Futher Thoughts On Costambar
One thing that I've not seen mentioned in comments about Costambar: it is a community. There are multiple 'quiz nights' held each week. Last season we had the opportunity to watch first run movies ('Milk' and 'Slum Dog Millionaire' are two that come to mind) on a giant projection screen at a private home. This was done as fund raisers for the community, and open to all. We count among our friends people from the DR, US, Canada, Cuba, Germany, Switzerland, England, etc., etc. We have been welcomed into the homes of 'Costambarians' in the US, Canada and England, and I know of many neighbors here who have done the same.
You can be a 'social butterfly' or a 'hermit' here. There are opportunities for charitable work, as well.
The people who live in Costambar are, in the main, tough, opinionated but most importantly, realistic about life in the DR. We argue amongst ourselves over the best ways to make Costambar better. Most telling, I think is that I've never heard anyone be 'defensive' about life here. We know what we've got, we would rather be here than anywhere else, and when it comes to problems, like the road to the gate, we 'deal with it'. As my wife said 22 years ago, when asked to describe Costambar, "it ain't Bermuda". (Thank God)