Welcome to La Republica Dominicana

Buenas,
I am in la Republica Dominicana and everything is good. I feel incredible (though I fear I don't look or smell so, but so what.) I didn't pack right, but again, so what. I'm going to smell like bug spray and sweat for the next 2 years and I'm psyched.
The people are nice, friendly, and speak the fastest Spanish I've ever heard, but so far they are patient and smiley.
And to cover a few more details, here is the text from a mass email I sent to some friends and family about the past few days. Enjoy and nos vemos! (I'll be seeing you!)

I am in the Dominican Republic and am doing super bueno! The group of volunteers is incredible-truly some of the most friendly, warm people I've ever met, and of course we all share really similar values. (What we also share are very similar horror stories regarding the PC letting us in.)
We met up in DC for a few days, to hear about training and what was to come, and then we left. We arrived in country on the 13th. We met our host families last night and so far so good. My host family is incredible. I have a host mother and a host father, as well as a host brother. He is a police officer and is very nice. They are all very patient with me and keep telling me how good my Spanish is. I am number 21 in a long line of PC volunteers! They have a lot of family, many of whom I have met in the last 2 days, including a "nephew" who is from New York. He and I were just sharing stories about the US, the DR, the PC, and many other things. They also have a puppy, a chihuahua, who just gave birth to 3 puppies, 2 weeks ago.
I had my first shower without running water. Let me tell you that was quite an experience... I was smiling the entire time, as I find myself doing a lot here. This is just exactly where I want to be and what I want to be doing. With the exception of losing my appetite in DC and having some minor stomach aches, I have been feeling incredible about this 100% of the time. :)
Many of you would love it here. In my barrio there is music playing almost all the time, and the weather at night is perfect. My host family has a lovely big front patio as well as one out back with 2 types of fruit trees growing overhead. I tried a piece of fruit from one of them last night, and it was tart, but interesting. Everyone is friendly with one another, although at me they mostly just stare.
We live close to the training site, which is absolutely gorgeous. As tax-paying Americans you all really deserve a trip to the PC training site in the DR. There are huge beautiful trees everywhere and not too many bugs. Picture chipmunks in the US, then replace them with lizards. But there, as with my house, the bugs aren't too bad. I hear that will not be the case when we leave the capitol, but so far so good.
I live near some other volunteers so we will be meeting up tonight and will hopefully go explore the barrio. We start training again on Monday, and will for the first time use public transportation. But after Santiago, I fear no public transport. Also, I'll be able to take it with others in my situation which was a perk that did not exist for me in Chile.
I do find myself comparing the countries a lot. Hey, I'm human. But, so far I think DR is trumping Chile. The weather is better here, although there is no option for hot running water, and sometimes there is no running water at all. The people seem to be friendlier. The Spanish is easier (but faster). The food is probably better (tons of pineapple here, and so far no one has forced me to eat anything unappealing.)
This part of training will be over in 3 weeks. Then I will leave with the other health volunteers for 5 weeks.
Some interesting stats about my group and what is likely:
-there are 52 volunteers (one of us went home yesterday; it didn't seem like a good fit for him)
-approx 5 or 6 of us will get married, engaged, or pregnant, all women to male residents of the DR
-approx 17 of us will leave before our time is up, most for medical reasons (ie: sprains/brakes that take too long to heal, or other injuries that impare our jobs)-approx all but one of us will require special medical attention (ie: need medication for illness, get regular sicknesses, brake a bone, etc.)
-many of us will extend our service for another year or more. Some of us will make DR our permanent home-in my group there is 1 married couple, and one older woman. We also have a middle-aged. Besides them, everyone younger and most are single. We are 1/3 male and 2/3 female. American minorities of all kinds are represented in my group, racially, relgiously, and with regard to sexual orientation, but most people seem not to practice any religion.
So there you have it. FYI: I do not plan on getting married, nor do I plan on leaving early. :) So don't worry.