Culture Shock Anyone???!!!

Come Home to Mama!

It wasn’t getting off the plane in Sept. 07 with all the other gringos that I experienced culture shock. It was after being in the Dominican Republic for a year and then going back to where I have lived for 24 years that I really experienced culture shock for the first time! And just as intense is the culture shock in returning to the D.R. from the U.S. It is wild to say the least. I feel like I have been gone for far more than 2 months.

3 cities in 3 days! Is it possible? Of course, but I came to the U.S. on Dominican time so I did it in 15 days. I spent the last 15 days doing my favorite things and seeing my favorite people in the world! Not to mention enjoying some of the luxuries of life that I have been deprived of for the last 13 months! You said it…. I took hot showers twice a day, indulged in Ice Coffee with Soy Milk, ate Soy Delicious and had mom’s good old apple pie for breakfast. It just doesn’t get better than sleeping in on a cold morning, watching TV on the couch and eating apple pie! I got the “Best Of” New England; relived an old pastime—apple-picking with my parents—and went sailing on G-Whiz (name of our 20 – yr – old boat). The wind was perfect and I remembered that I know how to sail!

I also aprovechared (took advantage of) my time in the U.S. a bit and went to visit Fairhaven High School to set up some pen pals for my English Class. It was quite shocking to be back in a U.S. high school, to say the least. I know that it was only about 7 years ago that I was a senior in high school, but I walked through the halls with very different legs then and saw things with new eyes this time around. First of all, I could not believe how nice Fairhaven High is. I couldn’t help but think that the students in my community would just be shell-shocked and not have a clue what to make of the tile floors, the high ceilings and all the green lockers.
I could not go to the U.S. without visiting my mom’s Kindergarten class, which was an absolute hoot! Living in the D.R. and constantly being surrounded by children I forgot how funny kids are! We had so much fun singing songs in Spanish. I got to visit Mrs. Oien’s music class as well. She played the guitar while the students sang a good morning song in Spanish. It is shocking how lucky Dartmouth, MA is to have the schools we have. There is a library right in the school. We don’t have a library in Duveaux. One of the most stunning things was how excited the kids were about books. I could write forever about all the privileges I noticed and pondered throughout my trip, but I will spare you. So, I said bye to mom and Dad and headed to the city of the new World Series Champions. Go Phillies!!! Sharon (my sis) and I went to the Art museum to see a quilt exhibit from Gee’s Bend (no relation to G - Whiz). It was remarkable how beautiful the quilts were and kind of reminded me of how some see art in what others see as necessity. So Philadelphia prepared me or attempted to prepare me for the City that never sleeps…. N.y.c.! Too many people!!! And just too much stuff! I love the place, but it is overwhelming to say the least. I did get to see a Story Pirates show, which is in line with my works these days…. www.storypirates.org ….. a writing program in the 5 boroughs of New York that performs the stories kids write!
Back to the campo today! I am sure Whiley anxiously awaits! Much love to the U.S.