Monday, August 31, 2009

Home






















As my mother Barbara (aka “Mommy”) tells it, I was a “weird” child. She says that I’ve always been in my own little world and, at an early age, displayed a penchant for solo exploration. One of my mom’s stories goes like this:

I was 4 years old and she was very pregnant with my brother Derek. I used to attend P.S. 140 in South Jamaica, Queens. When I would go to school she would walk me to the bus stop. When I came home, she would meet me there and we would walk home together.

Well, one day, mommy goes to the bus stop to meet me at our prescribed time and I was nowhere to be found. She thinks to herself, ‘Maybe he had to go to the principal’s office.’ After calling the school in search of me to no avail, she began to spaz out. My not being at our meeting place and her being several months pregnant made for a cocktail of serious stress.

As she looked for me frantically in the neighborhood, something told her to check in one particular place right around the corner from our house. It was a strip of shoddy road, larger than an alley but too small to really be a functional street, where people would leave their refuse (old clothes, broken down cars, etc.).

As my mother reached this strip of detritus, she could see me walking towards her in the distance. Apparently I was taking my time and enjoying the stroll. When I finally made it to her she yelled at me, “Where were you? Why didn’t you take the bus?!” Although my mom doesn’t curse now, I’m sure at the time there was an expletive or two in there. She said I looked at her with an air of incredulousness and simply replied, “I know my way home.”

I always know my way home.

My time in La Republica Dominicana was necessary for a few reasons: 1) I’ve wanted to refresh my Spanish language skills through study abroad (again) for several years. 2) Having/owning a place abroad is a goal of mine and this was a litmus test for how it’s done, what to expect. 3) I needed to disconnect from the buzz of BK/NYC for a while.

But in a couple hours I’ll be on my way back to Brooklyn and the grind begins anew. I think it’s safe to say “Mission Accomplished” now. I am leaving Santo Domingo humbled, emboldened, and inspired. I made a list of goals for the year in January. Most of the things I wanted to accomplish, including this experience, have been crossed off. I’m very excited about what the future has in store…

Here’s a little bit of my last night in La Republica Dominicana:


A quick dedication to a few people who helped me enjoy my stay:
Rose- “Mi Jefe,” the best boss a guy could ask for.
Anna- You always take care of me. Muchisimas gracias por todo.
Brook- Thanks for holding down the fort.
Tamara- Stay inspired; the world is yours.
Joselina- Your presence alone was priceless to me. Thanks for the pre-arrival work, your tutelage, and all of the good times.
Marianela- Muchas gracias para tu paciencia y los lecciones libres de Espanol. ;)
Janerys- Cuando tu viene a Brooklyn, yo retornare el favor. Pero todavĂ­a quiero las camisetas :(
Mirla- Tu eres mi hermana nueva :)
Sarah- Maybe I’ll see you Stateside?
Altagracia- Gracias por la leccion de baile.
Carlos y Leiby @La Fonte- Ustedes estan muy amable. Mi placer.
adios

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Puerto Plata



just one more week to go...

Friday, August 21, 2009

Boca Marina

Last night I went to an amazing restaurant in Boca Chica called Boca Marina. It was just before sunset and I enjoyed a delectable dinner with great company (shouts out to Tamara and Joselina). I had a plate of tuna that was seasoned to die for, the requisite platanos, and the best salad I’ve tasted since I’ve been on the island.
















The restaurant was almost entirely lit by candles so, desafortunademente, most of it came out really dark. I managed to scavenge a couple clips of footage for you to at least peep the ambience:




I'm headed north to Puerto Plata for the weekend so lookout for the next post on Monday. Disfrute tu fin de semana! (Enjoy your weekend)


Thursday, August 20, 2009

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

The 25th National Biennial of Visual Arts

25 Bienal Nacional de Artes Visuales
@ Museo de Arte Moderno, Santo Domingo

*Biennial is Bienal in Spanish (Biennale en Italiano)

The Permanent Collection


This band closed out the night with a few songs.

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Friday, August 14, 2009

True Story: "Haitiano"

So Wednesday night I was picked up by police because they thought I was Haitian (the one time I decided to leave home without my passport). There are no embellishments here; I really couldn't make this stuff up. So here's my story: It's about 10pm, I'm freshly-dipped, headed to this fly bar on El Malecon called Mint connected to the Napolitano Casino...

































































































































































































































































































































































































And that's how my Wednesday night went down. I got home around 12:40am and was surprised because I really thought it was the middle of the night. But the whole ordeal was about 2, 2.5 hours long. All I kept thinking about in my apartment that night was all of the other brothers I saw get scooped up just like that, for no reason other than the aforementioned. I had my American citizenship on my side. But I was just as much African as the rest of the dudes on that truck...and I was blessed to be able to walk away. A crazy mix of emotions I dealt with, indeed. Thursday I needed to recover and just vegged out all day. Today (Friday) I spent it on the beach.

Gracias a Dios

(thank God)


Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Creativity, Wisdom, & Innovation




















Today I was introduced to ALEPH, a private firm in Santo Domingo dedicated to bolstering “social and human development processes within and outside the country’s borders.”
One of ALEPH’s community outreach programs is tailored to provide teens and young adults creative experiences for their personal and cultural development. Their annual summer program takes place weekend after next in Banao, a town in central Republica Dominicana about 2 hours from Santo Domingo. I’ll be teaching a drawing workshop at the summer program and it will actually be my first time camping. I’ve never been to Banao but it’s supposed to have some beautifully preserved landscapes. And it’s just about halfway between Santo Domingo and Puerto Plata- one of the nicest beaches in DR. I’ve never visited the latter either, but passed through on my way to Cabarete-- another popular beach town-- 6 years ago. I’m not sure yet but I’ll probably go to Puerto Plata after I leave camp. I’m pretty geeked about having the opportunity to volunteer and build with people here. International development rocks!


Monday, August 10, 2009

Studio Session 1

Sunday night stroll

There's an outdoor concert every Sunday night in Zona Colonial that's very popular. Unfortunately I arrived about 5 minutes before it ended, but you can at least get a glimpse. I'll try to get there earlier next week:


Home is never too far away when you're a Brooklynite:

Saturday, August 8, 2009

Anoche

Cinema Cafe is a really fly lounge and performance venue: 2 floors; a tropical motif with real plants and trees; half indoor/outdoor; with sections separated by red, green, and blue lights. Last night a band called Rita Indiana and The Mysteries performed songs that seemed to fuse salsa, merengue, soul, reggae, and hip-hop. I had a good time:

Cinema Cafe es una salon y club de musica en vivo muy bonita: 2 niveles; un motif tropical con plantas y arboles reales; un medio interior/adentro; con secciones separada de luzes rojo, verde, y azules. Anoche una banda de musica que se llama Rita Indiana y Los Misterios interpreten canciones que parace fusionar salsa, merengue, soul, reggae, y hip-hop. Yo tuve una noche bueno:

Friday, August 7, 2009

El Conde

I live a block away from El Conde, a major shopping strip in Santo Domingo. To my fellow Brooklynites, it’s the equivalent of Fulton Mall. El Conde is the only part of Zona Colonial that I’ve seen so far with significant traces of modernity in its architecture. (Most of Zona Colonial is pretty well maintained colonial Spanish design and very cool ruins). Here’s a glimpse of the strip:

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Monday, August 3, 2009

Ocho Puertas

Last night I hung out at this popular bar called Ocho Puertas (8 Doors) where I saw a reggae band named Ganjabeats. They performed songs in English and Spanish and I had a really good time. I shot video but unfortunately it's way too dark to share. Anyway, here are a few photos...

Sunday, August 2, 2009

Camina conmigo

Yesterday it rained off and on all day.This was a good thing for me because I can't stand the intense heat and I'm here during one of the hottest months of the year. Nonetheless I strolled the streets of Gazcue and Zona Colonial with my friend Joselina. We checked out a couple apartment options for me to rent, sipped some perfectly chilled Presidente in the park, and visited Chinatown. Along the way I met some of Josey's friends, one of whom has been in DR for the past 2 months and lives 3 blocks away from me in Brooklyn (the world is so small). It was a nice and mellow first day in Santo Domingo. Walk with me...

Ayer llovia casi todo el dia. Para mi fue bueno porque no me gusta el calor intenso y estoy aqui durante uno de los meses mas caloroso del ano. Sin embargo yo camine las calles Gazcue y Zona Colonial con mi buena amiga Joselina. Vimos algunas opciones de apartamentos para yo alquilar, bebimos algunas Presidentes perfectamente frias en el parque, y visitamos al barrio chino. En camino, nos encontramos con algunos amigos de Josey, una quien tiene dos meses viviendo en RD y tambien tiene una casa a tres cuadras de mi en Brooklyn (el mundo es muy pequeno). Fue un primer dia muy bueno y tranquilo en Santo Domingo. Camina conmigo...


Saturday, August 1, 2009