To Santiago? ?Ten cuidado, mi hijo!

jet

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Jan 12, 2009
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A few weeks ago, I boarded a jetBlue flight scheduled to land in the Cibao International Airport in Santiago, Dominican Republic at around 4:00 in the afternoon. It wasn?t long before an excited Dominican gentleman shouted, ?Preparen las manos... ?S?benlas!? when right at that instant, the aircraft wheels hit the runway, and a massive round of applause invaded the cabin and almost hushed the gentleman?s loud expression, ?Prep?rate chivo, que voy pa?ll?!?

Right after the hand clapping was over, there was silence, and it was only then that my guts began to revolt and my thoughts became mush with the sound of my parent?s constant beating of the clause, ??Ten cuidado, mi hijo!?

A phrase roughly translated into English as, ?Take care, my son!?

And that saying represents only the tip of the iceberg, due to the underlying and deep horror stories contained within that construction, of people that somehow were either related to us or known to our family as friends, which have either been mugged, assaulted in some way, or even murdered in a cold-blooded fashion by either criminals or even the Dominican police themselves!

Roughly about an hour had passed since the landing when I found myself renting an SUV and exchanging some dollars into pesos when I suddenly realized that my turning of the guts and mushed thoughts syndromes were not going to leave me alone for the rest of the trip! I mean I was trembling with fear everywhere I stopped, pacing back and forth, with pupils wide open, and a tremendous ?flee or fight? adrenalin rush that could not possibly be described on paper or to a psychiatrist in any manner. It was that bad!

There seems to be a Dominican psychological terror attack amongst ourselves that is represented in every possible manner and way of living that we have, and it is invading the way that we construct our homes (With the fortified concrete walls, steel bars, and heavy locks), the ?Wild West? cantina scenes from old cowboy movies (Everyone carries a gun!), to the roughness of the terrain and the need of heavy, all-terrain vehicles that invades the city of Santiago.

What is going on here? Is it really that bad over there?

I hope that this experience does not only belong to me, and that there are others who feel the same way about this ?Cuco de la noche? that is taking away our paradisal and peaceful island livelihood!
 

jet

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Jan 12, 2009
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Are we talking about the same Santiago???

I hope that we are!!! I was just there a few weeks ago, and perhaps I'm not making this clear, but everyone I talked to was destined to bring fear within me. "Watch out! Don't go over to that barrio... cuidate... don't trust anyone... lock your doors and gates... don't leave your car parked there," etc., etc.

I feel that there's a massive psychological fear attack that's been generated nationwide... not only in Santiago, but it could apply to many of the places I've visited while in the DR.
 

tomito

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Jul 13, 2007
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A few weeks ago, I boarded a jetBlue flight scheduled to land in the Cibao International Airport in Santiago, Dominican Republic at around 4:00 in the afternoon. It wasn?t long before an excited Dominican gentleman shouted, ?Preparen las manos... ?S?benlas!? when right at that instant, the aircraft wheels hit the runway, and a massive round of applause invaded the cabin and almost hushed the gentleman?s loud expression, ?Prep?rate chivo, que voy pa?ll?!?

Right after the hand clapping was over, there was silence, and it was only then that my guts began to revolt and my thoughts became mush with the sound of my parent?s constant beating of the clause, ??Ten cuidado, mi hijo!?

A phrase roughly translated into English as, ?Take care, my son!?

And that saying represents only the tip of the iceberg, due to the underlying and deep horror stories contained within that construction, of people that somehow were either related to us or known to our family as friends, which have either been mugged, assaulted in some way, or even murdered in a cold-blooded fashion by either criminals or even the Dominican police themselves!

Roughly about an hour had passed since the landing when I found myself renting an SUV and exchanging some dollars into pesos when I suddenly realized that my turning of the guts and mushed thoughts syndromes were not going to leave me alone for the rest of the trip! I mean I was trembling with fear everywhere I stopped, pacing back and forth, with pupils wide open, and a tremendous ?flee or fight? adrenalin rush that could not possibly be described on paper or to a psychiatrist in any manner. It was that bad!

There seems to be a Dominican psychological terror attack amongst ourselves that is represented in every possible manner and way of living that we have, and it is invading the way that we construct our homes (With the fortified concrete walls, steel bars, and heavy locks), the ?Wild West? cantina scenes from old cowboy movies (Everyone carries a gun!), to the roughness of the terrain and the need of heavy, all-terrain vehicles that invades the city of Santiago.

What is going on here? Is it really that bad over there?

I hope that this experience does not only belong to me, and that there are others who feel the same way about this ?Cuco de la noche? that is taking away our paradisal and peaceful island livelihood!

I guess you really need to see a psychologist so that you can get help overcoming your fears "cuco de la noche". I go to Santiago all the time, heck even in the capital most people don't feel that way, yes crime rate has increased as population increases but trust me you are safer in Santiago than most cities in the US, unless you live in Montana or the Dakotas, etc...

Concrete walls (that's the way we build, hurricanes remember?), steel bars and heavy locks are nothing new. Unless you hang around with the wrong people (you know what I mean) you should be ok. Remember that parents are always trying to protect their own which is fine but don't let that get in the way of having fun, of course some common sense goes a long way, don't wear any bling bling, don't flash your money around, and things of that nature.

My recomendation to you is to get a cold presidente (vestida de novia) and enyoy your trip.
 

Hillbilly

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Jan 1, 2002
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A little overboard, I think.

It ain't like it used to be, but then again, neither is New York...What I used to do as a kid in NYC, I could not dream of doing now...

I never saw a homeless person until I went back inthe 80s to NYC....

So, yes, things are different, but you can't live in fear or walk around looking like a victim....oooh the cuco is coming!!! Balls!! Man up!!

HB
 

mimi49

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Jan 7, 2009
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I agree, but I have heard those stories.... countless times.. about how times have changed, so and so has been shot, so and so saw me at the store and someone was there with a knife, and on and on. I know I'm not the only one who hears these outrageous exagerations and the locks are a little out of control!
 

Chip

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Jul 25, 2007
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I've been here 4 years with my family and Santiago is no different from any other big citeis I've live in like Charleston, Atlanta, Norfolf or Orlando. Some areas you just don't want to be in after 12 midnight.

From you somewhat strained dissertation I'd think you were talking about Ciudad Juarez, Rio de Janeiro or Bagdad for goodness sakes.
 

SantiagoDR

The "REAL" SantiagoDR
Jan 12, 2006
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This year when we went to the States in October for a few weeks was the first time in 12 years that my Dominican wife was very worried about our home in the D.R. even tho her sister and mother lives in the house.

Since Mid-April of this year, 4 neighbors have been robbed.
The last robbery on November 13th in broad daylight directly across the street from our home.

My security cameraa caught the images of the robbers as they walked past his home, look at the empty garage(mecazina?), made a u-turn and jumped over the low concrete wall fence.

Of the 4 robberies, 2 of the homes were entered at night while the neighbors slept.

YES, things have gotten much worse here.

No matter how many times everyone says, "Robberies occur in the States also", it is nowhere as bad as here in the D.R.!

Most homes and stores in our area of the States do not have barred windows and doors. In the D.R. they all would probably have been robbed by now without the bars on the windows and doors.

So rationalize it all you want for your own peace of mine.
But you are only fooling yourself in trying to convince others that it is not much worse here in the D.R. safety-wise.

I lived in St.Louis (Downtown) for a year and felt safer there then here in the D.R.

Live and enjoy your life here in the D.R., just be alert (ALWAYS).
Passing off the high crime with the usual statements of "..... crime happens everywhere" is not facing reality.

Quoting Hillbilly:
So, yes, things are different, but you can't live in fear or walk around looking like a victim....oooh the cuco is coming!!! Balls!! Man up!!
Good statement HB.

CHIP: The key words in your statement are:
I've been here 4 years with my family and Santiago is no different from any other big citeis I've live in like Charleston, Atlanta, Norfolf or Orlando. Some areas you just don't want to be in after 12 midnight............
In the D.R., it's ALL areas............
Now I know "somebody" will tell us how that is not rue of "their" area!!!!!!!


Don
 
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jet

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Jan 12, 2009
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Chip, thanks for that statement...

I don't know if this is true with other Dominican families, but mine, here in NY and in Santiago operate in the same manner:

Fear, fear, and fear.

"Ah, que a fulanito le pas? esto, y aquello." Also, "Que mataron a fulanito."

And then they proceed to give you a speech on how you should go about doing everything when you are over there, so as to keep safe.

And it's not only my family, but many people I've talked to were the same way.

This, again, what I like to call.... a psychological terror/fear attack implanted into one another, which has spread like wild fire between the locals and that it has really gotten to me...

All that I'm doing is putting it out there to compare realities... and create conversations.

If you are Dominican: Does your family, friends and people that you know behave in this way?

Everyone else: What kind of experiences have you had living in Santiago and other places in the DR? Have you mingled with the locals? What are they saying about safety and well-being?
 

ElvisNYC

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Jan 27, 2006
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Chip, thanks for that statement...

I don't know if this is true with other Dominican families, but mine, here in NY and in Santiago operate in the same manner:

Fear, fear, and fear.

"Ah, que a fulanito le pas? esto, y aquello." Also, "Que mataron a fulanito."

And then they proceed to give you a speech on how you should go about doing everything when you are over there, so as to keep safe.

And it's not only my family, but many people I've talked to were the same way.

This, again, what I like to call.... a psychological terror/fear attack implanted into one another, which has spread like wild fire between the locals and that it has really gotten to me...

All that I'm doing is putting it out there to compare realities... and create conversations.

If you are Dominican: Does your family, friends and people that you know behave in this way?

Everyone else: What kind of experiences have you had living in Santiago and other places in the DR? Have you mingled with the locals? What are they saying about safety and well-being?

I can't understand why you feel that when family members mention that the DR is dangerous and alarm you of the increase of crime, that it's not to be take serious. This is not some psychological fear babble you talk about !

Well, if everyone is telling you that it's dangerous in DR, because it really is.

I'm from Guayaquil, Ecuador - if you have any idea from the news of this city or even the country, I can tell you it's 5x worse than Santo Domingo. There are daily muggings, car jackings, kidnappings, hired assassins killing people, daily bank/restaurant/cybercafe/club robberies - you name it !! Even the President declared a state of emergency for 3 months on the 3 biggest cities and placed the military to combat this problem.

Some people, like your family, read/see what's going on in our home countries.
I even advise people that might not be aware of what's happening in Ecuador - eg I read about how it's not safe to take even radio taxi's because there are people who steal taxis and then kidnap you to take you on an ATM withdrawal spree.

Though I don't live in DR, I can see that there's an increase in every major crime activity, and worse drug activity, compared to 4-5 years ago.

I've been going to Santiago for about 5 years. I love it ! I really try not to hang around the barrios and expose myself like that. If I do, I normally don't carry any jewelry or wallet. I even went to a club in a barrio and guess what happened.. Someone shot another man a few feet away from me and I saw how everyone start running away from the club and the chaos that happened. I learnt my lesson, I normally don't ever hang out in barrios in Ecuador, I don't know why I did it that time in Santiago - never again !

The reality of it is - check the statistics from the DR police and compare numbers. Read the Listin newspaper for about 30 days ! That's the reality..
 
A few weeks ago, I boarded a jetBlue flight scheduled to land in the Cibao International Airport in Santiago, Dominican Republic at around 4:00 in the afternoon. It wasn?t long before an excited Dominican gentleman shouted, ?Preparen las manos... ?S?benlas!? when right at that instant, the aircraft wheels hit the runway, and a massive round of applause invaded the cabin and almost hushed the gentleman?s loud expression, ?Prep?rate chivo, que voy pa?ll?!?

Right after the hand clapping was over, there was silence, and it was only then that my guts began to revolt and my thoughts became mush with the sound of my parent?s constant beating of the clause, ??Ten cuidado, mi hijo!?

A phrase roughly translated into English as, ?Take care, my son!?

And that saying represents only the tip of the iceberg, due to the underlying and deep horror stories contained within that construction, of people that somehow were either related to us or known to our family as friends, which have either been mugged, assaulted in some way, or even murdered in a cold-blooded fashion by either criminals or even the Dominican police themselves!

Roughly about an hour had passed since the landing when I found myself renting an SUV and exchanging some dollars into pesos when I suddenly realized that my turning of the guts and mushed thoughts syndromes were not going to leave me alone for the rest of the trip! I mean I was trembling with fear everywhere I stopped, pacing back and forth, with pupils wide open, and a tremendous ?flee or fight? adrenalin rush that could not possibly be described on paper or to a psychiatrist in any manner. It was that bad!

There seems to be a Dominican psychological terror attack amongst ourselves that is represented in every possible manner and way of living that we have, and it is invading the way that we construct our homes (With the fortified concrete walls, steel bars, and heavy locks), the ?Wild West? cantina scenes from old cowboy movies (Everyone carries a gun!), to the roughness of the terrain and the need of heavy, all-terrain vehicles that invades the city of Santiago.

What is going on here? Is it really that bad over there?

I hope that this experience does not only belong to me, and that there are others who feel the same way about this ?Cuco de la noche? that is taking away our paradisal and peaceful island livelihood!

Jet I really think you need to just chill out and enjoy yourself!!! Do you walk around NYC???? If you do then you will be ok,just dont go to places that are obviously not safe locations and dont be wandering around with flashy jewlery and cash in hand, just like you wouldnt do in the Bronx or Brooklyn.
 

bob saunders

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I've noticed the difference in Jarabacoa in the 11 years I've been going there. Certainly it's not an armed camp but crime has increased and I belive it's mainly increased due to drugs. I'm not afraid in most area's but I'm careful where I go at night.
 
May 12, 2005
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I have been visiting Santiago regularly since 2005 and not once have I ever felt what the OP is talking about. And not only that I have been driving all over the country in that time too. I have yet to encounter any troubles at all. Maybe if i decided to go visit a barrio like Cienfuegos or Capotillo in SD then maybe I would be a little on edge, but then why would I even need to go there.
 

FireGuy

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To the OP,

If a more than one poster is posting from the same computer it is advisable to make reference to this as it may otherwise appear that one or more Sock Puppets are in play.

Gregg
Mod.
 
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Lucille

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Jan 14, 2007
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Jet if you come back to Santiago, just bring A BIG BLACK DOG with you....para que te cuide.
 

jet

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Hey, thanks for opening the thread, Gregg. If you ever need more explanations, you know where to reach us! :)

Lucille, :) Yeah... Jejeje...

I guess that my post should have been written in a different manner. Perhaps being more objective rather than subjective and with more questions to consider.

Nothing ever happened either to me or the people that I was with.

But my real concern here is this state of mind that really affected me due to everyone's contribution (i.e., my family's, friend's, other people I know).

I need to compare realities and make the "Cuco" go away :)

After all, I'd like to go back soon...
 

Lucille

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Jan 14, 2007
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Hey, thanks for opening the thread, Gregg. If you ever need more explanations, you know where to reach us! :)

Lucille, :) Yeah... Jejeje...

I guess that my post should have been written in a different manner. Perhaps being more objective rather than subjective and with more questions to consider.

Nothing ever happened either to me or the people that I was with.

But my real concern here is this state of mind that really affected me due to everyone's contribution (i.e., my family's, friend's, other people I know).

I need to compare realities and make the "Cuco" go away :)

After all, I'd like to go back soon...

jet, I understand...me was kidding....lol;)
 

donP

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Dec 14, 2008
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Happens Everywhere

Passing off the high crime with the usual statements of "..... crime happens everywhere" is not facing reality.
People who live here know the truth and will usually tell you about it.

This does not apply to RE agents, hotel and bar owners, sankies, home owners with a "Se Vende" sign on their property, etc.

Also, I have noticed that the further people are away from the DR, the safer they think it is. :tired:

donP