Hey guys, I just got back from the Dominican Republic. I was there for a month and it didn’t seem like I was there long enough. I had an amazing vacation – spending time with family and friends, going out, etc. Having my family divided between two countries gives me the opportunity to travel frequently, but it’s also difficult. Seeing my long-distance family for a couple weeks a year just doesn’t cut it, especially because I feel like I have more in common with them than with the relatives that live closer to me.

Like I’ve told you in previous blog entries, I’m very family-oriented, so I definitely appreciate the time that I spend with my family – even if it’s short. Over this vacation, I hung out with my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and little cousins during the day, but at night I went out with the cousins around my age, which are more like the siblings I never had. Every time we all went out, a good night was guaranteed. We all enjoy going out together and dancing the night away. Every night was fun, and New Year’s was epic.

The night I was leaving for the airport, I cried. At first it started as a joke. Before we left for the airport I told my cousin I didn’t want to leave, and she started crying and after that, I couldn’t hold back the tears either. We cried for a while, because my other cousin kept playing sad songs. At the airport we cried again before I walked through the doors to my gate. People say that goodbyes are always hard – and it’s true, but in my case, my see-you-later’s are also very difficult. Leaving my family is not something I like to do, but I have family here too, and I know that I have to leave in order to go back.

Going to the Dominican Republic twice a year has become routine. I would probably be miserable if I had to wait a year to see my family again. Sometimes I feel like I live in the wrong country – like I’m supposed to live there (DR), instead of here. Honestly, I probably only feel like that because the social life there is so much better. On the other hand, social life isn’t the only thing that matters. The Dominican Republic fulfills the criteria of what I see as a perfect social life, but the United States supplements the professional and academic portion, which are also very important. This is probably why I feel the need to go to the Dominican Republic; because just like the United States, it’s very much a part of my life. It’s my culture.

-Erica