Since my last post, most of my week has been orientation. Much of it involved info sessions in a classroom type setting at the university, but some of it was very hands on. One of our afternoons was spent doing a scavenger hunt around the city in order to get to know our home a little bit better. It involved getting phone numbers from local medical clinics, stamps from the post office, and various other things. The most beneficial part of the scavenger hunt was learning how to get around the city. To rely solely on walking is pretty unrealistic. Like any city, Santiago has buses and taxis, but the one method of transportation that really stood out to me was conchos. Like buses, they follow set routes but what is different about conchos is that you can enter or leave the concho anywhere along that route. Each route also has a countless number of conchos in order to accommodate the demand. Conchos consist of many different makes of cars, but every one that I have seen has been a sedan, which has 5 seats. However, due to less enforced traffic regulations in the Dominican Republic, it is not uncommon to see more people than seats in a concho. In fact, I have seen as many as nine people in one concho. Concho drivers are paid based on how many fares they get throughout the day. So the more people they can fit in their car, the more money they can make. To be honest I think they are extremely efficient. It is without a doubt very dangerous to be in a car without a seatbelt, but it is just another part of life here in Santiago. Conchos allow people to get around the city very cheaply. People don’t seem to be bothered by the fact that they are potentially dangerous. They just need to get to where they are going.

If you are thinking about studying abroad, I hope this type of thing does not sway you from doing so. When I used a concho for the first time, I was absolutely out of my comfort zone. There were four people in the back seat and another two in the passenger seat. The temperature usually hovers around 85 during the day which definitely made it more uncomfortable.  But these are the type of experiences that I live for in a way. These are the moments that I will remember for a long time coming.

I will be starting my classes tomorrow, and am very excited about them. They will all be taught in Spanish which seems a little scary but I am looking forward to them. This and more in my next post. Until next time!

Location: Santiago, DR