Greetings!
Frank,
I wish I saw your post a few months ago. I am currently back in Canada, selling my stuff and getting paperwork in order for my residence permit, etc. that my lawyer asked for.
I live in Sosua, and I live and work as Shawna Mann. My passport says Shawna Theresa Mann. Everyone calls me Shawna, everyone from lawyers, doctors, teachers, my realtor, my banker, you name it. I have no problems. As far as gay life goes. It doesn't exist for me. I know of one gay person, but I have never met them. He has a b&b somewhere down the road. I was supposed to meet him for lunch at a restaurant near checkpoint, but I became occupied with business at work and didn't meet. This person was expat. As far as gays go, I heard there are tons of Dominican gays in the capital. I did see a man with an effeminate manner who was Dominican with a fancy hairdo that was rather stylish in a gay sense, but I didn't say hi. I think he was Luthie(arabic word).
Now, being gay, acting gay, all tolerated, to an extent among Dominicans. Half if you actually talked to them about it would say it is between you and God, and leave it at that. Of the other half, half are completely accepting of it, and will defend you to the death. The other half would say it is a deadly sin, and refer you to an American Evangelico to be educated on the subject. Not as accepting as Canada in some way, but in some ways better. I have never been harassed, either in Sosua which is a tourist town or in Jamao del Norte or out there.
Sorry about the long message. I am currently in Toronto. It is my first time here, and the climate is okay for the summer. Interesting place. Like a gay Mecca, literally. I am returning home in 2 months(Sosua). I miss the Dominicans so much. Canadians are so stand-offish. It is so quiet here for the most part. My vecinos and my compadres are writing to me lots too, asking when I am going home. I was hoping to develop business contacts for my business(I do computer tech support, programming, web page design, networking, hardware design) One of my projects: an ereader for Dominicans based on a Chinese generic Android MID tablet. Oh well, not the same line of work as the bar business.
Oh, speaking of bars, here's the point of my message. Sorry, I don't necessarily speak to the point, if you haven't noticed. I would like to visit your bar. Is it still in Cabarete? I am not looking for an encounter. I value friendship and conversation most of all. My first languages are French and English(spoke most of them growing up), but Spanish is starting to mix with French sometimes...oops. I would like to visit your bar and talk sometime. You sound like a good person. The world needs more goodness.
p.s. I am going to maximize my luggage space, which means if I pay a few extra bucks on Westjet, I get 3 50lb pieces of luggage. NO, I am not going to pack it full of reese's peanut butter cups, but what can I bring for you? I am shawnatmann. If you type it into your address bar, no www and no .com or anything, you should get everything I have written about listed. I have been on the web since before that program, uh mosaic, when it was a text based browser using dialup, so be prepared for alot of information. In some cases you have to go to Google and type shawnatmann there instead. oh well. see you in 2 months I hope.
Hey KJS,
my name is Frank. i used to work at the "Garage"(40 east Long Street, in Columbus, Ohio for several years and "London Pub" (RosenKrantz Gate.) in Oslo, Norway for several years as well. Stop into Jose O'shay's in Cabarete and ask for me when you get here. i don't care if you like donkey's (I've seen a few good looking ones lately), my girlfriend and i will hang out with you and have a beer or coffee.
My best friend in Columbus, Ohio (where i went to college--OSU) was an All-American and played NCAA Division I football on a full ride/scholarship. he's 6'4, 260. he thought he was gay when he was 7, strongly supected it when he 11, was absolutely convinced of it when he was 14, but waited until after graduating college before coming out of the closet. I'm always highly amused when he and I are sitting around watching football together in a bar and people around us start making gay jokes and comments. He's such a good sport and starts laughing along with strangers and says, "Yeah, those faggots don't know nothing about football!!"
In Columbus, Ohio, i used to have professional baseball and basketball players come into the bar (we were the biggest gay nightclub in Columbus, Ohio other than the Eagle) and sit at the bar with sunglasses and hats on and try to blend in. i got to know a couple of them quite well and a few of them had families (this was during the 80's). if you had asked any of them when they strongly suspected that they were gay, you would have found out that most of them knew it, or suspected it, when they were 5, 6, 7, years old.by the time they were 13 and 14 years old, however, they very strongly suspected it. and by the time they were 17,18, and beyond, they knew it.
All i care about is that your nice, smart, and can hold an intelligent, rational converstion without resorting to pontificating about religion, bestiaity, (unless it involves donkeys) or conspiracy theories.
PS. just do me one huge favor before you leave the USA...bring to me anything that involves the combination of chocolate & penaut butter and i will buy you beers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Love, Frank
Frank