Costa Esmeralda

This past weekend, a group of us finally made the trip to Michés and Costa Esmeralda. Michés is a seaside town 90 minutes north of my city of El Seibo. The coast that begins in Michés and moves east along the Bay of Samaná and the Atlantic Ocean is known as the Emerald Coast and is one that is undeveloped and absurdly beautiful. People in and around my site have ranted and raved about this, the nearest beach to my site, since day one and I finally took the opportunity to see what all the hype is about.

The trip was almost scrapped at the last second due to the unrelenting rains that have dictated life here in the DR for the past few weeks. But some bravery and a propensity to roll the dice and trust that all things will fall together got us on the bus north. The bus ride from El Seibo to Michés is worth the trip itself. The climb up into the Cordillera Oriental passes through lush green mountains, by large waterfalls and to the northern coast. It was something straight out of Jurassic Park.

The beach at the city of Michés leaves much to be desired but a 3-hour walk along the coast will lead to Playa Esmeralda, a hidden gem and one of the DR’s most beautiful beaches. The long walk flies by as you cross rivers, climb drooping palm trees and stop periodically to cool off in the calm waters. In the 8 hours we were away, we never saw so much as one human being (almost). The rains stayed away. The beach was ours.

I would love to post photos that show just how beautiful the Emerald Coast is, but on our walk back to the city to catch the USA/Ghana match, we finally ran into 2 human beings, 20 minutes from our destination. These human beings decided to rob us. My camera with the day’s photos was taken by two ladrónes with broken bottles and bad attitudes. Michés has a reputation for being a bit caliente, so we knew not to bring much cash or valuables. Our cameras and small amounts of pesos were all they got away with. In the end, we walked away unscathed aside from some pretty serious sunburn, annoyed about being robbed by 2 tigueres with broken bottles.

While my first experience as the victim of a crime in the DR put a blight on the trip, the deserted beach, the impeccable weather and the 6 hour walk through Caribbean beauty was fantastic. Playa Esmeralda is, to the point, the most beautiful beach I’ve seen in the Dominican.

Nueba Yol

I have survived my first trip home to the States during my service and am now slowly readjusting to life back here in the DR. Being in America after a 10-month stay in the Caribbean was interesting. Not nearly as strange as I thought it might be but a change of pace to be sure.

Only after removing myself from the rat race that is American life was I truly able to see it for what it is. It makes me more thankful for the tranquility of life here in the DR even while knowing that when my time here is up, I will reenter said rat race without missing a step. Inevitable. Until that day, I have much time to cogerlo suave aquí.

America is a pretty wild and incredible place. A land of consumerism and hot water on demand. Of personal motor vehicles and freaky fast internet. Wild and incredible.

Now I’m back and it’s summer, aka Hurricane Season. The rain is even worse than it was when I left (which I didn’t believe possible). Most days seem to be spent indoors waiting for the rains to pass. Thank Dios for podcasts and books. School is out and daily schedules have changed completely. I feel like I am having to learn the daily life of my community all over again.

So I’m readjusting back to Dominican life and summer schedules, starting to use Spanish again after a 2-week hiatus and waiting for the first of many hurricanes predicted to pummel the Caribbean. It’s going to be an interesting summer.

Moho

The rainy season may have just begun, but it is already kicking my ass. The constant rain keeps everyone indoors and makes holding regularly scheduled classes and/or meetings a near impossibility. The constant rain has also turned my small apartment into a breeding ground for moho, or mold.

I don’t have a back door to help air pass through my place and have persiana windows that do not let in large amounts of sunlight. Those things coupled with the rains have made things good and damp in my apartment for the past few weeks. The dampness and humidity have led to lots of moho. I am fortunate that my apartment itself is made of bloc and not wood, but all of my furniture is wooden and currently black, blue and fuzzy. The mold on my dresser has spread to clothes and the mold on shelves has spread to books and papers. Lots of stuff had to be thrown out.

The past few days have been full of scrubbing everything with bleach and asking neighbors and businesses where one can buy a dehumidifier, which has led to blank stares and mistranslations. Apparently they are far from common down here. So for now it is just bleach baths for all of my belongings and hoping that my black fuzzy roommate has gone away for good. Vamos a ver.