Local Living
For the majority of the dialogue, we have been living in the Colonial Zone of Santo Domingo, which has a mix of local residents and tourists. Luckily, there are a lot of events where you can meet local people. For example, every Sunday night, there is an event with live music and dancing which is well attended by locals. Two of my friends were even pulled into dance with locals at that event. Everyone is super friendly and helpful, and some even try to make conversation with you. Every Thursday night, there is a jazz concert, which is also well-attended by locals.
Another way people on the dialogue have met locals is through going to local restaurants. In between classes everyday, most people go to a local cafeteria-style place that serves lunch foods. The women who work there are very friendly and we have gotten to know them well. Many local residents and workers are usually there when we are there too, so sometimes we talk to them.
As far as local shopping goes, I have not spent much money here. My friend, however, bought a copy of a Harry Potter book in Spanish at La Sirena, a Dominican department store. I also know of a few people who purchased manicures and pedicures at a very good price. My favorite purchase, though, has to be from the Dominican ice cream chain Bon. They make really good frozen yogurt where you choose what 3 flavors you want and then they mix them with a base to create the flavored yogurt. It’s better than the frozen yogurt in America where you choose one pre-made flavor and mix toppings in afterwards.
I am a big fan of the Dominican currency. The bills are all really colorful. Some are pink, some are purple, some are bright turquoise, and it is really easy to find places to exchange your US dollars for Dominican pesos. As for keeping to a budget, I have not found it to be a huge problem because everything is so inexpensive here. Even going out to a restaurant only ends up costing around $7-8 a person, which is incredible coming from Boston where sometimes we spend $20 a person. At the place where I like to get empanadas, I usually end up spending around $3 for a filling meal. It is great.
