Santiago, Santiago, Dominican Republic
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Today has been one full of many different emotions and moods. Part of me loves the Dominican Republic so much, but a huge part of me is ready to come home. Last night was by far the best night I've had here. All 13 of us and a few of our Dominican friends went to this bar called Bocanada. We had been there before for Kelsey’s birthday and had a great time, so we all got fancy and went out on the town for the last time as a group. We talked the security guards into letting us stay out until 2, so the evening starting off on a positive note. The whole time we were at the bar I was having a blast. Every time we go out, someone normally gets completely wasted and can’t handle their alcohol, but last night was different. Ellen and I split 3 fish bowls, which is a lot of alcohol, but I felt good all night and woke up feeling well rested for a change. I’ve pretty much done absolutely nothing all day and that’s what making me miss home. The internet is completely down all over campus, and I have talked to my mom or boyfriend for more than a minute at a time in days. A lot of craziness has been going on with the amount of schoolwork we have this last week and issues with some of the workers here at school. Sometimes you just need to be able to call your mom and talk, and not being able to do that has really been messing with me. I haven’t cried, because of straight up being homesick until tonight. I have a picture of my dogs Hudson and Toostie as my background, and it made me realize how much I’ve missed in 6 weeks. Hudson isn’t going to look anything like he used to and I’m going to have to work to get Toostie to love me. On top of this, my niece is getting so big. Her hair goes into pigtails now and I’ve only seen a picture. I’ll see her in exactly a week and I’m going to love on her so much. I never wanted to spend this long away from her or the rest of my family. Being homesick hasn’t really hit me until now, but since I’ll be home soon it’s getting tougher, because they are all so close. I can’t wait to walk off that plane Saturday night and run into the arms of my parents and Harshil. As soon as I see them I’m going to sprint. I miss everything about home, the smell, my bed, hot bubble baths, my TV, and so much more. Another thing I miss is my alone time. At home I spend most of the nights I’m not with Harshil in my room watching TV or reading. Here I can’t do that. I have 2 roommates. I love them both, but miss my space. The week after I get back I’m going to dedicate a day to just me. I’m going to be lazy and watch TV, and do all the girly things I’ve missed, like getting pedicures and having my hair done. I don’t regret going on this trip one bit, it’s been one of the biggest live changing experiences I’ve ever been on. I’ve met some of the most amazing people and done some of the coolest things. These 6 weeks are ones that I’ll never forget, and are ones that are going to shape what I do with the rest of my life. I’m excited to see how studying abroad changes who I am, when I have my life back and see what else comes out of this.
