dominican journal

It’s Sunday and I’ve spent a relaxing weekend helping Christelle study for exams and indulging in a little reading. I’m back on Bryson and enjoying it immensely. Down Under recounts his adventures in Australia and is very funny yet informative, as per usual with Bryson. His books and style of writing have definitely influenced and inspired me in the writing of this blog. I’m waiting for his next book about the Caribbean and, in particular, the D.R. entitled Se Fue La Luz.

Enough of my lame jokes. Tomorrow I start my last week of school before flying back to not-so-sunny Belgium on Friday. BBC World Weather forecasts very respectable day-time temperatures in La Romana of 30 degrees Centigrade throughout the week while dropping to a rather chillier 7 or 8 degrees in Brussels on the day of my return – and that’s during the day. At night it will drop to an unbearable 2 degrees! And don’t even get me started on snow; I’ve pretty much forgotten what that is.

As you can well imagine, I am having second thoughts about coming back to Belgium. I am already capable of catching a cold in a room air-conditioned at 20 degrees so I expect I’ll freeze through upon arrival and spend two weeks thawing in the washroom where temperatures are on par with the Dominican outdoors… at night… in winter. Nah, even that’s an overstatement. I’ll need putting in the microwave on de-frost. I think you get the idea.

My flight leaves at 9am on Friday morning but because of the time difference, the ridiculous number of connections I have to catch, the absolute certainty that at least one of my flights will be delayed and the fact that I land in Paris and have to catch a Thalys to Brussels from there, I will only be arriving on Saturday afternoon (morning if I’m lucky).

I start my journey back on Thursday afternoon. It just so happens that that is Pauline’s birthday and the Warot’s will be driving to the capital to celebrate. They have kindly allowed me to hitch a lift and join in the celebration. We’ll be staying in a hotel for the night and they’ll see me off in the morning.

From Santo Domingo I fly to the Puerto Rican capital, San Juan (if I’m not mistaken). From there I fly to New York where I (hopefully) catch my connecting flight to Paris CDG. It’s going to be a long day and if it’s anything like the journey over here in September, you’ll be sure to read about it here.

So, providing I actually get back and remember to dress like an eskimo, I should be able to go out and see you all. Hope you’re as excited as I am. Don’t let me forget the ones I won’t be seeing, namely the British side of my family including my Dad. Am very sorry I won’t get to see you this time round but will certainly be paying you all a visit over the summer, even if that seems like a long way off at the moment.