Independence Day!

At 8am I was woken by the sound of distant drums and honking. At first, I thought I was either dreaming or just hearing the regular sounds of the morning commute here is Santo Domingo. But as the noise continued and steadily grew louder, I realized something very different was happening.

Turns out an impromptu fiesta had erupted at the end of the block, not far from my apartment, in honor of Dominican Independence. After taking Sam for his morning walk, I wandered to where the action was and attempted to make sense of the chaos. Teenagers layered in rags attempted to perform some sort of play, men dressed as women ran through the crowd, large groups of uniformed girls with batons danced to the music performed by several marching bands, and people dressed in extravagant Devil costumes all contributed to the spectacle!