I got here safely last night around midnight. My flight was delayed in Philadelphia, and then we sat waiting to take off for a half hour. I got my first taste of Dominican culture on the plane. The flight was about 99% Dominican. For one, all announcements were made in English and Spanish. When they first announced our wait to take off, it was in English and there was little response. But when it came on in Spanish, everyone was up in arms complaining and groaning. I couldn't help but laugh. This is definitely a much more expressive culture in certain areas. Sitting across the aisle from me was an elderly Dominican. When the flight attendants came around with customs forms, she tapped me on the shoulder and told me she couldn't write. She handed me all of her paperwork and I filled in her forms for her. It was my first test of Spanish, and I fared quite well for my first time. The flight was almost a party non stop. One man had bought a bottle of rum and was sharing it with anyone who wanted some. And when we landed in Santo Domingo, the entire plane erupted in cheers and clapping.

I woke up this morning with a little scare, I couldn't find my passport. But, surprisingly I wasn't too worried. I figured there was no point in freaking out about the possibility of me losing my passport. I will get a new one eventually so why let it ruin my day? So we started the day off with Claire Henry meeting us at the hotel. We had breakfast at a nearby restaurant, I had some sort of beef with a mashed plaintain dish like potatoes. After that, we walked down to the colonial section of town, sort of like the old town and saw the local shopping street, much like the ones in Europe. Our hotel is about s five minute walk from the ocean, but there are no beaches here, and for good reason. It started raining this afternoon, right once we got back to the hotel. I took a nap this afternoon and this evening we are heading out to church and a concert. Tomorrow, training for two days begins and then I leave for the field!