I could be wrong but other places in the coutnry have nicer, friendlier and more hospitable people. The woman and people in santo domingo seem to be colder and meaner. They act almost like new yorkers in the US. The women are more str8 forward about wanting money and nothing else in a lot of cases. The people do not care much about others. Am I wrong? What does everyone think? I am not an expert and wanted to learn how the people ar ein Santo DOmingo compared to the rest of the coutnry.
- Thread starter gringobachata7
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Likeable santo domingo people?
It is a hustling bustling city, like anywhere else in the world, where people generally are for a purpose. Life is tougher for those with little and so people are more desperate to hang onto what they have, don't take so much sh1t. I'm not sure what youmean about women being more upfront about wanting money and nothing else? I've never been asked for money from a woman in the capital, ever, in several years living there and many more of visiting family there. I don't think people do not care about others any less than anywhere else, just people don't pretend to care like they do elsewhere.
If you want to learn more about the people of Santo Domingo compared to the rest of the country, spend more time there, a year or two. The main difference is people there need to earn a living, are not doing a hobby job, are doing a job that they have to to live the best they can. Any city is harsher, tougher, meaner, busier, that is natural internationally.
If you want to learn more about the people of Santo Domingo compared to the rest of the country, spend more time there, a year or two. The main difference is people there need to earn a living, are not doing a hobby job, are doing a job that they have to to live the best they can. Any city is harsher, tougher, meaner, busier, that is natural internationally.
Is Santo DOmingo more or less dangerous than places like Santo DOmingo? or the countryside in the DR?
We live in a big city, what part are you talking about?
I'm sure it can be HARDER to meet people here compared to the campo, but that's pretty standard I would say.
How old are you? Where are you trying to meet people?
I'm sure it can be HARDER to meet people here compared to the campo, but that's pretty standard I would say.
How old are you? Where are you trying to meet people?
Santo Domingo and Santo Domingo are pretty much as safe or dangerous as each other. If you are tongue twisted and having trouble asking if Campo is less dangerous than the city then it depends who you are. Things are done differently in Campo from the city. I've lived in both and both have good and bad points. There is more crime in the capital but there is so much going on it rarely effects anyone who is not directly involved, gangs and family. Random things do happen, but you learn to avoid them by becoming street tough, just takes time, I myself ignore most people when walking down a busy street in the city, or suburbs, a hello or smile can be misread as an opportunity, and one thing the city is full of is opportunists.
If you are over friendly to strangers in the city then you will at some point be taken advantage of, you will buy a guy a beer and then be stuck with an unwanted friend for life, say hello just to be polite and then be followed for two blocks, everyone wants a gringo friend, in the wrong place at the wrong time and you can feel like a Wonka bar (but to be honest, that rule applies everywhere), even in Campo where people are so detached from modern living they don't even know how to begin to take advantage of someone, or be nasty tosomeone, which is nice, but these people can be pretty limited when it comes to interesting conversation.
It takes years to learn how to be street in the Cap without being and feeling like a dick. Know when you need to show an attitude and know when to show you ain't no mug and drop a few signs that you are well adjusted and comfortable in your surroundings and are not alone. SD is a funny place, I've worked and lived all over the world and I still get confused by many things that don't make any sense. like not so long ago a motorbike was driving down the parallell street that runs the back of El Conde, a car heading up towards El Conde had to slam his breaks on (who has right of way is debatable in these streets), the biker flings his arms up in reaction, this huge guys steps out of the 4x4 and they start the argument, and skinny little old dude got out of the back of the 4x4 and shot the guy on the motorbike, they got in the 4x4 and drove off as per nothing had just gone down. Meanwhile I just continued walking on by as 10 or 15 people just stood there and looked at the guy on the ground, obviously having trouble having just being shot.
I remember that being a defining day when I thought, what has happened to me, I've just witnessed a guy shot for no real reason, and I just carried on walking past the entire situation as if it was no big deal. There was a time when I first moved to DR I would have avoided walking down that street hearing the argument, and most certainly if a guy was lying in the road having been shot attempted to help him rather than practically stepped over him and carried on to KFC which was more important and exciting at that moment for me than a guy who'd just been shot. That is how living in the city changes people, makes them tougher, seem less caring, just keep out of everyone elses business, it only ever leads to headaches. No pretending, just self preservation.
its all who you know
Note to self; Up Santome, left at the KFC to the PicaPollo up the Conde.
Seriously, I have little experience in other towns in the RD, but only as my network of Dominican friends and family grows do I feel more comfortable and safe in the capitol. There are many good people here, but you are always only a few degrees of separation apart from sketchy people and circumstances. Understanding these boundaries, and where the line in the sand is between acquaintances that are beneficial, and their friends that will likely take advantage of you is important and not easy to navigate....but as I said made easier by developing a solid safe network of trusted people.
Note to self; Up Santome, left at the KFC to the PicaPollo up the Conde.
Seriously, I have little experience in other towns in the RD, but only as my network of Dominican friends and family grows do I feel more comfortable and safe in the capitol. There are many good people here, but you are always only a few degrees of separation apart from sketchy people and circumstances. Understanding these boundaries, and where the line in the sand is between acquaintances that are beneficial, and their friends that will likely take advantage of you is important and not easy to navigate....but as I said made easier by developing a solid safe network of trusted people.
This is BANANAS!!!!! I can tell you are definitely NOT from the streets LOL!!!!
No, I have never been homeless, I love camping, but never lived on the streets, but can we stay on topic please?
Just for the hell of it I'll attempt to tell you how this might go down in Campo. I call Jarabacoa Campo because it is rural living, the engine that keeps the town ticking over is run on those who believe in hard work, have old fashioned values and are far less opportunistic. I also lived in Jarabacoa, and to take a walk through town you will find yourself saying hi to at least every 20th person, waving to someoe you know in every other car, and popping down to doa spot of shopping can quite easily turn into taking up half of your day, by bumping into people,having a chat,being invited for a beer or coffee, or making plans with someone about who is having a BBQ this weekend, swapping kid run plans generally being a part of the machine that makes the town work. Yes there is a tiny amount of crime, there are a couple of areas that you will find those who are not good people,but even they tend to head to the city to do their bad things to earn some cash and then head back up to their little corner to lie low for a while and you rarely see them out and about, during the day and even less at night. Jarabacoa is one of the last places you will still find people living in new houses without security bars on doors and windows. People know each other are involved in a community and generally keep an eye out for each other. People will go out of their way to help you out, or even just do something nice like invite you round for dinner for no reason other than a good old fashioned chin wag and spending time together as friends. It's odd getting invited to a strangers BBQ just because you live in a nearby house,or you have kids the same age. You'll walk into a colmado and the local dustbin man who earns 3,250pesos per month will offer to buy you a beer, and just sit down and chat about something trivial. We had a place on the outskirts and when my wife was ill,people would turn up with cooked food for me every day as if I couldn't cook and to clean the kitchen up a bit as if I had no housewife skills at all. When our local Colmado guy was ill, my wife went to visit,and see ifshe could collect anything from the pharmacy while she was in town, things like that. You are part of an oiled community up there, if you want to be. You can also go weeks without seeing anyone if you want to,but people will pop around to check all is okay and yo are not unwell or in need of help.
It doesn't get much more different than Campo and city people,like aliens and robots.
One thing that both the city and the campo have in common I have found out over the years is that those with the real bad hearts, the nasty people, those that will take advantage not out of desperation but because they can, those that will be the ones to let you down, talk about you behind your back, those who really don't care and spend more time scheming and talking dirt about the very people who are twice the people they are, these people usually tend to be Expats, and not the natives, a sad finding, but so true from my experience over the years.
So there's my sense in diversity, make and take from it what you will,it has been a different journey for us all.
It doesn't get much more different than Campo and city people,like aliens and robots.
One thing that both the city and the campo have in common I have found out over the years is that those with the real bad hearts, the nasty people, those that will take advantage not out of desperation but because they can, those that will be the ones to let you down, talk about you behind your back, those who really don't care and spend more time scheming and talking dirt about the very people who are twice the people they are, these people usually tend to be Expats, and not the natives, a sad finding, but so true from my experience over the years.
So there's my sense in diversity, make and take from it what you will,it has been a different journey for us all.
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I guess those streets are noisy eh! As anyone who heard someone say something so uncool on the street would surely pi$$ themselves laughing at such a douche!
I wish DR1 forums could have an auto line space or auto return key after so many words or sentences to make long winded posts easier to read..........sorry extra long paragraphs are boring and difficult to read and loose my interest quite rapidly .........
I am going to go out on a limb and say that SantoDomingo is exactly as dangerous as Santo DOmingo?
All I know is that people are more friendly and open than any city I went to in Europe. A lot of laughing is going on, a lot of making a random conversation is going on.. I like it. 
Also, before coming here.. I thought that the climate would be that nobody would even look at me or speak to me because I had the idea that there is a lot of hate for people who are from Haiti. I'm black, so basically you couldn't tell if I'm from Haiti or not.
But I don't have the idea people are looking different at me, or approaching me in a different way.
Also, before coming here.. I thought that the climate would be that nobody would even look at me or speak to me because I had the idea that there is a lot of hate for people who are from Haiti. I'm black, so basically you couldn't tell if I'm from Haiti or not.
But I don't have the idea people are looking different at me, or approaching me in a different way.
SD is a BIG place -- waht, 5,000,000 people, more or less?
How can you generalize about a place like that?
There is some of everything.... good, bad, indifferent.
As in any metropolis, you take your time, feel your way, watch your back...... take in the life in general.
How can you generalize about a place like that?
There is some of everything.... good, bad, indifferent.
As in any metropolis, you take your time, feel your way, watch your back...... take in the life in general.