Barcelo Colonia Tropical All-Inclusive Juan Dolio

... in the relative forseeable future. And thus began my exasperating wait/battle for the gradual arrival of more and more things.

I did spent a day with my American boss, and he decided that it was necessary to take me to the capital to go shopping for some things, which was extremely nice of him! And now, thanks to him, I have many household items, including a very posh and large toaster oven (most apartments / houses do ...

... and catch-up sessions with people every place I went...it was so nice to see everyone again, and I was very happy also to spend some time in my favorite batey, AB-4!

After much thought and analysis, I finally decided to live in Juan Dolio, in an apartment that had been pre-selected for me by my employers. It is in a lovely location, with a courtyard and decent sized pool (hooray for laps!), as well as a great brick barbeque, and it is located right ...

Left very cold Birmingham far too early in the morning. The flight was fast due to tail winds - only 8 hours!! It was made bearable by playing Who wants to be a Millionaire and watching the new 'Brideshead Revisited'. Landed in hot and sunny Dominican Republic at 2pm - we are 4 hours behind everyone in the UK.

... running to them). Consuelo itself loses the power at least twice a day, for 5 or 6 hours at a time, so the reliability of the power in the bateyes is significantly less than in Consuelo. Considering that it starts to get dark at 6 in the evening, this rules out the possibility of studying or doing any work in the evenings. Secondly, the students' home life in the bateyes is very different from students who live in towns and cities. Once they are ...

... jobs and are able to make enough to pay their bills...but they are by no means wealthy like you might think by looking at their home! So, as you can, by now, imagine, she is a very interesting woman, who also happens to be very generous, helpful, and an AMAZING cook! I thoroughly enjoyed the marinated chicken / seasoned lentils / wild rice dish that she prepared - absolutely delicious!! Matilda is also a big animal lover. She has 3 huge dogs - a ...

... The bathroom was like an add-on extension in the back of the house, with a toilet and a drain in the floor opposite the toilet. The drain is where you stand to take a "shower," which is really pouring water on yourself from a large bucket next to the drain. There is a tap low to the ground for filling the bucket, but water does not always come out of it if the water supply for the day has been used. If this is the case, then water is collected outside ...

... The houses are like out of a storybook. They are all one-level with vaulted ceilings, and the floors are completely covered with ceramic tile. Each house has the same layout, with furniture appropriate to the ages of the children (they are housed by age group and gender). There is a spacious living/play room, large eating area, large kitchen with new appliances and marble counters, and 2 large bedrooms at either end of the hallway. Each ...

Prime ancjemo di parti pal ver viaz di Sgarfefurlans, O ai fat une anteprime a Santo Domingo. Mi soi cjatat a sedi a Santo Domingo cun dai furlans che e stavin viarzint al fogolar furlan. Prin di dut mi soi cjatat cun Mauro Tonasso, originari di Varian di Basilian. Mauro lu ai cjatat par cas a Boca Chica, biel che al domandave a une cameriere di mangja un panin, in spagnul ma ...

... for the time being. This is quite rare, as most Volunteers desperately seek privacy and independence after 5 months of home stays (and I sure as hell dont blame them) but I get along really well with the fam. Plus, I figure I'de rather have too many people knocking on my door, than not enough, and in a household of 6 there is always something going on. That about does it from here. Things have certainly slowed down since my arrival and the novelty of ...

... was my first concert with that I attended that had more that a hundred people. I loved the music and the energy of the crowd. I was able to see Rosario Flores and Juanes. I am sure some of these do not ring a bell, but seeing as this is now my home, I am becoming familiar with the popular artist and music that people listen to. I went back to the training site the next day on a high and ready to work again. We have had a couple of get togethers and we have made guacamole, salsa ...