tried to edit my former post, but took to long in writing it.
the whole thank you think made me think about my parents.
my father is from africa, while my mother is european. and they allways used to quarrel about me having to thank a relative when i recieved a gift. my father, who is a very generous guy, and allways stressed the importance of sharing, was downright disgustet by what he called "the european need to be thanked for everything". to him, expecting a thank you after making a gift was extremely shallow. in his opinion, you made gifts and shared because you wanted to, and because you felt an obligation to share what you have (especially with those who have less). it was understood that the other person was gratefull, but a person having to thank you for your kindness was belitteling.
now i'm not saying it is the same thing here, only pointing out cultural differences.
and if you think about it, depending on other peoples generosity (i.e. tips) is degrading, especially in a place where what is a fortune to the reciever of the tip, is next to nothing to the one tipping. so maybe that's where the reluctance to say thank you comes from.
in general, i find dominicans to be much more friendly than people back home. they also seem to be extremely formal in certain aspects. yet there are things that really made me mad at first. the dame is one thing, and another is the aggravating aloofness and slowness of people working in stores and the like. even in the more upscale shops, cashiers and staff at times act is if you are bothering them, when you are simply trying to pay or order something. but that's how things are working over here, so how can i expect people to fit my standards. depending on where they go, dominicans travelling will probably not be adressed as don, or get a cualquier cosa, buen provecho or siempre a su orden either.