The highs and lows of my thirteenth weekend here in the Dominican Republic;

First off, I had a wicked weekend with some other teachers from school, we went to Santo Domingo for Saturday and Sunday and stayed with someone’s (very hospitable) family. We went shopping (yey), we went sightseeing (yey) we ate lush food (yey) and then we got ready and went out dancing at night (yey yey yey!). At midnight in fact. And didn’t come home until the wee hours. =) And yes I danced!!! Jessi danced merengue!!! With a man!!! (a lawyer no less) and I’m so proud. Everyone said I did well, but I know they are just being kind. This kind of dancing is easier than it looks, I bet everyone was laughing at the gringa on the dancefloor. Still, I loved it, and I want to go out dancing again soon, so come on girls! We travelled back again today and stopped at a barbeque on the way., more Dominican hospitality – I feel like royalty! Anyway I’m back home now, and I have sobered up. ;-)

And secondly, something just had to happen to spoil the weekend.

I was walking to school with some books this afternoon, broad daylight, public place although no-one about, etc. etc. I was not dressed provocatively, in fact I looked pretty dreadful, my hair was knotty and so tied up in a bun, no make up on, baggy trousers and shirt 4 sizes too big, sweat patches on my back.. you get the picture. And as I was crossing the road, this guy on a motorbike stopped in my path and when I tried to walk around the back of him he backed up. I let him know I was not amused (!) and he drove off. Only to turn around and come back.. This time he drove up on the pavement and came up towards me. He blocked my path completely, trapping me between his bike and a fence and then proceeded to roughly grope me in the groin, the waist and the chest. I was fuming! (and scared). I pushed him and shouted at him to F*** Off and he lost control of his bike and drove it into the fence and I was able to get away. I was absolutely livid. Then I got thinking how easy it would have been for him to go even further, and how easy it would have been to take my bag too – thank god I left that at school earlier. Although this is a good area of Santiago, I feel rather vulnerable today, I don’t think I’ll be walking around alone a lot anymore. It makes me so cross that people can do things like that. And it makes me cross that I have to watch out for it, even expect it.