The Dominican Republic holds a place very near and dear to my heart for many reasons.  At first I was like many.. "oh you are from Mexico?"... after a heated discussion, and a lesson on "not all Latinos are from Mexico" I began to become infatuated with this place called Republica Dominicana or Dominican Republic if you will.  That heated discussion was with my now husband Luis Miguel...

 <Luis in D.R next to Dominican symbol>

Growing up in California with not much travel besides the Grand Canyon and Vegas I assumed that if you spoke Spanish and you ended up here in Cali you were from Mexico.  Little did I know that there are a vast variety of Latino immigrants who come to this country every year. As I got to know him I began to wonder about the country he came from.  I did research here and there, asked him questions and what not, but never dove to deep.

 Over the years my interest in Latin American History has gotten stronger.  I have always been a fan of history (it was my undergrad major).  I became very intrigued by the culture of D.R because it was unknown to many, yet so rich in history and culture,  Did Luis have something to do with a stronger desire to learn? probably.  Or perhaps it was my dad forcing-yes forcing- of me to take Spanish all throughout high school which turned into college which turned into an A.A in language studies and a greater appreciation for Latin America.

Three years after meeting this Luis character from the Dominican Republic, we ended up married and decided to take a vacation to D.R and boy was I in for a treat.  We went to museums, beaches, historical sites and most important to me I got to see the city where my husband grew up.  We stayed with his abuela in his childhood home, walked the streets and ate the street food.  Staying in the barrio of Puerto Plata was a humbling and insightful experience.
 <en El Malecon<abuela's shop

4 WEEKS LATER .... I found out I was pregnant.  It must of been in the air in DR because now I was carrying a child whose culture belonged in this country I had just visited.  Not only that, but no one on the west coast knows what a "Dominican" is.  The fact that  I have a child who is half Dominican deepened my desire to find out what traditions, beliefs, and values this culture practice.  I have the surface level knowledge ( thanks babe ) but I wanted more in order for me to help in passing on this knowledge to my son Yadiel.... thus begins my quest for traditions of the DOMINICAN REPUBLIC.