A sort of public service announcement from moi.....
I'm very proud of Dominicans in the US who achieve their goals of getting an education and degree from an institution of higher education. Very proud but you know what, I'll compare this pursuit of education issue to something Chris Rock said on his 'Bring The Pain' comedy special about fathers that claim responsibility for their kids: "You're supposed to, you dumb mother-effer".
I was pushed on and on by both my parents since I was little with a small amount of resources from them to get an education because it will come in handy in the future. My father was a 10th grade drop-out in the DR because his dad got killed in the Civil War of 1965 as a Navy Lieutenant. My mom dropped out of college when she was pregnant with me and therefore it's part of my duty to do it for them. My future and welfare comes first but I owe it to them to get an education. Who knows what would've happened if they would've left me to my own devices as a young kid in Miami, then I would've just turned into a drug dealer in that Miami neighborhood that I grew up and lived in. Right now I'm in the US Air Force and also pursuing a degree and will put it to good use in the future. It'll be useful and besides, after going staying for a week in Washington Heights in my friend's house and witnessing things as I walked around Broadway, the situation makes me kinda sad but then I talk to my cousin who graduated from Syracuse and she grew up on 183rd and I feel proud of her. After that I talk to her big sis who is a CPA and smile at her achievement as a single mother and still she got her degree. That same week, I start school and it makes me reflect on what can be done to help my people out in the future with the tools I have available due to my education. Anyways, just thoughts that pop into my mind.
Besides that, there's other things that do bother me like what one poster previously said about Dominican women receiving their education and becoming succesful in their respective career field, yet they lose support from their Dominican husbands. And then it's kind of a crazy issue in itself because Dominican-American men (myself included) feel that Dominican women in our neighborhoods only want to be with us because of our money and therefore feel like they want our money and then we leave them and go to women of other nationalities and we don't feel like our resources are threatened. However I must state that my girlfriend is Dominican, born and raised in the DR, will be a doctor in the future and is sorta involved in DR society issues. Damn it, Dominican women are beautiful. Specially my girl....but back to the point, Dominicans educated in the US are now learning the value of the "American dream" with the house with a picket fence, the family and savings and investments. It makes me proud. Anyways, that's sort of how I started off, and I'll end it the same way, being proud of my people's achievements. I could talk more coherently if I actually spoke to someone instead of typing it.