Settling in...
30 April, 2001 -- All 15 students arrived this past Wednesday
afternoon - a beautiful, sunny, warm afternoon - and all their luggage
arrived with them. We piled the luggage and bodies into a guagua
(minibus), which given the fact that 17 of us sat in seats for about
14, was a fitting 
welcome
to the Dominican Republic - a hot, sardine-style bus ride!
Our destination was Bettye's Guesthouse, a small hotel in the Colonial
City, where we spent the first night and following day. We enjoyed our
meals provided by Bettye's staff, with dinner and lunch served at her
cafe in a beautiful courtyard.
Thursday
was full of orientation sessions - our contacts from Entrena
(the language school) and UNPHU (the university where we have lectures)
talked about their organizations and what students can expect in the
next six weeks, along with various language and cultural differences.
Rafael Paz from Entrena (shown at left) illustrated how this is a culture
of the obvious with his first of several "truths" he shared with the
students - "you stick out!" Fortunately, he and others also provided
helpful advice on how to deal with these differences as well as how
to make the most of the opportunities in this adventure.
Next
it was time to meet the host families! We piled in the bus again
for the ride to UNPHU, the traditional meeting point. Excitement and
apprehension filled the air as introductions were made and hosts invited
students to their homes for the next six weeks. When we met at Entrena
the next morning, there were already plenty of stories to share!
- In the photo above picture (left to right) - Clay and Tonia chat with Cheryl, Oleidy Calcagno (Clay's host mother), and Esther Mateo (Tonia's host mother).
- Brett and Cheryl talk with his family (brother, mother, family friend, dad in blue shirt with back to camera - Williams, Lourdes, and Ariel Velez)
