Clases y Comida

I’ve resorted to writing blogs in advance on my laptop in Word, then posting them once I have internet. So far, I’ve found only a few places to get online:

The ISA Office on one of their PCs

Square One, which is a café in the Shell gas station. However, I always feel bad for just going in there and sitting down with my computer.

El Fogón, a bar right by my apartment. But… it’s always really busy and loud.

The university. Which is right across the street, but the wifi can be kind of spotty. There is a library, but it’s on the other end of campus and there’s a dress code.

It’s not like the lack-of-internet is really getting to me. For some reasons, I’m pretty glad that I don’t have it in my apartment. Otherwise, I’d be online all the time instead of exploring the city with people, reading the newspaper everyday, or watching E! and MTV in Spanish (hey, it’s still practice). However, it would definitely be so much easier to stay in touch with friends and family if I had wifi here.

Yesterday I chose my classes. I already had a bunch pre-approved at school, but I had no idea when they’d be, etc. Fortunately, no students in the study abroad programs ever have classes on Fridays. Which is awesome, and it’ll make it much easier to travel (and possibly work). As of now, I’m taking 6 classes:

Latin American Film and Society

Teaching English as a Second Language

Advanced Spanish Writing (this is the only one that has yet to be approved by my home university. I hope to hear from the coordinator soon)

Latin American Culture and Society

Dance

Swimming

Unlike most (if not all?) universities in the US, the class schedule is pretty random. I have most of them twice a week, but they’re at different times. Example: one of my classes is at 2pm on Tuesdays for 2 hours, and then at noon for an hour on Thursdays. I start classes on Thursday, and then this weekend we’re all going to Santo Domingo (the capital) for a night.

The food here is pretty different too. While there are McDonalds, Chilis, Burger Kings, etc, I’ve yet to go. Lunch is the main meal of the day here, and usually is composed of 4 or 5 dishes. It’s eaten between 12-1, and dinner (which is considerably smaller) is usually between 730-830.

I’ve liked pretty much all of the food here, so far. Two main things that need mentioned, however, are:
Empanadas- My DR book describes them as “ground beef filled pastries” (yeah I know it sounds nasty) but I’ve mostly seen them “pizza flavored” and filled with chicken. And when they say “pastries”, they mean flaky-goodness not unlike pie crust. And fried. Mm mmm…
Yaroa- Composed of multiple layers, including: French fries. A mix of chicken/onion/peppers. Barbeque sauce? Ketchup? Cheese. Then put in an oven for a minute so that the cheese is all melty. SO terrible for you but also SO AMAZING. I went to get some with one of my host brothers on Monday, then I dragged two of my friends for some more last night.


Yaroa

These two are mainly sold at food carts and stands, kind of like you’d see at a fair.

Other foods that I’ve had a lot for lunch:
Crema de Habichuelas Rojos- Creamed red bean soup (usually on top of rice)
Bistec encebollado- Beefsteak with onions
Aguacate- Avocado. Cut up into pieces with onion and covered in salt.
Plántanos- Usually sliced, fried, and covered in salt.
Yucca?- Like a potato, but not. It’s hard to explain. It’s good though.

Also, there’s also at least one salad with lunch, and rice. Rice is big here. Unsurprisingly.

That’s all for now… I don’t really know when I’ll have the chance to post this, but hopefully relatively soon.