Recently I was forced to travel to my motherland, the Dominican Republic, because of the death of the man I considered my second father.  Before he died, I honestly didn't know when I'd return to the DR, not because I didn't like going there but because I couldn't find the 'time."

Even though the main purpose of this trip was to spend time with my recently widowed aunt I was able to really sit back and look at my country and my culture.  Below are some of the things I noticed.

1.  Everyone has domestic help.  I've known this all my life, we had a 'girl' when I lived there; yet this time I saw how much more than just help these people become.  My aunt's housekeeper, Marisa not only cleaned but sleeps in my aunts room since my uncle died so Mami (that's what I call my aunt) won't feel alone.  Marisa was mourning my uncle's death just as much as the rest of us and would look at his pictures with love and hurt in her eyes knowing she'd never hear his voice again.

2. EVERYTHING can be delivered. Living in NYC we think we can have it all delivered, but Santo Domingo takes the cake (I can't speak for the more rural parts of the country). When I needed a calling card for the prepaid cell phone I was using down there, instead of walking out, Marisa made a phone call and the card was delivered.  There was no minimum amount to spend or anything.  A guy on a moped just came over and gave me my card.  Same thing with ice cream.  I wanted ice cream from a local chain, my aunt said it was too late to go out, she made a phone call, and the ice cream came, with cones on the side to boot.

3.  Negro, negra, negrita, negrito are ALL terms of endearment.  It made me realize that too much political correctness is, in my opinion, ruining America yet the rest of the world isn't PC enough.

4.  Even though I'm a city slicker, there's nothing cooler than seeing a pot cook over fresh cut wood in a small shack surrounded by mountains, a creek and hibiscus plants.

5. A night out on the town on a Friday night has NOTHING on sitting on a porch, drinking a Presidente, looking up at the little dipper (I can never figure out the big one) and hanging with your family and all the people who remember you when...

6.  Afternoon naps.

7.  Making the midday meal your biggest: keeps you from eating too much later.

8.  All of my cousins and their friends are professionals.  Doctors, lawyers, engineers and architects. I can't say that for all of my cousins or friends here.

9.  Like Jews, Dominicans bury their dead the day after they die.

10.  Did I mention Presidentes?