backlog: back on the boat

My cheeks are a bit pink with sunburn – a visual manifestation of the only real expectation I brought with me this summer here in the Dominican Republic. Six days in and I’m finally feeling more accustomed to the tropical humidity, catcalls, and Dominican Spanish.

To clarify: I’ve come to the glorious island of Hispaniola for a summer internship facilitated through an exchange program between Columbia University and the Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo (UASD). Dr. Linda Cushman started the exchange 10 years ago, as a program to provide public health students the opportunity to “gain an understanding of the culture, and the social and health factors affecting Latinos on both sides of the ‘Air Bridge’ (NYC and Santo Domingo), through class instruction, observation of public health practice sites, and the practical application of public health methodology in local non-governmental organizations.” The 10 week practicum is designed to meet the needs of health professionals who will be working with Dominican and other Latino youth and families whose experience with the US is characterized by circular migration, and accordingly to improve the capacity of practitioners serving Latinos. At the same time, participating fulfills my academic requirements of a 280-hour practicum and lets me bring my Spanish up to a working/functioning level.

We spent the first week meeting with various important types – someone from the ministry of health, another big up from the university, meeting local university students – and trying to get settled in – trying mofongo and mangú, purchasing cell phones, and signing two month leases on terrazzo floored apartments. Concerning the latter, Margaret and I got lucky with our apartment: a spacious fourth floor 2 bedroom set up, full of rattan wicker furniture and ceiling fans. We even have a respectable maid’s quarter adjacent to the “washing machine” (which is a funny contraption worthy of a separate entry). Kate and Viv were not as lucky, and after finding *their* place too dismal for taking, have started looking elsewhere (something of a nightmare here in STO DMG, evidently) and have spent the week sleeping at our pad. It’s been a full fun house.

As we have yet to begin our actual work we’ve spent our time eating ice-cream, walking along the Malécon, and fantasizing about future weekend trips to the popular tourist destinations with aquamarine waters (evidently the sea and sands closest to Santo Domingo, the capital where I’m living, are heavily polluted and the water is too rough for swimming…). Vamos a ver.

Some images from week one:

At the Ministry of Health:


The four of us (Kate, Margaret, Vivian, y yo):


In the neighborhood:


Out and about -- preparing for a night of Bachata y Merenge:

Locals: