Welcome to Santo Domingo

Finding a slice of paradise.

We are officially residing of the Dominican Republic. Within the last ten days we have seen the island two coasts, survived the video game like experience of driving, almost overcome the traffic sounds that besiege our apartment, and made many new friends through our work places. After leaving Portland in the throws of a one hundred seven degree heat wave, we went through the blurry passage of time and travel that is red eye flights plus foreign country. As our minds cleared and our energy returned, we were happy to find a host of helpful people that proved key in assisting our speedy creation of a new home.

Our apartment is in a seventies style concrete complex. It is a spacious place with two large bedrooms, two bathrooms, big kitchen, basic furnishings, and all the street noise you could ever want. Being on the fourth floor allows us easy access, via one more flight of stairs, to the excellent rooftop. One can enjoy the lovely breeze from the roof while gazing out at the Caribbean Sea two miles to the south. A rustic shade tarp and old gas grill are complimented by sun weathered patio furniture with a host of plants rounding out the funky hangout out space. So far we have enjoyed most of our meals up there and made good use of the grill. A few insane shopping tips to one of the many enormous “one stop shop” stores allowed us to gather essentials like brooms, trash cans, dishes, pots and pans, curtains, ironing board, vases, food, cutting boards, etc.

The best part of living in our building has been our great neighbors. Noel and his partner Thomas live next store. Noel is actually from Mexico and has been super helpful assisting us with translation and access to his Internet. He is also very fun and warm hearted.  Sofia lives two floors down and has been driving us around despite being in the “any day now” stage of pregnancy.

Our first impressions of Santo Domingo are that it is a city full of potential. The Colonial Zone is by far the most lively and interesting place to walk around. The rest of the city lacks charm in both structure and color, but is full of warm people and modern convenience. Street food is harder to find than large shopping complexes and cell phone stores are easier to find than restaurants. We live on the edge of a posh neighborhood in the western section of the city.

The cheapest way to travel around the city is in a public car, which is a cross between a taxi and bus. Most of these cars seem to meet a minimum requirement of being complete junkers. They are small sedans and seating consists of two in the passenger seat and four in the back. There’s no AC and with a ninety plus degree super humid climate, it is easy to feel connected not only by space, but by sweat.

One highlight of being here is the the very cheap membership to the Club Fiesta Hotel health club. For a mere eleven dollars a month we get to use their huge pool, clay tennis courts, ping pong center, and sauna (if it ever really cools down here). There are also free classes. We are eager to establish some routine of exercise.

In general the country is kind of expensive. Prices are comparable to the U.S. on many things and the 16% sales tax makes everything that much pricier. With all that tax revenue one would expect better infrastructure and public services. Most people claim that the money disappears into the pockets of political corruption. I don’t know the facts enough to truly evaluate it.

Work has been mixed experiences for us. We are both in the stages of staff orientation and training. For those who may have forgot, Kris and I are at different schools. So far that has meant different experiences. Kris’ school is smaller and while instruction is in English, the staff orientation had plenty of Spanish to navigate. She seems to be rolling now and in a later blog she can update you per her own experience. My school has been excellent  in facilitating a smooth transition to our new life here. They clearly know what they are doing and have the resources to do it. English is common and I’ll need to make efforts to speak Spanish in adventures beyond campus. I’ll give more descriptions of work in a future blog.

We have not wasted time in doing a bit of exploring. This past weekend we rented a car and explored some beach options on the North Coast. Although not all beaches here are equal, the pictures say it all when you find a good one. The driving is totally insane as there are no obvious traffic laws, no dividing lines, and frequent potholes that are nearly a foot deep.

We are thinking of you all. I know this first blog is a sketch rather then a detailed drawing. Please feel free to send respones and we’ll do our best to touch base  when we can. Remember you can also subscribe to the blog by clicking on the drop down menu in the upper right corner. Warm and humid wishes to you all.  – Zach