Not Always Paradise

I've now been in the Dominican Republic for nearly 6 weeks, and I can't say that I've "adjusted" or that I'm even coming close.  Living in the Caribbean is not all palm trees and sunshine..  Its hard.  Up until 6 weeks ago I had thought culture shock was for the weak.  Sure, living in Spain took a little bit of adjusting - I had to get used to eating dinner at 10:30 and I couldn't shop (not even for groceries) on Sundays because everything was closed.  However, besides the lack of reduced fat peanut butter, there weren't any major daily inconveniences.

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Here on the other hand, I feel like I'm constantly in a state of culture shock; my draw drops and I shake my head probably more than I should.  Lets take today for example:  I waited for our ice delivery for over an hour, and when I called to ask what happened to our ice, the woman told me, "Mi amor, I'm so sorry, we have ice, but the ice is really ugly today, I'm sorry we didn't send it."  Alrighty then, thanks for calling?  This little incident might not sound like its drastically nerve racking, but when 10 similar incidents happen within an 8 hour span, I go crazy.

I don't think I'll ever be fully adjusted here, but I can work on my patience with the many inefficiencies "differences" that I encounter.  

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Anyway, moral of the story is that poor boyfriend has had to put up with my daily frustration, anger, sadness and general negativity for nearly 6 weeks.  Once, after blabbing to my parents about the high crime rate in the city, he told me that if they ever came to pick me up and send me home, he wouldn't stop them {true love}.  Although he obviously has become frustrated with my attitude at times (who can blame him?), I'm so grateful for his amazing level of patience and understanding.  If the roles were reversed, I'd probably be telling him to go back to where he came from.  

So, to my calm, kind hearted melón - thank you for your patience, understanding, and for not sending me on the next flight home. 

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