Well, I've been lurking in DR1 for about 3 years and have enjoyed and learned from everyone a
great deal on this blog. About 5 years ago I asked myself a similar question while living in NY, i.e., "Why do I live here
(in NY)" and "why do I feel something important is missing?". I mean, I knew I hated the weather in NY, but also felt
there was something more missing.
Please bear with me a bit cause I have some background to give.
My parents emigrated from DR in the 1960's when I was 1 year old. They decided to give NY a try. I was the only one
of my siblings that was born in DR. I grew up in NY and attended school there. I the late 70's my parents decided to return
to Dominican Republic (further along the line in life, my mother told me she felt that same feeling I started feeling about
5-6 years ago). My parents purchased a home in Mirador del Sur and I attended Colegio Quisqueya. The business established by my parents didn't pan out and we had to return to NY. My parents were victims of the frame of mind that so many here warn others of, that is, "Oh, how hard can it be?" Anyway, we returned to NY and I attended undergraduate and graduate school there. In late 1980's landed a job in Wall Street and found myself challenged and happy. I earned a decent salary and alongside a thrifty lifestyle, managed to scrape up enough to attain the essentials and some luxuries. Well, married, had kids, bought a home and life was great. However, as the years progressed, something started changing. It was a gradual change, almost imperceptible. I started to notice that during most months (fall to spring) I would barely see the sun since I went to work early and left late everyday. Especially in winter, those that live in the Northeast know that by 5:00 pm it's already dark. The long hours I was working began to take it's toll and the weekends seemed to get shorter and shorter by the month. I started to notice that most weekends it would rain or that the weather was nasty.
So, I started to take more vacations and the feelings were alleviated somewhat, but not for long.
I continued to feel a sense of missing out on something, but I couldn't put my finger on exactly what it was. Slowly, but surely, material possessions started to weigh on me. I don't mean the necessities, but the luxuries, albeit limited as they were. The mortgage was starting to feel like a cross, and the seemingly incessant striving for something I could not see, touch, or hear started to make me feel as if there has to be something more than just working to buy more things that I didn't need. I started to notice that the outings with friends became more a "Oh, I bought a BMW, and therefore, I must be better" and then the confusion I started to experience when confronted with this view. If I got rid of my Toyota and bought a BMW, would it really make me happy? I wasn't sure. I mean, I had bought a nice car when I was younger, but it really didn't make me feel happier, the novelty wore off pretty quickly. Then, I caught the break of my life; I was downsized from the job I had worked sooo hard for!!
I decided to spend that same summer visiting family and friends in the DR. I arrived to DR in summer 1998. Everything slowed down. Everyone charged me more for everything even though I know spanish perfectly. Most could tell that, even though I am Dominican, I was not from there. I started to ask the price of everything (even a soda) and this greatly
diminished the price gouging. Then I started to deal with the lack of hot water, the frequent electric shortages, the mosquitoes, and for the first time since I was a kid, I started to feel alive!! Yes, everything was an adventure, even the simplest tasks, but it also gave me a sense of lucidity. Everything seemed simpler and people (once they moved past not
trying to get something from you) became an asset. I could laugh with someone without thinking. I started to realize
that what I was missing was simplicity. The cold baths became a welcomed challenge and eventually became a way of dealing with the extreme heat. I started to look forward to my cold showers!! The electric shortages became an excuse to sit in the yard with family and friends and drink Presidente's and listen to an old radio while laughing at the most insignificant issues of the day. The road trips to rivers, beaches, and towns became the happiest moments, not even rivaled by going to upscale/expensive places around the world. Stopping to buy a Mavi, pastelitos, quipes ( my favorite), was more exciting than sitting in Manhattan in a restaurant ordering anything I wanted.
I returned after three months a changed man and started my relocation plans 5 years ago and will be retiring there in 4 years when I'll be near 50. I now live in Miami, but go frequently and I still hate mosquitoes.