Re: Don't be so naive
Joachim,
I have difficulty with this broad-brush paragraph:
>>As Canadians we probably have a much more open mind towards Dominicans than Americans. In Toronto where I live, I have East
Indian, Ecuadorian, Chinese Greek, German, Italian neighbours. Therefore, I have been exposed to different cultures all my life. <<
First off, I'm not so sure, after 17 yrs of close relations with Dominicans and 15 yrs of a relationship with the DR itself (including 4 yrs living in Santo Domingo year-round), I can honestly say that the numerous Canadians I have met in the DR as a group had a "more open mind towards Dominicans" as a group than the Americans I met there. Perhaps a more open mind about marriage with a Dominican -- based solely on what I've seen with my own eyes and read on this board (with no stats to back it up) I suspect that may be true -- but not toward the Dominican citizenry as a whole. In fact, I've met some Canadians who were far more critical towards (at times anti-) Dominicans than some of the Americans I met. It's probably more a matter of personalities than nationality.
Second, just because there are different cultures represented in one's home town does not automatically make one open-minded to accepting other cultures and cultural diversity. I too came from a place that had people from all over -- Italy, Cuba, Hungary, Syria, Philippines, India, Brazil, Mexico, Canada, Lebanon, Germany, Poland, just to name a few home countries of my parents' friends and colleagues and some of my schoolmates. Did that make my town of 80,000 more open-minded to different cultures? Not really. In the 1960-1970s maybe it did for a few such as myself, but much of that West Virginia town was uneasy about the diversity. [I in fact eventually left for education elsewhere, in part to get away from the the town's provincial mindset.] Nowadays, 30 yrs later, the town's folks see the diversity as a strength. But that was a long time coming...
Still, I think I understand what you mean to say. I too hope that by attending K through 2nd in Santo Domingo, by having Dominican godparents, by forging close bonds with their Dominican family, by developing Dominican friendships and by living in a DC suburb with truly international cross-section (just within 2 blocks of my house, French-Canadian, Afghani, Sudanese, Iranian, Japanese, Ethiopian, Peruvian), and by studying multiple languages, my twins will grow up culturally open-minded.
But I realize that such an outcome is not a foregone conclusion -- it really depends more on how I & my wife raise them and teach them, and less on what country or city we come from.
I would second what you say about culture/communications always being a challenge. I too speak fluent Spanish, plus have had Latin friends since childhood, studied Latin American lit and history in college, work everyday on Latin American topics and have 17 yrs experience dealing with Dominicans, esp. my wife. Yet on almost a daily basis, 15 yrs into the marriage, we still run into communications mis-connects. We get through it by (1) always acknowledging that culture-based miscommunication can still happen, even after so long together; (2) lots of goodwill; (3) lots of patience.
Best Regards,
Keith
