Don't worry guys...the food is awesome!

Ok so the title of this one isn't representative of this whole blog, however it is a HUGE praise that I can safely say that I am loving Dominican cuisine. And it's not just like, "Yeah, that McDonald's in Santo Domingo was great," we were actually blessed to have one of the women from the church we are partnering with cook us a meal for lunch as we met with the church leaders for the first time. She prepared such a feast: roast beef, potato salad, avocados, beans, rice, fried plantains (a traditional and VERY tasty dish), and served us candied papaya for dessert AND gave us our first taste of Dominican coffee...yum! Needless to say, we were all dragging a little after stuffing ourselves on a great meal. Braulio (the national director of CCC here) told me that I'll have to owe him a dollar for every pound I gain here because it means they've fed us too well!
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The other adventure of our day was scouting apartments. Leyla and Prospero (lead student ministries thru CCC at the church) were more than helpful during this process. They spent all day explaining our options, warning us about common scams and concerns, and showing us different apartments around the city. They are really taking care of us like our parents would if we needed help moving to a different part of the US. We'll likely be moving into the same complex that they live in which really puts us at ease, knowing that if there ever was anything we needed, they'd only be a few doors away! Praise God!
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Some of the crazier things that we've experienced today:
--driving through town in crazy traffic (the cars get within inches of one another!)
--checking out the RADIO STATION that the church runs (they also run tv programs..how cool is that?! And they are totally open to us participating in the future!)
--Walking a few miles in the sweaty heat of the day (thank God for waterproof eyeliner/mascara!)
--Hearing la musica that everyone blares through their homes (this is totally normal for the daytime...shouldn't be a problem though, it's got a fun beat!)
--Watched my teammates communicate brilliantly in Spanish with the nationals about getting an apartment that will suit our needs (fyi these are NOT on our list of needs: AC, dish washer, hot water. We do need: safe location, proximity to ministry/transit, 2 apartments within our budget). We're pretty sure the girls have found one and are praying that all works out well with the one below that one that's available for the guys. Please pray about this.
--Saw many of the lids from manholes on the street were stolen. Don't wanna fall in one of those!
--Experienced shopping at "Jumbo," which is equivalent to a Super Walmart with major appliances. It is weird getting used to seeing pricing in Dominican Pesos. For example, $50 US dollars looks like $1,800!
--Took our first ride in a private taxi that fits 7 people...btw it's a compact car. Four in the back and two can sit in the passenger's seat! Let's just say we're getting more comfortable with each other faster than we expected ;)
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Anyways, I'll be uploading pictures soon but hope you're enjoying the stories in the mean time!