Dominicans in Haiti(surprise, surprise)...

Berzin

Banned
Nov 17, 2004
5,898
550
113
I just saw a program on one of the spanish news stations here in NYC and there seems to be a backwards migration of dominicans who go to Haiti of all places to find work.

3 people were interviewed-a doctor, a DJ and a hair stylist.

The dominican doctor is married to a native haitian, also a doctor, and together they have the first(or one of the first) MRI clinics in all of Haiti.

The dominican hair stylist, one of about about 600 in Port-Au-Prince, says that she makes in salary and tips the equivalent of around $1,200 US dollars a month. She says she does very well with tips there, better than in the DR.

And the DJ didn't say much, only that he was working and saving money to buy a house back home.

They all made it clear that they wanted to go back to the DR one day, but that is understandable because even the dominicans here in NYC say the same thing.

The doctor said that there are many dominicans in Haiti working as doctors, engineers and hair stylists among other professions. Whatever their profession is, she said, the just transplant their skills over to Haiti.

I found this very interesting as I've never heard of this sort of thing going on.

Any thoughts?
 

Chirimoya

Well-known member
Dec 9, 2002
17,850
982
113
I know of a Dominican beautician who lives and works for rich clients in Petionville, a Dominican woman married to a rich Haitian, they also live in luxury in Petionville, and many many prostitutes, also catering for an upper class clientele. Many Dominicans also do business in Haiti, which is an important market for the DR.
 

qgrande

Bronze
Jul 27, 2005
805
4
0
When I was in Port-au-Prince this May I met a couple of Dominican businessmen representing some firm selling something mechanical. They knew many others doing business there. There are still European and North American businesspeople there, so why no Dominicans?
And yes, the other type of 'working' Dominicans too... In P?tionville I passed this establishment:
7wf9s41.jpg

Notice the advertisement, 'solo Dominicana'....
 

Berzin

Banned
Nov 17, 2004
5,898
550
113
Haiti may be poor, but it seems as if people still manage to do well there. Does anyone know if the dominicans who go there to work are fluent in the haitian language, or is spanish enough to get by until they learn?
 

miguel

I didn't last long...
Jul 2, 2003
5,261
2
0
113
Lo perdiste?.....

I just saw a program on one of the spanish news stations here in NYC and there seems to be a backwards migration of dominicans who go to Haiti of all places to find work.

3 people were interviewed-a doctor, a DJ and a hair stylist.

The dominican doctor is married to a native haitian, also a doctor, and together they have the first(or one of the first) MRI clinics in all of Haiti.

The dominican hair stylist, one of about about 600 in Port-Au-Prince, says that she makes in salary and tips the equivalent of around $1,200 US dollars a month. She says she does very well with tips there, better than in the DR.

And the DJ didn't say much, only that he was working and saving money to buy a house back home.

They all made it clear that they wanted to go back to the DR one day, but that is understandable because even the dominicans here in NYC say the same thing.

The doctor said that there are many dominicans in Haiti working as doctors, engineers and hair stylists among other professions. Whatever their profession is, she said, the just transplant their skills over to Haiti.

I found this very interesting as I've never heard of this sort of thing going on.

Any thoughts?
I guess you didn't get the "memo"....

Dominicans are EVERYWHERE!!. Even in Jupiter!.

There are Dominicans doing pretty well in Haiti.

It's also infected with Dominican prostitutes.
 

NALs

Economist by Profession
Jan 20, 2003
13,370
3,150
113
I just saw a program on one of the spanish news stations here in NYC and there seems to be a backwards migration of dominicans who go to Haiti of all places to find work.

3 people were interviewed-a doctor, a DJ and a hair stylist.

The dominican doctor is married to a native haitian, also a doctor, and together they have the first(or one of the first) MRI clinics in all of Haiti.

The dominican hair stylist, one of about about 600 in Port-Au-Prince, says that she makes in salary and tips the equivalent of around $1,200 US dollars a month. She says she does very well with tips there, better than in the DR.

And the DJ didn't say much, only that he was working and saving money to buy a house back home.

They all made it clear that they wanted to go back to the DR one day, but that is understandable because even the dominicans here in NYC say the same thing.

The doctor said that there are many dominicans in Haiti working as doctors, engineers and hair stylists among other professions. Whatever their profession is, she said, the just transplant their skills over to Haiti.

I found this very interesting as I've never heard of this sort of thing going on.

Any thoughts?
This is nothing new, there are Arabs, Chinese, Colombians, and Americans living in Haiti too, who knows, there might be some Puerto Ricans too.

BTW, its 600 Dominicans in Petionville, not in Port-au-Prince proper. This makes sense since many of the Dominicans that do move to Haiti do so to cater to the Haitian upper class, most of whom live in Petionville, Kenscoff, etc. and not in Port-au-Prince proper.

Also, she said that she makes US$1,000 not US$1,200 a month and she didn't said anything about making better tips than in the DR, although that would be obvious given her decision to move to Petionville. However, she didn't said that.

According to some estimates, there are about 10,000 to 15,000 Dominicans living Haiti. That's hardly enough people to indicate what you call a "backwards migration", especially when its compared to the 1 million estimated Haitians in the DR, the 300,000 Dominicans in Puerto Rico, the 4 million Puerto Ricans in the US mainland, etc.

The overall migration flow is from west to east or directly to the north.

Again, its nothing knew. Those Dominicans that move to Haiti are what can be considered "nichers", they see a good business opportunity that may cater to a particular lucrative niche and they take advantage of it.

The same can be said of well to do Haitians, Americans, British, etc living in Santo Domingo or Santiago and operating their own business.

-NALs
 

qgrande

Bronze
Jul 27, 2005
805
4
0
Does anyone know if the dominicans who go there to work are fluent in the haitian language, or is spanish enough to get by until they learn?
I suppose with 'the haitian language' you mean Krey?l. I reckon most foreigners in Haiti first get by in French, the other official language of the country, before learning Krey?l. The Dominicans I met spoke some French. But educated Haitians often also speak Spanish. It depends on their profession I suppose, but you couldn't just go to Haiti and expect everyone to understand your Spanish.
 

Berzin

Banned
Nov 17, 2004
5,898
550
113
Thanks for clearing all that up, Nals. I guess I got a few of the facts wrong. But the report was a surprise only because when you see the news media coverage they never, EVER talk about a haitian middle or upper class, nor the business opportunities that exist there.

All you see are these poor, pathetic souls running around rioting, starving or living like animals. Thats' why you must always question what you are told regardless of the source.

I am definitely interested in visiting Haiti now.
 

A.Hidalgo

Silver
Apr 28, 2006
3,268
98
0
Thanks for clearing all that up, Nals. I guess I got a few of the facts wrong. But the report was a surprise only because when you see the news media coverage they never, EVER talk about a haitian middle or upper class, nor the business opportunities that exist there.

All you see are these poor, pathetic souls running around rioting, starving or living like animals. Thats' why you must always question what you are told regardless of the source.

I am definitely interested in visiting Haiti now.

Berzin what facts did you get wrong in your OP? Seems to me your thread was clear and only reflected what the program stated. Nothing in your thread was factually incorrect.

bolding mine
 

Chirimoya

Well-known member
Dec 9, 2002
17,850
982
113
Berzin what facts did you get wrong in your OP? Seems to me your thread was clear and only reflected what the program stated. Nothing in your thread was factually incorrect.

bolding mine
Maybe he has the other posters on the thread - at least two of whom have first-hand knowledge of Haiti and all of whom confirmed what he said in the OP - on ignore?:cheeky:
 

trabajadora

New member
Aug 29, 2007
301
8
0
Article on Domincans living/working in Haiti

Well, it's good that the article was written so that at least an attempt was made to put some light on the whole misconception in the minds of a lot of people. It never really occurred to me that there might be even that number of Dominicans working and living in Haiti. But when you think about it, why not? Like someone else said earlier, there are Haitian people everywhere as well as a lot of other races of people, including Dominicans.

Many of us who live here in the DR commonly see Haitians who live here doing all the grunge work (the dirty, hard work). Mostly we see the uneducated individuals who have come here to try to make it because they cannot get work in Haiti. Therefore, it appears that this is the way all Haitians are; poor, uneducated people who lack the intelligence to move up in life. The news media makes it worse by only showing that side of Haiti and like someone else pointed out, the ones who are of the criminal element. We already know about that aspect.

But Haiti is made up of all classes of people, and Haitians of varying skin tones as well (someone mentioned on another thread about "white" Haitians), just like here or anywhere else in the world. It's so unfortunate that they have been labeled and put in a box as all being the same.

Here in the DR, I personally know several people from Haiti who are educated and have completed their studies at Dominican universities. Many return to Haiti to get the better, higher paying jobs there. I also know a few who have gone on to leave the island and are doing very well in the U.S. I'm sure there are many people who fit these catagories.

I also know several who live up to the bad reputation of Haitians. We have had several of them working for us at one time or another in our business. Every last one ended up stealing from us and either getting fired or just taking the money and never coming back. What's most unfortunate is that these people were the only people we could find to even give them a chance to work in our business, simply because we HAVE to have employes who can speak English in order to deal with the English-speaking customers. Every last one of those who worked for us were Haitians who had been living in the U.S. who got deported back to Haiti for crimes committed, in which they were convicted and sent to prison in the states. Eventually it came to light that each one of them was on drugs and the temptation of receiving money in their hands was just too great. They couldn't see past their next drug fix to even think about keeping the job.

So it's good to see that at least some reporting about Haiti is not all negative, since that's a lot of what we all see and believe to be true about all of it's people. And it's also interesting to see some reporting about others, including Dominicans who are making a decent living working in Haiti and getting along fine. One day I hope to visit that side of the island to experience it first hand.:bunny:
 

NALs

Economist by Profession
Jan 20, 2003
13,370
3,150
113
Thanks for clearing all that up, Nals. I guess I got a few of the facts wrong. But the report was a surprise only because when you see the news media coverage they never, EVER talk about a haitian middle or upper class, nor the business opportunities that exist there.

All you see are these poor, pathetic souls running around rioting, starving or living like animals. Thats' why you must always question what you are told regardless of the source.

I am definitely interested in visiting Haiti now.
The media is not the best source of accurate information on anything. Its only good enough to spark some interest in a particular subject, but not for accurate information.

-NALs
 

frankreyes3rd

New member
Jan 15, 2007
19
0
0
Haitians are cool

I haved lived in DomRep and Haiti, each for a few years.
A lot of Dominicans think the Haitians will just straight out kill them if they go to Haiti. If not, at the very least they will be Voodooed in some unpleasant way.
Haitians seem to think "Santo Domingo" (as they call the country) is full of thieves.
In my opnion neither are entirely correct.
Sure the Haitian gangs in the tougher parts of town kidnapped, robbed and murdered with impunity, but things have got a lot better recently.
Coming up to Christmas I would advise anybody in either country to be a little more cautious while walking the streets.
Workwise, Haiti imports people with the skills Haiti has little of.
Managers, professionals, qualified engineers, chicas etc.
It seems a lot of Haitians go to university in DomRep but still struggle to find work in Haiti. It is perhaps a little sad that for most Haitians the idea of living in a decent apartment and having money to buy nice clothes and a car, like you see all the time on T.V., is only a dream.
It is at least an attainable dream in some ways for many more Dominicans in their own country.
The expats do have all this in Haiti though! Why else would they be there?
Port au Prince is scattered with spectacular luxury hotels, no longer used by the rich and famous tourists. A little tired these days, these places are all populated by U.N. forces and the contractors for infrastructure and commnication companies.
If you can stomach the iniquity of it all, there is a great life to be had in Haiti for any expat. I know people from all over the world who came to Haiti for one contract, fell in love with the lifestyle (and sometimes the country), and stayed. These people lived safely through a couple of invasions, coups, martial law, lawlessness and general poverty, with little more than a personal security guard and a basic common sense. My buddy has video of the Hotel Montana being ransacked a few years back.(They even took a crap in the pool!).
The place is a little wild, but I have found people to be very welcoming. Outside the main 'cities' they seem a bit surprised to see non-Haitians, automatically assuming you to be U.N. or American. After explaining that I am neither, they soon grow even more friendly.
You should visit Haiti while things are still peaceful.
It is fascinating, with some amazing architecture and the blending of French, Spanish and African cultures.
Having had perhaps less ecologically and economically expedient "bloody dictators" than Dom Rep, things here are less grown up, politically.
It is of course not impossible that Haiti could again one day view Dom Rep as its poor little, uneducated neighbour, but for me it really looks like Dom Rep has (partially and increasingly) succeeded in becoming an economically consistent western nation while Haiti really has not.
Whether they have the opportunity, will or initiative to do so, for me is not in question. Of course they do. Will they achive this? Not for the foreseeable future.
Why? I am completely stumped!
Let me know, please!
Still, there is a fascinating and fulfilling life to be had in Haiti for anybody who can afford to be reading this on their own laptop. It is the other 98% of Haitians that are a bit stuck.
With this in mind, will some of the Haitians who left, got educated, made it big even, please come back and fix this great nation up again!? Your country needs you!
The very reason why expats can flourish here.
I love living in Haiti, but for a few days break I would still head for Republica Dominicana....definitely less I need to think about there.
 

NALs

Economist by Profession
Jan 20, 2003
13,370
3,150
113
Haiti has been doing well lately as far as political stability and economic growth is concerned.

Rene Preval is the best thing that has happened to Haiti.

The only concern is Guy Phillipe, and thank God Aristide is out of the picture.

Of course, the words "doing well" is a relative term in this case, but it beats the alternative.

-NALs
 

frankreyes3rd

New member
Jan 15, 2007
19
0
0
I do hear that Preval is still Aristides best friend, constantly on the phone with him in South Africa. Also that Preval is a drunk. These things are speculation, and the most telling thing for me is that there is a lot less violence these days.
Why do you think we should fear Guy Phillipe?
By the way,nice to find a sensible opinion on this usually hysterical issue.
 

NALs

Economist by Profession
Jan 20, 2003
13,370
3,150
113
I do hear that Preval is still Aristides best friend, constantly on the phone with him in South Africa. Also that Preval is a drunk. These things are speculation, and the most telling thing for me is that there is a lot less violence these days.
Why do you think we should fear Guy Phillipe?
By the way,nice to find a sensible opinion on this usually hysterical issue.
Never judge a man by what his enemies say about him, for obvious reasons. Enemies range from those who are envious to those who are loyal to opposing political parties to people who simply hate the man for no apparent reason or people who believe the negative.

One thing is certain and that is that Haiti is doing much better now than it ever did under Aristide, thus whether he's a close friend or not is irrelevant since Preval is NOT following Aristide's footsteps; and if he is a drunk, I wonder what he is drinking since he has brought stability, economic growth, and returning much needed confidence that will certainly help Haiti, especially when it comes to attracting direct foreign investment. True drunks make for good authors :cheeky:, but not for national leaders.

People can say anything they want about Preval, whether its positive or negative its irrelevant. His actions and the results of his actions speaks volumes and to know whether or not he is a good president or a bad one, a person only needs to compare and contrast his current governing style and results with those of his predecessors. Actions always speak louder than mere words and there is no comparison between Preval and Aristide.

As for Guy Phillipe, he comes through, to me at least, as more interested in gaining power for the sake of power rather than wanting power to help Haiti. He uses politik when it can be to his advantage, he has the ability and has destabilized Haiti through politik and propaganda geared towards former military officers, and he exploits sensitive Dominico-Haitian ideas and feelings to create a state of antidominicanism among the Haitian populous that will only create further mistrust and erode any diplomatic attempts of multilateral cooperation between the two countries.

All those things he has done in the recent past.

What makes Phillipe an unsettling potential problem is that he is respected among Haiti's former military men to the degree that what he thinks and say can have drastic repercussions on Haitian society, its politics, and consequently its fragile economic situation. He also appeals to many Haitians due to his iron hand style and the popularity of his radio show gives him direct access to much of the masses.

As if that is not enough, many government officials in Santo Domingo also have a deep mistrust of Guy Phillipe, thus if he ever makes it to power, it could spell trouble for the currently stable relations that exist between the two countries.

Economic, political, and social destabilization is not desirable at any time, less so now and so far, that is what Guy Phillipe appears to stand for.

My opinion of him is based on his actions and the results of his actions in the past couple of years.

Haiti needs more Rene Preval types, not Guy Phillipe types.

-NALs
 

Chirimoya

Well-known member
Dec 9, 2002
17,850
982
113
This is just me speculating, but Preval probably has to be seen to keep on good terms with Artistide for political reasons. A lot of Haitians still regard Aristide as a hero, and in the interests of stability they have to be kept sweet.

Slightly off topic here, folks.
 

A.Hidalgo

Silver
Apr 28, 2006
3,268
98
0
Is this the same Guy Philipe, the guy who fled Haiti in 2002 after being accused of leading a coup against Aristide. He fled to the Dominican Republic and stayed there till 2004 when Aristide was finally forced into exile. I've read he was living quite comfortably in Santo Domingo while plotting against Aristide. No one there touched him..... I do agree not a good guy.


sorry a bit off topic
 
Last edited:

miguel

I didn't last long...
Jul 2, 2003
5,261
2
0
113
Te entendi perfectamente....

???? ?? ????????:
1000 - 10$
2000-3000 - 9$ ?? ??????
4000-6000 - 8$ ?? ??????
7000-9000 - 7$ ?? ??????
10000-13000 - 6$ ?? ??????
14000 - ? ????? - 5$ ?? ??????

???????? ???????????? ?? ???????, ??????????? ?? ????? ??????? ??? Invision Power Board, PHPBB, Vbulletin, Yabb, Ultimatebb, Exbb, Newbb ? ??????.
?????? ???????? ??? ?? ????????????? ???????, ??? ? ?? ??????????.

??? ???? ???????? ?????? ??????
???????????? ?????? ???????????
?????????? ???
????????? ??????? ? ????????? ????????

????????????? ???????? ?? ??????
?????? ???????????? ??????, ???????????? ????????? ??????????? ? ???????, ???????, ??? 1000 ????????? ? ??????? ???????? ??? ????? ?? 100 ?? 200 ?????? (? ??????????? ?? ????????)
????????? ????????????: 1000 ?????? ? ????????? ??????? ?? ??????? ????????? ????? ????? ????? (??????????? ? ??????????? ?? ???????? ? ???????????) ????????? ? ?????? ??????? ?? ????????????????? 4-6 ??? ?? ??????? ? ????
??????? ??????????: ?? ?????? ?????? ???? ?????????? ??????? ??????? 25-30 ??????? ?? ?????? ??????. ?? ?? ????? ????????????? ?????????? ??? ?????? 100-200 ??????? (? ??????????? ?? ???????????? ??????).

???????? ??????????, ??? ???????? ?? 1000 ??????? ??? 150 ??????????, ???????????????? ? ????????????? ?????? ??? ?????? ??????????? ?????? ???? ? ?????? ?????? ????? ????????. ????? ?????????? ??????????? ????????? ?? 50-100 ?????? ? ????.

?? ????????? ???????? ?? ???????? ????? ? ??????????? ?????? - ?????? ?????? ?? ???? ??????????.

????????|!|: icq: 286-843-628 mail: masspostingweb@gmail.com
1,000% correct.....Right on!!..I hear ya!....As clear as water...