Exercise

September 17, 2010

Day 13

Friday was just another day at the office.  Let me rephrase, another LONG day at the office.  Again, we didn’t leave until 8:30pm.  I did some more document translation and research.  In the afternoon we went to pick up the kids from school and had lunch at home like usual.  I think lunchtime is my favorite part of the day.  First of all, the route we take to pick up the kids has a beautiful view of the water.  I am so much happier when I can see water.  I also always look forward to the DELICIOUS meals that Nanita prepares.  On Friday she made lasagna for everyone but made me chicken instead.  She is too sweet! Even my parents still forget that I don’t eat wheat, and she already gets it.

September 18, 2010

Day 14

Saturday was a lovely day.  We all catch up on our sleep that we miss during the week on the weekends but I do not like to sleep too late because I hate wasting the day.  After a relaxing morning, Cynthia and I decided to bake a cake with my gluten free chocolate cake mix.  Usually a cake mix is pretty easy but as you can guess, it was much more difficult here.  First of all, we didn’t have water so the cleanup process took a lot longer.  I also do not think they bake very much here so we had to make some substitutions.  I also was able to conclude that they didn’t bake a lot when Cynthia asked me if we could just bake the cake in the microwave instead.  While the cake was cooking I realized why they do not bake a lot here: it is too hot! The oven adds about 10 extra degrees to the already hot kitchen and that is just unnecessary. Needless to say, we were able to make the cake and it turned out a little dry but not too bad. I think the problem was that the pan we used was too big and the cake was overcooked.  We will experiment another time. 

Something great happened in the afternoon: I finally got to run! Woohoo. Yes, I was so excited to go to the park with the family to get some exercise.  I mean, how can I be a healthy traveler if I am not exercising? The park by their house is very nice and a great place to run, ride a bicycle, walk or rollerblade.  There were so many people there and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.  There is a street that goes through the park that is closed to cars for a certain time during the day.  It is nice to have all of that open space to run or do whatever.  For security purposes, I ran in a small section of the park so I wasn’t by myself.  Cynthia warned me before I went about sketchy people who may ask you for favors or for the time, etc. I reassured her that I wouldn’t be helping them because I probably wouldn’t understand what they were saying anyway.  I had a great time at the park with my new family and of course the family dog, TiTi. I almost forgot, we had frozen yogurt after too! Yumm!

September 19, 2010

Day 15

Sunday was another relaxing weekend day.  I had a slow, relaxing morning and read a lot of Eat, Pray, Love. I just finished the Eat section of the book and now I really want to go to Italy (and eat too).   Teresa prepared a beautiful and delicious lunch.  My plate was a beautiful display of shrimp and vegetables.  Not only is she a good cook, but the food looks pretty too.  Around 4:00 we went to the Dominican Fiesta Hotel to go to the pool. I got a membership card so I can use their facilities.  They have a nice gym and a beautiful pool.  The kids did homework but Teresa and I went swimming.  Yes, two days in a row of exercise and I am already feeling more like myself.  I am planning to go back to Dominican Fiesta to work out some time during this week. (Mom, do not worry, it is very safe!)  At night we went to that church again that I didn’t like last week.  The first part is OK, I just really dislike the part where they turn off the lights and the lady speaks in tongues and everyone gets all riled up.  The priest (during the regular part) was actually pretty likeable and actually quite funny.  Surprisingly, I could understand a lot of what he was saying and enough to even laugh at a joke.  I still would prefer that we went to the first church but I guess I will just have to deal with it. 

I am looking forward to another busy and exciting week here in Santo Domingo.  Teresa made me a schedule for the rest of my time here so I am excited to see that too.  I am really into schedules and plans and love to know what is going on.  Hope everyone had a good weekend!

Fun Facts

1.       TiTi and I are in a fight because she likes my room too much if you know what I mean. I try to be nice to her but I just can’t be when I am so mad at her.  I clearly do not have that unconditional love people have for their children and pets.

2.       We didn’t have water for most of the day Saturday.

3.       There was an old lady in church wearing a shirt that said (in English) “Latin Lover”. You can’t make up that kind of stuff. I wish taking pictures in church was appropriate.

4.       If you do not have buttermilk or plain yogurt for a chocolate cake recipe, strawberry yogurt works pretty well too and gives it a nice extra flavor.

5.       Little speedo bathing suits are really popular for guys here.  Lovely.

6.       Everyone has big jugs of water in their homes here (the size you can put on a water cooler but we do not have the cooler part, just the jug) and when they run out a man on a moped or bicycle brings a replacement one up to your apartment. How convenient!  

Mosquito bite count: 3 new ones since the last time I posted.  Who gets a bite on their toe?

Peace,
Jaclyn