This week has flown by!

This week has flown by really fast! We had class Monday through Thursday and then today, we went on a trip to see two sugar plantations and then a beautiful beach. I can’t believe the first week is already over.

So far, we have been staying in the Hodelpa Caribbe Coloniale in the Colonial Zone in Santo Domingo. It is a very nice hotel in an area that has a lot of local character. There are always locals around, several local and touristy restaurants, and live music. Last Sunday, we went to a concert with traditional music and dancing. Two of my friends were even pulled onto the dance floor to dance. Last night, we went to see a live jazz concert near the hotel. It was a lot of fun.

Our class takes place at the Hodelpa Nicolas de Ovando, which is a beautiful hotel with a nice pool. It is a short walk from our hotel. We have our classes in a comfortable, air-conditioned conference room.

There are tons of cheap, authentic food options around. There is one restaurant in particular that I have been to several times already with delicious $1 empanadas, and in-between classes, several students have been going to a restaurant with excellent local food like rice, beans, and delicious chicken.

So far, it has been very easy to meet the other students in the program! Everyone is extremely friendly. We all live in the same hotel, and everyone always invites everyone else to go out with them when they go out to eat, or to a store, or anything in general. Everyone seems to be making an effort to genuinely get to know everyone. At our hotel, we have all been hanging out almost nightly on the terrace on the top floor, playing card games, listening to music, and just talking.