Useful Spanish Words

Do you speak English? - ¿abla ingles? (ah-blah-enn-glehs)
Excuse Me - Perdone (pehr-doh-neh)
Goodbye - Adios (ah-dee-ohs)
Hello - Hola (Oh-lah)
Help - iSocorro (soh-koh-roh)
I don't understand - no comprendo (noh kohm-prehn-doh)
I'm sorry - Lo siento (loh see-ehn-toh)
No - No (noh)
Pleased to meet you - Mucho gusto (moo-choh goo-stoh)
Stop - iPare (pah-reh)
Thank You - Gracias (grah-see-ahs)
Yes - Si (see)

I'm going to have to practice these words....Never learned Spanish

MONEY

Ms. Edwards and I like to do a little shopping when we visit new places. I think we still have a few Euro's kicking around the house from our trip to Europe a few years ago. I decided to look up a little information about the form of money used in the DR.

It appears that American money can be used in the airports. So I guess that means that a credit card could be used there as well. We will have to exchange our money for the currency used in the DR. This is the Dominican R. Peso.

As of today (3/23/10) the currency exchange between the American dollar and the DR Peso is $1.00 = 36.57883 DR. Pesos.

Coins consist of $1, $5, $10, and $25
Banknotes consist of $50, $100, $200, $500, $1000, and $2000

Based on the above information it appears that neither Ms. Edwards nor myself will be keeping any banknotes to show her classes. I guess they will have to settle with seeing a few coins.

"All banknotes carry the phrase "Este billete tiene libertoria para el pago de todas obligaciones publicas o privades" (This bill has the liberatory strength to be used as payment for all public or private obligations.)

Bills in circulation
Image		Value	Description
Front	Reverse		Front	Reverse
		50 Pesos Oro	Catedral de Santa María de la Encarnación de Santo Domingo	Basílica de Nuestra Señora de la Altagracia
		100 Pesos Oro	Francisco del Rosario Sánchez, Juan Pablo Duarte y Matías Ramón Mella	Puerta del Conde
		200 Pesos Oro	Hermanas Mirabal	Monumento a las Hermanas Mirabal
		500 Pesos Oro	Salomé Ureña y Pedro Henríquez Ureña	Banco Central de la República Dominicana
		1,000 Pesos Oro	Palacio Nacional	Alcázar de Colón
		2,000 Pesos Oro	Emilio Prud’Homme & José Rufino Reyes Siancas (composers of the national anthem)	Teatro Nacional

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominican_peso

What AAA Has to Say abou the Dominican Republic

So I have been doing a little research about the Dominican Republic. Ms. Edwards and her mother went to the AAA building in Portsmouth, NH and picked up a few books on England as well as a travel book for the Caribbean for me. Considering the fact that I have never traveled to a Spanish speaking country....I gotta lot to learn.

So I read through the AAA book on the Caribbean and this is what I discovered.

HISTORY

• "Old World charm lingers here in language, food, customs and thought. The emphasis placed on music, dance, history, and art as well as the usual inland activities of sunbathing and swimming make the Dominican Republic a popular Caribbean vacation destination."
• Columbus ran the Santa Maria aground on December 25, 1492 (Merry Christmas Chris)
• He used the lumber from the Santa Maria to build Fuerte de Navidad, (Fort Christmas)
• Hispaniola was the only colony ever governed by its discoverer. It was the base for many Spanish explorers (Francisco Pazarro, Hernando Cortes, Hernando de Soto, Vasco de Balboa, Juan Ponce de Leon)
• The oldest university in the Americas is located in the Dominican Republic - The University of Santo Domingo (1538)
• The French settled in western Hispaniola in 1697 and eventually took over the whole island. (100 year process)
• By 1809 the Spanish had gained back control of the eastern two-thirds
• 1821 - People of the Dominican Republic declared independence
• Haiti overran the Republic and controlled the area for 22 years.
• 1844 - Under the leadership of Juan Pablo Duarte the people of the DR gained independence.
• 1861 - Spain took control of the country until 1865.
• US Marines occupied the country from 1916-1924 and a constitutionally elected government was formed.
• 1930 - Dictator Rafael Trujillo came into power. He was assassinated in 1965.
• 1966 - Democracy was once again established

SHOPPING

• Haggling is expected in the crafts markets but not at all the commercial shops
• Free-port zones at Santo Domingo's Las Americas International Airport. Duty-free purchases can be made with US $$$.
• Good things to buy include: jewel-like amber, Larimar (blue stone), embroidery, woven baskets, dolls, leather goods, art objects and handicrafts of local cedar and mahogany.
  

FOOD AND DRINK

• Sancocho is the national dish. It is a stew of vegetables and meats.
• Local staple is the plantain
• A tip up o 10% is customary for good service in restaurants
• Rum is the most popular drink.
• Dominican beer rivals German brands for flavor.
• A fruit shake (batida) is a good refreshment
• Coffee is great there if you like it strong.
• TAP WATER - is not safe to drink. Bottled water is easily available.

FAST FACTS

• Time Zone - Atlantic Standard (1 hour ahead of us)
• Langauge - Spanish
• Currency - Domnican Republic Peso
  

• Electricity - 110 volts, 60 cycles AC
• Driving: drive on left
• Holidays:
  

Jan 1: Epiphany Day
Lady of Altagracie Day
Jan 21: Juan Pablo Duarte Day
Carnival
Feb 26: Independence
Feb 27: Good Friday
Labour Day
Corpus Christi Day
Restoration Day
Our Lady of Las Mercedes Day
Sept 24: Constitution Day
Dec 25: Christmas

La Isabela Bay

One of the locations that we are scheduled to visit is La Isabela Bay.

According to Ms. Wood's book DK Eyewitness Travel Top 10 Dominican Republic, La Isabela Bay is one of the top 10 places that should be visited in the DR.

• La Isabela is the site of the firstk permanent colonial settlement in the Americas.
• The town is named in honor of the Spanish Queen (Isabella I)

The book says that the Bay has 10 locations that are worth checking out.

• Parque National Historico La Isabela - A national park that has been excavated since the 1950s. The site is the original settlement. It has a promontory, expanse of red sand dotted with acacia trees.
• The Settlement - Small walls of hewn limestone show the foundations of structures such as a possible warehouse, chapel, hospital, watchtower.
• Columbus's House - Covered with a thached awning. He lived in a modest dwelling made of packed earth and stone.
• Cemetery - First Christian Cemetery in the New World. Both Spaniards and Tainos were buried.
• Museum - Well maintained display of Taino artifacs. (pottery and arrowheads)
• Playa Isabela - Beach
• Templo de las Americas - colonial-style church - whitewashed stone and brick.
• Laguna Estero Hondo - Mangrove forest
  
• Punta Rucia Beach - Beach
• Cayo Paraiso - sunbleached circular sandbank surrounded by coral reef and aquamarine sea.

http://traveldk.com/dominican-republic/dk/highlight/la-isabela-bay

• 1200 men from 17 ships arrived in what was to be called la Isabela Bay.
• The first things they built were the house for the Viceroy cum Admiral of All The Seas, a church, a warehouse and smaller houses for the nobles.
• Celebrated mass for the first time in the New World on January 6, 1494.
• No gold was found on the island.
• Upon Columbus's return to the colony he had to deal with choas and revolt.
• He named his brother Bartolomo as mayor, had furnaces built to bake bricks and tiles, and a wall was placed around the settlement.
• Tropical fevers, goldrush fever and constant quarreling between the natives and each other lead to a lot of the colonist ending up in the cemetary and the colony never growing large with citizens.
• Columbus left the island on March 10, 1496 to return to Spain with 225 Spaniards and 30 Indian Prisoners.
• In 1497 the first 30 Spanish women arrived in the New World.
• La Isabela was abandoned less than 10 years after it was settled. The inhabitants moved west to a place named Puerto Real

http://www.puertoplataregion.com/mod.php?mod=informasi&op=viewinfo&intypeid=3&infoid=8

http://www.caribbeanparadise.com/dominican_republic/xphotos/destinations/luperon/isabela.JPG



http://cdn.physorg.com/newman/gfx/news/hires/teethofcolum.jpg

Santiago de los Caballeros

When we arrive in the Dominican Republic it appears that we will be landing in the city of Santiago de los Caballeros. In English this means Saint James of the Knights (lot easier to pronounce for a bear like me.

According to Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santiago_de_los_Caballeros

• The city was founded in 1495 during the first wave of European colonization of the New World.
• It is currently the second largest city in the Dominican Republic.
• It is the capital of Santiago Province.
• It is located in the middle of the Cibao Valley (one of the most fertile lands on the island)
• It is located in a tropical climate zone (for you Geography students) and is vulnerable to hurricanes (not while we are traveling though)
• The city produces the second highest percentage of the nation's GDP (for you Economic students)
• Tourism, telecommunications, farming and livestock are key to the economy of the city.
• There are approximately 1,936,721 people living in the city
• It faces problems of irregular electricity service and insufficient potable water.
• The city does not have transportation systems like our cities do in this country. Private and independent bus owners form their own routes according to demand.
• The city has plans to build a light metro rail.

Santiago de los Cabelleros has many tourist attractions, historical sites, museums and other locations to keep tourist busy during their visit.

It appears that there are five Universities in Santiago de los Caballeros

• Pontificia Universidad Catolica Madre y Maestra (PUCMM)
• Universidad Tecnologica de Santiago (UTESA)
• Universisad Organizacion & Metodo (O&M)
• Universidad Abierta para Adultos (UAPA)
• Universidad Nacional Evangelica
  

Ms. Beane organized another meeting for the parents and students to give out information. Ms. Edwards let me attend the meeting. She made me stay in the backpack though. I have a feeling that is how I am going to be traveling around the Dominican Republic. I also bet that I won't get a seat on the plane. At least if I am in the backpack I will have first dibs on the I-pod.



Around the room, Ms. Beane displayed piece of artwork that she purchased while in the Dominican Republic during her February Break. I have a feeling that Ms. Edwards will be purchasing a few items while she is down there as well. I hope she has enough room to bring me home.






One item that was voted on at the meeting was a design for the t-shirt. Below is the design that was selected. I think it is pretty cool how it is a map of the Dominican Republic with a cougar head. Think they will have a t-shirt in my size....NAHHHH

More Donations

Ms. Wood was able to gather some more donations for the trip to the Dominican Republic. The bags are going to be given to the different individuals who helped to make our trip the great success that it is going to be. There are also small Maine stuffed animals and a few jars of jelly and jams for them as well.

Like my shirt...I am starting to get in the mood for the trip. I have another shirt to wear while I am down there.

Donations

Ms. Wood and Ms. Edwards has been purchasing items to take down to the Dominican Republic. Below is a picture of what they have purchased so far. I wanted to be in the picture. Ms. Edwards promised me that I would be coming home with her.

Map of the Dominican Republic

I have been reading a book put out by Eyewitness Travel called Top 10 Dominican Republic. Here is a picture of the map that appears in the book. The Dominican Republic is an island nation that is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.


Ms. Wood, Ms. Edwards and I are going to drive down to Eliot to have dinner with Mr. and Mrs. Edwards on the Tuesday before we fly. They are then going to drive us to a hotel in Boston so that we can get a good nights sleep before our flight. We plan to meet the rest of the group at the airport around 4:oo AM. Thank goodness for airport transportation. I am glad that Ms. Beane was okay with this alternative plan because I can get un"bear"able when I am tired.

We will be flying from Logan Airport in Boston Mass to Miami International Airport. I have flown out of the airport in Boston before but I have never been to Miami. I can't wait to see the airport and the different shops that are in it. I am assuming that we will go through customs in Miami. I hope they don't want to take too long searching my little backpack...I will probably have my sunglasses in there and a paw snack. From Miami we will be flying into the airport in Santiago, Dominican Republic.

In the picture below you will see a map of the western part of the country. I believe that this is the part of the country that we will be spending our time in.


Ms. Wood, Ms. Edwards and I have already started our packing. I have all my clothes organized for the trip and have placed them in Ms. Edwards suitcase. An unexpected item was located in the suitcase. Ms. Wood is still having a hard time breaking the news to Tyler that he can't go.

Information on the Dominican Republic

Ms. Edwards has informed me that we will be going to the Dominican Republic this April. Before we go..She picked me up a new swimsuit for me to wear at the beach. I wish she would let bring a beach chair so that I can be relaxing on the sand. Maybe she will help me make a sand castle. I can't wait to show you pictures of the places we visited.

Before we go on the trip I think I will give you some general information about the country. The following information came from http://www.godominicanrepublic.com/en/About/FactsAndFigures.htm

Capital - Santo Domingo
Climate - Maritime semitropical, with an average yearly temperature of 80 F
Currency - Dominican peso
Ethnic groups - European - 16%
- African origin - 11%
- Mixed - 76%
Government type - Representative Democracy
Language - Spanish (this should be interesting since neither Ms. Edwards nor I speak Spanish)
Population - (2005) - 8, 950, 034
Official Religion - Roman Catholic

The following information was taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_the_Dominican_Republic

The flag of the Dominican Republic appears below.



The coat of arms in the middle has a shield with the flag design with a bay laurel branch on the left and a palm frond on the right. In the center of the cross is a blue ribbon that displays the national motto: Dios, Patria, Libertad (God, Fatherland, Liberty)

The blue = liberty
The white = salvation
The red = the blood of the heroes

Information taken from http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=7160263010993184783&postID=4832888535323940362

The Dominican Republic is/was:

• on the island of Hispaniola
• one of two Caribbean islands that is occupied by two countries (Haiti and the Dominic Republic)
• the second largest Caribbean nation with 48,442 sq. kilometers
• reached by Christopher Columbus in 1492. His crew came into contact with the Tainos.
• the site of the first permanent European settlement.
• free from Spain on December 1, 1821
• free from Haiti on February 27, 1844
• free from Spain on August 16, 1865
  
• lead by the President Leonel Fernandez
• lead by Vice President Rafael Alburquerque
• part of the Atlantic time zone

Trips Coming Up

Since I haven't had the chance to travel anywhere, I haven't written since this summer. Ms. Edwards has been keeping me in her classroom to entertain her students. She does remember to change my clothes as the different seasons change. I was supporting both the Winter Olympics and Valentines Day. I plan to support Saint Patrick's Day next.

Well the reason I am writing this entry is to inform you that I will be leaving the classroom soon and going on a few adventures. Ms. Edwards and I will be traveling to the Dominic Republic this April with a group of students from DHS and Ms. Beane. Ms. Beane has a lot of experience traveling in the Dominic Republic and has made some amazing connections down there.

This summer I am going to travel to Minnesota to visit Ms Edwards family in both International Falls and the Minneapolis area. I can't wait to visit the mall of America and get a new shirt. I also can't wait to hang out with three cute little kids :) Ms. Edwards parents will be going with us on the trip. I wonder if I can talk Ms. Edwards and her parents into shipping out some lobsters :)

This summer Ms. Edwards will also be spending another two weeks at Bowdoin College with the Maine Humanities Council Grant on teaching Biographies in the Classroom.

Next year, Ms. Edwards plans to go to Disney World in February with friends from Augusta and to Europe (England, France, and Germany) with a group from school.