New neighbor etiquette moving in...

Koreano

Bronze
Jan 18, 2012
1,546
0
36
Finally!
After crazy couple of weeks of sorting things out with customs and broker, our container got cleared and I am finally moving in to our house in Santiago today!!!!

Now...
What is the proper etiquette as a new neighbor moving in? Do I just shut the hell up until we get confronted by next/near by neighbors or should we go to their houses with bake goods on Saturday afternoon and introduce us to them and look like a dorky family? As new neighbor I don't want to be known as obnoxious neighbor but I also don't want to be known as weirdo quite chino family living next door. I also don't want to be known as too open/easy and have neighbors visit us when ever they want, like middle of Tuesday night and hang around until 2-3AM.

So what should I do as a new neighbor moving in with not fluent in Spanish?
 

KateP

Silver
May 28, 2004
2,845
6
38
Greet them if you see them, present yourself and period. If you start feeding your neighbours, they'll be back for more...
 

imfromda305

New member
Dec 9, 2011
306
0
0
Greet them if you see them, present yourself and period. If you start feeding your neighbours, they'll be back for more...

This had me laughing for a minute, I do think it's a very nice and good gesture to knock on the door like I see in movies in The States and come with something sweet.

But I just can't picture that in 2 days one of the neighbors come to your house with an empty plate and those puppy eyes begging for some rice. LOL!

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But yeah, once you make a nice gesture.. make sure that you're a nice person as well because the next knock on your door will be a knock where someone expect a nice gesture too and if you're not able to stay nice, that first nice gesture doesn't mean jack.
 

dv8

Gold
Sep 27, 2006
31,266
363
0
just pretend you lived there all the time. say your hellos when you see people, maybe stop for a moment to share good old weather/government complains. i know everyone on my street but we are not close friends. better that way.
 

lisagauss

Bronze
Feb 16, 2011
721
0
0
I would agree with everyone here. Greet them as you walk/drive by. Maybe introduce yourself also. I wouldn't take them any food/gift as this could mean that you got enough $ to feed the whole street. It actually should be the opposite the way I see it. When we moved into our house here in LI our neighbors each came with gifts; flowers, plants and cards. We greet them and sometimes talk as we stand outside the house. But it is really different in DR.
 

Hillbilly

Moderator
Jan 1, 2002
18,948
514
113
Play it cool/// You can say Hola and wave and that's enough.

At your place of work you will begin to develop social relationships. At the Korean church you will develop more. If you want Dominican friends, start with the management of the factory and the free zone. Leave your neighbors alone.

I have lived in this house for 38 years. The people next door have never been in my house nor I in theirs. The people across the street are people I say Hola! to if I see them. Now their kids and my kids grew up together so they are different.

The people I invite to my house are very carefully chosen. My wife's card playing buddies are HER card playing buddies, not necessarily my cup of tea.

Our friends are from our work place: the PUCMM and from the Golf Course,and a few from the Internet over the years and from sports activities again, over the years....

Do not try to be the cheerful "chino" ...makes no sense. Just be you...play it cool and you will be fine. Remember there is no sense of community here as there is in Korea. What you are and who you are, are not the business of anyone else in your area.

Cordially,

HB
 

london777

Bronze
Dec 22, 2005
786
29
28
Slightly off-topic, but here goes:

Before I moved into my apartment I was given a rent-free month to refurbish the place, as the previous tenant (a relative of the Dominican owner) had totally trashed it. When the workers left, they told me that my new next-door neighbour had been supplying all of them (sometimes as many as six on site) a full meal each day for many weeks, plus coffee and refrescos on demand.

I would think that exceeded even the Dominican norms of hospitality. I think the fact that they came from roughly the same area of the campo as she did and they were all happy-clappy Christians together also had something to do with it.

I planned a dinner to thank her big time but, with many things to put right after the workers left, I kept deferring it, and then she abruptly left for Miami so I missed out. I still feel a bit guilty about that although I have "passed it on" in dozens of way since.

Before the rose-tinted brigade start swooning about how wonderful all Dominicans are, I would just add that I interrupted keying this post to retrieve a mat my girlfriend recently bought for 800 pesos and had put on the roof to dry after sponge-cleaning it. Someone has stolen it in the two hours it has been there, and only residents have access to the roof. They are all middle-class Dominicans and, judging from their jeepetas and Mercedes more affluent than me.

So that sums up Dominican society for me. Generous to the last peso with family, friends and neighbours, but nil social conscience regarding the wider community.
 

Chip

Platinum
Jul 25, 2007
16,772
429
0
Santiago
The most important thing in my point of view is greet your neighbors when you see them. If they look like they want to chat take the time and do your best.

I also understand from previous posts that you were set up in a nice neighborhood so you won't have to worry about anybody asking for food.

Also, to get to know your neighbors I would recommend joining the local junta de vecinos. They typically have a meeting once a month or so.
 

Koreano

Bronze
Jan 18, 2012
1,546
0
36
Thanks everybody.

So everybody is agreeing upon staying cool, just say saludo/hola/hello and wave, unless I was approached for conversation. So I should just play this cool, like I am moving back to NYC again, not like moving to NJ suburbia, where everybody is friendly but become nosy and constantly watched upon. I am going into gated community with 24/7 security guarding our gate, and neighborhood seems like nice, quiet, and safe to live in, so I don't think they will come asking for food(hopefully) but I won't forget that we are still in DR.

Thanks for this suggestions once again and sorry for the late reply today. It was one of those crazy day and I wanted to leave early so I've been busy all day.
 

Hillbilly

Moderator
Jan 1, 2002
18,948
514
113
Yup, that is about it. And don't worry, your neighbors are just a nosy here as they are in New Jersey!!!

And keep talking to up. And perhaps we should get together some time!!

HB