First week

On Tuesday, we ran out of water for the first time. There was always enough for everyone, but strangely there was none left for us. For cases like this, you should fill a large container every two days to be prepared for such moments, but you don't really expect it on the second day. So we showered at the neighbors', etc. Difficult.

Well, then we started the day with a city tour that our Spanish teacher gave us. We saw the Catholic Church "Churcha", which is a landmark for Samana, and many other important places.

Among other things, the Mama Elba School, where I am allowed to support the teachers.

On Wednesday, our day started with a delicious mango-apple-yogurt. So I went to the Mama Elba School with full energy to get to know my project. There, we were given a list of tasks that we have to complete from Monday to Thursday. On those days, the children and teenagers come from 2pm to 6pm (more or less, depending on when the parents drop off and pick up the children), and during this time, different table groups practice different units. One table does math, another reads, another writes, and another practices independence. Fridays should be our meeting to plan our program for the coming week.

For the rest of the day, we tried to get by without electricity and without water. There was a moment when I felt a rather negative mood, missing my loved ones..

But everything is not so bad, in the evening we went to the gym where you only have to pay 50 Pesos (1€) for a visit. We were invited directly to a class that started at 6:30pm and lasted over an hour with cardio training and strength training. Being sweaty was no longer an issue. Afterwards, I felt really great, so we quickly had some delicious spaghetti with ketchup sauce. Not bad either.

In the morning, we woke up with Spanish lessons and played games to get to know our levels and each other better. We also played Taboo, which worked better or worse for some of us.

Two hours later, we returned to the Mama Elba School to meet all the kids and play with them. Even better than expected. The children hugged us all immediately and didn't want to let us go. But it was really great. The kids are so loving and open. I have already found a new friend whom I kept stroking her head. We also played sack racing, egg race (with a potato), and played horse. After the day, we were exhausted for the first time and went to the market to do some shopping for the day. Finally, we sat on the balcony of the big apartment and drank wine.

On Fridays, we met with everyone from Aldeas de Paz Foundation to discuss rules, cultural aspects, etc. Then we all went to a restaurant called "Evelyn & X". There, we miraculously ate rice with chicken and bean sauce.

In the evening, we took a walk to the famous bridge and ended up meeting again at a pizzeria.

Unfortunately, we overheard a small argument where the women took out their kitchen knives. So we took a detour to go to the Malecón to have a drink and dance. When we entered the club, the DJ tried to invite us with European music, but we changed it to Latin American style. A very nice evening with dancing in our group and much more.

On the way back, we found a small, super cute cat, for which we got something to drink and eat as it was so thin.

After trying an empanada, which is a national dish (pastries filled with cheese, ham or chicken) in the Dominican Republic, we took a guagua for the first time on Saturday to visit the people in Las Terrenas. 

Unable to stop being amazed, we arrived at Las Terrenas Beach, which is just a dream. 

But the evening didn't end there, because our Anna (my roommate) had her birthday on Sunday, so we wanted to celebrate on Saturday with everyone. And of course, it went very civilized and peacefully.

The next morning, we went to have breakfast in a restaurant in Las Terrenas, where a breakfast only cost 129 Pesos. It included baguette, sausage, cheese, lots of fruits, two fried eggs, passion fruit juice, and a large coffee with milk. My dear: 2€.

Congratulations Anna!