Research

BP #6

In doing research on my topic, I got a large amount of new knowledge on each of the islands that are apart of my topic. Haiti was more fascinating to research in that I had absolutely no knowledge on the island because I have only done research on the Dominican Republic.

One of the main challenges I came cross while doing research was trying to stay on topic with my research question and claim. Many times I tended to include other facts or ideas that weren't really relevant to what I was trying to research. Another trouble I had was trying to come up with some controlling ideas that would gather a lot of strong evidence once I do research. Some of the controlling ideas that I originally came up with were somewhat of dead-ends because there wasn't much you can research on it they were more like research points instead.


Some interesting facts that I came across while doing research are that Christopher Columbus is usually credited for just discovering the U.S., however Christopher Columbus actually discovered the island of Espaniola too (Haiti/Dominican Republic). The United States, for some time, owned Haiti and The Dominican Republic. The U.S. was actually the main reason that Trujillo was in power for the Dominican Republic, in which the U.S. navy trained him.

For future notes, I plan to research more personal view points from both sides. I want to watch credible videos of Haitians speaking on the topic on feeling neglected by the Dominicans. Also, I want to get a view point on someone who is Dominican on why they think that Haitians are bad people in their eyes.

Tetiyette and the Devil

BP3

This narrative is told in the literary form of text due to its cultural, entertaining purposes. The author gave off a message of not being shallow and look beyond some's surface. The author did this by describing the first two men that asked for her hand in marriage as animals. She specifically chose a goat and a pig because when the reader pictures these animals in their head they see them as dirt or ugly. However, a devil, wearing all beautiful clothes with gold jewelry, came to ask her to marry her and she agreed because of his good looks.

I believe that the intended audience is women, specifically those who date. The narrative has a purpose in showing how ironically, even though she knew he was a devil, she still stayed with him and ended up almost getting eaten. This goes along with the message of some people only look for looks but never look past that. The irony is established when Tetiyette's dad said, "I had already warned her to beware,"(Tetiyette and the Devil, pg. 3) when she was crying for help.

The author does a great job using a cultural form of poetry that they use in the island of Guadeloupe with the constant repetition of "Bel-Air Drum." In Guadeloupe they have a dance named Bele in which the people that were Creole would dance, so incorporating this to the more intense part of the book really set the tone and mood of that scene

Dominican Republic

Blog Post 2

Before the formation of what we now know as the Dominican Republic, it was formally joined together with Haiti and the island was called Hispaniola. However before it got independence, it was known as Santo Domingo, which was the first city founded in the Americas and is now the name for DR's capital.

The official language spoken in DR is Spanish. A large number of people that live near the tourist parts of the island know some English. The culture here is very family based and also very religious. 95% of the population are Catholic.

Punta Cana is one of the biggest tourist attractions on the island. The majority of people that come here are for weddings as well as honey moons due to its beautiful scenery and romantic resorts they offer here.

After its independence, the DR experienced a dictatorship for a couple of decades but then later turned into a republic that holds elections every four years. A crazy fact is that police officers and people in the military aren't allowed to vote.

Traveling to Dominican Republic

In order to get to the Dominican Republic you have to book a flight on American Airlines which would most likely set you back $1000, from wherever you are in the United States to your destination on the island which will most likely be Santo Domingo. The good thing is that you don't have to go through the trouble of getting a visa prior to your visit to DR if you plan to stay for under 30 days. There are no currency restrictions there however you would most likely need to exchange your American dollars for Dominican Pesos.

I would definitely stay in the "Dreams Palm Beach" resort in Punta Cana if I were to travel to Dominican Republic. This would probably cost around like $800 for three nights. This place is perfect when it comes to a vacation place to stay due to its various qualities that it has. Its approximately 20 minutes from the airport and literally right next to the crystal clear Caribbean Sea. Its beautiful sunsets are mesmerizing and the palm trees really make you feel like you are in paradise.

There are many popular destinations to visit while in DR. "Kite Beach" is a very exciting and fun place to visit because you get to do things such as kitesurfing, windsurfing, or just paddle boating. Apart from the lovely beaches, the Dominican Republic is home to one of the oldest catholic catherdals in the Americas so if you want to get an "out of the ordinary" experience this would be a great place to go visit.

Apart from the many attractions and places to go, I think its great to go here to relax and enjoy the desirable weather. I would love to sit by the beach and watch the sun set or even go swimming to the clear waters of the Caribbean Sea. 

About Me

The art in my skin represents the experiences that I have been through or things that are very meaningful to me. Each piece has its own unique story.

I come from thousands of miles away. I moved here from California, and everything in Georgia is very different in every way. I'm used to palm trees surrounded by no grass whereas here its full of trees and green grass everywhere!

Family is very important to me. Whether is be by blood or by bond, loyalty is a very important aspect in my inner circle!