A little bit of Dominican culture

Yesterday was our first cultural excursion sponsored by InteRDom, the program with which we are here in the Dominican Republic. These cultural excursions are outings to various places and landmarks in the DR meant to give us a firsthand account of the country's rich and diverse culture. For the first half of the outing, we found ourselves at the Museo del Hombre Dominicano (The Museum of the Dominican Man). The museum featured paintings, sculptures, and figures depicting the mixed heritage of the Dominican people. Dominicans are descendants of the Taino people who inhabited the island of Hispañola (the name of the island in which the Dominican Republic and Haiti are located) at the time of its "discovery" by the Spanish in the 15th century and thus many of the exhibits featured Taino artwork, words, and sculptures depicting what Taino life was like on the island. The museum also featured many pieces of African artwork and instruments brought over by enslaved Africans in European captivity, paying homage to the African ancestry that Dominicans also possess.

The next stop on the cultural excursion was the Cueva de las Maravillas (Cave of Marvels). Discovered in the 50s, this cave is about 25 meters underground and home to a multitude of Taino drawings, each thousands of years old. The drawings either depicted aspects of Taino life or were homages to the different gods that Tainos worshipped and/or to the afterlife and reincarnation. Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take pictures in the cave (because the flash of camera lights on the drawings fades the paint), but trust me it was definitely a site to see! Besides the drawings, there were stalagmites and stalactites, some covered in a beautiful white crystal rock, a natural pool which was so clear and still, it looked like an actual mirror reflection of the surrounding cave, and a lot of murciélagos (bats). I'd definitely have to say that touring la Cueva de las Maravillas was one of the most amazing things I've ever done! 

I've only been here for eight days and I am so in love with this place! The people, the scenery, the food, I love it all! In just eight short days, my Spanish has gotten so much better, namely because I speak it from the moment I leave my apartment, until I return. But, it's definitely unrealistic to think that I will be able to reach fluency by the time I leave in August, so... (drum roll, please!)... I've decided that after I graduate from law school, I want to move back here for a year! I haven't begun to look at the details, but I would love to live here for a year and work for an NGO (or maybe even the company I'm currently interning for, who knows?) while at the same time working towards becoming bilingual. Anywho, that plan is super far off and who knows what will happen between then and now, but as of right now, I'm pretty sure it's what I'd love to do.

The remains of a Taino king and his favorite wife.
At his death, she was buried alive.

Instruments made by enslaved Africans brought
to the Dominican Republic by Europeans

Spanish influence on religion in the DR

The view from the entrance of the Cueva de las Maravillas 

Inside the cave