Dialog on Understanding/Misunderstanding DR Culture

Despite the previous comment (now deleted) I am aware of a few Dominicans with open minds who will be present at this meeting/launch. For what it is worth, this Old Geezer who samples daily some of the cultural misunderstandings & misconceptions AND still has a great deal to learn from the Dominicans - well I will be there to learn & take part!

(Mind you - I could also be a bit biassed about the two authors!! :cheeky

I look forward to meeting some other 'Old Faces' as well as some new ones!! ~ Grahame.

So sorry that I am out of the country for a couple of weeks and cannot be in attendance. I hope this event is successful and will be repeated in the future, so I can take part.

Best of luck to everyone. Ginnie had a wealth of information and wisdom from which we all can benefit.

Lindsey

I HOPE there are going to be more at this function than just me & a few Dominicans. Is anyone else going to attend?

Apart from the launch of the book by Ilana & Ginnie, there is the Meeting Place itself to investigate!! A reading room, a small theatre, some really interesting books for sale ........... The whole idea is that this should become 'A MEETING PLACE' for Dominicans & ex-pats which will allow discussions & interaction. That MUST appeal to some of the newer ex-pats if not the 'Been here more than two years so Know It All' longer term ones :surprised

See you there at 3.00 (15.00) tomorrow?? ~ Grahame.

BushBaby said:

I HOPE there are going to be more at this function than just me & a few Dominicans. Is anyone else going to attend?

Apart from the launch of the book by Ilana & Ginnie, there is the Meeting Place itself to investigate!! A reading room, a small theatre, some really interesting books for sale ........... The whole idea is that this should become 'A MEETING PLACE' for Dominicans & ex-pats which will allow discussions & interaction. That MUST appeal to some of the newer ex-pats if not the 'Been here more than two years so Know It All' longer term ones :surprised

See you there at 3.00 (15.00) tomorrow?? ~ Grahame.

Click to expand...

Wil probably get told off for this but, the hopes of a good attendance of ex-pats in our opinion, will not materialise - sorry Grahame.

Being more "watchers" than "contributors" to DR1, we felt a definate change in attitudes following the "kidnapping" and the subsequent speculation that it generated. In our opinion what happened was, that the "wise ones" began to be listened to less & less on the forum & in some cases openly ridiculed. This effectively split up what was, up until that point, a tight-knit on-line community who in the most agreed with each other. Sharp tongues and bitterness ensued which is still evident to this day and which, in my opinion, will always be present whilst discussing the situation & the individuals concerned.

Some DR1 people will, in our opinion, be deterred from attending as they won't want to enter into a conversation where, in their opinion, the author(s) are judged by their involvement in the kidnapping rather than the effort they put into the books!

Hope we are proved wrong and sorry about all the "opinions"!

Warmest regards
Ian & Ellie

PS-We were one of the first to buy both books & thoroughly enjoyed them both
Regards
Ian & Ellie

Well Ian & Ellie,
whereas I would probably agree with you that there is not likely to be much of a turn out at The Meeting Place today, I would CERTAINLY disagree with you as to 'the reason' for this.

This apathy has absolutely NOTHING to do with what you call 'The Kidnapping'. Ilana was not involved with that in the slightest, the owners of The Meeting Place had no involvement & Ginnie easily rose above such minor things. The afternoon is likely to be poorly attended because of most people not being prepared to put themselves out &/or try to integrate. The Meeting Place COULD be an important aspect for Puerto Plata & north coast ex-pats to meet & integrate with other ex-pats & Dominicans. We have become - basically - very lazy!

If you WANT a good 'Meeting Place' ........... come along this afternoon & tell the owners what it would take to make you WANT to contribute/get involved with such a place. ~ Grahame.

I agree, Grahame.

When Ginnie left us, the expressions of sympathy from so many people who knew her both online and off demonstrated that she was widely loved, respected and recognised as knowledgeable about the country and its people. Any differences of opinion about the episode in question do not come into it and certainly have no relation to the credibility of the books she wrote.

I look forward to hearing all about this afternoon's event and am sorry I can't be there in person. Suerte y abrazos.

More understanding than misunderstanding

The meeting on Sunday about Understanding/Misunderstanding between Dominicans and non-Dominacans was an exceptional event. Well-attended , the thoughtful exchanges showed that both the Domincan and the non-Domincan community truly want to understand each other better. Clearly there needs to be more opportunities like this.The Meeting Place is definitely making inroads into what often is two solitudes. Ginnie Bedggood, the co-author of the Essential Guide to the Customs and Culture of the DR (the book that launched the discussion) would have been proud -

You are right culturevulture, the meeting WAS well attended & I am delighted to have been proved wrong in my belief that there would be few present. It was good to see so much logical discourse as well. Now if only we could get some of the Dominican authorities to attend & feel the concern some of us have for the North Coast ........

Go for it The Meeting Place ........ see if you can get 'someone up high' that can make things happen to come listen to the passion at these meetings. ~ Grahame

Very pleased to hear that it went well, Grahame. Did anyone take photos?