dominican journal

I’ve been making a website for this guy for the past couple of months and this weekend I went to his house to finish it off and get paid. This guy runs a business installing high tech electrical and electronic systems such as remote-controlled lighting systems, audio equipment and wireless networks.

One of his projects was his own apartment. Being a bit of a techno geek myself, I walked into this place drooling. I’ve never seen so much technology in one household. Allow me to explain.

Pretty much everything is hooked up to a big box which can be controlled from little touch screen displays built into the walls. He began his demonstration by dimming the lights in every room in the flat simultaneously. He then selected the room we were in and switched the lights to “disco mode”, where they turn into little strobes, and this was accompanied by music. He turned the volume up and down just to show off a bit more, and just when I thought I was going to die due to a mixture of jealousy and admiration, he whipped out his iPhone and proceeded to control everything he’d just shown me but from the phone. I actually nearly did die at this point.

Anyway, as if that weren’t enough, he has the same equipment installed in his office in the capital. He logged in on his PC and showed me how he can control all those things (and more) remotely over the internet. What’s more, he has security cameras installed at various sites where his company is currently working which he can view and control directly from his PC – as can his colleagues in Holland, Italy and Japan.

Obviously this guy has a satellite dish, flat panel TV and surround sound system with a gigantic sub-woofer, but what’s not so obvious is the projector attached to the ceiling which he uses for “movie time”, as he so eloquently describes it.

For my technically inclined readers, he also has Ethernet wall jacks all over the place just in case you can’t be bothered to type the password in for the Wi-Fi. This is something you’d usually find in an office block, not someone’s house! Seriously, it’s absolutely mental.

I’m sure there’s more to say but I’m finding it difficult to remember any of it as I’m currently suffering from post-technology overdose disorder.

I got up later than usual this morning so Martin and Sophie left without me and I called a taxi. But as I was walking out of the door the new babysitter (who I’ve never met before) stopped me and asked me for my number “just in case something happened during the day”. I gave it to her without really thinking twice.

Later on I got a missed call at school. Again, didn’t think anything of it. Then I got a message from the same number telling me, and I quote/translate: “I like you a lot and I want to be with you”. This time I thought it must be someone at school who somehow got my number and wanted to take the piss. So I asked around to see if anyone knew the number, but to no avail.

Later in the afternoon I got another missed call. This time I called the number back and guess who it was. Yes, the bleeding babysitter!

The conversation went something like this:

Babysitter: Hello
Me: Hello. Who’s speaking?
Babysitter: It’s Sophie’s babysitter. How’s it going?
Me: Fine thanks. How are you?
Babysitter: Good! Did you get my message?
Me: Hmm, that was you?
Babysitter: Yes! So did you read it?
Me: Yes I did.
Babysitter: And?
Me: Well… hmm… I’m not sure what to say.
Babysitter: Ok. So, what are you doing?
Me: Eating at the moment.
Babysitter: Ok, is Sophie around?
Me: Yes. Would like to talk to her?
Babysitter: No. So, tell me something…
Me: Hmm, just finshed work and having dinner. What about you?
Babysitter: Oh, I’m at home. So, tell me something…
Me: Well, look, I’m not sure what to say. I don’t even know your name.
Babysitter: I’m [insert name here, I've forgotten it] Your name’s Daniel, right?
Me: Yes, it is.
Babysitter: So what’s up?
Me: Look, can we carry this conversation on by message? I don’t have much credit left.
Babysitter: Sure, no problem. Take care. Bye!
Me: Ok, bye.

And that was it… As I write this I’ve just received two more messages from her telling me that in her eyes I’m a very special person and then another one asking why I’m not replying.

I’ve never met this girl in my life and I’m not the least bit attracted to her and yet she’s calling me as if I was the love of her life. And, surprise surprise, she just called me again.

If anyone has any friendly advice on how I can let her down easily, I’d be very grateful. I thought of telling her I already have a girlfriend or that it’s not worth starting a relationship because I’m leaving in a month but who’s to say she’ll stop calling if I tell her that? I could be brutally honest of course but again, that might not work.

I’m sure most of you are rolling around on the floor in fits of hysteria asking yourselves how bad can it be. But seriously, it’s more annoying than funny not least because I have no idea how to let someone down easily in Spanish! Oh God, she’s calling again…

Apologies for neglecting the blog in recent weeks but I’ve been rather busy at school getting exams ready. My own studies have also kept me hard at work and it seems to be paying off. I’m not one to boast about my academic achievements (namely due to the fact that I don’t have much to boast about) but somehow I managed to get marks in the high 90s on my last three assignments (99% on the last one!). So, have I become some kind of uber dorky mega nerd? Well, I should hope not but it’s certainly starting to look that way.

Moving on. My phone decided to go mental this weekend for no particular reason. Half the keys have re-mapped themselves so that what used to be a 2 is now an 8. The 8 is a 2. The 5 has become the delete key and the delete key only works when it realises that it’s not a 5. The 0 key doesn’t work at all, which is a shame given that the standard prefix for most numbers in this country has a zero in it. What’s more, the button to navigate backwards in menus has become the select key. This leaves me with a phone I can’t dial numbers on and if instead I choose a contact from the phonebook, I can’t get back to the home screen without turning the bloody thing off and back on again.

Most of you who know me well are probably thinking that I’ve gone and blown all my money on a brand spanking new iPhone to replace it. You’d be wrong. I actually went on a bargain hunt and bought a new Nokia for 645 pesos (€13). At this point, I would usually take great pleasure in listing all its features but as you might have guessed from the price, it doesn’t have any! Do you remember when mobiles had yellow backlit screens and no camera, or picture messages, or bluetooth, or internet? Well, that’s pretty much what I’ve got now. But I’m not moaning because it was a bargain and it vibrates, which ten years ago was an optional extra. In fact it’s so retro, it almost makes me feel old.

I attempted to cook a lasagne for the frenchies today. It was all going very smoothly and as we were finishing off I started pre-heating the gas oven. Ten minutes later I checked to see if it was hot enough but the flame had gone out. Being a reasonably well educated chap (and having watched many an episode of 999 Lifesavers, back in the day), I turned the gas off and left the oven door open to air it out and let the gas escape before attempting to light it again. What I conveniently forgot was that between the flame and the rest of the oven lies a metal panel which I had forgotten to remove. So, a few minutes later I got the lighter out, lifted the metal panel, lit the lighter and BOOM!! A raging fireball came flying out of the oven as I leapt backwards to avoid burning my eyebrows off (again… some of you may remember that embarrassing story which I won’t go into here).

Luckily no one was seriously injured and my eyebrows are still in tact. I burnt my fingers but not too badly.

So what did I learn from this experience?

1. Always try to use an electric oven, if possible. If you have no choice but to use gas, never put it on maximum as this will cause too much gas to come out and actually put the flame out.

2. If you do get burned, don’t bother putting ice on it, use Vicks (yes, the stuff you put on your chest when you have a cold. It works!)

3. If you can’t cook, don’t cook.

It has to be said that the end result was actually quite tasty but the making of was frankly very dangerous. Next time I’ll stick to electricity, although they don’t seem to know what that is in this country.

Other than that, I’m having a wonderful time but I miss you all very much. Also, the blog officially reached 4000 hits today so thank you very much to all of you who are keeping up with my progress.

Happy reading and buenas noches!

My Dominican adventure has come to an end and this blog is well past its sell-by date. Thanks to those of you who took the time to read it. Writing it was a lot of fun and I will keep it online as a record of my time over there. That’s all folks!

Over and out.

This is a link to a BBC News page about Alan Johnston, the BBC reporter aducted in Gaza over two months ago. It is his birthday today and he has spent it in captivity. Please sign this online petition demanding his immediate release.

I am writing today to report some sad news. I got back home after a long day at school on Wednesday only to find that my apartment had been broken in to. The computer, my camera, a couple of hundred films and series, and my February salary were stolen.

They got in through the front door by litterally cutting through the padlock then picking the lock. They then had a good hunt around the apartment, including in the fridge, my sock drawer and my bathroom. They left all cupboards and drawers open, even the fridge. They also left me a right mess to clean up just in case I hadn’t noticed the fact that they’d paid me a visit in my absence.

Obviously I’m pretty devastated by the whole thing, especially the loss of my computer which I bought at Christmas. In the mean time Philippe has offered to lend me his laptop and I’ve taken him up on his offer, if only not to have to cancel my internet subscription.

That’s pretty much all I have to say and feel like saying on the matter. More news soon.