Guaguas

It seems that every city here has a street called “Calle Duarte.” While this repeat of street names is common all over the world, it certainly lends itself to some confusion. Last Friday, having figured out the bumming rides from friends and taxi madness, I decided it was time to try public transit on my own. Buses (here called “guaguas,” yet another perfect Dominican word) run routes throughout the entire country. You do not have to wait at a bus stop to catch a guagua. Rather, you simply wait on the side of the road and wave to indicate you want a lift. Each guagua has a cobrador and every cobrador I’ve seen is male and can be as young as ten. The cobrador collects money for the trip and operates the door. Unlike American buses, the door remains open during journey and the cobrador often hangs out (literally…he just holds on with one arm) yelling at people to get on the guagua. While this hasn’t happened to me, I’ve heard of people who’ve been pulled onto a guagau without even wanting a lift. That being said, it wasn’t hard for me hail a guagua because usually the guaguas do the hailing.

Being extra responsible, I asked the cobrador if this guagua (which was the correct number—route 23) would be going to Calle Duarte in Santo Domingo. The cobrador, the sole passenger, and the driver all said yes and I climbed in. I started in Los Alcarrizos, which is in the region Santo Domingo, and the destination of this bus is Santo Domingo (the capital) in the region Santo Domingo also. Of course the route also starts and ends on a Calle Duarte. So, when I asked my question, it was technically correct that the guagua was headed to Calle Duarte in Santo Domingo…it was just at the tail end of the trip rather than the beginning. After that brief mix up and a short five-minute guagua ride, I caught another guagua going the other direction and made sure to clarify “la capital Santo Domingo.”

After a bumpy one-hour ride, I navigated from my first guagua to my second, which would take me to San Pedro where I would spend the weekend with a group of interns. Of course, when I arrived in San Pedro I noticed that the main street there is also Calle Duarte. I traveled three and a half hours and went from Calle Duarte to Calle Duarte to Calle Duarte!

Even though I’m comfortable traveling alone when I know where I am going, I prefer to have at least one travel buddy. While alone, my guard is definitely up, I try to look purposeful and content to be alone, and I give off a bit of an ice queen impression that basically says I’m not interested in being your friend. Contrary to thinking this is harsh, I think it’s very necessary and smart. I’m a young “rubia” who sticks out like a sore thumb and by behaving as such I can avoid a good deal of extra attention and unwanted help. However, when I’m with one other person, I still try to remain on guard, but I feel freer to wave, make small talk, and be generally more chipper and engaged in my surroundings.