I’ll countdown from what I miss the least to what I miss the most!
5) “Reliable” transportation
Remember Little Miss Sunshine? Yeah…
4) Dominican sound systems
In a country that ranks “No. 14 in the world for resource mismanagement” (good old Wikipedia), the people do not mismanage the opportunity to maximize on their sound systems. I honestly saw these kinds of rigs EVERYWHERE.
3) Gnawing on sugar cane in its stalk-form right there in the field prepared by machete.
2) Limoncillos
Sometimes called “quenepas” in other countries, this member of the “soapberry” family is delicious and is great on a lazy afternoon. The first time I had one was up at our baseball game in Lagunas de Nisibon. This picture of a delicious limoncillo was taken on Playa Sosua on the northern coast.
1) And the #1 thing I miss from my summer in the DR is my friend Naomi. It was great working with her, laughing together, eating Nutella, drinking Coca-Cola from glass bottles (so much better), reading a lot (or rather me watching in awe as she read the entire Game of Thrones series while I made bracelets), and being co-guides and roommates. She is always smiling, joking, laughing, dancing, jogging, and generally prancing around. She is elegant even when digging in gardens and painting houses!
Case in point:
Along with Brielle, she taught me a lot about Dominican dancing, and she intelligently resisted learning any of my Jersey dance moves. I have been begging her to come visit me as soon as possible at my new apartment in SF!
