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Santo Domingo: Day 3: Feliz Dia De La Independencia

Posted on by Milli Stephania in Milli Stephania, Travels

Buenos Dias Republica Dominicana!

What better way to start off the celebration of Indpendence Day, than actually being in the place you’re celebrating!?

When I was a little girl, maybe like 5 or so,  and used to live in Santo Domingo, I remember being dressed up in a huge pink devil costume ready for the carnaval. I remember being scared of the monsters, but having fun at the same time. Now that I’m much much older (goodness, I’m getting old) this time I would be able to celebrate like the adults do… with a lot of liquor.
It made much more sense to take the bus over to La Vega, another city in La Republica Dominicana, since we were all going to be drinking and nobody wanted to be the responsible designated driver.

When we first got there, the sun was beaming, I decided to wear a dress, don’t ask me why, because I ended up regretting it later once I got beat up, I’ll explain later.

My hip was killing me from the day I busted my ass at the bar, and these diablos weren’t helping. They’re dressed from head to toe and carry these balloons filled with cow fat that hardens…and then they beat you in the butt with them. yes, you read that correctly. Chris got hit first, and he thought I was the mastermind behind it all. I call him over and tell him to pose with one of the diablos, and another comes up right behind him and pops him right in the ass! I was cracking up, and lucky me got to capture that pain.
The guys scurried off and snuck some Brugal in, so we all go to enjoy the music while we tried our best to cover our butts.

My cousin Ernesto had plans of his own, since he kept being conniving and kept planning to get us hit. He would call the diablos over and sneak behind us so one of gets hit. What a bully!
(when Chris got hit ….look at that face! ↑)

I’m not even going to lie, when I got hit, ouch! I felt that sting for the rest of the night. I was in so much pain. I got hit on my right buttcheek, and I didn’t even get the chance to see the diablo that beat me!
Night time arrived at the guys were feeling it. Ernesto the show off that he is got Chris to take his shirt off and somehow I ended up being hassled into taking pictures of them… who did they think they were? lol  They were showing off their tattoos and their muscles (cough cough cough)

Santo Domingo: Day 2: La Casita Verde and 4 Wheelers

Posted on by Milli Stephania in Milli Stephania, Travels

I woke up feeling content. At first, my eyes peeled open, and it was an instant “Where am I?” was I back in New York, was I still in Puerto Rico? I hear my baby cousins running around chasing each other, and the noticias playing from the kitchen. I was home. Home, not where all of my clothes were stored, where my pretty bed was messy, or where I had routine waiting for me, but the home where my heart was… la casita verde. The little green house.

This is where family is, this is where when you wake, the birds are chirping, abuela is busy making desayuno (breakfast). This is where, no matter how many of my cousins have left home and started a family of their own, they show up everyday for lunch, where the grandkids run around and play in the yard, where the spouses help around the house, where we all come together. Esta casita verde is love.
Like usual, whenever I’m here, I spend my morning roaming the backyard for a quick lap, and since I try my best not to pick up any internet and do work, my tiny little notebook comes into play. Writing started for me at a young age, especially since I always caught myself not remembering a lot of details about what happened last week, a month ago etc. So I started to write, I know have memories that I can cherish for a very long time. I have diaries from 5th grade, crushes about boys, struggles at home, and all my little evil thoughts. Sometimes I go through them and see how much I have grown. Since Chris was so eager to do 4 wheelers, I hounded my cousin Yenny to find out how we could get that done. Today was spent with speed and a lot of dirt on our faces.

I was nervous, and Chris being the speed demon that he is had no care in the world. “This is what atv’s are made for” is what he would tell me everytime we sped up through a dirt hill, or even by passed the trail that was made up for us. When we first arrived, I mounted my helmet on tight and grabbed my camera. (Like my camera would stay home, I take that thing everywhere) Chris was excited, I was busy praying.
We rode along the highway, something tat scared the shit out of me, more than the actual dirt track, maybe because the cars were speeding so close next to us. I just kept picturing my body alongside the curb in pain..yikes….

This was all Chris, he asked if I wanted my own bike, and I refused. I think I trusted him more with my life than I did myself. I jumped behind him and grabbed on. “Hold on tight” he would tell me everytime the miles per hour would go up higher. I want to say that I hated it, but I was secretly loving it. And I know he was too, everytime I grabbed on tighter and yelled for dear life. Him cracking up was everything.I had given Yenny the other go pro, even though her and Franklin were in the back most of the time, having issues with their 4 wheeler. It was going off to the side, they were stopping and comparing to Chris, going much slower. But who wouldn’t with this daredevil?

He puts me in the front, and is driving from the back, he starts going fast, faster, faster…. and he doesn’t stop. He’s hysterically laughing, and screaming at the top of my lungs. STOOOOP, CHRIS!!!

When he finally stops, I jump off, and storm off… “I’m not riding with you anymore!” he’s still laughing, and I’m looking for someone to trade places with me. My baby cousin Voctor looks at me real quick and says “no”.

“I’m sorry, come back!” with that evil looking grin on his face. I roll my eyes and hop right back on the bike.
The worst mistake this man has made yet. Check it…. He tells me ” You want to drive?”

Oh, my goodness! I swear, I wasn’t trying to kill him on purpose. I step in front, mind you, I don’t even have a driver’s license. I think he was looking for a death wish. I started off pretty well, so I’m surprised at my self. Steady, steady, I was picking up speed and had control, as soon as I decide to slow down because I was getting scared, I crash into the sugar canes. Chris crashing right into my and hurt his leg with the atv. Oh, shit!

“She’s trying to kill me!”I have so much footage from this day, and surprisingly even the crash…. (which he still thinks I did on purpose) lol

I’ll be posting videos soon, I have so much work to do, trust  me, they’ll be up soon.

Tell, me, you think I did it on purpose or was it an accident?

(the locals wanted a ride, they would chase us while we we riding, when we took a pit stop to get beers, I had the chance of capturing this shot)

Santo Domingo: Day 1: Bendiciones

Posted on by Milli Stephania in Friends + Family, Milli Stephania, Travels

Omg, omg, omg… what the hell is all that banging that’s going on outside?! The light is peeking through the blinds and the studio is a mess. Chris and I take a quick look at each other and it’s like we both read each other’s mind. We jumped out of bed in a panic. “What time is it?”

10am…holy shit! We’re going to miss our flight!

We ran around the room like chickens with their heads cut off, trying to pack and not forget anything, keeping the space decent and clean for our host so it doesn’t look like we’re slobs. Rushing and getting ready, while constantly bumping into each other, so we can make it to our flight on time.

When we first arrived, we had to pick up the keys at the Chinos right below the condo, now that we’re leaving, it was pretty hectic to return the keys since they were closed. We didn’t have time for this. We ended up leaving the keys at the tiny restaurant next door with a waitress, texted our hostess and hoped for the best. We checked into the airport and made it right on time. Thank goodness… Santo Domingo, here we come!

Part 2 of our trip…. You thought we were going home didn’t you?

“Look for a cute, short blonde” That’s what I tell Chris after we picked up our baggage. My cousin Yenny was waiting for us at the gate with my cousin Franklin. I introduce Chris and everyone says their hellos. He seems to be hiding his spanish, I’m guessing it’ll make an appearance once he feels more comfortable. I explained to him that this is the first time I bring a boy to meet my family in Dominican Republic. He asks me if that’s a good thing. I don’t even have an answer to that yet. I will admit, I was a tiny bit nervous though.

We stopped at Boca Chica to get some food before heading home. Some pescado frito (fried Fish) and tostones. Amazing! i wasn’t even hungry, but my plate will tell you other wise. I warned Chris that while our stay here, he would never be without a beer in his hand when it comes to my family, and he’s slowly starting to realize that. With just a 30 minute ride to the infamous green house, we already had gone through about 3 jumbo Presidentes.

Bendiciones!

(a greeting used when saying hello in latin customs, you are asking for blessings from your'elders, they usually respond with " Dios te bendiga" which means, "may God bless you"

My abuela was in the kitchen cooking up a storm as usual. She looked great and I was happy to see her. I hopped into the shower and got ready to head out to see some cousins and my aunt and uncle. Everyone usually just hangs out in the front of the corner store with a beer in hand, music blasting in the background.

Whenever I see my Tio Netty, I get the instant flashback of Papi Neto, my abuelo. They look so alike to me, it’s mind boggling. Kisses on the cheek going back and forth, introductions were made to the neighborhood friends were done. Everyone here is so inviting….and always willing to fill up your cup with more beer.

My cousin Ernesto finally settled down with a girl, Katerine, so he was all smiles when he was showing off his new place. I’m so proud of him, and even better yet.. he looks so happy.

Puerto Rico 2015: Day 6: El Yunque Rainforest and a Trip

Posted on by Milli Stephania in Milli Stephania, Travels

Early mornings usually mean you have something planned for the day. That was the right thinking for this scenario. Chris had set us up to go on a tour and El Yunque Rainforest it was. I was so excited when our tour guide picked us up, we weren’t the only ones who were eager for this tour, the van was packed, and surprisingly 8/9 of us were from NYC. We were surrounded by neighbors from Westchester County,  Brooklyn, Harlem and the Bronx.

We actually ended up hanging out with Patrick from Harlem, since he was more on the adventurous side of things, while everyone else seemed to be complaining that they had to hike.

When we arrived all the way at the top, green was the color of choice. Well, why wouldn’t it be, it’s the rain forest. There were many streams and trails, we strayed for a bit, but let’s face it, we were all excited for the infamous waterfall… and it was absolutely stunning. Freezing, but gorgeous non-the less.

The rocks at the bottom, sure didn’t make it easy for me to walk. One will be high, while the next was short, while one was dull, another pointy, one wobbly, while the next was slippery. Like usual, and I’m not surprised at all by this, but I lost my footing and fell on the ride side of my ribs hitting a rock. That wasn’t fun, but it wasn’t going to stop me from having a good time anyway.

The hike back up was a bit more of a  struggle, due to the incline and the sharp turns. Once  I saw the end of the line, I couldn’t be more relieved. Time for lunch, we were all exhausted and hungry and another couple in the van were getting more ghetto than they originally were when we first met them. We stopped at one of the local pit stops and grabbed some grub. We ordered some pasteles en hoja con arroz y habichuela. And even though the food was good and devoured, I’ve had better pasteles from my abuela, and even from Chris’s mom.

We stepped into the souvenir shop and for the first time actually purchased something.  Seemed a like all the ones we stepped into had corny little knick-knacks. Chris bought a hammock, while I purchased  a pink handbag for my boss Jessica. She’s been super amazing with giving me time off, I definitely have to bring her back a little something.

After the tour was over, the tour guide had to take us back home, and the rest of the group to Luquillo Beach. Everyone else was doing a trio tour which included stops to El Yunque, Luquillo Beach and the Bio Bay in Vieques. Even though we wanted to do all three, we just didn’t have the time. While dropping off the rest of the group, our tour guide Charlie, was ready to drive us back. I asked if I could use the bathroom first, and I ended up convincing Chris to take a quick run to the beach with me. He said no at first, but with a little begging, we were running towards the beach to get a quick glance at the famous beach before we had to get back to civilization. When we made it back to the van, we were cracking up and Charlie already knew we made a quick run for it.

I had every intention of jumping in the pool  when we got back to our condo, but with all the exhaustion, a nap was needed. This was our last night in Puerto Rico and to end all of the festivities we had decided to start right at the beginning. We planned to meet up with Monica for a goodbye dinner, in this case drinks. She brung along her friend Rob from back home (Pennsylvania).

We started off drinking at a local bar called Stop & Go. Since I wasn’t too much in the mood for beer, I ordered wine & about 4 more after it. They were these personalized bottles that served about 3 glasses each. So I knew I was feeling it. Everyone else was was chugging on beers and we all took a break to shoot down some jagerbombs. It was time to celebrate Rob’s birthday.
We all walked on the beach for a little while to grab some fresh air. The sand was cool, the moon was bright and the waves were a little rough.We walked into an Irish pub called Patrick’s. I stepped into the restroom  while everyone else went to grab a seat. As I stepped out of the bathroom I lost my footing & ended up falling on my right side. I’m not exaggerating when  I say, I busted my ass!

Coming up the stairs was one of the locals who saw everything. How embarrassing! I walk over to where Monica, Chris and Rob are…. rubbing my ass… and who decided to walk over? The same guy who saw me fall. He asks if I’m ok. He barely speaks any english. At first his intentions seemed sincere and that’s when he got comfortable and stared to crack jokes on me.

I laugh it off because what can you possibly do but to laugh at yourself. He ended up hanging out with us the whole night, cracking jokes.  When we all stepped outside to the porch of the bar, he kept saying how Dominican women are the best since they cater to you hand and foot, and that Chris was lucky to have me.  I laughed because in some ways, he’s right, but that’s not all we’re good for. There’s a lot of spicyness that comes with latina women.Everytime this man had something to say, I had a snap back response to it. After many drinks, Chris invited Monica and Rob back to our place so we can just blast some music, have more beer and shit talk all night. I cut open a mango and served it, a nice sweet snack to balance out all of that drinking. Time got the best of us and we ended up falling asleep around 3am. Good last night.