AFS student

you won't have any problem with your diet. As a blonde white girl, yes you will
be in the minority but at 5' 10"', you might be a little taller than average but there are plenty of Dominican guys 6' and over. I noticed that there were plenty of girls taller than 5'8'', but in general the Dominican people are small that American/Canadian/Nothern Europeans.

Some advice for vegetarians from DominicanCooking.com

http://www.dominicancooking.com/archives/articles/11.htm

http://www.dominicancooking.com/archives/articles/58.htm

Chiri

The current Miss Universe, a Dominican, is taller than you are.

I'm also 5'10", also blonde and never felt an oddity in the DR. And my husband (Domincan) is 6'2".

Embrace your tall/blondeness!

Don't you believe them!

Depending on where you go you will stick out like the Second Coming.

5'10" Blonds are very very rare here. JaneJ lived in a tourist town that was pretty used to seeing tall georgeous women, so she wasn't TOO much of a distraction as she sauntered down the street.

I repeat, it all depends on where you go. In Santo Domingo or Santiago you will be incredibly well received and not feel that far out of place, because these are pretty cosmopolitan cities. Maybe in La Romana, or Puerto Plata. Just about any place else you will be like a snowflake on a piece of coal....or something like that. But it will not hurt you at all. As JaneJ said: "Embrace your blondness" and you will have a ball!! THAT is for sure, no matter where you go. You will be the fish in a fishbowl, there is no avoiding it. And you will be taller than most men or women, but don't you dare hunch over!!

Just keep nosing around this site, and tell us where you will be heading and we can tell you more or less what to expect. My sister was AFS in Chile and in India, and she was 5'10" , too....

HB

I see you made it over to dr1!

These boards are NOTHING like the AFS boards...but you will get a lot of "real" information. Make sure to read the daily news!

MG
aka
Amity Venezuela YP 92-93



ps I also directed you to dominicancooking.com. Been there yet?

As a vegetarian you will find many yummy things: beans and rice make a complete protein, and this is as Dominican as it gets. You will find great variety of possibilities, including dishes based on plantains, yucca, eggplant, not to mention the wonderful tropical fruits. I know some people who are avoiding meats and fats due to heart trouble, and they seem to be doing just fine. My sister grew up in Santo Domingo and she was blond , six feet tall. And I dont remember any problems. She was fair and the kids used to call her Blanca Nieves (snow white), but not in a mean way.

Blonds have more fun?

Is this why they say ' Blonds have more fun'? Gimme a break.. I mean all races have tall and short people, stupid and smart, rich and poor. We're no different.

Just come on down and enjoy our culture and Merengue, Bachata and Brugal !


Zues ( primus inter pares)

HE HE HEh

5' 10'' is not an oddity at all, if my brains don't play tricks with me as I can recall my girlfriends were taller than me for the most part, the guys as well, and I'm 5'11'', went to school there in Santiago's Instituto Evangelico class of 1986... wait or was it 1985??? ohhh my mind hurts, anyhow I had plenty Snow-whites in my school and redheads too(ohhh those were the days) and to be honest the Dominican racial plurality it's something of an utopia, it can't get any better!

My sister was an AFS student at Menomonee Falls High School, located in Southeastern Wisconsin, Milwaukee. back in 198?(my mind playing tricks again), and she had a blast there, I made friends with an AFS student back at home Santiago at that same time, his name was chris, we played football(two hand touch on the streets, tackle in the arena)at the PUCMM sport's field, we're good at it too, I can remenber that we played against a visiting Puerto Rican college football team, they stomped us all over, but it was ok, we made two touchdowns and a field goal, considering the odds!, back to the issue, my sister is 5'9'', snow-white, and she had no problems whatsoever walking around(to be honest she had a lot of marriage propositions) but it was ok all around, she was a Med student at PUCMM at that time too when she came back from AFS, my brothers were 6'3'' and 6'1'', so I guess that makes me the dwarf.

I was born in a time when we had to make the field to play the game, kids nowdays have sport complexes and basketball courts to stretch, so I think you won't have any problems blending into the crowd Snow-white!

By the way I'm living in NY now for about 16 years, when I left the DR the Conchos were $0.10 and a soda...Ooops sorry a refresco was $0.15 without the bottle, the dollar was traded at $2.43 for one, Oh God those were the days... the days of yore...
I wish my lotto ticked hit the freakin' jackpot already so I could go back home sweet home.

Mi linda Quisqueya.
:rambo: