Settling in

So here I am. It's hard for me to believe that this is where I will be for the next year of my life. That was the hardest thing about leaving - not having any expectations since I've never been here before, and knowing I will be there for a whole year. I woke up the first morning and it really hit me, and that was hard. But the past 2 nights have really helped me to adjust to being here.

The first full day I was here I went to a going away party at a student's house. Apparently that was a big deal because normally STINTers only go to students' houses on special occasions, so it was pretty cool that I got to do that on my first day. It was awesome to meet some students (even though attempting to talk to them in Spanish was a struggle) because it helped me to see what this year will be like and who I will be working with. The students are hilarious, just like any other college students. For example, the girl who was going away had this ridiculous "auction" where she asked questions about herself, and she gave however got it right some object. After about 3 we were all like "whaaat is this??!" because the first item was a poster with pictures (normal), then it was 2 shirts. SO random! So she finally explained that the items were sentimental. But then she gave away another shirt and someone said "you aren't gonna have any clothes when you go back home!" And she also gave away a pair of bermuda shorts, but said they weren't of any sentimental value; she just lost weight. So that was funny. At the party I also learned how to salsa dance for the first time! It was so fun! SO much better than American dancing where you have no idea what you're doing. It's awesome b/c there are steps to learn.

The other thing that helped me to feel more at home here was our team dinner last night. We had an authentic Maracuchen (=from Maracaibo) meal with rice, beans, shredded meat (like roast beef), and plantains. I loved it. The food here is so perfect b/c it's like a mix of DR food and Mexican food. YUM! After dinner we played a game of charades where everyone had to put in 2 words relating to their summer. After a person acted it out, whoever put the word in had to describe the story relating to that word. It was a great idea for us to actually share meaningful stories and tidbits about our summers. I like our team a lot :)

This week is supposed to be chill and relaxing and help us to adjust, which is really nice. We had a team meeting this morning and that's all we're doing until Monday. However, I haven't had much downtime, which isn't very relaxing for me. We keep going out and doing stuff, but I just want more time to relax in my room. Oh well, hopefully I will have more time to myself soon. Right now it is good to be hanging out with other people and getting acquainted with the city.