I'm Heeere

I landed in Santo Domingo yesterday afternoon.  I had no idea what to write on my immigration paper regarding the duration of my visit, because how do you state that your stay is going to be indefinite [for the time being], but that no, you're not a citizen or even a legal resident?  

I wrote 6 months, and when the customs gentleman asked me something about where I will be living, I got all flustered and didn't know how to respond.  My answer was along the lines of "Umm..  Here..  In a house.."  I looked like a deer in headlights, but he sort of just laughed, rolled his eyes and returned my passport with a fresh Dominican stamp.  That was easy. 

I don't know.

In the evening, we went to TGI Fridays for drinks with A's family & friends that I had met before.  Maybe he thought the locale would ease the initial culture shock or something - I felt like I was right back in American suburbia. 

Family

Today his family helped me get the ball rolling on this immigration process, if only it was as easy as the airport arrival.  There are about 1,000 documents involved, and the whole process takes 3-4 months.  But get this:  if you pay a little extra for the "VIP" process, it only takes 3 hours.  Ha!  Can you believe it? 

In total, its going to cost me about $250 to be a legal person here with a legal job.  Sigh.  I suppose he's worth $250..  Hehehe.