's house, a surprise dance routine, followed by dancing to my brother's band. The best.

We hung out for a couple of days after the wedding in Michigan, and on Tuesday night we left for Scotland by way of London. At the airport we told the people at the counter we were on our honeymoon, and they bumped us up to the most amazing first class seats ever. It was an overnight flight that had a three course dinner, seats that reclined to 180 degrees, and breakfast. Again, the best. JP and I could barely sleep we were so excited about the plane ride.

When we got into London we went into this weird "Yotel" in the airport, which was basically a ship cabin, to use the wireless and figure out how to get to our hotel. It turns out our hotel was on the opposite side of London. It was so far that it wasn't on any of our London maps in the guidebook. We took the subway up and got off at the stop the hotel's website described as being a "10 minute walk from the hotel". An hour later we were still dragging our suitcases around the neighborhood completely lost. Finally we found a bus map which was close enough that it had the streets we needed, and we schlepped our way up to the hotel. At this point we were totally exhausted, and as soon as we got into the room we fell asleep for 3 hours.

When we woke up we took the subway over to Islington, where Lucy used to live, and we happened to walk by her old apartment. We also had a beer in a pub I had been to before. Basically we went to all of the places in London I had already seen, but they were just as nice the second time around.

The next morning we took a train into Edinburgh from King's Cross Station. Obviously, being JP and I, we were really excited because we wanted to take pictures of us running through Platform 9 3/4 (from Harry Potter- if you don't know that I am surprised you read my blog). Unfortunately there was "construction", although we suspected the construction was a clever rouse to keep idiots from running into the walls of the platform. Apparently there is a fake platform outside, and JP took a picture of a random fellow-idiot running into the platform. On the way back we will be getting pictures of our own. Unfortunately King's Cross doesn't provide owls; I guess it's a BYOO type of tourist attraction.

When we got into Edinburgh we were amazed. London is nice, but Edinburgh is amazing. It is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen. We wandered around for a long time and ate steak pie and fish and chips. We had specifically booked a hotel near the bus station after the ordeal in London, and ended up staying in a super nice place right in the middle of town. We went on a ghost walk tour, which takes you into underground vaults and a graveyard, and that was shockingly fun (pun). This morning we wandered around again and had a Scottish breakfast- haggis included, and then got on the train again and came to Pitlochry, where we will be staying for the next 4 days. Our tour starts here. We were on the train and I looked out the window and elbowed JP to look at the beautiful scenery and buildings and over the speaker the conductor said, "We are now stopping in Pitlochry." Best. It is gorgeous. I will take lots of photos and upload them when I can. Anyway, this evening our tour starts and tomorrow we will do our first day on the tandem. Wish us luck!

Morning Internet Cruise and Engaged Encounter

Hey all,

As the title suggests I am doing my morning internet cruise, and I realized that I have severely neglected my blog, depriving readers of my great writing talent. Okay, maybe that's a little much, but I thought I should update you all on my goings-on.

Lately I have been working, tutoring, exercising, and wedding planning. Work is going really well, we have seven weeks left of school (but who's counting?), and the kids are little Spanish-speaking parrots of yours truly. Scary. I have been tutoring a few days a week, which is awesome, and I joined a triathlon team with Colleen, J.P's friend from work. I have been doing workouts with them a couple times a week. The workouts are great, but ridiculously early in the morning. For example there is a swim tomorrow morning at 5:15, but it is almost a half-hour away, so I will be up dark and early at 4:30. It's fun though, and I have met a lot of people already through the team.

We are ramping up again with the wedding planning, and getting the last details worked out. It is now less than 8 weeks away! I can't wait to see everyone, and to marry J.P! We are super excited about our honeymoon as well. We are going on a tandem bike tour of Scotland, which means that J.P. is going to pedal me around Scotland. I am going to encourage him to think of me as a drag suit a la Michael Phelps. Isn't that romantic? Not to worry, I will help with the pedaling on the downhills.

Last weekend J.P. and I went to our "Catholic Engaged Encounter" weekend about 45 minutes away. We stayed in dorms (separated male/female obviously), and went to presentations during the day. I had kind of low expectations going in, and I wasn't sure how much time we were going to spend together and how much time we were going to spend making small talk with the people in our dorms, but I was pleasantly surprised that it was a really great weekend. We ended up staying in "cubicles" so it was not the bunk-bed situation I was picturing, and the presentations were around 15 minutes of listening to the presenter couple talk about their marriage, and then we had 20 minutes to write about what we thought about the topic, and then 20 minutes to discuss it together. It ended up being much more stimulating and interesting than I thought.

We got to hear a lot about the presenter couples' marriages, which was interesting because I am nosy, and helpful because they gave really specific examples of problems they had faced and how they worked through them. In preparing to get married I have found it very difficult to get any real information from married couples about the type of "hard work" and "communication" we will need to be successful, so I really appreciated the specificity of the presentations. One couple had been married for 48 years, and they seemed extremely happy together, but some of their stories were about years at a time when they thought there was no way their marriage would work. The emphasis of the weekend was that the goal of marriage is unity, and not happiness, which I had never heard put that way before. J.P. and I got a chance to talk about a lot of our plans for the future, and how much we love each other for 3 days, which, of course, we enjoyed.

The biggest drawback to the weekend was sleep deprivation. Friday night we went into the dorms at 11, and were given a very generous hour to settle in to sleep. By given an hour I mean the overhead lights were left on for an hour. I don't know about you all, but when I am living out of a suitcase and staying in a cubicle "settling in" takes me all of about 30 seconds. Luckily I brought my science fiction book to pass the time. The next day the overhead lights were turned on a 6:10, giving up an hour and twenty minutes to get ready for the day... again, excessive. We got to sleep that night around midnight again, and got up at 6:45. Worst. I need my beauty sleep, don't ya know.

Anyway, I can't wait to come home and see everyone! Miss you guys!

Trivia, Wedding Planning, and a Jewelry Party (This post was written 2/4 and never published)

Hey everybody,

So J.P. and I have been hitting the greater Calabasas trivia circuit pretty hard in the last few weeks, and it turns out that we are not too bad at trivia (we aren't too good either, but I don't see how that is relevant). In our most recent trivia game we won a pitcher of beer, which we were pretty excited about, for least incorrectly guessing the length of a balance beam. I would have phoned a friend (Lauren, obviously) if that were allowed but it isn't. We have also been playing Trivial Pursuit and a new game called BezzerWizzer at home to hone our skills. I'm not sure that it is really working, but they are fun either way. We spent all of last weekend circled around our dining room table with Becky and Mike playing those two games. It was awesome.

We realized after our first trivia game that we competed against each other in the 6th grade quiz bowl finals. Guess who won? That's right, I did! Oh wait, were you all thinking J.P? Well for once he did not beat me in trivia, and my team went to another school to compete in a quiz bowl tournament (where we were promptly beat out of the bracket, but again, I don't see how that's relevant).

In terms of wedding planning we are getting down to the detail section of it all which, shockingly, I am enjoying. I was pretty sure I would hate it, but I forgot that I love crafts, so the more of it I can do myself (and when I say myself I mean with J.P. and Becky) the more I will like it I think.

Also, my friend Sarah from the D.R. has started selling jewelry. Many of you may remember her from my post, "Guess who's pregnant?" (Sorry about that one, Mary Lou) She has a website with some good stuff, so check it out. She and her husband Sean moved back to the states when J.P. and I did because in January of last year they realized that Sarah was pregnant. That pregnancy resulted in a really cute baby named Sullivan, and they are living in northern Florida now. See Sullivan below:

What a cheap trick showing you a cute baby to get you to go to her website and buy jewelry.

Go to her website and buy jewelry. 

In case you missed all those hyperlinks above, her website it www.liasophia.com/sarahhadley 

Thanksgiving Break

Hey All,

Tonight, after a 3.5 hour credential-related class, I will be flying to Michigan! I am so excited about Thanksgiving I could just throw-up in anticipation. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, and as many of you know we couldn't make it back last year because the Spaniards who came to the Dominican Republic didn't sit down with the Native Americans and share their harvest, they just killed them all off with weapons and disease. What I'm trying to say is that we didn't have Thanksgiving break last year. Anyway, not only do I have it this year but I have A WHOLE WEEK OFF! And I accidentally extended this vacation by booking my ticket at 1:10am on Friday morning, thinking that it was Saturday morning. So I will be missing school tomorrow, and watching my sister dive in her State meet in Holland instead. I already have everything packed and ready to go. Just to make things that much better, Monica now lives in Ann Arbor, AND Betsy will be home from Africa the day after I get there! I am bursting with excitement. Considering, however, that my body has been intolerant to the California cold I think I will probably be in for a rude awakening getting of the plane in Michigan. The body is really a traitorous thing. You think that your years of Michigan winters would somehow make you permanently impervious to baby-cold, and then you miss one winter and you are worse off than ever. I mean, come on.

ANYWAY, I will see you all VERY SOON!

Yosemite

Hey all,

So I spent the last week in Yosemite with 143 8th graders chaperoning a field trip. It was amazing! We stayed in tent cabins (with heat) and hiked around each day with an instructor from the Yosemite Institute. They do students tours and teach the kids all about the park. It was ridiculous. I couldn't believe I was at work. The kids were perfectly behaved, and I got to piggyback on their tour and see a lot of the park. We went on a hike up to Glacier Point where we could see the whole valley, we went into some caves where it was completely dark and the person in front of you had to tell you how to get through, we saw some rocks where the American Indians ground up acorns with grinding holes that had been used for 500 years, and we counted macro-invertebrates in the river to calculate the water quality. I think I might have enjoyed the instruction more than the kids. It was awesome. It is a beautiful place. Now I am getting organized for next week, and setting things up until Thanksgiving. Back to the school, BTSA, wedding planning for me!

Love and miss you all!

Sinners in the Hand of an Angry God

JP and I are going to our first meeting with the priest at the church we go to out here. He's super nice, but still I am a little nervous. I wonder if people of other faiths are a little afraid of their leaders? Somehow I doubt it...

Wedding Planning (Part 1 of Probably Many)

Hey all,

So since J.P. and I got engaged last month we have started baby-stepping our wedding planning. So far we are thinking that we will have the wedding ceremony at St. Mary's in Chelsea, with the reception at my mom's house. It should be a pretty fun and low-key affair, hopefully with tacos and music. We have been scheming about how to pay for it and what to do, and so far things have been going reasonably smoothly. I have about 85 (see: 1) excel spreadsheets with a million (see: 3) tabs each of all of the different things to keep track of. Yuck. I am turning into an excel monster. I have my budget on there too and I am literally inputting every dollar I make or spend. It is turning me into a major miser, but I feel very organized.  I feel like there are a lot of decisions to be made right now with the wedding and life in general, and they are all hard to make because we have incomplete information. It drives me crazy. For example, we have no idea what our jobs will have in store for us next year so we can't even plan whether or not we will be living here. If we do stay here we can't plan where to live for the same reasons, and if we don't then there is no plan at all. I don't think this bothers JP, but it drives me crazy. It makes planning the wedding difficult for unexpected reasons as well. Like, if we continue to live in this house should we even register for anything, since we won't need any of it yet? Or, if we both have good jobs should we move into a smaller, crappier place for twice as much money so that we can live alone (probably not, especially considering that Mike and Becky are the best). I feel a little bit like I'm spinning my wheels with all of this, and I just need to be more relaxed and see what happens... easier said than done.

On a non-rampaging note, both JP and I love our jobs. I have great kids in my classes, and they are catching on really quickly. The class has been entirely in Spanish so far, and the kids are doing really well with it in general, although grammar gets tricky that way. I have been listening to Harry Potter on tape (well, CD, do you guys still say on tape? It feels weird to say anything else), and reading Anna Karenina, both of which are excellent. That Harry Potter on tape (there it is again) is excellent is no surprise because I have listened to it at least 3 times already, but I was a little intimidated by Anna Karenina and am pleasantly surprised by how readable it is.

In other news I am chaperoning an 8th grade field trip to Yosemite next week which is 6 days long, and should be awesome! I can't wait! I was told that I am in a "hiking group", and I don't really know what was meant by that but I like the sound of it. Anyway, I miss you guys!

Engagement

Hey all,

So as you have heard from facebook JP and I are engaged! We are so excited, and have already started trying to plan. I wish we could have our wedding in a month, but I think we have to wait at least 6 for the Catholic church (bummer). We are thinking June, so hopefully the church will be able to do it. We will be getting married in Michigan, most likely in Ann Arbor.


Here is how it happened:


Last Wednesday (September 1st) was JP and my 4 year anniversary of dating. To celebrate we went for a hike on a trail called Backbone Trail. It's in the Santa Monica mountains and is a really beautiful hike. As we were walking along we stopped near the top and JP just got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. I was shocked. Honestly, I thought that when he proposed I would see it coming from a mile away, but I had no idea. Monica made the ring, and it is beautiful. The stone is peridot. It is beautiful. I love it.

Here is a picture of JP and I once we remembered that we should take pictures to share:

Here is a picture of JP telling his mom the good news:

Basically, I couldn't be happier. I am really excited about the wedding too. It is still in the most infant of infant stages, but we are thinking of a backyard BBQ type reception. Ah! So exciting!

California Here We... Are

Hey All,

As most of you probably already know I moved out to California in July. I looked for jobs for a few weeks, and had to go for a quick trip back to the D.R. to get my stuff, and now I am working at a middle school here in Calabasas, and as a tutor. I am starting to get ready for the school year; setting up my classroom and get my lessons in order. JP and I are living with his former roommates Becky and Mike, which is awesome. I was really lucky to get this job at the school, and I am really excited to start teaching again. The school seems great, and I am going to have a bunch of cool technology for my class. Anyway, I just wanted to update you all. I will start posting again regularly soon.

Miss you all!

My Two Birthdays

Hey all,

So I got home on Tuesday night, and every minute since then has been running around and having an inordinate amount of fun. On Wednesday I woke up early to hang out with my mom before she went to work, then hung out with my sister before she went to pole vault camp. When she left it was still only 7:30 or 8, and while I am a very annoying older sister, I figured that this was still too early to wake up my brother. So I toodled around the house for awhile and drank copious amounts of coffee, and then finally I took a shower, woke my brother up and told him I would be back in an hour and that we were going to Ann Arbor, and went out to the car with the wrong keys. I came back into the house 3 more times and came back out with the wrong keys, and all the while my neighbors across the street were sitting on their porch watching this happen. Having all Toyotas can be a little confusing. 


Anyway, I woke my brother up for the second time, got him to tell me where the keys were,  and went to the bank. I decided that my brother and cousin probably weren't interested in getting up, so I went to Ann Arbor for awhile by myself, and came home. All of this was accomplished by about 11:15, so I came home. My mom came back at around 12:00, and was very confused by the productivity of my day so far. She and I went back into Ann Arbor for awhile, and then back to the bank so that I could open a new savings account, and Monica arrived in Chelsea. We went out to dinner with my mom, dad, brother, cousin, and sister at Las Fuentes. Delicious. Monica, Lucy, Natalie and I then proceeded to the Brown Jug in Ann Arbor (3 times in one day) and had a few drinks. 

Yesterday Monica and I woke up, had breakfast, and went shopping in Ann Arbor. I bought a ridiculous amount of stuff for ridiculously little, which was amazing. We came back to Chelsea, ran with my mom, and then went out to the Chelsea bars with Lucy, BETSY (This one from Africa), Natalie, and Jordan Silverman. So much fun. It has been SO good to see everyone, I can hardly stand it. All I wish is that we had about 6 weeks to talk to each other instead of 6 hours. I missed everyone and it was amazing to have them all here for my birthday. Best birthday present ever.

God Bless America (ATL I'm the Mayor)

Say what you will about the United States, ladies and gentleman, but one thing about which there can be no debate is we really have a lot of cool stuff to buy. In the Santo Domingo airport I had a choice between bag after bag of mixed nuts for $5 (when the price is in dollars you know you’re in trouble) or a really bad sandwich for $7. I chose the sandwich. Big mistake. Conversely, in the Atlanta airport there is every kind of food a person could want (sadly I did not get the terminal with Qdoba, but I know it’s here somewhere, calling me). There is a Ben & Jerry’s here. A BEN & JERRY’S! It took every bit of willpower I possess to keep walking past those $7 ice cream sundaes. I had already shoved a week’s worth of Chinese food down my gullet and I felt like the ice cream would be overkill. I think I might be growing up. I doubt it though.  There is also a nearly full sized book store in this terminal. I resisted that one too because if I buy a book I’ll never finish Huckleberry Finn. Speaking of which, has anyone read these Girl with the Dragon Tattoo books? Are they worth all the hype? How about that Edgar Sawtelle book? As sad as the rest in the Oprah Book Club? Fill me in, I’m out of the loop. One more thing, in the bathroom there was not only toilet paper (that you can flush by the way), and not only did the toilets flush on their own, and not only did the sinks turn on by themselves, but the soap dispensers are automatic too! What a country! (They are also filled with soap by the way, an added novelty.) Fellow Americans, we’ve got it good here.

Last Night in Santo Domingo

Hey all,

So tonight is officially my last night in Santo Domingo of the 2009-2010 school year. It really has gone by fast. School has been wrapping up for a couple of weeks now, and I just finished my final checklist (and most importantly got my final pay check), so I am ready for summer! I fly home tomorrow, and while I am really excited to come home I am also really going to miss my friends here. We went out to dinner together tonight to say goodbye (although like true travelers no one actually said those words) to this restaurant called El Agave on Lope de Vega. Delicious Mexican food. They have mole enchiladas that are amazing. Anyway (does anyone other than me notice how much I talk about food?), throughout dinner all I could think about was when I would see everyone again. Hopefully at the very least we can videochat. Especially the Hadleys' (I hope you are reading this) so that I can see Baby Hadley when he is born. It has been a really eventful and great year, and I feel really lucky that I have had this experience. I have met some really great people and had some good adventures, and better still, I have a whole second year to enjoy. Thank you to everyone who made this year amazing. Sorry for the clip show, but here are some highlights:

- First day in the old apartment feeling like I was living in a palace
-Las Terrenas the first weekend
- Going to the cave bar with Doug and Stacy before we really knew them
-Moving to our apartment in Zona Colonial
-Sosua
- Constanza with Doug and Stacy for Doug and JP's birthdays
- Meeting Elizabeth and Rebecca and immediately ruining their iron (sorry guys)
- Thanksgiving at the Hadleys'
- Baseball game
- Trip out west with Hadleys' (and subsequently finding out Sarah was/is pregnant)
- JP's race in the city that he WON and Carnival in La Vega on the same day (deciding to stay another year based on that day basically)
- Portuguese classes and going to the Saturday night movies
-Goodbye weekend in Boca Chica for JP
- Nearly living at Doug and Stacy's (with a guest appearance at the Hadleys') for awhile after JP left
-Puerto Plata with everyone
- Ms. De la Cruz's bachelorette party/wedding
- Moving in with Brigitte

These are only a handful of the things I want to remember from this year. I will miss you all very much next year, and I really hope we keep in touch. Thanks for an amazing year!

Sarah's Baby Shower

Last night after the wedding Stacy stayed over. In the morning we ate breakfast, did a little decorating, and then she went home to get the cake and get ready for Sarah's baby shower at 3. I ran to the store to get water, prepped the food, and then she came back and finished decorating while I finished the cooking and got ready for people to arrive. She did an amazing job on the decorations (see facebook). Brigitte, Sarah and Becky got here around 3, and Rebecca shortly after. We had guacamole, sushi, and cake, which was an amazing combination for taste and indigestion. We played a couple of games, one where you say whether it means you are having a boy or a girl for old wives tales, and another where you had to name the nursery rhyme. Sarah won the latter which I thought was a good sign. Also, we decorated onesies for the baby, which can also be seen on facebook. It was a really good shower, and I think everyone had a good time. I was just really happy to have everyone over and to do something for Sarah.

In other news, I am coming home in less than one month! I will see all of you so soon!

Ms. De la Cruz's Wedding

Well, Ms. Bazzi now. Stacy and I went as dates, can you say that? The wedding was gorgeous, Ms. De la Cruz looked beautiful, and everything was totally over the top. A bunch of my students were at the ceremony to see her dress, and they were so cute (and much better behaved than in class I might add). The wedding was a full mass (which I took to mean that I didn't have to go tomorrow morning), and then Stacy and I came back to my apartment to drop some things off and pick up my camera. We got to the reception, went through the receiving line, and then sat down with some teachers from school. I saw Alex (who I lived with at the beginning of the year) and her boyfriend Poli, which was nice, and we ate a bunch of delicious food. I'd be lying if I said there wasn't a little while that was awkward, but after a couple of cocktails everyone was on the dance floor. Stacy and I sat out a few more songs than we would have liked because they were merengue (a.k.a. couples only dancing), but after awhile they brought out some marti gras-esque party favors and played some drumline music and we went out and danced around. We had some champagne and wine and chocolate-fountain-dipped-fruit and mini-muffins. The party favors were these really beautiful silver ring boxes. The problem was that there was only one for every two people. Stacy and I had each secured one anyway when someone took Stacy's. She scoured the room for a spare and eventually one of the other couples left and she commandeered theirs before their seats had cooled. On the way out we also stole some flowers. Actually a lot of flowers. Sorry Ms. De la Cruz/Bazzi/Lourdes. The other kids were doing it! Good time. I also died laughing several times at Stacy blowing into her marti gras noise maker. I have a video of it. It sounds strikingly similar to a duck caller that you use for hunting except for she was wearing a marti gras mask, which hunters do not usually do.

Lifestyles Tropical Beach Resort

This weekend we went to a resort called Lifestyles, which sounds like it is some super weird alternative resort, but actually it was a pretty typical one from what I have seen here. There was a little more MTV Spring Break type music and volleyball at the pool, and there was a three-way kiss spotted, but from where we sat it otherwise seemed like a pretty relaxed resort. Because we booked through this travel agency called Cheap Caribbean we got to use the VIP beach, where they brought food and drinks out to you on giant beds on the beach, which was pretty amazing. They also served lobster one night at the buffet which was out of the ordinary. The first night there Rebecca, Doug, Stacy and I were determined to stay out late enough to go to the electronic dance party, which we did, but when we got there it turned out to be a standard club, except the people were much drunker than normal on the free drinks, and there were dancers on little stages wearing outfits that left little to the imagination (i.e. rhinestone thongs). When I relay these scenes they seem much more shocking than they actually were, and I think this may be because I am now seeing this through my Aunt Kris' eyes (thanks for reading Aunt Kris, sorry about the horrifying images). The next day we ate and lounged around on the beach, and went to bed early. In the morning Stacy and I played tennis for roughly 4 minutes, at which time a little boy who was working at the tennis courts said "Finished." to Stacy. It took us a few seconds to figure out what he was saying, and then figure out what he meant, but what he meant was "Get off the court, there are people with reservations." We did as we were told. I went to the pool for awhile and then ate a last minute ice cream, and then we headed back to the city with Sean and Sarah, who graciously let us hitchhike back with them in their rental car.

This week has been pretty busy, the kids have exams so we have been getting ready for that and tutoring has been busy too for the same reasons. I have been going to the gym, which I am going to continue. This Saturday is Ms. De la Cruz's wedding, and this Sunday we are throwing Sarah a baby shower, so things should stay busy. I miss you guys and can't wait to see you all this summer!

Ms. De la Cruz's Bachelorette Party

 I wrote this blog last Sunday night when I got back from this party, pretend you are reading it then.

I just got home from Ms. De la Cruz’s Bachelorette Party. I was really apprehensive about going because I always feel like kind of a weird outsider, and I didn’t know what to wear or what time to show up, but I think I did okay on both fronts. I came roughly an hour and a half late (a safe bet here), and wore my purple wrap dress with the highest heels I own (also a fairly safe bet), I ended up sitting with some teachers from school and possibly making some friends with them. It was really fun. We played a few games which I think Ms. De la Cruz was horrified to play in front of her mother, one was writing 69 on the wall with a marker between your knees, another was asking Ms. De la Cruz questions which she had to answer blindfolded giving a number. The numbers were taped all over her body and she couldn’t see which one was which. It was pretty funny. I think she was reasonably embarrassed about it but I guess that is kind of the point of a bachelorette party. All of the guests had names which were from mildly to incredibly inappropriate, ranging from “Besos” to “Vagina”. I think those of you who don’t speak Spanish can probably figure those two out. Anyway, it was a really good time and I am really glad I went. 

Last Day of Moping

JP officially has been gone 2 weeks, and I have been moping around a lot since he left. I haven't really felt like doing much, and have tried to use every opportunity to sit around my apartment by myself. My friends have very graciously taken me in on many occasions for dinner and to hang out, and so kept me from becoming too reclusive. Sarah asked me when a reasonable deadline would be for me to be done moping around, and I told her today, so I guess this is it. I am not taking my Portuguese class anymore, so when my tutoring finished early today I didn't quite know what to do with myself. I came home, read Brave New World, and made dinner. It was a very good last day of moping, but I think tomorrow I am going to very proactively seek out things to do after school (prepare yourselves, friends). I am going to see JP in June though, from the 3rd to the 6th, woot woot! And I will be home in the US on the evening of June 22nd, just in time for my birthday. If anyone is interested in doing something on June 23rd, let me know. Anyway, love you guys, thought I should let you know that I was alive and coming out of hibernation.

Apartment Voyeurism and Xiomara Fortuna

Yesterday Rebecca, Stacy and I wandered around Gasque (a neighborhood near mine which is much more residential) looking for apartments for next year. We saw a wide range, from am ultramodern one that is just being built with a really nice balcony, to a dark one with furniture that your grandma would pick out if your grandma had horrific taste (mine doesn't). The latter apartment was in a really nice new building, but after seeing the furnishings Stacy said, "I think this place is haunted." We also went into one where the maids had a separate elevator, and there was a private elevator that opened right into the apartment. It had a huge ocean view and was enormous. It was possibly the nicest apartment I have ever set foot in, but apparently they knew that because the rent was $3000 a month. Ah, well. A girl can dream.
After we had seen a number of apartments we went back to Rebecca's and Doug joined us. We ordered a pizza, and then attempted to go to a folk dance. We ended up in line at the Palacio de Bellas Artes, and it turned out to be a concert of this lady called Xiomara Fortuna. We decided not to go, but then a guy came running after us and "invited us", meaning that we could go in for free. I think they understood our hesitation to enter as that we couldn't afford the tickets. Anyway, it seemed more awkward to refuse than to just go in so we went in.
It was the weirdest concert I have ever seen. I feel like I was missing something because the audience was going wild. Maybe this woman is a really famous Dominican icon or something, but I have to tell you all I didn't get it. She was wearing this extravagant constume and no shoes, and none of her songs were any good. It was all very strange and all 4 of us were counting down the songs to the end (there were 16). We didn't want to leave early and be ungrateful that they had let us come in, so we waited until the very end at which point we escaped into a cab and went home. Today I am going to go to mass if I can get my lazy self out of my apartment, and then to the beach.

Crackberry

So I have given up the idea of getting an IPhone in favor of getting the inferior and far less expensive Blackberry. I haven't been able to track one down yet, but apparently someone's cousin brings them back from the states and sells them cheap (legit). I just found out this morning though that you can tether them to your computer and they provide internet which is pretty sweet. Has anyone actually done this? Does it work?

Fighting the Good Fight

Not to be a drama queen, but I really miss JP around here already. The hardest part is that our apartment seems half empty (not half full). I'm sure I'll get used to the emptiness soon, but I won't get used to JP not being around. Worst.

Today after school I went grocery shopping, went to the bank, was told by our landlord's assistant that I could move into my new apartment and promptly told her I would rather move in with Brigitte, and then went over to Brigitte and Bastien's for the Swiss version of fondue. I ate roughly 3 times my stomach's normal capacity and drank my body weight in white wine (not necessarily a health night), and had a great time. It turns out the Swiss eat something akin to fondue as campfire food, while we Americans only eat things that come manufactured in factories and that we can put on the end of a stick, so uncivilized we are. The meal was a delicious salad, pickled beets (which I like for the first time in my life), boiled potatoes, and some delicious Swiss cheese that is baked and then eaten with the potatoes. I don't know about you guys, but I have never had anything close to that within a ten-mile radius of a campfire.

Anyway, the day was good, although I am still moping about a little, and I am going to poke around online, read Ender's Game, and then go to sleep. Overall a successful second day living alone in Santo Domingo.