Jordan Bramblett
Dominican Republic Study Abroad
May 17th, 2014
Day One
The Start: I started my day arriving at the Lexington
Bluegrass airport to board my plane at 6:30 this morning. I was still tired
from the night before by staying up late finishing up my last minute packing.
My first connecting flight was to the Dallas airport with an hour layover then
headed to Miami for a 5 Hour layover.
During the flights I was able to catch up on my sleep.
When I got
to Miami I got the chance to link up and hang out with my Uncle JoJo. He picked
me up from the airport and we ended up going to the Dolphin Mall in Miami. We
went to some restaurant where they offered a free beer with the meal, so of
course we had to eat there. They had some really good fish, rice, and some
“soup style” spinach that was a good topping for the food. I also had
Plantains for the first time and they were really good. I believe they are a
dessert style of bananas. Top it off with Two Coronas with a Lime and Good
Conversation and I had a smooth little time with Uncle JoJo. I was glad we were
able to kick it and hangout while I was in Miami for a little bit of time. The
last time I spent time with my uncle was either during the time of my
grandmother’s funeral, or when I came to Miami for spring break in 2012. The
time spent was well needed.
When JoJo
dropped me back off at the airport I spent some time being around the Oklahoma
Sooners University athletic team. My assumption was that they were traveling to Haiti to
help out the people in those impoverished communities (due to the shirts they
were wearing.) #Sooners4Haiti
Once I
found the gate we were boarding, it was like all the students traveling abroad
with me tended to come in one by one. Everyone was excited to see one another
and to be finally boarding the plane to the Dominican Republic. The flight to
the DR seemed quick to me.
The first
step off the plane, the humidity hit me. Real muggy, thick humidity especially
since it was around 7:30 that evening. Baggage claim was smooth for everyone
except Josh, it’s crazy because I knew that someone was going to lose his or
her luggage and I just knew with my luck it would be me. I’m glad it wasn’t me.
ISA met us
outside the airport and together we traveled in something like a “charter van”
to each person’s home-stay. While we were
riding we got to see the Santiago (the city we are staying in) city streets.
Almost something like what you would see on the TV. Poverty in the city is
pretty clear and evident with the city and the environment. I seen police or
security guards walking around or monitoring stores with shotguns in their
laps. Kind of blew me away. One thing I would’ve never guessed to see is a
damn Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant. Small World. The Irony.
Once I
arrived to my Home-stay house, the first person I seen was Sean Hardiman (the
“Radcliff Connection” is everywhere I tell you!) Sean and I are both from Radcliff, and we both graduated from North Hardin High. Sean and Josh are my roommates
while I’m over here abroad.
As I walked into the house I met my home-stay aunt.
Small petite woman, she seems very nice though. She greeted us with a hug and a
kiss on the check as she welcomed us into our home. Apparently my home-stay
parents are traveling out of town and won’t be here for the first week. Cool
Beans, I guess.
Once I dropped my bags off in my room, the first thing I said to
her was, “Donde esta la comida, Soy es muy hambre” which translates to, “Where
is the food, I am very hungry.” Although that sounds very rude, I promise I
said this is the nicest polite way that I could’ve said it to her.
She fed us
white rice, chicken, potato salad, and some beans. The food was really
good. I almost made the mistake of using
the ice cubes though to drink my coke-cola. I say this is a mistake because they say the water isn't good for you, and you know that the ice cubes are made from the water. From what Josh said, he believes
that coke-cola is a fairly popular beverage here in the DR.
After the
meal, we sat around the table and talked a little bit and tried to figure out
the Wi-Fi passcode to the house. It’s crazy how much we depend and take for
granted the access to technology that we have. We were in here losing our mind,
constantly checking our phone just out of habit. So far this experience has
already been a good eye opener.
I’m excited
to see how the day will go tomorrow. Going to bed at midnight on the first
night was something I didn’t expect but with nothing to do, I might as well get
some rest. More words, and more
experiences tomorrow!
#BreezingInTheDR
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