Returns

So, now that my brain is mostly functional again I can safely tell you that my trip was almost entirely awesome. Let's break it down into list form.

Snags

1. I don't know if you were aware of this or not, but I already have loads of white middle class guilt. Seriously, I'm really good at it. I've read that article about the invisible knapsack of white privilege like a million times, so going to a country where the average citizen makes between $5 and $7,000 USD per annum did not help lighten my load. We took a day trip to the town of La Romana, and the Caves of Wonder and the replica village of Altos de Chavos and the divide between rich and poor was made overwhelmingly clear. Also, our guide Raymond (say it RAY-mone) made his dislike for all thing Haitian abundantly clear. It wasn't a bad trip, but it also wasn't an easy trip for me, spent in the relative comfort of an air conditioned bus with bottled water and other spoiled tourists. I know we were bringing commerce and supporting people by plugging our money into the economy but still, it felt weird.
2. Even though I did not touch the tap water, well I touched it, but not with my mouth, my stomach still went into revolt by the last three days. It wasn't hurting or anything, it just wasn't holding onto anything for very long. I think this was more due to the heavy greasy (delicious) foods at the hotel than anything else. Or maybe it was the Kontiki party boat where everyone was almost aggressively happy. My stomach, clearly, can only withstand so many demands that I party.
3. Snorkeling is not my scene. After jumping off the Kontiki party boat with every intention to feed fish above a coral reef, I started to inhale water and freak out. So after hyperventilating I decided to return to the party boat and feed myself some more rum. luckily, even though I was the first to return I was quickly joined by other members of our team who also found themselves unsuited to such activities.

Awesomeness

1. The wedding was beautiful. Dana and Marc were married on the beach in front of a palm tree and an arbor covered in palm branches and tropical flowers. I will post pictures tonight. She wore a simple strapless white dress and some really gorgeous jewellery (she is a jeweller after all, she referred to the dress as a base for the accessories). The ceremony was accompanied by music from a band of three men who sang and played as the marriage certificate was signed and also viewed by about 40 beach goers including two topless little girls who very stealthily snuck up to the middle of the actual attendees to take pictures.
2. Oh my God, rum cocktails before noon are totally the way to start your day (hey, maybe that's why my stomach wasn't feeling very well by the end of the trip). Have you had a Coco Loco yet? You should!
3. The beach was great. I spent a lot of time there.
4. Massage with hot stones for at least half the price such luxury would cost in London, probably a quarter of the cost really.
5. The orange wristband. Sure it was pretty gross after seven solid days of wear, but it allowed me to eat and drink wherever I wanted to on the complex. Some people had yellow and blue wristbands, thus limiting their choices. Members of our party often wondered why those people even bothered going on vacation, nay, why did they even bother to exist when their experience was so clearly inferior to ours.
6. We made new friends and got to know old acquaintances better. the 30 wedding attendees came from all over. Ireland, New York, London (ahem), Chicago, and Ann Arbor, Mi. Some of them I knew vaguely, having met them when I lived with Dana, some I had only heard of and some I have known for ages. All were really awesome and fun and funny. I think by the end of the reception we were all hoping to be made part of Marc's family. He already has 7 siblings, what's a few more?
7. Jeremy bought me a pack of cigarettes! It was like the world went mad! He was smoking cigars and felt guilty so the only way he could think to appease himself was to buy me a pack of Winstons and claim that it was okay for me to smoke since it was vacation. I was all like, why don't you buy that kind of logic when I use it? And he was all like, just take this gift and leave me alone, puff puff.
8. Banana Mangu. The delicious Dominican breakfast treat. Mashed bananas, baked with onions on top, it's a savoury mind boggling treat.
9. Fresh mangoes for breakfast every single morning.
10. Baby peacocks, everywhere!
11. Flamingos!
12. No sunburn! Oh they laughed at my SPF 50 until they saw that I was the only one without glowing red skin (poor Erin brought SPF 70 and still got attacked by the cruel equatorial sun)
13. Palm thatched umbrellas on the beach
14. Palm thatched umbrellas near the pool
15. Law and Order episodes on the tv whenever I needed a break
16. Beautiful flowers everywhere
17. Laying on deckchairs on the beach at 1 in the morning listening to Marc and his siblings sing Irish folk songs with waves crashing in the background
18. Tropical thunderstorms while sitting in an open air bar drinking bloody marys and listening to the rain.
19. Full relaxation. On most vacations we end up doing a lot of running around trying to see everything, this vacation involved napping and not doing much of anything and that was exactly what we needed. I don't know if I ever need to do the whole all inclusive resort thing ever again (or at least for another 5-7 years) but it was really nice to do it this once.

For pictures either go to my facebook profile or here