Tourist day!

I started off the day with a nice run along the ocean. I hate to complain because the scenery and sunshine was wonderful, but I had a hard time getting used to the heat and running without music (for safety reasons). I'm hoping tomorrow morning will be a better run. :) Even my running, something that has become a huge part of my routine and how I like to define who I have become, has to adapt to being abroad. Google maps pedometer, the way I usually track my distance for running, doesn't work in Santo Domingo so I'm just estimating how far I go with my watch. My Type A personality has lots of adapting to do!

I spent the rest of the day walking around the capital, exploring the historic colonial zone of Santo Domingo. The island of Hispanola was one of the places that Christopher Columbus landed and many of the original architecture from that era still exists in the downtown.

I took lots of pictures and hope to describe all the neat places I visited once I upload them on my computer. I haven't found my USB cable to upload pics yet because I haven't unpacked yet. I haven't unpacked yet because my hostel is run on "Dominican time." I was supposed to move today to my permanent room while I'm here but instead was told "Don't worry about it! It's Sunday! We will move you tomorrow." :)

I really enjoyed walking around the city without an itinerary, stopping to sit in the shade whenever I got too hot to read a book. I even noticed that since arriving here, I tend to walk slower. Maybe I have a laid-back persona somewhere in me after all!

One of the coolest things that I did today happened by accident. I walked into an academy of sciences that I thought was a kind of museum; honestly I mostly walked in because I was really hot and in need of some shade. Right away, someone greeted me and introduced me to a group of 20+ Dominicans who were meeting for an afternoon intellectual discussion about Freud. They were so excited to have me join them. Gosh, it was so darn cool to hear people talking about Freudism in Spanish!!

I hope to upload pics from my trip this week so I can talk more about the amazing places I visited today. In the meantime, I'm planning to study obstetrics a bit tonight. Tomorrow is my first day of work. Honestly, I have no idea what to expect. It's exciting but also a bit nerve-wracking to think about the huge volume of patients that are seen there and how little I know about what my responsibilities will include. Keep your fingers crossed for me tomorrow!

To all of you back in the US, I hope that you enjoy Superbowl Sunday! I miss the fun parties and yummy snacks... my favorite part of football. :)

Hasta pronto!