Always Time To Dance

One thing about Dominicans that endears me is their innate musical nature. They have an almost involuntary response to music — they simply must dance. But the musical culture is not contained merely within the Dominican Republic, it is indicative of the island as a whole, the island of Hispaniola, in which both the Dominican …

Beer & Avocados — Reflections on Santo Domingo

I have been away from the Dominican Republic for so long, eight months, that, in coming back I can experience it more as an outsider while still retaining my inside perspective. Heat The first thing I feel is the heat which is so intense, enveloping and relentless that one has no choice but to wilt. …

The Pearl of Discomfort

It is a familiar oddity of nature — the grain of sand that irritates the oyster, put it in a state of discomfort, and as a result, the oyster covers the sand with an iridescent coating over and over until the end result is a gorgeous pearl. In this day and age where we are …

Sex Across Borders

Above: Statues at a Karma Sutra Temple in India Here is my personal experience with the three different cultures. America Our founding fathers were Puritans whose religious beliefs were restrictive to say the least. Sex was viewed as a necessary evil for propagation but sinful for any other reason, certainly not something to be enjoyed. …

Access to Information = Freedom

I didn’t begin this post with the intention to write anything related 9/11, an event I was only a mile away from during that fateful day, witnessing the drama from my window before evacuating. I wanted to write a post about access to information but lo and behold, it’s really about freedom. The red tape …