I took a wrong turning the other day, and it is all to do with the Dominican Republic's immature national identity.

The last few weeks I have been doing lots of interviews in government offices, which seem to be in the stranges places - to get to the national parks service office you have to get the guagua to a suburb that consists of a mix of crumbling apartments, informal housing (slum) and large factories, walk up a sidestreet, up a path past some dead dogs, and through a hole in the wall. It took me ages to find it. Some ministries are big imposing buildings, set back from the road through large archways, but others are up random alleyways in middle class suburbs. I have been buzzing all over the city, and am getting good at asking for directions (and another thing, Dominican house numbers are completely illogical - I was going to number 25, which turned out to be 300 metres up the street from number 27, right next to 141 and opposite number 8. Confusing and very frustrating).


Anyway, the problem is that about 160 years ago, during a time when the Haitians occupied the Dominican Republic, on the 27 of February, the trinitaria of Duarte, Mella and Sanchez, with the help of rich landowners and the catholic church, mounted a revolution, won independencia and kicked out the Haitians. As Dominican national identity is in a vast part determined as not being Haitian, they have developed an almost fascist obsession with the trinitaria, in particular Duarte. All the coins have his image, the highest mountain is called Pico Duarte, there is a bust of him in every school, most public buildings and every town square. There exists a Instituto Duartino, to promote patriotism in society. This obsession has led to a distinct lack of imagination in street names. In Santo Domingo there is a least one Calle (street) Duarte, Avenida (avenue) Duarte, Autopista (motorway) Duarte, Plaza (square) Duarte, and I am convinced there might be more than one of each. Added to the number of addresses involving Trinitaria, Mella, Sanchez, Independencia, and 27 de Febrero, and it is easy to get lost. If someone tells you to go to the corner of Independencia and Duarte, this could mean any number of places in the city. It has confused me more than once.

If someone who you don't like calls you up and wants to meet, just tell them that you will meet them at the statue of Duarte, on the corner of Independencia and Trinitaria.

Of course, I could use this opportunity to expand on Dominican national identity, but I am lost and trying to find my way home.