ElaineMicheline

Alternative Spring Break in the Dominican Republic

2011-03-11T16:17:00.086-05:00

The day is finally here- we've worked so hard fundraising for our trip to Santiago,Dominican Republic. We were all extatic and couldn't wait to actually land on the island.

March 11th, 2011

Arrived at FIU at 6:30 am. Saw all the happy faces and all the Drers in their black GCE t-shirts. Some wore sweaters, others hoodies and some took the weather like troopers and just had their tshirts on. I had my FIU hoodie (had to rep for my Alma Mater) and I was freezing my butt off that morning. It was like 60 something degrees, which essentially isn't that cold. But if you're from Miami, that temperature definitely means, Ugg boots, hoodies,maybe even bubble jackets for those extreme people. We went upstairs to Bianny,Walter and my office to grab all the donation luggages. We arrived at Miami International Airport around 7:30 am, checked in and was in the departure hall around 8 am. Most of us didn't have breakfast that morning, so we walked the halls to get a bite to eat. It was Friday ( and Lent) so I had to eat seafood, which was not available, so I went vegetarian for the day. After Walter (my coworker) and I sat down with our bowl of noodles at 8:30 am, we looked at eachother and wondered why we hadn't just bought breakfast instead, besides it was breakfast time....sigh.

The flight departed at 10 am . I sat next to Bianny , and I can honestly say that as soon as I sat down and put my pink pillow behind my neck, I was knocked out. Ofcourse, I was super excited the night before, and was busy packing and making last minute runs to Target. I had an entire wardrobe in mind, then tried the racer back tops on and realized, my preggers belly was showing more than I thought it was...I looked like a stuffed sausage NO BUENO. Ooh well, I guess that's what you get for last minute packing.

It was a nice smooth flight-we arrived around 12pm, got our luggage, and Victor was out there waiting for us. He's such a sweet man, he had a minivan, now mind you..the minivan was mini, we were 16 people with about 33 pieces of luggage. You better believe that he was able to fit every single one of us and luggage in the Guagua as they call them in DR.

It was very hot out,however, the maginificent view made up for the heat.Lots of mountains and very green. Every where you turn you'd see millions of banana plants and orange trees.In DR, platano is eaten with everything. They make mangu (Cooked, pureed plantains topped with sauteed onions), tostones (crispy fried plantains),maduros (sauteed sweet plantains. I also noticed the unity amongst the people, you'd see men playing dominoes, or just hanging out on a sidewalk, kids out playing while the mothers were chismeando. Such a beautiful sight reminded me of my childhood,the sound of children's laughter is one you don't hear outside nowadays. The entire ride to Accion Callejera, I was literally taking in everything. The crazy traffic, cars drove on the wrong side until there was oncoming traffic. There weren't any dividing lines, so any given time the highway would go from a 3 lane to a 5 lane--it all depends on the amount of cars that could drive through at the same time. From the guagua we could literally highfive a passenger in the car in the lane next to us- we were THAT close.

He took us to Accion Callejera, where we dropped off our donation luggages.We were greeted with hugs and kisses from Bentodina (the Center's Director)along with some other people that work there. This is where we would spend the bulk of our volunteer efforts. We would be working with boys,the age ranged from 7-17. Some of these boys shined shoes for a living and lived with families, while others were homeless.

After dropping our stuff off, we went to the Hostel, Hotel Colonial, to drop off our luggage. Jenny was my roommate, we stayed in room # 7. Walter was our neighbor on the left, Bianny and Anye on our right and Jenn,Chanel and Klaudia across from us. Our room had 2 single beds, mismatched linens a fan,seperate bathroom that wasn't the cleanest and a closet in the bathroom that we used to store our toiletries. I wasn't expecting much- all we needed was a place to lay our head down at nights and running water to take showers.Everything else would just be a luxury.

We made a pit stop at La Sirena, the Walmart of the Dominican Republic. We bought water- there was a malaria epidemic in the neighboring Haiti, so we were rather safe than sorry, fruit,and whatever snacks we wanted to have in our rooms.We were supposed to meet outside at 7:30pm, ofcourse that was a mission in itself-trying to coordinate with that many people was not an easy task.Walter made me promise not to leave him, apparently he has been left behind at La Sirena a previous year, so he needed someone to make sure he was there. We did the roommate check everytime we were in the guagua, but since Walter didn't have a roommate, his neighbors (Jenny and I) had to make sure he was always there.

Victor picked us up and took us to Kukaramakara, a restaurant across the street from the "Monumento a los Héroes de la Restauración". This monument was originally built during the Trujillo dictatorship in 1944 and after his assassination in 1961, the government changed the name to "Monumento a los Héroes de la Restauración";it is now dedicated to the heroes of the Dominican Restoration War.

We had dinner at Kukaramakara, I had shrimp with french fries, it was muy delicioso. We had to come up with a system of ordering and paying since we had a large group. We sampled eachother's meals, like family would. We had come a long way in the bonding process planning for this trip, so we were family. Some had the famous cerveza Presidente,it's said to taste better in DR- although I wouldn't know from first hand experience since I'm not a beer drinker. It was a nice evening of dinner ,laughter and excitement for the first of many memorable experiences we were about to have.

After dinner, we went to El Monumento, climbed the gazillion stairs to the top. It took Walter and I a while, I was already 20 weeks pregnant, so climbing that amount of stairs was no longer an easy task for me- and Walter, well, he's just a viejo. When we finally made it to the top (we were the last ones)- we had our first of many reflection sessions. Everyone had a chance to talk about the experience thus far and their expectations.

Then as a surprise we took a carriage ride in the town, we had to split the group since the carriage could only hold bout 7 of us. THAT was an experience in itself, we had to haggle for prices, since we were doing 2 carriage rides. One horse and carriage was manned by a boy, who looked no older than 14. Our horse and carriage had an older man, possibly the kid's father. Well, this is where the first of many adventures begun- the horses like the cars I mentioned earlier followed the same rules-NONE! They would go against traffic,gallop past cars and cut through traffic. Pretty scary, if you ask me- but we survived! Thank God.

We finally head back to Hotel Colonial and called it a night. We had to wake up super early for our first day with the kids. Had to make sure we have all the energy needed to give them 100%. Something that I later realized definitely did not require us to have a good night's rest. Just being able to see them everyday was motivation enough to give them our all.

The big day is here :-)

2010-12-20T10:31:00.001-05:00

The day's here. I finally get to see my baby.

Went in for my ultra sound, I knew it was going to be one of those vaginal ultrasounds.. ugh..there's nothing worse than having to spread eagle. I guess I should be used to it, besides I'm a woman.

So that thing was insterted (I know, I know TMI) and I saw the little tadpole on the ultrasound screen- I was still in shock. A baby growin in my belly? Really? Wow! Even though I already knew this, there was nothing better than hearing my little pumpkin's heartbeat; it sounded like a galloping horse-strong and steady like his mommy (okay- and daddy too). It was one of the most amazing experiences-knowing that you're uterus is carrying something so precious. I can't wait to get home to show daddy his little munchkin- even though he probably won't have a clue what he's looking at,lol.

Today is also my parents' 28th anniversary...Happy Anniversary to the most amazing parents a girl could ever ask for. And BELIEVE me when I say, if I could go back and choose my parents- I'd choose Barbara Maria and Carlos Manuel all over again. THEY ARE THAT AMAZING!!

I get to go home in 3 days...wooohooo Aruba here I come (with precious cargo on board).

OMG

2010-12-09T18:11:00.005-05:00

This has been something I wanted to share, but I was still a little weary about it. ..but decided..what the heck? It's my life and I'd like to share.

On December 1st my parents and sister left for Aruba. They visited Shaunie and I for a week...loved having them here...every minute was so special. The entire time they were here I felt sickly, tired and just not like myself. I knew I was expecting my period so I figured I was just pms-ing. After I dropped them off at the airport I went to work , had an okay day at work...but I"m not going to lie..I couldn't wait for 4:30 PM for me to go home. When I got home, I did some things around the house and later that night I decided to take a pregnancy test...LO AND BEHOLD...the results said "PREGNANT"!!! Shaunie was already asleep....so I figured I'd call Pig and tell her. She was extatic...I was still in disbelief. We talked for a little bit and reminisced on the week...and she commented that the entire week they were visiting it was as if it was a "baby themed week". Everything had to do with baby- our conversations, pops telling me that I'd have a boy as a first born, mommy hinting that she wants a grandchild, and Pig straight up telling me that I need to hurry up and get pregnant because I'm already getting old (mind you- I'm only 27).

After being on the phone for over an hour, I decided to go to CVS to get another pregnancy test...because I was still convinced that this was not reality. Pig "accompanied" me to CVS ( I was talking to her while driving to CVS), got home- took the test and again PREGNANT. OMG it's real! I'm going to be a mommy!!! Couldn't tell Shaun because he was still asleep- besides by this time it was almost 1 AM.

I couldn't really sleep at all- I kept twisting and turning, not convinced of what I've just found out- but still happy at the same time. My alarm went off at 6:15 AM and I jumped up right away- got up and walked to the bathroom to -yes you guessed it-take another pregnancy test. Again- the results "PREGNANT". Okay..so it's really true. I took the test and sat on the bed next to Shaunie...asking him if I could show him something (while he was still sleeping)...that was my way of waking him up. He finally replied and told me I could turn on the lights..so I did and I put the test right up to his face..and he saw it and was like "wait....what? You're pregnant? We're having a baby? You're pregnant?" to what I replied..yes..we're having a baby. After he kissed me and we hugged and he kissed baby in the belly...we picked up the phone to call the parentals (in Aruba). Pig picked up and together we started chanting " you're such a bore you PREGNANT whore" ..mom and dad didn't quite get it...we repeated the same thing about 3 times before Pig was like "Bil is preggers"...mommy and daddy started screaming PABIEN (which means congratulations)! It was a nice day...I went to work with a smile on my face and was very excited that my belly was carrying a baby....well not quite yet..but it will be in just a few short months. Thank you , oh dear Lord for blessing Shaunie and I with a baby :-)

I called the obgyn right away and got an appointment for December 20th....I can't wait for that day :-) I'll probably have a vaginal ultrasound and we will officially meet our baby Preston ( Shaun already named him- well if it's a him that is).

Sometimes....uuuughh....

2010-11-05T18:36:00.002-04:00

Today's random rant of the daily happenings in the Academic Advising Center is courtesy of "the last minute students who want everything done NOW". Why is it that students like to walk into the office at 4:30 PM and expect to get service even though the office technically closes at 4:30 PM. Sometimes we try to be nice and try to help the students anyways, and they catch attitudes. This time, it happened to me. I was the advisor who wanted to help the student after hours. I kindly asked her to leave my office, because I do not tolerate that type of behavior. I made sure to tell her she should have a great weekend! Ugh...these students sometimes. I swear.I love my job. I love my job. I love my job. Sometimes I have to remind myself that..:-)

This must be my lucky day!

2010-11-03T15:03:00.005-04:00

What a day!! Slept surprisingly well, eventhough my Dushi worked the overnight shift. Woke up , on time, with energy to spare, took a shower, got dressed and headed to school/work. I tend to still say school,it's hard to get used to saying work when you attended the same school you work at. Get it? Anyways, had to teach my First Year Experience class today, which went well..I love love love those kids!Even had some volunteers for our DR project that's coming up this Sunday.

I'm going off on a tangent- this is not even what I wanted to write about! Ooh well, guess it makes sense, my day has been great and just wanted to share how it all started out. So despite getting my shoes soaking wet from Miami's weather- come one, please make up your mind- let's just enjoy the fall weather instead of dog days of summer rain!!! So my black suede pumps are now black soaking wet suede
pumps ...ugh....

So while having my chicken ceasar wrap for lunch, I was reading my blogs (my daily routine) and saw my name as one of the winners for a giveaway. I was extatic ..you have to understand- I NEVER EVER WIN ANYTHING!!!..but today despite soaking wet suede pumps...I finally won something!! :-)

And then a new email pops up to my outlook and it's an email congratulating me on being a winner. I was like WHAT? Is this a joke or is this for real? I back tracked and checked my sent items...and indeed, I had entered this giveaway. Wooohooo celebration time :-)

Can't wait to receive my gifts :-)

Thanks Katie and Jeremy Bower from bowerpowerblog.com and Karla from Modern Mommy :-)

Give Thanks

2008-11-27T09:26:00.002-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

I still remember my first Thanksgiving celebration- it was in the Fall of 2002, I was invited to spend the holiday weekend with my roommate (Liz) and her family. I vividly remember waking up Thanksgiving morning (well actually it was already noon,lol) to the smell of onion,garlic,pumpkin spices, poultry baking etc etc.. Mr. and Mrs. D were both in the kitchen and invited me to taste the stuffing that had just come out the oven. I didn't likey likey, it looked like seasoned bread mixed with different spices and stuff....lol...A bit later family started showing up, Liz's Zia Nina, Uncle Phil and Cousin Nico, her brothers were home (except for Jon, the eldest brother).We all sat at the table and had a wonderful meal, everyone had wine except for me . That day was filled with laughter, conversation ,great company and good food ( everyone went back for seconds...and ofcourse I wasn't left out,lol)!What a great weekend that was...we ate A LOT,watched football and just hung out . I realized that it truly was a celebration of being in the company of your family and friends and enjoying every moment spent together- giving thanks.

But should Thanksgiving be the only day that we sit back,reflect and give thanks for all that we have/ don't have. I give thanks every day for both....why you ask? Well, I believe that I'm given just enough- only what I need. I give thanks for having loving family and friends that will be by my side no matter what and I also give thanks for the things I don't have because I realize that I am just as happy as I thought I would be if I were to have them. Even though we don't celebrate this holiday in my culture - I do miss my immediate family and wish I could have been with them on this day. I love you Whoody,Pops and Pig.

Reunion

2008-08-11T08:06:00.003-04:00

This past weekend I got to reunite with one of my best friends (Indi Pindi) that lives in the Netherlands. We've known eachother ever since we were like 15 ( we met in high school). We became friends and before you knew it we were pretty much inseperable....well up until senior year of High School that is. I came to the States to continue my education and she and many of my friends went to the Netherlands. We've always kept in contact...we would see eachother sometimes during Christmas break, but mostly during summer time. However, since I started graduate school and now that am working, we've missed eachother what seems to be everytime we're back in Aruba. She'd go for summer and I'd be stuck here...I'd go home for Christmas and she'd be stuck in Holland...so we've managed to play that game of tag for 3 years ...the last time we spent a summer together was the summer of '05.

Unbelievable how time flies, yet we know everything that happens in eachother's lives. It's relationships like these that really make me realize that friendships are everlasting....Different continents and time zones doesn't matter...we always make ways to keep in contact (thanks to technology). It just shows that friendships are not based on always having to be around someone, it just means that near or far, seeing eachother or not, we are always connected and know everything that's going on in eachother's lives....without ever skipping a beat.

Ik houd van jouw In. Ik heb het heel erg leuk gehad. Het moet weer gebeuren...maar misschien wordt het tijd dat ik naar Holly ga!

Family Vacation

2008-07-18T02:08:00.024-04:00

My family was in Miami on vacation....it was actually a double purpose visit....they were here for our wedding and also to spend time with us. It's been 6 months since I've last seen them but to me it felt like years. They spent two weeks with us- we had a WONDERFUL time together. It was like old times- we would wake up early and all have breakfast together, then hang around the house watching TV (more like figthing for power of the remote control)and chitchatting, then we'd hit the road for a couple hours have dinner as a family and just hang out. It was the best two weeks ever....well better said...it was two of the best weeks ever! I love my family and I guess you can call me biased when I say that I HAVE THE BEST PARENTS AND SISTER IN THE WORLD!!!!

Saturday July 12th we woke up and decided to head out to Orlando for the day to visit one of the theme parks....we ended up at Islands of Adventure. I felt like a little kid again; it's been years since we visited Orlando.Pig, Shaun and I took the park by storm...we went on lots of rides. We were soaked for the better part of the day ( didn't know that Islands of Adventure was full of water rides)and to boot we didn't even have a change of clothes for our ride back to Miami . Our dad was brave enough to join us for The Hulk Roller Coaster Ride.....he was a trooper...lol....my mom on the other hand was the photographer/purse holder (she cannot stomach any types of rides, so she would usually sit on one of the benches and wait for us to get back)...even Shaunie joined her on the bench every now and then, lol...

Two weeks vacation is never enough.....wish they could have stayed longer. It was fun coming home to a houseful everyday for two weeks....once Shaun and I got home after I dropped them off at the airport...we were both a little sad...the house was quiet..and it seemed as if there was nobody there at all....as if the family visit was just a dream. It's okay though...before we know it it'll be that time of year again and we'll have as much or maybe even more fun than we had this time around.

Mi stima boso cu tur mi curazon; Whoody, Daddy y Pig.

Our Wedding Day

2008-07-04T02:34:00.028-04:00

July 3rd 2008

Today is THE BIG DAY- the day I marry my best friend. Every relationship has its ups and downs and ours was no different- we've been through it all; good times, bad times, laughter and tears...but through it all we've stuck by eachother. After today I'll officially be able to introduce Shaun as MY HUSBAND.

In attendance were my parents (Barbara & Carlos) and sister(Aisheline) who flew in from Aruba, my cousin Veronica, two of my college friends(Amorrell& Geanie ), Shaun's mom (Ingrid) and baby brother (Corey)and my friend from work (Merari) who might I add is the BEST PHOTOGRAPHER ever!!Besides remembering every single person in attendance- I don't really recall much about the actual ceremony. I do remember trying to hold back tears (to no avail) as soon as Shaun started saying his vows and I also remember seeing my daddy's eyes full of tears. If it wasn't for pictures and videos, this entire day would have been nothing but a blur to us. Thanks to my family and friends this day will be a day to remember forever!

With the power vested in me by the state of Florida I now pronounce you
Husband and Wife....you may HIGH FIVE your Bride!!

Family

25th Birthday Weekend

2008-06-22T18:49:00.005-04:00

I'm 25 years and 3 days old....can't believe it! Growing up I'd always have a countdown to my birthday...but the past few years June 19th seems to have just crept up on me without me realizing. However, this year was different....I was excited for my 25th Birthday....I wasn't going to have a birthday party- I've stopped having birthday parties since I was 19...but this year was different....I wanted to celebrate the milestone; A QUARTER CENTURY- it's kind of a big deal! I wanted a fun celebration, a celebration I'd have with just my girlfriends...something like a girls' night out! So that was my plan..on my birthday (thursday)I sent out evites for the girls night out party on saturday.

Thursday June 19th, woke up earlier than usual....my cellphone rang, my parents were calling, as soon as I answered the phone I heard my mommy's voice and she and daddy sang Happy Birthday To ME :-D. After my morning serenade I hopped in the shower and as I was stepping out my Shaunie was there waiting for me and sang Happy Birthday, then he gave me the most beautiful card EVER! I cried...yeah I'm very emotional.... I got dressed and made it to work later than usual...said Bon Dia to everyone sitting at the front desk...when I got to my cubicle...it was decorated with a Happy Birthday Banner, a bouquet, and a card...I felt soo special!! The day was turning out to be wonderful ....I received phone calls, endless msn messages,email birthday cards and facebook messages... Roseline bought me lunch from Starbucks and as I was drinking my soup, she told me that smoke was coming out of the conference room.....I jumped up and was like...OMG that's crazy...as I got to the door and realized the door was closed I knew they were trying to surprise me (Melissa and Bianny) for our birthdays- yay for June babies!!! There were 3 cakes on the table and ofcourse mine was the Carvel Ice Cream Cake, they sang Happy Birthday To Us and then we got to cut our cakes :-D. I had to scoop Shaunie up from work today and when we left his job he took me to Bahama Breeze for dinner...he even made reservations....I still can't believe it! We had a fun dinner date.

Saturday June 21st- My Girls Night by the pool was scheduled for today...but the weather was not cooperating, so I had to move the celebration indoors...we had a wonderful time..if I must say so myself..but I think others will agree. We were about 15 girls hanging out, drinking martinis, socializing and eating. We also did karaoke....(Comcast has Karaoke OnDemand)...My last guests left around 2AM...Thanks to all that came out to make my Birthday Celebration memorable!

MURPHY LEAVE ME ALONE!!!!

2008-06-12T21:04:00.005-04:00

Monday morning bright and early woke up extatic because I had finally said YES TO THE DRESS!! I found the perfect dress at Nordstrom...it was everything I had imagined and dreamt of; something classy and sexy at the same time. I ordered my size, received the confirmation and also the estimated shipping date; it said 7/11/2008, the date didn't phase me because I thought whatever....I'd be here by next week monday FOR SURE. So today June 12th, I contacted Nordstrom because the item hadn't shipped....what I was about to hear would ruin my entire day....okay, I'm being dramatic, but I was pissed,upset and sad all at the same time....my item wouldn't be shipped until JULY 11th....yes, she said JULY....that would not make it in time for my special day....I was CONVINCED however, that the confirmation email indicated JUNE 11th...but when I double checked I realized that indeed it said JULY. So here we go again...back to the drawing board..in search of ANOTHER PERFECT DRESS....

I checked my other online purchase and was happy to know that it had been delivered to my house ( said it was on my porch), so I got home..peeped on my porch and found NOTHING. So I thought that maybe My Dushi had seen it out there and brought it in....asked him....and nothing! Still I thought he was messing with me, ...I asked him what seems like a million times....and I soon realized that he was getting frustrated at me, which usually meant that he was telling the truth. Here we go again I thought.... I sat down at my desk, looked up the phone number to call UPS....the agent on the phone told me that it was delivered to Apt. 107 instead of 106, so I figured, no biggie..I'll just go check on THEIR porch! Hung up, went outside to go check with my neighbors, only to realize that they had moved ( no wonder I hadn't seen the guys in over a week )....daaaaaannnng....seems like Murphy's messing with me today. Oooh well, guess I should always think positively....the worst that could happen already did...so I have only positives to look forward to ( I have faith).

Who am I? 2

2008-05-27T16:58:00.003-04:00

The culture of the Cocolos being from West Indian islands followed them where ever they went...and it was no different in DR. The Cocolos mixed British and African cultures and created their own; their ancestors were slaves brought from Africa to the Caribbean Islands, former British Colonies, and as any oppressed group of people, found comfort from their musical heritage and dance.

Fast forward a couple hundred years and you'll meet my greataunt Mary, descendent of a Cocolo. Mary Hodge was born on Feb 8, 1936 in Aruba (my grandfather's older sister), acknowledged by her father to carry the name Simon. Mary along with her two sisters moved to St. Maarten and hereafter back to Aruba, where they settled down in the Village in Sanicolas. The Village was where most West Indian descendants lived; for the most part because that was where the jobs were located (at the the Lago Oil Refinery). With many families from the West Indies having to uproot their families from one island to the next, they brought along with them their culture and customs for comfort.

In the early 1950s,My tante (aunt) Mary was one of the first people to start celebrating carnival in the village; she rounded up a group of friends and created the first of what we now know as "Parada di Sanicolas". With musical instruments made out of bottles, steel and plastic cups, they created music and danced through the streets of the village. It was a joyous occasion where everyone was able to let loose and be free and just have a good ol' time.

This year we marked our 56th year of carnival celebration on the island with parades in both Oranjestad and Sanicolas. A tradition (in Sanicolas) that was started by one lady who wanted to have a celebration of her [village's] cultural background. Thanks Tante Mary...for bringing this wonderful tradition to us.

Who am I ?

2008-05-27T15:42:00.005-04:00

WHO AM I?
I've never asked myself this question before...I always knew I was Elaine Micheline Hodge. But today I was chatting with a friend and that subject came up. He claimed that I was making him blush,...and so I said to him " You mean you're shining, because black people don't blush". Then I caught myself and added, well that's if you consider yourself black. He then said to me " I consider myself Hispanic". This is when I got confused... because one can be black and Hispanic, right? Suddenly I felt as if I needed to question myself too, because like many people are nowadays...I'm what most consider a mut.

He broke it down to me and made it look so simple...his parents were both born in Cuba, so he's of Cuban descent...but what about me? My parents weren't both born on the same island....so I dug a little deeper only to find that my parents' parents (my grandparents) weren't born on the same island nor were my great-grandparents. So where does that leave me? How can I classify my ethnicity if the list goes on and on? Should I just use my race as my defining characteristic? That's what I usually did, to make it easier to explain to people, because if not, I'd have to sit them down and go down the family tree only to find that like my pops , I just happen to be born in Aruba. Why does it all have to be so complicated? So what am I supposed to tell my kids (whenever I have them,lol).

My homegirl Bianny (aka B) came into my office all excited because she wanted me to watch a couple commercials for Barcelo Rum; apparently every commercial denoted something special about a region in DR. And anything that has to do with DR excites me, besides..it's part of me too. So all of a sudden we're watching this commercial for the rum, and JLG comes on singing "Good Morning Good Morning Guaveberry"...and I asked her " B, all of the other commercials were in Spanish, why was this in Spanish and English ?" Then she told me something that made everything make sense to me.." ooh that's because that's what many people in San Pedro speak!" So you could only imagine...I was excited..and was on a quest to learn more! I started my research by searching online, calling my great aunt, etc. trying to piece together information so it would all make sense.

I learned that my great grandmother Ivanni Hodge was one of the first to immigrate to the Dominican Republic ( San Pedro de Macoriz to be exact )in 1884 from either St.Kitts or Antigua..that seems to be unknown. They moved to DR because the Sugar Plantation industry was booming and the shortage of workers made way for my family and many other West Indian families. They were known as the Cocolos by the native Dominicans, which was supposedly a derogotary term that described their darker skin colors and others claim it was just a name they gave the West Indian Immigrants. A positive of having the Cocolos in DR working in the sugar plantations was because they all spoke English and the US was DR's biggest sugar importer, so it worked for their benefit to have these Cocolos communicate with plantation managers. So there..we made it to DR....something that always surprised me was that my grandfather- Dominican born and raised always spoke English to his kids..and all of my Domincan relatives who still reside in San Pedro or Consuelo still maintain the English language in their homes!

So here I am many many years later thanking my homegirl B for coming into my life...and making everything make sense to me.Okay that was kinda deep, but it really is! I feel as if I'm found....ask me the question again...and I'd answer you proudly;I'm Elaine Micheline Hodge, descendant of Cocolos that lived in DR in the 19th century!

The commercial that inspired my research:

Elmo?

2008-05-21T11:08:00.001-04:00

align=center border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=2>

You Are Elmo
Sweet and innocent, you expect everyone to adore you. And they usually do!

You are usually feeling: Talkative. You've got tons of stories to tell. And when you aren't talking, you're laughing.

You are famous for: Being popular, though no one knows why. Middle aged women especially like you.

How you life your life: With an open heart. "Elmo loves you!"
http://www.blogthings.com/thesesamestreetpersonalityquiz/">The Sesame Street Personality Quiz

The Marriage License

2008-05-20T10:59:00.006-04:00

Woke up this morning; it was a special day...a day like no other...My dushi and I were heading to District Court to get our Marriage License. I was excited and nervous at the same time, even though I knew the license wasn't anything official....but it felt official and it meant something official. We are OFFICIALLY getting married..no more girlfriend/boyfriend or fiancé/fiancée; he will soon refer to me as his WIFE and me to him as my HUSBAND!

Celebration!

2008-05-18T21:24:00.002-04:00
Pheeeew what a day! It really was a day of double celebration!

My mother-in-law joined the ranks of the distinguished graduates of FIU's law school. It was the usual scene at the Pharmed Arena; faculty, board of trustees members, President Maidique and the guest speaker on the podium, while the soon to be conferred JD candidates sat in the first few rows and were joined by family and friends. It was a happy day, and to be quite honest....I think I am ready to go back to school to add one more degree to my list of degrees....I want to be one of the students walking across the podium to receive another degree ( Maybe I should become a permanent banner marshall, at least I'll get to wear a gown everytime and not have to bust my ass studying and writing papers,lol....easy way out)
As usual I didn't pay attention to Maidique's speech ( I've heard it many times before), the class appointed speaker however gave a good speech (pretty much saying that family and friends play a big part in them being able to call themselves JD today). The only time I really paid attention was .....when they finally called my mother-in-law's name to receive her degree I was overjoyed, ..she's come a long way, this was a huge accomplishment and all that good stuff,...but the real reason was that I was happy the ceremony was coming to an end....(I was hungry as hell and couldn't wait to grub)....

So now we're outside, waiting for the new JD to come out so we can congratulate her again and take the traditional pictures outside the Pharmed Arena.......as soon as she comes we grab the camera and start clicking, next thing you know the battery light comes on and the camera shuts off....that's fine though..we had a "back up" phone....the only problem though, the "back up" camera was nowhere to be found....grrr.....doesn't that always seem to happen? Such a joyous occasion and no tangible proofs of memories.....wait....camera phones ...TG for technology....took some pics with the camera phone and called it a day....

We finally get to the house...it was decorated for a birthday party....today was Corey's FIRST birthday party...we had a cake, chips, soda and juice. The house was filled with little kids...we sang Happy Birthday,..Corey and his Mommy blew out the candles and we had cake ( they had cake, I had icing,lol..)...Can't believe that a whole year has gone by since that 5lb 11 oz baby boy joined us in this world!
It was a happy sunday; tomorrow back to the mundane life of working full-time....wish everyday could be like the weekend!

Memories

2008-05-15T20:11:00.004-04:00

"Good Morning Good Morning how are you this morning?" was the song mommy would sing to me every morning when waking me up for school. Daddy would pick me up, give me a donkey ride through the house ...and before hitting the showers I had to get my daily dose of " a story about a little boy"...even as a little girl those were my favorite types of stories.

Today I'm a grown woman (sometimes) and though I don't have mommy waking me up every morning, or daddy giving me a donkey ride through the house, I still sing the "good morning" song to myself on those mornings when I just don't feel like waking up early. I miss being a kid sometimes,....no responsibilities or worries in the world. Just being able to go about our daily routine and knowing that there's someone there to make sure everything is okay for us. Now, being grown myself, I see all the hard work that goes into making and keeping a home. I thank you, mommy and daddy, for letting me be a kid when I had to be.

A Dress is just a dress

2008-05-15T09:46:00.008-04:00

Growing up I loved dresses and skirts, then around the age of 10 or so I refused to wear them. I was in a phase where anything girlie was out of the question...except for boys that is..I've always loved them....

I remember this day as if it were yesterday....had to sing in church on Mother's day with "Coro TutuFruti" and mommy wanted me to wear a dress..."Lainchie you will look soo pretty in a dress" were her words to be exact . So ofcourse being the good daughter that I am...I got the dress she soo wanted me to get (read: forced me into buying ). ..the one I looked so pretty in, NOT!! It was a peach dress with a white collar thingy and a bow that tied in the back...think Ashley Banks in Fresh Prince of Bel-Air ...so early 90s, I vowed to wear that dress the day of and NEVER EVER again....I wore it to church on Mother's day and came home hung it in the closet and never ever ever touched it again.

That infamous peach dress traumatized me and made me hate wearing dresses!! Until just recently that is !!...seems like dresses are the only pieces I want to have hanging in my "kashi" nowadays; the cute little dress and some nice shoes to match or in my case mis-match. They are so comfortable and I now remember why I used to like them as a little girl..you feel so free in a dress!

Now I'm in search of the perfect dress for the BIG DAY!! I keep envisioning myself in a yellow dress with some nice red shoes....why the combination you ask? Not really sure...it's just what I see myself wearing. It's so hard to find what I want though...but then again, isn't that always the case? You never seem to find what you're looking for....and then ofcourse when you don't need it anymore..that's when you find it. For now I'll continue my search for the perfect canary yellow dress....

My Wednesday Love

2008-05-14T09:25:00.000-04:00
Good Mooooorning!!

I'm bouncing off the walls again...I feel like the old me, refreshed and rejuvenated in the mornings....is it because I'm going to bed super early? I guess soo... or maybe it's because today is Wednesday..and on days like this I get to see my new love, Asiago cheese bagel! Yummy! I love coming to work knowing that ACB as I call him is waiting for me in the conference room...it gives me a warm fuzzy feeling inside,lol. And once he's gone...I come back to earth and realize that being here kinda sucks...

My new wednesday love.....

Another day in not-so-paradise

2008-05-13T17:39:00.000-04:00
Me blogging? Never thought that would happen.... At first I was like, why would I put all my thought somewhere where any and everyone could read ? Then without me even realizing it was the same thing that intrigued me about blogging. So here goes....

Today is Tuesday May 13th just another day in not- so- paradise....woke up at 6:45 AM like I usually do, hopped in the shower and got ready for work. These past two weeks have been nice, my dushi and I both wake up early for work..it's nice having company in the morning, okay...the truth is I just like the fact that I'm not the only one that has to wake up, lol.....because as anyone that knows me should know..I HATE HATE HATE waking up early knowing that my dushi gets to sleep in...so it's nice for a change! Nothing exciting happend at work today....though now that I think about it even further...nothing exciting EVER happens at work.... but I must admit one thing...I do have fun with my co-workers...like when we go to the mall for lunch ( read: speed shopping), or when we go for walks in GC ...or days we congregate at the front desk or in my cubicle.....Work is fun (at times) but I get bored out of my mind too, but for now this would suffice!

Wow..blogging is kinda fun, I might just be blogging about every single thing that happens in my life....guess my grand kids will have something to read about me when they are growing up....that would actually be kinda neat!