Fact vs. Fiction Quiz

1) My boyfriend broke up with me via txt message.

False. Adán was invented.

2) I didn’t get into my academic summer program.

False. I needed Cristina to feel really bad about herself going into her trip.

3) My aunt Laura lives in the Dominican Republic.

False. I don’t have an Aunt Laura.

4) I did a crash course in Rosetta Stone before my trip.

True. I made a schedule for how many lessons to complete before my trip and worked on it every single day. I had a bad attitude about my Spanish class in college, and, as a result, I learned basically nothing. I really regretted it when I needed Spanish to communicate with people.

5) I was in high school when I went to the Dominican Republic.

False. I was in college.

6) I went to the Dominican Republic by myself.

False. I went with two other college students.

7) The first words of Spanish I ever spoke to a real Spanish speaker were “¿Cuánto cuesta?”

True. I learned it on Rosetta Stone!

8) I met Dedé Mirabal, and she held my hand.

True. This was such an honor. To learn more about the Mirabal sisters, I recommend Julia Alvarez’s book In the Time of the Butterflies.

9) I learned that I had value and didn’t have to prove myself.

True. Although the conversation with Luis in chapter nine didn’t really take place, this conversation sums up a big part of what I learned personally while in the DR. I went into the summer feeling a lot of pressure to be perfect, and my time there (and my host family) helped me to see that I already had value and didn’t have to do anything to earn it, just like Luis says in chapter nine.

10) Luis and Ángela became like second parents to me, and they are still there, caring for children every day.

True. Their names are not Luis and Ángela, but my real Dominican host parents are just as wonderful as they are in the book. They took such great care of me and my team.