Getting ready/Me preparo

Preparations for my voyage to the D.R. have begun. I need to explain the preparations in two phases: the long term stuff like setting up my internship, securing funding, and the like; and the short term stuff, like packing and buying supplies and figuring out how to survive in a new country.

Right now I'm bringing up the short term stuff.

Let me make this abundantly clear: packing sucks.

It sucks more when you're going somewhere for three months. Lucky for me, I'll have access to laundry facilities at my apartment building in Santo Domingo, so I don't need to bring my entire closet. Just my A-list stuff. Still, there's a lot of thought that goes into packing for an extended trip like this, especially when I have to bring a variety of clothes. I need dressy stuff for classes and VIP events in the D.R. I need beach wear. I need stuff for hiking and traipsing around the city.

It's also a pain in the ass to remember and pack all the things I've become way too accustomed to: my computer, my Nintendo DS, my voice recorder, my iPod, and all associated power cords, headphones, and batteries. I live on my computer. I turn to Pokemon on my DS when I'm bored and/or the world sucks. My iPod will soon be filled with merengue, bachata, plena, salsa, and reggaeton, replacing my trip hop, thrash metal, house, and new wave tunes.

Then I had to consider ways to get around TSA's asinine rules on liquids. I don't even want to bother with their nonsense, so I'm putting everything even closely resembling liquid in my checked luggage. Shampoo, bug spray, hand sanitizer, you can have it. I'd rather not be accused of terrorism at 6am. It just doesn't fit into my career plans.

I swear to god I'll forget something. And unlike when I've been on vacay or business trips before, I don't know if I can just go to the corner store and get tweezers, Q-tips, or whatever I'll need that I've forgotten. Sure, Santo Domingo isn't an open pit of sewage and ignorance, but I also have no idea what it's actually like there. Saving money by bringing everything I have on hand now is also a strategic move.

I'll bring you more background on the long term preparations for my semester in the D.R., along with the promised stories on why I chose the D.R., what I'll do there, and who I am. There's three whole months ahead to write this story.

Mi otoño en la República Dominicana/My autumn in the Dominican Republic

This is the first in a series of posts on the greatest adventure I've ever attempted in my life. Next week I travel to the Dominican Republic for a three month study abroad program.

I started this blog to keep a record of my travels, and to keep my friends and loved ones up on what I'm doing. If I find some other readers along the way, cool.

Some quick basics on me and this study abroad thing I'm doing.

I'm Chris, an American student living in the San Francisco Bay Area in California. I'm 29 and I attend San Jose State University, where I am majoring in global studies with a double minor in journalism and Spanish.

Global studies majors at SJSU are required to do a study abroad program to graduate. We must pick a global region that corresponds to our area of focus and second language (or in some cases, third or fourth or fifth...) to travel to. I chose the Dominican Republic, a destination that not many people understand or even know exists. I'll get into the details of why I chose the D.R., what I'm studying, and how I'm getting there in future posts.

This fall I am studying at La Universidad Iberoamericana (UNIBE) in Santo Domingo, the D.R.'s capital city. I am also doing a research internship on baseball in the country. Baseball is more than a sport in the D.R.; it's life. Baseball is also my life, which I will also discuss in detail later on.

I leave for Santo Domingo September 2. Until then, I'll be getting ready to go. Packing. Gathering all my necessities: bug spray, sunscreen, and Immodium--for traveler's diarrhea. It's fun. Working on assignments for an online class I'm taking at SJSU this fall. And teaching my final lessons at my day job as a swim coach. (I promise you we'll get to all that).

Every good story needs a prologue and my Dominican story has yet to be written. This coming week will be the prologue.

Thanks for reading and I hope I keep you all interested in my autumn in the Dominican Republic.