Otra vaina...

I've appropriated a list of "20 things one is about 1,000 times more likely to encounter in the Dominican Republic than in the U.S." from my friend Raquel, who's been living here en La Quisqueya for almost six months now.

1. Motorcycles
2. People walking around with machetes
3. Beautiful beaches
4. Uncovered manholes (the girl who lived with my host mom last spring had
to get 80 stitches after falling into one)
5. Pitstains
6. Happy children content with just running in circles
7. Lizards
8. Use of sidewalks as additional motor traffic lanes
9. Individual and systematic racism
10. Individual and systematic sexism
11. Litter
12. Palm trees
13. Exposed beer bellies
14. Drinking and driving (which is not illegal)
15. Street vendors with delicious food and drink
16. People walking through the streets screaming aguacate
17. Hanging out with your neighbors
18. Matching outfits
19. Diarrhea
20. Bottled water

Over the next few weeks I plan to discuss each and every one of these.