University Life–this one goes out to Jennifer G Moran

Received the following email from my mother the other day:

Love to see an update, que sea posible.  Corazon de melon, mi hijita.  How are you publicly feeling and what is new in the jo world? a beautiful world.  XXOO

So that will provide sufficient motivation for a new post. Thanks mom! With these inspiring words, I will use my “corazon de melon” to write (Corazon de melon=melon-heart for those English speakers out there. What does that mean? I understand as much as you right now).

I realize I haven’t really been talking about school so I’ll try that? It is STUDY abroad after all.

UNIVERSITIES

For our program, we are able to chose classes from 4 different places. They are:

CIEE

This is our study center. I am taking 3 classes here: Dominican Haitian Relations (taught by a knight! Our professor was knighted by Queen Elizabeth for her work on human rights! (sidenote: are women called knights? Not sure and don’t feel like looking that up)), Language and Culture (a Spanish class where we eat fruit and write comedic sketches, don’t tell Tufts, I need credit for the semester) and Living and Learning (not a real class, more like a seminar about study abroad where we talk about learning styles, cultural differences and learn buzzwords like “mindfulness”–my only class in English).

UASD

Universidad Autonoma de Santo Domingo. This is the only public university in the DR. The first university in the Americas™. It was founded by Columbus’s son or some stupid colonizer like that. However, it is severely underfunded because the president spent last year’s education budget on the Metro. There is now a movement for a commitment of 4% of the country’s GDP to education. The current administration isn’t budging though from what I can tell (from my irregular perusals of El Diario). There are a lot of strikes at the UASD (pronounced la waz). There are also not many classes. The first week that classes officially start, the professors don’t go, so the students don’t go. The second week, the students don’t go, so the professors don’t go. Finally things get started the 4th week. However, at times you can show up for 4 weeks in a row. The fourth week, you leave after waiting an hour and a half only to be told the next day that the professor showed up 2 hours late. I am not taking any classes at la UASD. (see stingy with credit, tufts)

INTEC

This is more of a science/technical school, but I’m taking Contemporary Social Thought. Everyone else in my class is studying psychology. No one understands what American Studies is. This school is a private, predominantly upper or upper middle class university. Everyone is on their Blackberry all the time. I showed some classmates my phone that I bought for these 4 months, which cost about $15, and they laughed at it. Whatever, BBM isn’t even cool anymore ok? But INTEC is definitely the most similar to the universities I’ve accustomed to, with a campus with a bookstore and cafes and stuff.

BONO

The best! El Bono is a seminary training the next generation of Caribbean priests. The future priests are probably the nicest people you will meet in your life. Today we went to the beach with a few of them and we had a great time! They even gave us a ride in their Jesuit truck. I am taking Latin American Social History at Bono, which is taught by a Jesuit who speaks English and French (and Spanish but I hope you assumed that) and will sprinkle in references to the USA to help us out. And he gives good movie recommendations, like “Even the Rain” which I also recommend. The readings are pretty hard though.
So that’s that. Bye!

Dominican gestures

So while this post contains much less exciting content than the last one, I spiced it up with some exciting GIFs! That’s right, you get to see really flattering animated images I made on photobooth in my poorly-lit bedroom. Only the most advanced technology happening here!

Living here, I have definitely been challenged by the language at times. However, beyond the spoken and written language of Dominican Spanish, there is also a whole other world of differences in body language. This has definitely been something I have been trying to pay attention to. Being unable to communicate as clearly in words, I feel that body language has definitely gained more importance in relating to the world. It is especially obvious when using gestures. There are some gestures that are extremely common and are used in completely different ways than you may think. Here are the essential gestures to get by in the DR.

THE WINK

Well, this one isn’t exactly the most different. However, men here wink at me all the time. At first, I was really put off by this as I’ve always had sort of sleazy associations with winks, and I felt like I was getting hit on in the most bizarre situations (when I’m buying band aids and antiseptic cream for a currently bleeding foot? Really?). After a while, I realized that these winks are mostly used as a way to end a conversation, a sort of different way to say “good bye” or “this interaction is finished, nice talking to you”. So, in conclusion, winks=sort of the same as in the US, but less creepy.

THE WAGGING FINGER

Different than the US, the wagging finger means “no, please stop bothering me”. This finger is useful for all kinds of situations–from someone trying to sell you sarongs on the beach, offering an unwanted massage or a taxi driver offering a ride. It’s a great way to get on with your day without too much fuss!

made on this website

The facial expression is key, especially the lips. Also important to note is that the rest of your hand does NOT move, only your finger.

“OFF WITH HIS HEAD!”

Used for situations such as the one above, but much more extreme. This sends the message loud and clear “LEAVE ME ALONE”. It was last in such widespread use during the French Revolution.

made on this website

Again, note the severe facial expression. While this is conveys a stronger sentiment than the finger wag, it is not always foolproof. I once watch a woman in a traffic jam do this for 2 minutes straight to avoid buying a newspaper.  The newspaper seller, however, did not stop pestering her until traffic finally moved.

THE HISS
This is extremely common in most situations. Not exactly a gesture, the hiss is just what it sounds like, a “tsssst” noise like a kettle boiling. While this is a very rude noise to make at someone in the US, here it is simply a convenient way to get someone’s attention, whether it is a friend, a waiter or a stranger. It has been taking me a while to get used to this one, I still get startled about 50% of the time.

So there you have it, the essential guide to Dominican body language! With these simple skills, soon you too will be able to survive the mean streets of Santo Domingo like a pro!

*wink*