I call BS. In about 47 years in DR (yikes!), we’ve eaten in hundreds, probably thousands, of places. Not once was I given the bill. Nunca.
- Thread starter arete92
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Treatment as foreigner
I call BS. In about 47 years in DR (yikes!), we’ve eaten in hundreds, probably thousands, of places. Not once was I given the bill. Nunca.
Perhaps.
I can only speak to my experiences. I actively choose to live here and have to accept what comes with it at times.
I don't know if whst they say is BS or not, but I did witnessed once in one of the Riu hotels in Bávaro a Dominican family that arrived with no room reserved. The guy in the desk look at his computer screen multiple times and repeated that the hotel was full. When the darkest of the fsmily took out his wallet and a credit card, the recepcionist decides to look again at his computer screen and guess what? Suddenly, not one but several rooms were available. It's a miracle.
Now the recepcionist was as dark as the one that took out his wallet, so maybe that was not a case of racial profiling and he probably followed company policies. Whatever it was, they were being profiled for something.
That was only one time and a long tine ago, so whatever it wss I don't think is common. But that it happened, it did.
Oh I have no doubt about that. Our son was in line at a club in Santo Domingo, and the (dark skinned) group ahead of him were turned away because they were full. Our son turned to his cousins to say let’s go, and the guy at the door stopped him and said “right this way sir”.
That’s not what I was replying to though.
My experience has been sometimes it opens doors and other times it closes them.
I swear it happens to me as well.
This one time I went to one of those "pica pollo" places that sell "Plato del día" for like 225 pesos.
The guy filling my plate asked me in Spanish what I wanted with this "I'm bored working here, get me outta here" look, but as soon as I opened my mouth he figured I spoke English and went "ooh English?? How are you my fren?" "Welcome my fren", "bye my fren"... all of a sudden jumping through hoops and bending over backwards to look professional and engaged. 🤣🤣
I gave him a tip just for this entertaining performance alone.
They practise their English.... you do the Spanish..... they can't wait to use English when they know a few words
I guess kinda like the 90% of the gringos on this board. The extent of their epany is gracias and guagua. You know these folks because they write a complete post in English, but instead of "bus", they use guagua. They live here for years and don't bother to learn the language. You know what I mean Web? 🤣🤣🤣
Adding the everything name your beach town site members as well!
or they wonder into a reputable business establishment (bank, law office or nice restaurant) wearing flip flops and a sports jersey wondering why they get treated like chopped liver. However, they can say "Hola"
How many times have you seen one (or a group) in a shopping mall. It's incredible how much they stand out.
Or my personal fav.. shirtless and shoeless in Janet's rifling through the fresh vegetables. To quote Sebastian Maniscalco "When you see the world, the world sees you"
I find it opens doors in hopes of wallet opening..
Sometimes yes. You probably have to know someone very well before it is genuine.
This is a bit of a rant but it's a clean rant; more or less a cultural observation of extranjeros and how we're treated better or for worse
I have visited here for more than 10 years and have lived here for nearly a few now - have a Dominican family. I am young and have adapted to the language, customs, lack of punctuality and straight up lowered my expectations with services; I have seen the good and tried to adopt some of that friendliness into my own personality.
The first year was fun, puppy love, everything was new, the lack of rules was cool etc. The second year was more or less falling out of love with it because of the lack of any good services to be honest, taught myself to be really self-sufficient imported tools/products from my country; has helped so much and saved me headaches, but one thing that remains to frustrate me and that's community.
Dominicans treat each other horribly anyone who has spent time here knows how they treat a gringo vs their own ( stranger ) is very different, there is an immediate lack of trust, competition among other things - this is totally void if it is family as they are really warm with one another or close friends.
It didn't really bug me until last year when my son had his birthday party and I spent about 40,000 pesos on everything and had a bunch of kids and family come, out of the 25 kids that were there one brought him a present but wanted seconds to take home along with the cake. This really pissed me off, because I have attended other birthday parties here and the kids normally get presents, it's not the cost of the toy it's the thought for the kid.
There has been lots of things in between like people trying to help me i.e unloading my bike from my truck and flat out asking for money to the point I tell people " si queres ayudame bueno, pero es por gratis " 7/10 they stop helping.
There is fruit trees in the back of my pretty good neighborhood which are mine, there are other trees as well on other people's properties - they come over to me to ask if they can go up my house to pick the avocados they want and I know if I let them they would clean out the whole tree with a smile but they don't do this to the other Dominicans.
I get this subtle communist vibe here when people tell me or talk about others how they should openly share resources; like that one of the biggest economic handicaps here is Hermano works so he will give me some too and I won't work.
The maid comes to my house and tells me she makes 2,500 a day cleaning but she's doing it for 1,000 cause she's friends with X then goes on a low key 8 hour begging spree that she owes 24,000 peso and needs help bla bla I don't care. I know from being submerged in Dominican culture for 11 years that if she did this to a Dominican she would have received a horrible-normal response
these are weekly things and sometimes semi-daily. I am venting a bit here but my reasons are valid, lots of extranjeros who come here are retired and like the weather or love travel/ nature and want to try a business or something other come here for family or attempt to find greener pastures. I think as a demographic compared to some other countries we add a lot of value, education, businesses, and foreign income into the local economy, not every extranjero here is good of course but as a whole, we're not bad and the government tends to agree.
Do Dominicans honestly just think foreigners have enough that their plates are full so they should share obligated cause thats what a nice gringo does? I am always a bit stuck in between how to respond to these things cause they are generally nice people surface level but without sounding like a total A hole I feel it's very hard to have a real friendship with one unless they're on a similar economic level and have their own things - friends which I do have but, obviously, when you go out to the gym, supermarket you are not dealing with your circle you're dealing with the general population.
What I have done instead of just complaining about it is going back to my country for a month at a time and this helps and quite honestly have been more of a A-hole here which helps as well because people don't bug me but it comes with a side effect of becoming a bit dumb to others which I wasn't before.
Was a rant but a clean rant
Well said. Parallels my own experience and reactions based on that experience.
What you speak is the truth. I have lived here for 20 years and I came here because I'm an invalid and bedridden and could not afford to pay for care giving in America. 20 years ago it was quite reasonable here. Now it's outrageous.
The Dominican people think I'm rich and they rip me off continually. There's nothing I can do as I have no friends or family here.
These people are nice to your face when they think you have money. The minute you don't have something you will see the real person.
Thank you for posting your rant because you validated what I've been saying for so long.
I wish you the best.
The Dominican people think I'm rich and they rip me off continually. There's nothing I can do as I have no friends or family here.
These people are nice to your face when they think you have money. The minute you don't have something you will see the real person.
Thank you for posting your rant because you validated what I've been saying for so long.
I wish you the best.
As long as they don’t start massaging the baguettes they can do whatever they like, but it’s not a pleasant sight.
Well, well… She finally took him to the USA (could be for visit and not living, but who knows.) I don’t think he’s the type to repeat what many sankies do once they reach “Nueba Yol” (even if it’s Florida, lol.) But you never know. The moment of truth has arrived!!
Unlike with the typical sanky that is taken to the USA, his first flight actually was in first class!! There are many Dominicans that have never been in first class except passing through to their seat in coach! lol
First day in Miami. Sankies all over the DR, your eyes are blind to this video. The guy is luckier than most sankies that make it to the USA. Still fresh on American soil and already getting into a Tesla.
Unlike with the typical sanky that is taken to the USA, his first flight actually was in first class!! There are many Dominicans that have never been in first class except passing through to their seat in coach! lol
First day in Miami. Sankies all over the DR, your eyes are blind to this video. The guy is luckier than most sankies that make it to the USA. Still fresh on American soil and already getting into a Tesla.