Visiting The Dominican Republic After 18 Years.
I don’t know, I was afraid to go back home. Where is home for me now? It seems to be Anniston, Alabama, where I thought I would never belong. There is nothing here like my beautiful island. After being away for 18 years, what is left there? I still have family that I perhaps don’t recognize. I probably speak differently than they do. I definitely don’t cook like a Dominican anymore. My cuisine has changed to have a mixture of all kinds of stuff. I wasn’t planning on going home anytime soon. My sister Jenny planned a trip a year before and invited all of us to come and share a penthouse suite in Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic. I only recognize Santo Domingo, where I was born, but Las Terrenas sounded dreamy and wonderful.
After leaving the airport, driving through Santo Domingo was truly a feeling I cannot explain. I haven’t seen my place of birth for 18 years! It was time.
Flying to Santo Domingo
Our world Language teacher national convention is always scheduled the weekend before Thanksgiving. I love attending these conferences and I feel right at home with all my world language teacher colleagues and friends. I knew that right after this conference, I would meet up with my daughter Lizzie in Santo Domingo. This was her first time flying alone on an international flight. After many trials of my flight changes and our plane whose engine couldn’t turn on, delayed my flight. I’m grateful it didn’t take off so that it didn’t break down in the air. Whew! With all the changes, I ended up on the same flight as my sister Jenny and our good friend Enilda. Because Enilda used a wheelchair, we were privileged enough to cut all the lines and move to the front. Landing in Santo Domingo didn’t have me crying as I thought I would be. I was just fine. It felt like just another country. The plane was full of Dominicans, which was full of drama everywhere, loud talking, exaggerated sounds out of cell phones, and so forth. The moment I got off the plane and felt a glimpse of the heat from the outside, I felt at home. I remembered the smell, the heat, the comfort. The airport was so different. The last time I was there, I was harrassed and someone took my luggage. He wanted me to pay him to return it and I remember yelling like a Dominican. This time, there was more security, there was air conditioner, and everything in the airport was new and different. It was so nice. We exchanged our money and waited to get our luggage. Jenny, Enilda, and I were feeling fine, just waiting. When everything was good to go, we ended up walking towards the exit. Jenny ran ahead of us to find out about the car rental. Enilda was pushed by an airline worker to the food court. The customer service was impecable. So different than the last time I was there. I remember yelling at a man to give me back my luggage because he took it upon himself to get my luggage and hold it for me. This sounds sweet, but then he wanted to charge me for doing the deed of watching the luggage for me. This time, the airport was nice, it had air conditioning, and it looked totally different than what I remembered.
“The plane was full of Dominicans, which was full of drama everywhere, loud talking, exaggerated sounds out of cell phones, and so forth. ”
Driving through old Santo Domingo was all too familiar. Not only do I remember it as the last time I was there, but it looks so much like Spain, Italy, France…wow, visiting this time around with the awareness of colonization is so eye-opening.
Santo Domingo, I missed you!
I soon heard my name, “Yenefa”, as some of my cousins in the D.R. call me. I turned and saw my dear cousin Frederick and his mom whom I have not seen in 18 years. I saw Frederick a couple of years ago for my daughter Lizzie’s Quinceañera. It was so good to see them. He didn’t waste any time to take me to the food court and treat me to some amazing Dominican food which was quite expensive being that we were at the airport.
Our first stop after picking us up from the airport is the gas station! We don’t pump the gas, someone does it for us!
We waited till Jenny got the rental and then she departed towards her journey to Las Terrenas. Lizzie’s flight was delayed so we waited around for her. Once she arrived, all was well and I was relieved to have seen her again. Before then we had issues with getting her out because she needed to fill out some information and needed my help. Frederick and I ran around the place trying to get permission to go to where she was, being that she was an unaccompanied minor. While we were getting permission to get to the back to see her, she was walking out. What a relief! Our next challenge was to find the kind man who agreed to pick us up and take us to Las Terrenas. There was still time to make it there before dark. Driving in this particular highway was very dangerous at night because there are no lights on the road and many drive without lights. I didn’t know this at the time, so I convinced Juse (as he allowed us to call him) to take us to town, to Santo Domingo, since I had not been there for so long and I wanted Lizzie to see it so bad! The highway toll was very expensive so I thought if we don’t see Santo Domingo now, we won’t see it on our way back. Our friend agreed to take us around. I was so excited to see those places that I took for granted when I was here the last time. We went everywhere we could, a mall, Christopher Columbus’ house, a street party with a live band, and a nice walk in old Santo Domingo. It was beautiful, breathtaking and looked like Puerto Rico, which looked alot like Spain!
Heading To Las Terrenas on a Dangerous Highway
After taking a stroll, we decided to head back on the dangerous highway and then I realized why it was so dangerous. We did see people on mopeds with no head lights, buses with no headlights, and people speeding and going on the wrong side of the street. My mom was freaking out and was worried about us. We made it to the neighborhood and got a little lost because of the construction, but oh my goodness, the condo we stayed in was so nice. We had to go up three flights of stairs and when we arrived, the place was so spacious, tasteful decor with two huge balconies, one on the first level of the condo and one on the second. The kitchen was spacious and beautiful. There was space for everyone to stretch out. Lizzie and I stayed in the kids room which had some amazing bunk beds with a privacy curtain in each bed! Jenny told us we were alone in the room till Thursday. We arrived there on Sunday night. I could go on and on about the condo we stayed in. It had lovely views to the outside, the countryside it seemed. Las Terrenas was breathtaking and there is a wonderful view of the nearest beach which we could have walked to if there were no construction projects going on. We slept that night smiling from ear to ear, excited and blessed to have made it safely and to be there with my mom, dad, and sister. The first time we were together in the Dominican Republic in over three decades. We made it home, yet that’s not Santo Domingo, so was that really home? Did I feel at home? I did! I felt a sense of peace. It seemed like a weight was lifted off my shoulders. I finally made it here after so many years.
