Todo se resolverá (All will be resolved)

I've ridden in worse than this...

I've always wanted to start a story with this: "it was an inauspicious beginning..." but in this case it was not. After one delayed flight, one missed flight and a night spent in the airport I arrived in Santo Domingo exhausted and sans luggage. Luckily I packed a change of clothes in my carry-on, or the past few days in the city would be too grimy to mention. As it stands I have enjoyed a fair many Dominican meals and become accustomed to the jarring traffic scene of the capital city (where stop signs and turn signals are optional, stoplights are stop "suggestions," and drivers treat honking as a competitive sport). The public transportation system is worth mentioning in detail. One of the main forms of travel here are the "carros públicos" or shared cars which seem to be dilapidated pieces of sheet metal held together with industrial glue. They are driven by "choferes" who have a knack for creating a third lane on the highway and a seeming desire to break the sound barrier. Needless to say, getting from point A to point B in the city continues to be an adventure! Did I mention that these five-passenger cars are usually packed with 7 or more people...there's nothing like cozying up to perfect strangers.  In terms of logistics for my stay in the Dominican (the whens, wheres, and hows), I am as hazy on the details as my supervisors. Our supposed teacher "training" in the city has consisted of an English proficiency test, a domino intelligence test (which was surprisingly difficult), and oral interview and a rapid-fire PowerPoint presentation that wasn't all that helpful. In other words, I feel more lost in terms of teaching than I was before. As for the "when" and "where" of my site placement, I leave tomorrow for a town called Higuëy (E-gway), which you can find in the eastern part of the country.

The good news: it is fairly close to Punta Cana and some marvelous beaches. The bad news: the town is supposedly populated with more cows than people. (Welcome back to Wisconsin!!) Classes begin on Monday and I await them with a nervous anticipation. But here I am, trying to roll with the punches. Thus the title of this blog: in spite of the bureaucratic inefficiencies of the Ministry of Education (my new employer) and the hectic nature of my days so far I am confident that  todo se resolverá. I'll try to get more pictures uploaded on my next blog, but there are no guarantees :) Saludos until next time!
One last thing: I wouldn't be a teacher if I didn't try to impart some wisdom to my blog readers, now would I? So it is my goal each post to share with you all a modismo or Dominican colloquial saying, just for fun. Today's is this: estar frío/caliente con alguien means that you are either on good (frío) or bad (caliente) terms with them. So next time you're having problems with someone, just say "I'm hot with him." I promise I'll understand; I don't promise that anyone else will! Saludos until next time...