Variations on the theme
Bartolomeo67 said:
Hi Anonymous,
Very interesting and very true what you wrote.
However in my opinion this applies only to the traditional conservative dominican girls from the campo or poor barrios who's sole ambition in life is to be a loving mother and good housewife. Off course there are still many like that but not this guy's girlfriend.
I have met several young women from the 'city' (SD, STI, POP), middle- and lower class, but with ambitions to make something of their lives, who refuse to marry any dominican man. Simply because they know they are going to be cheated upon, if not mistreated, and know also that their macho man will not accept that she continues to study and be more intelligent and have a better job than he does. They have seen it happen too many times to their relatives and friends. These are reasons enough for them not to marry a dominican. None of them want to leave their country though, they love it, but prefer a 'respectable' foreigner.
Bartolomeo
That opens a very interesting chapter of the book.
What I described happens in the countryside and in remote/rural areas. But how does all that apply to Santo Domingo, and a few other cities? In a few words, those girls do Icarus' flights.
I'll take the capital, Santo Domingo, as an example. The city has developed to a size that is completely beyond the ability of its mayor(s) to handle. Bella Vista and a few other ensanches can be compared to clean low-class neighborhoods in the first world, but the rest of Santo Domingo is totally garbage-strewn, unsafe, since the police is 100% unable to guarantee any safety anywhere in town (including those ensanches) and polluted beyond imagination - acoustically, environmentally, everything.
Crossing a street anywhere is putting your life in your own hands, queues anywhere are routinely bypassed, gun-carrying is widespread, service is horrible in any given store, and government offices are the kingdom of "buscones".
Nonetheless, a small low-middle class developed, I think after Trujillo died, but I am not sure. Those girls are administrative assistants, casino attendants, cashiers, and so on. They make about 6000-7000 pesos a month, and they go to university. They definitely cannot afford a visa to any country, so their future is bolted to the country.
They usually live in barrios like Los Mina or Los Alcarrizos, and perhaps their parents own their own house, so the girls' entire income is available to pay for university and some clothes.
After university, they keep pretty much the same kind of job, maybe making a few thousand peso more. Usually it is only women who manage to keep those jobs, since the daily humiliation is immense and career perspectives are nil. Men usually walk other paths (taxi driver, tiny store owner etc).
So what we have here is a person that lives in virtual limbo. She is a virtual micro-bourgeoise, forever frozen in her position by the enormous fluctuations in Dominican economy.
What's important here is that their lives are really frozen. There are two factors here. Number one, Dominican politics is enormously corrupt, and more so after the country has become a narcorepublic (check on google). Number two, DR is made of oligopolies, new companies are rapidly choked to death through government lobbying, dumping, and all sort of abuse. They cannot hope for a better job in the private sector, and decent jobs in the government last 4 years. A teacher lasts longer, making 2500 pesos/month.
This means that I, as a micro-bourgeoise, will never seee an increase in the number of peers of mine, people in my same social-economic condition, since the amount of available bourgeoise jobs is fixed.
They are not poor neither rich, and they have nobody to talk to. They disdain the poor, and are disdained by the rich. Usually, if they marry a Dominican, they rapidly get divorced, because of their unwillingness to integrate another class (the poor).
Enter the foreigner. He will find a girl who lives an extremely hard life, with no friends or family able to bail her from a sentimental fall. That puts a big strain on the relationship right away, since the girl will proceed extremely cautiosly or extreemly hastily. Walking with a white man in any part of the country is tantamount to carry an "I am a prostitute" sign throughout the country. Her few, precious friends will warn her immediately of possible danger ahead.
Also, you won't be able to tell if she actually likes you. Remember, in 2004 the peso lost 66% of its value, and salaries did not go up. You might be the difference between going to university and not going to university, eating correctly or eating fried bananas.
She will push for a hasted marriage, either for economic reasons, or to avoid being left to total destitution should things go sour, or delay things forever. The rate of success, in my experience, is close to zero.
So, my friends, these are the rules of the game. Place your bets...
