Adios por ahora, mis estudiantes! (Goodbye for now, my students!) I hope you learned a lot about Dominican culture and my life as a volunteer here.
I felt like a tourist when I first came to the Dominican Republic, but now I am aplatanada. Aplatanada is a term used when a foreign person has adopted the cultures and rhythm of life from the local culture in which they live in. I have definetly adapted to the culture and feel like an American-Dominican in my heart! I spend my Tuesday nights dancing merengue and bachata, I go on walks through the Domincan finas (farms) of my community on Thursdays, and I spend my weekends playing dominos at the local colmados (stores).
I am so lucky to have the opportunity of being a Peace Corps volunteer and giving my time to teach English, dance, music and exercise at the local schools of San Rafael. If you would like to be a volunteer someday, learn another language, adapt to another culture, and see the beauty of the world through humanitarian work look into Peace Corps' opportunities when you are older! A job working from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. does not have to be your career and life purpose.
