Las Terrenas-- first impressions

I have reached my intended final destination and let me tell you-- I'm pretty let down so far. Las Terrenas has been advertised, by Gueros and Domincanos alike, to be paradise.  So far, all I see is shit hemmed in with over-priced, over-advertised first-world consumerism and a beach that I wouldn't sit on for a minute; literally COVERED in trash of all varieties, from dirty diapers, broken glass and plastic cups and bottles to what looks like industrial waste barrels and oil containers.  However, I've only seen a tiny, tiny portion of a town that seems to be surprisingly larger than I had originally anticipated.  

Getting here was a cinch. The trip on the guagua-- a minivan, essentially, that is converted into a bus for public transport in the city that goes all over the countryside-- was fabulous.  I'd heard so many horror stories about being a ingle white female traveling on one and none of them were true.  I paid the same amount everyone else did; I was treated with much respect by the men and women on the bus and I had tons of fun.  People were curious about me, certainly, but we chatted in Spanish about America (lots of questions about Obama, something that is becoming more and more common as I get ballsier and able to chat openly in Spanish with strangers); we bumped the whole way to VERY loud merenge; shared tostones and generally had a blast.  I would suggest it to anyone-- for a 3 hour ride, it cost me $7 bucks.  No better way to mingle with the locals and see the countryside.  

On the way into town, after we passed over the cleft of some very high mountains at a snails pace and I got fantastic views of the Samana Peninsula below, we began to come into Las Terrenas and I saw just how in flux this place is.  There was tons of new construction-- big homes, bigger hotels interspersed with prostitution hovels and little huts propped up with sticks and held together with, yes, duct tape.  In the town itself, there are Ferraris and dirty ATV's; parillada stands and five-star restaurants; a rolex shop and thrift stores whose wares look to be covered in grime and full of holes.  I can see why The Gandhi foundation is here and I can't wait to begin work, on Monday at 10.  

I found Casa Paz easily enough and met my neighbors.  The house was advertised to be in a safe part of town but I would highly disagree.  I had to literally scream and stamp my foot at one man who would simply not leave me alone as I was trying to find the house and he only laughed.  I heard that the man situation was much worse-- there's a type of predator called Sanky-Pankys  that refuse to take no for an answer-- and I think he was one of those.  The level of poverty here makes everything seem a bit sharper-- people need more, therefore they will not be afraid to take more.  I will be super-aware, however.  I'm certainly using my voice and body to project an air of "Go Fuck Yourself-ness" and I think it is working. Back to Casa Paz....

The house itself is lovely.  A nice kitchen, tiled bathroom and bedrooms.  I met two of my roomies, Ingrid, whom I share a bedroom with from Norway and Katie, from London.  Both young (under 21) and like I was at that age, they seem to love to party.  The first thing they asked me was, "Are you rested, because we're throwing a party tonight." Oy. They then told me they only just gotten out of bed, at 2 pm.  That being said, they were both very friendly; Ingrid had laid out bed clothes for me (even though I brought my own sheets) and Katie offered me everything from peanut brittle to clean sheets. I think we'll get along, even though I'm an old lady.  And as a little aside here-- my closest friends know that I generally get along much better with men than women and that every attempt at living in a house full of women has gone terribly, woefully wrong for me in the past.  Well, here I am, essentially living in a sorority house.  Me?!!  Thor and I were discussing some of the things the universe is asking me to learn on this adventure before I left-- patience, faith, the ability to release control of things, etc.  Well, here's another-- get along with girls. And somehow, I think it's all going to work out fine.

I have great access here so  I will try and post each day, if possible.  Wish me luck in what feels like yet another entirely new planet....