May 17,1999

Dear Mom, Dad and Alberto,

The Dominican Republic is the best place. I really think we should live in the capital, Santo Domingo because there are a lot of things to see there like historical landmarks.

The climate there can get very warm. In the summer temperatures can go from 80° F to 100° F so you might want to bring some shorts and T-shirts. The climate does not change much throughout the year. The wet season in the Dominican Republic is from June to November, during this time hurricanes are a problem so be sure to be prepared for these natural disasters. The annual Precipitation is 1825mm (60 in) so bring an umbrella.

Just so you know where to go, the Dominican Republic is the eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispanola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Haiti. I found out that the island was formed by the pecks of two underwater mountains. Just so you know, the island's mountains are called the "Cordillera Central", and the island is divided into 29 provinces plus the Distrito National (National District).

As I was walking in the capital I kept hearing about a person named Trujillo. I decided to findout who he was, I found out that he was a dictator for more than 30 years until he was killed. After that I decided to find out more about the island's history and I found out that Christopher Columbus discovered this island in 1492 at the end of one of his big journeys. When he got there, the island was inhabited by the Taino Indians or Arawaks.

The goods and manufacturing products are pretty good on this island. I will list some of them for you: sugar-refining, textiles, cement, cigars, cigarettes, fertilizer, molasses, processed wheat and rice.

Hey, brother don't worry, there are a lot of things to see here. For example, you can see the oldest cathedral on the island, which is really nice. You can also see one of Columbus's houses which is now a museum. There are also many beaches you can visit.

Dad, listen up because I know you like to eat. The main meal, armuerzo (lunch,) is served at midday and often lasts two hours so you will have a lot of time to eat. The desayuno (breakfast) is usually light with some coffee often sugared. The sena (dinner) is also light often not more than a snack or sometimes with leftovers from the armuerzo. Here are some of the main foods which are habichuelas (beans) and yucas (avacodos) are the main foods of the Dominican Republic. Platanos, Mangos, Papayas, Pineapples, Guavas, Avocados, Passion fruit, coconuts, and Star fruit are all picked in season.

There are a couple of health problems for example you can get yellow fever people also may starve to death because not many people have food. Did you know that the life expectancy is 66 to 77 years? (51 out of 1,000 infants live in the Dominican Republic). That's all I have to tell you about the Dominican Republic. Bye!

Love,
Luisana

 

BACK