And the time moves a little slowly...

Today was a bit difficult...I'm trying hard to keep my head in the here and now, but here everything seems to move so slowly (including the hands on the clock!) so my mind likes to wander! And then things like missing home happen...Luckily I was able to talk with people from home today, and that most definitely makes me smile :)

My family here makes me smile a lot too!! I am already able to joke around with mi papa in Spanish, which is quite exciting! And whenever they see that things are a little difficult for me, they are so patient and loving and understanding toward me...I am so blessed by the family I was placed with! They are a daily answer to prayer!!

Today was not all difficult though...I got to have my first adventure in a "concho"!! Conchos are the mode of public transportation in Santiago. They are actually just cars, but the cars have stickers on the front window with a letter, and the letter tells you what route they are taking. The cars make loops around the city all day on the same route and you can get on and off wherever you need to! Here's the catch...Dominicans are very communal and practical people, so a car that is made to carry 4 passengers can carry quite a few more here in Santiago! The driver will take two people in the passenger seat, and today we had 5 people in the backseat!! So you have strangers sitting on each other's laps just to get where they need to be! When we got in the car I was smooshed into a man that was already in the concho...I looked at him and said "Lo siento" with a "sorry I can't do anything about this situation" look...he looked at me for a moment, gave me a wink, and said "Esta bien" with a "I don't really mind this situation at all" look...hahaha!! Who knew public transportation could be so interesting??