Honesty

Indeed there a good heartedd people in the DR.

If everyone was like that we would be in a true paradise.

We totally agree. We have had three separate incidents where Dominicans just wanted to help us with no ulterior motive.
The first was a guy who we flagged down as we had a puncture and realised we had no wheel brace to change the tyre, we just wanted to borrow his but he insisted on changing the tyre and getting sweaty and dirty despite the fact he had been out for dinner with his family and was all dressed up. We offered him some cash and he refused to take it, we even tried to give it to him to buy his kids (who were in the car) a present but he would not have it, he just told us to help someone else when they needed it.
Another was when we had an accident and a guy helped us get the car back on the road and again would not take anything.
The third happened yesterday on the road to Santiago through the mountains through Moca. Unfortunately our son does not travel well on this route! He was throwing up on the grass verge when a Dominican man came over with a lime and gave it to my son and said if he scratched the surface and sniffed it, it would help with the sickness. (it works as well).
We love this country and the people!!

Rosss said:

In a world where we often hear of only bad news,violent crime,robbery,etc.,this wee bit of good news.
My daughter,who is currently at school in Santiago de los Cabarellos, called me a few days ago to tell me that all of her indentification had been stolen from her purse while at a carnaval in La Vega.While I was in the process of trying to help her with this,the next day,I received a phone call,at my home in Canada, from a man in La Vega saying he found my daughter's papers and then proceeded to give instuctions on how my daughter could reach him to retreive those papers.
The proceeding day my daughter called me to let me know that all was well and she was in possesion of her papers once again. This man even refused the compensation offered to him even though the phone call to me was at his own expense.
His one pertinent comment to me,while speaking with him,was that I should be aware that not all Dominicans are bad people.This I know.This is the Dominican Republic that I have come to love and respect.It is people like him who show the rest of us what a world we could make for ourseves.
Thank-you.

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Excellent. These are the Dominicans I know too. I hope you stay in touch with him. One day you may be able to return the favour.

Yes, great post!! This is very encouraging, and thanks Rosss for taking time to share this great story. When Judy and I visited the DR in 2002, a friend living here took us around in his car. The battery went dead while we were traveling. We needed jumps several times until he could get back to Santiago. Each time he asked for a jump (he had cables), each Dominican driver said yes, jumped him, and did not charge him anything. That kindness is one of the many reasons we decided to move here.

Years ago before the cell phone era a colonel's driver-militar-guarda espaldas was driving the official car on a rainy night. He spotted a woman by the road with a flight tire. She was American. He helped her. He didnot accept money. She gave him her card and told him in her broken spanish to come to see her. Looking for the place he found out if was the Embassy. After going through security he finally saw the woman. She was a diplomat. She asked him to bring his passport. He got a visa.

I had exactly the same thoughts as Lambada
"These are the Dominicans I know" I have had many such wonderful experiences of their good nature and feel saddened sometimes when there are so many critical negative posts about them.

But then when you see its the same people who post the same old crap, you realise the circles they mingle in.

To reinterate, nice to see this kind of thing being verbalized on the web. These are indeed the Dominicans I have meet and known in my 20+years of visiting the D.R.

A friend of mine lost his wallet at Club Abacus (now closed) in Santo Domingo a couple years back, and a bartender or cashier walked around the club until he found my friend.

Oh the stories I could tell.....all good ones!
Now if it wasn't for those sanki-pankies!!!

beautiful people

My boyfriend and I just returned from the DR and not only had a fantastic time but are planning on moving there. In some of the worst conditions I've seen, the DRs are the kindest of people. We have only wonderful things to say about them. Returning to the States was a cold reminder of the way we think here. We had a flat tire at the airport and could not get any help even from the airport authorities. Yet, when lost driving through the mountains we had a man on a motor scooter guide us to a better route- taking himself 30 minutes out of his way. Who here would have done that?!

Last August when leaving at the airport I stopped at the calling center and forgot my phone book and planner, the girl at the counter emailed me to let me know. I must remember to bring her a little gift.

I concur, even though I myself had some trouble at the carnival this year. You just have to try and put teh negative aside...not totally out of mind...but aside and let the good things that you see and experience come to the top.

we ate at a resturaunt on saturday and my GF left her sunglasses there...they werent really cheapos either, and i wanted to try and go back and get them...she said they would be long gone and not to bother....but on monday we made it back and sure enough they put them aside and we got them back....

bob