School

In the morning at 8, all the students line up by class (in my school there's one class in each grade) and one student prays. Each day a student is picked from a specific grade. I think 11th and 12th grade is Monday. Then after the prayer, the Dominican flag is raised, and the national anthem is sung. Afterwards we go up to our room and start first period. I have three periods, recess, and then three more classesperiods. Every single day so far (5 days) the lights haven't been working (se fue la luz) until about fourth or fifth period, so it's hotttt (no fan)!

Here is my schedule:
Organic Chemistry- MTWRF
Trigonometry- MTWF
Sociology- MTWR
Spanish (level 5 at Classical HS)- MTWF
French (level 4 at CHS)- MWF
Economy- TWF
Civics- RF
Art History- TR
Sexual Education- R
Gym- R

Some teachers actually explain things on the marker board but some just give you questions and then a section in your book and the whole class period you work on that. Also, if there was reading assigned, the next day if you're called on you need to explain what you read without looking too much at the book, and in some classes not at all. I haven't been called on yet, but I will have to be soon because it's a participation grade, and we're given a class grade every month.
The notebooks are very organized: the title of the section is written in one color, the questions in another, and answers in pencil. The girls have colorful notebooks while the boys have blue, black and gray (lead) but it's still very cool.
Senior year is very important, it's not only studying to pass the National Exams to go to college, but you have a lot of fun. There are many field trips, dances, activities to raise money like a no uniform day, and free periods to plan the Promocion. The Promocion consists of making a class name and logo and then you have your own uniform for three days a week and everyone knows you're a Senior. Then there's the graduation, a prom type event afterwards and then a trip to a resort for the last time as a class. It sounds like a lot of fun, can't wait!
My class is called Fire Mix. Fire stands for Forjadores Intelectuales Rumbo a la Excelencia. I think that means Intelligent Inventors on the Road to Excellence..or something (I haven't gotten a good explanation for Forjadores). Our colors are Green Apple and Black. We get a polo shirt, tshirt, sweater, hat, bag, towel, key chain, banner, and some other stuff.
　
　
-The date is different, and I always get confused, but it's not hard: 11/09/2009
-Sirve and Funciona are not interchangeable. Sirve is only if it's yes or no, funciona is if there's a defect. For example: No sirve means it doesn't work. No funciona bien means it's not funcioning well. You can't put sirve where funciona is.
-Cars run on gasoline and gas (the one used to cook?). Gas is cheaper and goes longer, we can't use it in the US because it's illegal (I don't know why). Well when you're filling up your car with gas, everyone has to get out.
-I have tried crab, cow's heart and something made with yucca (like a fried ball)

New Words
a tu orden: (a saying) you can borrow it
ajentado: snobby
asunto: problem
basofia: trash
bolas: bowling
catedra: five subject notebook
cidra: sparkling juice
colero: hair elastic
empresa: business
fichas: flashcards
gallo: rooster
halago: compliment
luna de miel: honeymoon
pleito: fight
pi, trebole, quiña: spades, clubs, diamonds (cards)
rebatir: to take away rapidly
rimando: alliteration

Tigueraje: Slang
apero: cool
bonche: party
chevere: cool
desacatao: crazy
fiñando: bothering
gelga: made up words
guapo: mad
jevi: cool
killao: mad
lambon: suck up
le llega: do you understand
nitido: cool
no le pare: forget about it
nueve: chick or dude
pila: a lot, or energy
sueltame en banda/hilo: leave me alone
tate manzo: stay still
tato: all good
tripeo: laughing at the expense of someone

Observations

Weather
It was always really cloudy on one side and then the clouds would end in a perfect line and it would be super sunny on the other side.
The weather was nice because it was hot but not humid. It was only really hot if you were standing right under the sun. At night time it was really fresh especially with the ocean breeze.

Animals
There were wild turkeys and peacocks in my community just strolling around. The turkeys would cock-a-doodle around 7am. There are stray dogs everywhere. It was not uncommon to see one on the side of the road. It was possible to see cows and horses in nearby farms, as well as just horses pulling carts, or just horses in the fields.

Driving
The laws are followed when they want to be, basically. At night a red light doesn't mean anything and they are passed if the road is empty. The same applied with signs such as Stop. Some traffic lights had a clock that counted down how long the light would last on red and on green. There are many motorcycles and if are used as a type of public transportation. It is called a motor concho.

The lines on the road are used for parts of the city with traffic, but if not, then you can just drive right in the middle of lanes. I think that because everyone switches lanes so much and there are always motorcycles, driving in the middle gives the driver a better chance to react fast if they need to switch lanes. Also if there is a lot of traffic in one direction and none in the other, cars can go over the cement that separates the directions to the other lane. It was also fine to drink and drive.

Environment
No one recycles and everyone litters. I don't think there was much pollution though. "Se fue la luz" (the lights went out) only happened three times while I was there and there are plantas that turn the electricity back on with gas for the meantime.

Lifestyle
As soon as everyone in the house was awake, music would be turned on until la comida (lunch) and then it would be turned back on at night until bedtime. Sometimes some neighbors would still have music on when I would go to bed. Here, lunch is the most important meal of the day. The dishwashing soap looked like an actual bar of soap, but it is specifically for dishwashing, it's just not liquid form in a bottle like in the States. The ketchup bottles look like the ones in diners in movies. It is a completely red cylinder with a cap that twists on and has a little cone shape where the ketchup comes out. There aren't any clocks in the house, everyone uses their cell phones. My theory is that they arrive late everywhere because of this.

(Observations are from Puerto Plata and Santo Domingo)