Talk about living in DR?

AZB

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Jan 2, 2002
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Lets make a thread, where people can write about their day's events. Ex: if something funny or out of the ordinary happened to you, please share it with us. This way the outsiders would get an up-close idea of what?s it like living in DR on daily bases. EX: how you took out a local girl for dance and dinner (thinking you were gonna score big time...), instead she showed up with her cousin, aunt, 2 friends and a boyfriend of her cousin. You ended up paying for dinner and drinks in the disco (for everyone) and finally got a kiss on the cheek for goodbye.

Ok, so here is a story for you guys:
I once went out with a female friend of mine to a disco (in puerto plata) to dance and meet her friends. This was about a few years ago when I didn't speak much of spanish and didn't know many people. As we were inside enjoying & watching those young girls put it all out on the dance floor, my eyes met a very sweet curvy looking girls. She passed me a smile but didn't respond to any of my other following signals. Later, as time passed, she was introduced to me via my friend. They were actually neighbors. I tried to talk to her but the damn music was so loud that she didn't understand a word that I said to her. She didn't talk much either except smiled and laughed in a sweet manner to whatever I said in broken spanish. She was so cute at the time that I just couldn't let her just slip by me and disappear forever.
So I slipped her my phone number and asked her to call me. I had asked her for her number but she wouldn?t say much and simply kept smiling. I figured she is shy and maybe wants to check me out first before handing me out the number. Ok, so I agreed to play along with her.
I waited for her call for a few days but then I lost hope. She was just too cute to be calling me; besides, I was sure she had a boyfriend.
One day, when I was dead bored, killing mosquitoes in my office, I received a phone call. The caller mentioned the girl's name but said that she was her friend and wants to arrange the meeting with the cute girl. At this time it all made sense to me as to why the girl wouldn't give me her number. She simply didn't have a phone at the house. So, no problem, I made the date and decided to pick her up at an agreed location.
As promised, she was there, looking stunningly beautiful. Dressed to kill. She greeted me with a kiss and a tight hug (as thought, she was dying to meet me). I was thrilled and very excited. I took this gesture as a sign of a "done deal".
I immediately told her that I was very weak in spanish and asked if she spoke any english. Again, I got a smile for an answer. So I took it as if she doesn't understand a word that I say. I kept playing and reached my home in costambar (a beach housing complex). I took her up stairs where I had some food prepared for us. Funny, she still hasn't said a word.
Then I put on some romantic music and asked her a few more questions. No answer...again. At this point, I was wondering if the girls knew anything at all. Maybe just plain stupid. I was a bit surprised at her behavior and just couldn?t understand why she was not responding to my conversation.
Then she finally tried to respond but the words came out of her mouth were extremely gibberish and totally strange sounding. Right at that time, the darkness cleared from my mind and out came the truth in bright daylight. It was so shocking that I couldn?t make out what to think or how to react. I was caught totally off guard. The girl was trying to tell me that she was both deaf and dumb. WOW, I was totally stunned and confused. How is it that no one bothered to tell me of her condition? How is it that I didn?t see it coming? I guess, they all thought that I knew it, like everyone else. At this moment, all of my night plans to score with the babe were far away from my mind as I was still trying to accept the fact that I was with a girl who didn?t speak or heard a single one of my seducing words.
So I took a few moments out to gather everything in my mind and to hold my composure steady. I had no choice but to continue to spend time with her while trying to make sense with my sign language.
It took me a few minutes to really have the reality sink into me. I couldn?t believe a girl so pretty and sweet looking can be suffering from such conditions. Anyway, I had decided to make a good evening out of it regardless of her impairments (whether she understood my sign language signals or not). It turned out to be a very good evening as she was indeed a very sweet girl who made me feel like a special guy (that I didn?t deserve). She was very good in making me understand through her signals. Surprisingly, I understood everything. We went out for a few months until I moved to Santiago. Last time, I had heard of her was when her friend had told me that she married a guy and moved else where. I couldn?t keep a phone contact with her because of the fact, she couldn?t talk.
I must admit, in her own way, she talked a lot, more than your average girlfriend.

Any other interesting stories that anyone wants to share with us? Bring it on?
P.S God help me with responses from Criss, missing_DR and TW.
 
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Pavan

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Jan 18, 2002
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How I got to DR

Sept 1992. I was in India taking a break from a business trip to Hong Kong. Phone rings!

Some guy wants to know if I would be interested in working for Timberland in the DR. Sure why not? (I was 24 yrs old then). Phone rings again after 2 weeks...where do you want your tickets....I gave my address......still no money talked.

Week later tickets arrive...New Delhi...London...Madrid....Santo Domingo.......now the whole family is glued to the world map untill someone yells......there it is!

I am supposed to be in DR for 3 days get interviewed and return.

Sept 17 take off from New Delhi with a very tense mother trying to hold back her tears. (She must have thought I am going into limbo) Get to London, meet my old pals...they all try talking me off this project..we were talking in a pub over some pints...the flight to Spain left at 7:00pm that day.

It was the beer that I drank..not me that made me just get up and get on a bus in frot of the pub, to the tube and to the airport and to Spain I went.

Holy shit! These people are different! First time contact with latins...I want to go back. Too late buddy! Got on the Iberia plane to Santo Domingo....everybody wants to speak to me in Spanish. I am now getting upset about that. I did pick up hola and agua on the plane...my only spanish.

Get to Santo Domingo....now the whole world wants my suitcase which only weighed 20 pounds or so...they all want to help me...they all can show me taxi and hotel....man was I scared.

I get out of the airport and someone yells my name. It was Alec the guy who got me the deal. Hell I felt so much better. I am now all tired and jet lagged. We get to hotel Lina and I try to get some sleep except Alec force me to go to the bar, first sip of Presidente.....ummmmmm eyes open a little....look around.....ummmm...better..........nice.......ladies you are looking good....ummm.......nothing after a few Prsidentes I am out like a rock.

Check out next morning for the drive to Santiago..Alec is paying the bill and he has his car in front of the hotel. Some jerk wants to go by in a jalopy which is held together by strings..Alec gets me to move the car and while I am still in he says let's roll....What??????

Never driven an automatic...never on the right side of the road....never had the steering wheel to the left.....you must be out of your mind...!!! what a nightmarish drive..mind you the road was two way that time.

Get to the factory..the Big Boss is not there...I am just hanging around ......the big boss is gone for a week...I hang around at the factory....drink Presidente after work.....go to discos etc.....one day the big boss calls..some one reminds him that we have a guy from India you have to interview.......Oh yeah!..thats right....put him to work on that project.....bye.......

Now I have a project...no money talked.....no interview.......week later the big boss comes back.....another week goes by...no money talked...not interview....mother is worried......project is finished.....

One Saturday big boss runs into me.....says....I will pay you this much....house...car...etc etc...but you cannot go back at least untill January....that is three months away.


Phone call to India......Ring ....Ring......Hello Mom.....yeah it's me......I won't be back untill after X-mas!!!!!!
 

Pavan

Member
Jan 18, 2002
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When I got shot at

AZB - this story is best told by the American at Lucky's. He is among the few ones to see the car.

Have to get my residency. The company set's it all up. I have to drive from Santiago to Santo Domingo at 4:30am. The people at the factory give me maps....all the be careful talk....don't do this...don't do that etc etc......and above all if someone stops you for heaven's sake don't stop!!

All right. 4:30am I leave the house and get past the military base towards Santo Domingo...I am driving a white Mazda 121. Yeah..the egg looking car. I am 24...no comprende espanol and a stupid touristy attitude about things in DR.

A few miles down there is a road block...a half assed road block where you are supposed to stop but you can drive by anyway. The military check point. (maybe). I see this and remember...do not stop no matter what...I speed up in this little bug..as I go by one of the guys pulls a pistola or something....bang..there went the wind shield..bang...thud thud...a bullet under the car...thud...I duck...accelerate....thud.......bang........and I am away on a wildest drive to Santo Domingo...topping 140 to 150 kmph.

I get to Santo Domingo and stop at the lawyers place and tell him what happened..he says......eso no e naaada......no te pre -ocupes or something like that.

Drive back to Santiago still shaking....a shattered windshield...two bullet holes on the right side.....one in the back!
 

AZB

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Jan 2, 2002
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Damn missing_DR, this shooting gun story would have made headline story in major USA papers. Now that I remember, you had told me this story a long time ago. I must have been too drunk to remember it.
wait, after an incident like this, you didn't just pack up and leave? I wonder what held you back? no don't tell me, let me guess... you met alejandra the next day???
 

Pepe

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Jan 1, 2002
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AZB said:
The girl was trying to tell me that she was both deaf and dumb. WOW, I was totally stunned and confused.

P.S God help me with responses from Criss, missing_DR and TW.

Are you a masochist? You know our hero carries a big reamer with your name on it. I would have called the condition of the girl Deaf-Mute.

Oh boy. :(
 

eric

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Feb 13, 2002
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missing-dr where are you?

what happened to the thread?i want to hear some more action stories of the dr.it sounds pretty cool
 

Hillbilly

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Jan 1, 2002
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FOR MISSING-DR

The big boss wouldn't have been Jerry A, by any chance? He was a VERY BIG boss over at Timberland....?

Just curious.

HB
 

bluepool

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Feb 16, 2002
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Typical Day

The first time that I spent time in the DR, I lived with my Aunt and Uncle. At six in the morning, EVERY morning, their neighbor would begin to scream in a creaky, shrill voice "Orlando, Or-LAN-do!" (this being her 11 year old son, I discovered later). This went on for 10 to 15 minutes, all the while being interspersed with rapid streams of Spanish, being either cursing, a custard recipe being loudly recited so as not to forget it before lunch time, or an unusually long rendition of the Lord's prayer. I couldn't say, my Spanish skills at the time being somewhat like those of a developmentally delayed mongoose. (They are better now, but not by much. :) ) Every morning I woke up to that, with a smile on my face. These things are humorous. At least I didn't waste any of my days sleeping in . . . then I was introduced to Dominican driving, which I have to say is quite the sport. I bow to my Uncle, and the rest of the population, for their absolute lack of fear . . . passing on a blind curve, driving down the center of the road, ignoring stop signs, crosswalks and the most basic of international driving laws while managing not to hit any pedestrians. A minor miracle. (Key word for pedestrians: Sprint.) My days were mostly filled with exploring at the time, going to the market, the flower farm . . . I admit that I lived a pretty laid back life there for a while, and I can't wait to get back to electricity going off for several days, usually starting while you are in the shower with soap in your hair, lugging lawn chairs home from the local hardware store on my head (do the locals ever find THAT amusing) and having people that I don't even know grab me by both arms and kiss my cheeks.