A group of about 7 of us boarded a van and made our way a short distance to the First Lady's office, which is located just across the street from the Presidential Palace. Dominicans in general are a flashy people. Expensive cars, European suits, international travel are the marks of high society. As such, I was greatly looking forward to meeting the First Lady just to witness the extravagance that would surely be on display.
Upon arrival, we spent some time chatting with a few members of her staff while the First Lady, the CG and his wife met privately in an adjoining chamber. About one hour after lunch was scheduled to begin, we were seated at the table. Although we were only about a dozen people, there was enough food on hand to easily serve twice that amount. The waitstaff ushered each of us to our place at the table, indicated by the small placards bearing our names placed above each table setting. There was a small band set up on stage playing a mix of Dominican favorites and smooth jazz standards. After 10 additional minutes of polite conversation, the CG and his wife emerged from a side entrance, and we then all stood as the First Lady made her appearance.
She was not what I was expecting. Amazingly, she was actually pretty normal. She gracefully and cordially made her rounds greeting each of her guests individually. She spoke in English to some and Spanish to others. She wore a bright smile and made direct eye contact with each person as she warmly shook their hand. She was both welcoming and confident. I was seated to the right of the CG, who was in turn seated to the right of the First Lady. Given my position at the end of the table, there was no one for me to talk to other than the CG, so I spent the majority of the lunch observing the First Lady and how she interacted with her guests and staff. Perhaps as a nod to our boss, Hillary Clinton, she wore a simple green pants suit, very little jewelry and muted red fingernail polish. The only eye-catching feature of her dress that day was the overstated diamond trio of rings on her left ring finger.
Throughout lunch, she maintained her place as the center of attention through her stimulating conversation and reasoned responses. She spoke of current events, Dominican-American cooperation, Caribbean culture. She was smart, social and engaging. Very early on, it became clear that as her husband approaches his constitutionally mandated limit of office why she is rumored to be the front-runner to replace him.
Living in this society, you very quickly lose faith in the Dominican government officials. It's nice to see that at least at the very top there's hope that there are people in power that actually deserve to be there.
