Everyone here makes excellent points, and as far as I can tell, no one is completely wrong in their assessment of the situation, but no one is completely correct either. However, I will point out what I’ve noticed while standing behind a bar here in Cabarete for four years:
1.)When you come into the bar with a known prostitute or prostitutes, your ability to pick up a good girl from a good family has now been shot down to zero. We have a couple of really nice, educated, incredibly beautiful, slightly religious (one of them), English speaking(one is fluent) bartenders here where I work. If they’ve seen you hanging out or dating a prostitute, you can pretty much kiss your chances with them goodbye.
2.) I agree with Criss Colon, you should giveeveryone the benefit of doubt and shouldn’t judge anyone. However, how exactlydo you go about making assessments about someone if not by their actions. We gotgirls coming in with expats and tourists who can barely read or write. They takeone look at our menu and order the most expensive drink or meal they can findand then want to return it because it doesn’t taste like what they were expecting.
3.)We got girls dating expats here for a long time;however, when the expat has to return back home for a few weeks or months, thegirls immediately take to hustling again while the expat continues sending hermoney. Then when the expat returns, we can say nothing to them because A.) it’snone of our business, B.) it never pays to get involved, C.) it’s not as ifthey don’t know what’s going on. It’s happening all around them while otherexpats take off. And it’s not as if they haven’t heard plenty of stories fromother expats.
4.)In trying to better the lives of working girls(prostitutes), one would think that one is significantly helping a working girlwhen, for example, one is giving them an allowance, buying them nice things,wining and dining them, giving them expensive phones, scooters, cars, etc. andyet, as confusing as this will be for some people to understand here, nothingfurther could be from the truth. Once you’ve spoiled them and gotten them usedto the nice, expensive things (material things) they start running down to theCompre/Vente in order to sell their stuff, and sometimes your stuff, in orderto maintain their lifestyle that you have now gotten them used to. I sit backand watch this every day; it would be comical if it wasn’t so tragic. Many ofthe girls have been in these situations before so, when a new boyfriend comesalong, they re-acclimate to the situation all over again; they want expensivephones, scooters, nails, hair, etc. And apparently, it’s not enough that theyare finally living with you in a $100,000 condo and eating and drinking forfree. It’s not enough that you are trying to educated them at your expense; it’snot enough that you are paying all of the bills (comforts they were never usedto)—electricity, hot water, cable, A/C, computers, laptops, large tv’s, etc.No, no, these things are not enough because, let’s face it, as humans, we’re agullible race; we want to believe that our relationship is different, we’redifferent, and they we are going to change a prostitute just like Richard Gerechanged Julia Robert’s in the movie Pretty Woman. Yeah, we’re all Ricahard Gere,and the Dominican prostitutes are Julia Robert’s. Now don’t get me wrong, I’mas gullible as the next person, I think there’s hope, I want there to be hope. Inever want to lose the concept of hope. But let’s be honest here for a minute,how are you going to change a person that continues to hang around andassociate with the same working girl (prostitutes) friends? And how are yougoing to change a girl who, prior to you arriving here on the island (Insert: Expathere_____) they were sitting around all day watching cartoons and Soap Operas, scheminginside their little heads how they were going to strike it rich just like soand so (Insert name here:_____) did down the street? And what are some of theseschemes they practice on you? My mom is sick, I need money; my uncle just diedagain; I need money, our family scooter died; I need money, the donkey died; I needmoney, I need hair extensions; I need money, the dog got up and left; I needmoney, the roof is leaking; I need money, my nails need done; I need money, I needmore hair; I need more clothes; I just need F%&$## money. Chop, chop, my girlfriendsare waiting!
I could continue on but, I highlydoubt I could add anything here that hasn’t already been said before, and inthe end, everyone has to touch the hot stove and get burned in order tounderstand. However, some have to touch it two and three times, while othershave no feeling on the tips of their finger tips and penises and continue touchingthe stove and getting 1<sup>st</sup>, 2<sup>nd</sup>, and 3<sup>rd</sup> degreeburns and still never learn. Instead, the only thing they get is burnt fingertips and an enlarged penis with layers and layers of scar tissue built up overthe years.
There is one consolation to all ofthis, however, and it’s this: at the expensive of losing one’s feelings andsense-of-touch to one’s extremities, all of this burning and scarring tissue causesthe penis to enlarge to such an extent that it becomes no longer viable to needa penis implantation or enlargement.
Isn’t life great!
Frank
