A Mini Weekend in a Day

My favorite things to do on the weekends here are to discover new shops and eateries and to go to the beach.  For that reason, last Thursday was a perfect day!  It was a bank holiday here in the DR which I had completely forgotten about until someone reminded me of it on Tuesday.  Oh, the joy it brought me knowing that I'd get a mid-week break!  

Antica counter

It was a lovely, leisurely day.  We slept-in late, and then went to Antica, a brand new bakery/cafe in our neighborhood for brunch.  It was so tiny and so full of croissants and cakes, it reminded me of Europe.  We shared a cream cheese croissant, veggie and parma ham sandwiches, and a slice of passionfruit cheesecake!  Everything was excellent, and even the croissant - the most simplest of foods - was bursting with flavor.

In the afternoon we went to Juan Dolio beach, about 40 minutes outside the city.  The water was like bathwater and I just strolled right in without any hesitation at all - I think it was the warmest sea water I have ever swam in my life!  Its nice to know that the heat around here lately has been good for something :)  The beach was packed with people because of the holiday, but I was so engrossed in 50 Shades Darker that I didn't notice the crowd.  For 50 Shades readers - the 2nd book is much better than the first!

Sunset on the Beach

Country Living in the DR

Many people from Santo Domingo also have fincas {farms} outside of the city in the countryside.  Going out to the finca is like an escape from city life, and is usually the home of families during long holiday weekends or the meeting place for BBQ's on Sunday afternoons.  

For me, I'm starting to love going to the finca just as much as I love going to the beach on weekends.  Boyfriend's family has an incredible finca with a big river to swim in, but since boyfriend isn't a fan of "the country" we don't get to go as often as I'd like.  Last weekend, however, I managed to convince him to take me to his cousin's finca, a quick 40 minute drive away. 

Some pictures from the day:

Drinking Mamjuana

Mamajuana is an interesting blend of strong alcohol.  These concoctions usually begin with a wine or rum base, and then honey, medicinal plants/weeds, and sometimes even sea creatures are added which are then left to marinate inside forever.  I'm usually not a fan but this one was quite delicious!

Munching on tropical fruit from the yard

Whenever at a finca, I'm always eating all kinds of fruits that I don't know the names of.  I try to look them up with their local names, but I really believe that they simply don't exist in English since they are not eaten in English speaking countries! This fruit was crunchy and juicy, not really sweet and not really sour.

Pool on a Sunny Day

In the country near Santo Domingo there are no beaches and few rivers, so this is the way you cool down on a hot day.  This toddler deep pool was big enough for about 8 people, and after running a 10K that morning, it felt so nice to just sit in this cold water and chill, literally.

Fresh corn

Probably what I love most about being at a finca is eating all the food that is grown no more than 20 feet away from me.  Whether its poultry or fruits & veggies, most likely everything you will eat will be the freshest you'll ever taste.  This corn was plucked about 10 feet from our pool and was thrown on the barbecue.  Delicious.

Hen eating the cat's food

No comment on this one.

A 10K in the Botanical Gardens

So far this month has been so full of fun events that I haven't had any time to blog!  An early morning 10K was one of the highlights of last weekend.  

Jardín Botanico - Santo Domingo

The running start time was at 7:30 AM, and this time we remembered that we should arrive early.  Good thing we did because the event was packed with people!  I hadn't done my research for this race so I definitely was not expecting the huge tents, loud music, and big stage [usually races here are very low key].

Done!

The race was at the Botanical Gardens of Santo Domingo.  There were little signs along the path to mark each kilometer.  After the first kilometer I thought "Wow, with the pretty trees to look at and the curvy road, I can easily get through 9 more of these!"  And then came kilometer 2 where the hills really began.  The remainder was full of steep hills and the humidity from all the greenery surrounding us was killing me.  

At kilometer 7 I suddenly felt a burst of energy.  We were making great time in comparison with our last 10K and the road was {temporarily} flat.  But at kilometer 9 the steepest of all inclines came and all I could think was "WHO PLANNED THIS ROUTE?!  Why would they save the hardest part for last?!" It felt like the longest kilometer of my life and it took every last ounce of energy to not start walking.

Running for Diabetes

In the end we finished with nearly the exact same time as our previous 10K, but considering the terrain I feel we did a much better job!  I think drinking less water during this race actually helped me, so I hope to remember this next time when I'm wanting to chug down a gallon at every chance they give us.

It always boggles me how there are so many OLD people who run races and marathons, and the majority do a much better job than we do!  A thinks its because they've had more practice, and that the older we get the easier and faster we will be as well.  But aren't people generally in the best shape of their lives when they are younger as opposed to older?  

Thoughts?  I do hope he's right!

The 15K We Somehow Survived

Finish Line

So.  10 weeks ago I saw news of a 15K which would take place last Saturday.  I pleaded and begged boyfriend to do it with me, because lets face it, who wants to do 10 weeks of training when other important things could be done, like watching Two & a Half Men and 2 Broke Girls?  He reluctantly agreed, and so we began the 3-runs-a-week training program that I [clearly the professional] created.

All went swimmingly until Chicago happened.  We had been used to running in 85 degree {29 celsius} + high humidity, so running in 65 degrees {18 celsius} + strong head winds was enough to make our heads and ears hurt (us poor babies, I know).  We barely ran for two weeks and the week of our return to Caribbean running would be the same week as the 15K.

Boyfriend said no way was he doing it, the post vacay shock of the humidity would be enough to turn anyone off, but for some reason that only God knows, we decided to give it a go.

The race was said to start at 5:07 PM.  We arrived at 5:05, and as soon as we walked up toward the start line the runners had already taken off!  We began running at once, no stretching, no preparation, nada.  It was sunny and unbearable hot for the first half.  The route couldn't have been more boring, as it was just the same road back and forth, twice!  But we finished it and maintained our pace the whole way through! Never in my life did I think I would be able to run 9.3 miles, but I did it!

{Please note A's loving look}

Things I learned:

-Even if your race is somewhere with island time, try to arrive early.

-If you continue pouring water over your head, your cheap Apple earphones will eventually stop working.  Bye, bye, volume buttons.

-Remember that your photo will be taken at the finish line, try to look pretty.  {Should have learned last time}

-Don't eat ribs and a casserole for lunch before your 5 PM race. 

Case of the Tuesdays

Its crazy how much can change at work when you're gone for two weeks.

Source

Our headquarters store now has a new store manager who likes to micromanage, threaten employees, and order people around just because he thinks he can.  We do not get along to say the least.  And when you work in a small company, one bad apple is enough people to ruin your day.  If our jobs were in English (or if he even understood English), he would've been running for the hills last week, but since Spanish is not my native language, I become timid with him, and when I can't express myself I unintentionally give him the power [despite the fact that my position is well above his].  Wah wah.  

I've been blessed to never have worked with such a difficult individual until now, but I'm frustrated that it has to be in Spanish!  I applaud all of those who work in a language that is not their own!  Its hard.  I do not want this one insignificant person to continue ruining my day, so bear with me while I focus on all the good there is in my job:

-I recently got a promotion

-I am getting an assistant to do the work that I don't want to do

-I have a good relationship with everyone at work besides said person

-I'm home every day at 4:40 PM if not earlier

-I can eat ceviche for lunch everyday I wish with the market across the street :)

Source

Its so easy to dwell on the negative 

and so hard to focus on the positive.  

If I'm learning one thing while living in the DR it is exactly that sentence.  It has become a constant mental training and challenge to not let negativity fill my brain, and if anything, this not so special person will help me defeat my personal challenge!  Cheers to difficult individuals.