Sunday in Santo Domingo... like I previously mentioned, nothing is opened or everybody is staying inside, spending time with their families. Yesterday was Father's Day in Dominican Republic, so again no one was out.
Fortunately, some persons were free and we did something which reminded me of home: we went to a local supermarket. It reminded me of home, because usually, during week-ends in Romania, I go shopping with my parents. It's like a tradition... I don't know exactly why we are doing that, maybe because my mom gets bored in the house or because we need to buy food for the entire week, but it's a tradition for me. And yesterday I did the same thing here.
We went to buy food for 3 days. We did it in a very cool way: we calculated for each meal what we want to cook/eat and we were careful with the money. We did not spend too much or we didn't buy things we didn't really need. I bought nectarines and when I ate them I felt like home :) I always tried to explain to everybody back home that life here is much more expensive, because of the inflation maybe. So, for example, yesterday we spent almost 200 RON for the food for 2-3 days. That's just because we were very very careful. Otherwise, in McDonalds for example, you pay for a full menu 20 RON. Which for me it's very expensive in comparison with Romania.
But today it was a totally different story. There are so many things that remind me of home. And so many things that I do just because something from home remindes me that I should do. Every stupid thing sticks to your mind when you are all alone and you need to take care of yourself. For example, I always check my nails or my ears, just because my mom was obsessed that I do that every day before I left home to work or any meeting. And from the other point of view, things that remind me of home: the "stuffed" animals :) Back home I have a small lion and a bear from Ferrari called Pini :) and a donkey called Iha :) And sometimes when I'm talking with my parents on Skype they show them. Today my parents asked me to smile and to really kiss them :) and then they showed the animals to me. It was for the first time then I cried. But I managed to finish the conversation before they realized that I was crying...
Today was the first official day when I realized I miss home, my parents, how I used to make jokes with them, the confort, the food, the fact that I didn't need to take care of every little thing concerning me...
Monday, July 26, 2010
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Unaware
Maybe it is my fault also... maybe I've been looking for it. But what I can honestly admit, I don't know what I feel anymore.
Yesterday it was the first day when we decided we want to start visit the city. I was so so happy that finally we were starting to move and stop working :) We went to visit the aquarium, which is very nice. Nothing like Romania, very cute organized and it looked really nice. They had so many types of fishes and turtles... and then you could see the sea, which was so interesting... We don't have that in Romania and the feeling to have the water in front of you, that big water... with the rocks and stuff... Part of me was feeling like I was in Greece, but the temperature reminded me that I was in the Carribean.
After we visited the aquarium, we wanted to visit something more. We had all our cameras, I had my video camera, so... why not try more? So we went to see Faro a Colon (Columb's lighthouse). Very weird building, in a cross shape, but horizontally, because it has some lights on it and if they are powered on, they project on the skype the shape of a cross. The building is not spectacular in beauty, but just by being weird and because of the idea it had in the back, it's interesting.
This is where the fun begins. You know... if you see a spider-web... some of them have something already caught in the web, in order to attrack other victims. Thinking at what happened yesterday, I feel the same. Somewhere, in the park next to the lighthouse, there was a ball. Yes, a steel ball. So we were curious to find out what it was, so we walked to check it out. I don't think it took more that 3 minutes and 2 guys showed up, took their guns out and they asked for everything. We just froze and we gave everything. They took my bag, which had the video camera, the cell-phone and the wallet, which had all all ID cards from Romania, money and MasterCard/Visa cards. Everything happened in less than 30 seconds. We were lucky because they didn't spend too much time so they missed a phone (so we could call immediately to block our cards) and the car keys. Also, we got lucky because apparently, there was a chance of not getting alive from there. Learning point: never look in their eyes/faces; look down - otherwise you might not get out alive. But, no one told anything before about this so, we looked at them... that was one little mistake we did :)
For me this entire experience is completely weird. First it is my fifth time in one year an half when I'm very close to dying. Second, because my good friend passed away one month ago shot by a gun. Third, because when the plane took off I was so calm...I said to my self, if the plane crashes, I'm totally satisfied with everything. I don't regret anything. But yesterday, I didn't want to die like that. And when I saw the guns, my mind was totally occupied with my friend. He died like that. Will it happen to me also?
I don't know what to say. I don't know what I feel. All the details are written here. Everybody is ok, we didn't get hurt, we are all alive. I don't want to come back home, I'm not scared about that... but I don't know what I feel anymore. And I cannot understand why is this happening to me so often?! All I know right now is that I'm really confused...
Yesterday it was the first day when we decided we want to start visit the city. I was so so happy that finally we were starting to move and stop working :) We went to visit the aquarium, which is very nice. Nothing like Romania, very cute organized and it looked really nice. They had so many types of fishes and turtles... and then you could see the sea, which was so interesting... We don't have that in Romania and the feeling to have the water in front of you, that big water... with the rocks and stuff... Part of me was feeling like I was in Greece, but the temperature reminded me that I was in the Carribean.
After we visited the aquarium, we wanted to visit something more. We had all our cameras, I had my video camera, so... why not try more? So we went to see Faro a Colon (Columb's lighthouse). Very weird building, in a cross shape, but horizontally, because it has some lights on it and if they are powered on, they project on the skype the shape of a cross. The building is not spectacular in beauty, but just by being weird and because of the idea it had in the back, it's interesting.
This is where the fun begins. You know... if you see a spider-web... some of them have something already caught in the web, in order to attrack other victims. Thinking at what happened yesterday, I feel the same. Somewhere, in the park next to the lighthouse, there was a ball. Yes, a steel ball. So we were curious to find out what it was, so we walked to check it out. I don't think it took more that 3 minutes and 2 guys showed up, took their guns out and they asked for everything. We just froze and we gave everything. They took my bag, which had the video camera, the cell-phone and the wallet, which had all all ID cards from Romania, money and MasterCard/Visa cards. Everything happened in less than 30 seconds. We were lucky because they didn't spend too much time so they missed a phone (so we could call immediately to block our cards) and the car keys. Also, we got lucky because apparently, there was a chance of not getting alive from there. Learning point: never look in their eyes/faces; look down - otherwise you might not get out alive. But, no one told anything before about this so, we looked at them... that was one little mistake we did :)
For me this entire experience is completely weird. First it is my fifth time in one year an half when I'm very close to dying. Second, because my good friend passed away one month ago shot by a gun. Third, because when the plane took off I was so calm...I said to my self, if the plane crashes, I'm totally satisfied with everything. I don't regret anything. But yesterday, I didn't want to die like that. And when I saw the guns, my mind was totally occupied with my friend. He died like that. Will it happen to me also?
I don't know what to say. I don't know what I feel. All the details are written here. Everybody is ok, we didn't get hurt, we are all alive. I don't want to come back home, I'm not scared about that... but I don't know what I feel anymore. And I cannot understand why is this happening to me so often?! All I know right now is that I'm really confused...
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
One month in Wonderland
I just celebrated one month in the Dominican Republic.
The strangest thing is that I'm not shocked and I don't feel like I don't belong here or I miss home. I don't miss home, I don't wait to go home, I'm just doing my work. Every day I wake up, going downstairs in the office and start working. Sometimes I go to the LC office and help them with some events or work in their office. Everything seems so normal for me. I was afraid that I might be tired without any holiday after the MC term in Romania. But actually I feel that I didn't finish it and it's just continuous work. I'm working during week-end, during the nights sometimes, on last-minute things, but this is normal for me. I did that for 3 years already. I cannot stop or I cannot wish for something else for me. It's so normal...
During this month, I learned more about the culture, about the people here, about me, and also about more cultures. During our informal meetings, with the members, EPs, trainees etc, we realized that we are one of the most international team possible. When we watched the final football match from the World Championship, we were in the same room almost 15 different countries: Romania, Russia, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, France, Marocco, Peru, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Canada, USA, Portugal, Columbia, Costa Rica. Which is so cool, because you can discover so many things about so many countries, in the same place: Dominican Republic. But in the same time, it's not so good. This country needs to get on its feet and to start working by itselves. It's not cool to have so many cultures if they are represented by trainees and by MC members or CEEDers.
Why we call it Wonderland? Because you never know what is going to happen:
* the electricity might went off
* something might blow on the street
* a bar might ask you your ID card (even if you are 23 years old)
* everything closes at 22:00 (including Gas stations)
* bars in week-ends close at 1:30 a.m.
* the code phone is 001 like in the USA
* the lights of the street are powered by the supermarket on the street (so everytime the supermarket closes, the street lights went off)
* a weird guy passes on the street at the same hour with a horse ride
* people twitter while jogg
* when the electricity wents off so does the water and the internet
* you have AC everywhere except houses where people live (usually, in a bus, you open the window to get some fresh air; here you open it to get heat inside the bus)
* Sunday everybody stays inside the house (not even supermarkets are opened on Sundays)
* even though Dominican Republic is an island, people here don't know how to swim,
* if you want to listen international music good luck finding a place where you can do that
* if you want to find out where Irish Pub is good luck with that one also
* and so many more we cannot remember now
So far, my entire experience was very interesting for me. I discovered how to be very pacience and how to open my mind very much in order to understand so many cultures and the country. I will try in the future to write more often about my experience here... maybe I will have time :)
PS: we just started the recruitment and I need to tell you that is very interesting to be MC VP Communication that does the work of OC Promotion of a recruitment :)
The strangest thing is that I'm not shocked and I don't feel like I don't belong here or I miss home. I don't miss home, I don't wait to go home, I'm just doing my work. Every day I wake up, going downstairs in the office and start working. Sometimes I go to the LC office and help them with some events or work in their office. Everything seems so normal for me. I was afraid that I might be tired without any holiday after the MC term in Romania. But actually I feel that I didn't finish it and it's just continuous work. I'm working during week-end, during the nights sometimes, on last-minute things, but this is normal for me. I did that for 3 years already. I cannot stop or I cannot wish for something else for me. It's so normal...
During this month, I learned more about the culture, about the people here, about me, and also about more cultures. During our informal meetings, with the members, EPs, trainees etc, we realized that we are one of the most international team possible. When we watched the final football match from the World Championship, we were in the same room almost 15 different countries: Romania, Russia, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, France, Marocco, Peru, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Canada, USA, Portugal, Columbia, Costa Rica. Which is so cool, because you can discover so many things about so many countries, in the same place: Dominican Republic. But in the same time, it's not so good. This country needs to get on its feet and to start working by itselves. It's not cool to have so many cultures if they are represented by trainees and by MC members or CEEDers.
Why we call it Wonderland? Because you never know what is going to happen:
* the electricity might went off
* something might blow on the street
* a bar might ask you your ID card (even if you are 23 years old)
* everything closes at 22:00 (including Gas stations)
* bars in week-ends close at 1:30 a.m.
* the code phone is 001 like in the USA
* the lights of the street are powered by the supermarket on the street (so everytime the supermarket closes, the street lights went off)
* a weird guy passes on the street at the same hour with a horse ride
* people twitter while jogg
* when the electricity wents off so does the water and the internet
* you have AC everywhere except houses where people live (usually, in a bus, you open the window to get some fresh air; here you open it to get heat inside the bus)
* Sunday everybody stays inside the house (not even supermarkets are opened on Sundays)
* even though Dominican Republic is an island, people here don't know how to swim,
* if you want to listen international music good luck finding a place where you can do that
* if you want to find out where Irish Pub is good luck with that one also
* and so many more we cannot remember now
So far, my entire experience was very interesting for me. I discovered how to be very pacience and how to open my mind very much in order to understand so many cultures and the country. I will try in the future to write more often about my experience here... maybe I will have time :)
PS: we just started the recruitment and I need to tell you that is very interesting to be MC VP Communication that does the work of OC Promotion of a recruitment :)
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