My experiences

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maryanne

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I?m newbie to this forum, but by no means a newbie to the DR. Over the past 2 years, I have fallen in love with the DR. I have made 8 separate trips to the DR and next week, on April 17th, my daughter and I will be back in POP. I wanted to share some of my experiences with you and so, I thought I would start my own post.
The first time I visited the DR, I hated it. Now this was a long time ago?I was only 20 years old and I traveled to Sosua with my mom, my sister, and my boyfriend (who later became my husband). Perhaps it was the resort or perhaps it was Sosua itself, I?m not sure, but I didn?t like it at all. In March of 2001, I needed a vacation. I called my travel agent and the only place available was POP. I wasn?t sure about it all, but I needed to get away so bad, that I threw caution to the wind and went. It was only a short trip (4 nights) and my aunt and her daughter came too. Despite my first exposure to the DR, I managed to put all previous opinions aside, and I had a wonderful time. The people I met were wonderful (both locals and other vacationers). I became friends with the animacion team and after I left, we remained in contact via email. I will state now that I never got involved with any of them, however, I do have some stories and I became good friends with some of them. I had such a wonderful time that when I returned home, I promised my daughter that I would take her away with me soon. She was a little annoyed that I left her behind! And I don?t blame her! So, I soon booked a one week getaway to the same resort in May. I brought along a good friend of mine who would keep my daughter company (to this friend, I?m like her second mom and she?s my babysitter). We were all excited! We got to the hotel and since I had remained in contact with people via e-mail and phone calls, everyone knew I was coming. It was quite funny! I had people running up to the office to meet me and everyone wanted to finally meet the love of my life?.my daughter. So, right off the bat, Victoria (my 9 year old) felt very comfortable with these strangers because they were my friends. Ashley, the tall, blond, 13 year old, was a big hit! I sat the boys from animacion down and I warned them all. If they went near her, they were dead! But the first time she walked out to the pool in her bikini, the boys all gasped! Great! I was doomed! Her mother was going to kill me now! The boys all looked at me and thank God they knew I was serious. So, the week went off without a hitch. Everyone behaved themselves?with Ashley. My relationships with many of the staff grew?animacions?.bartenders?pool guys?.security?cooks?.servers. You get the gist. The hotel was so quiet and I was so lucky to have everyone all to myself! So, during the afternoons, the girls would often take a nap and I would sit and talk to people. One of my best friends now is David, and at the time he was the manager of the animacion team. It was wonderful to sit down with people and talk about their lives?.their wives?.their kids?.their worries?.their future?.and their endeavors. A few times, a couple of the guys took me out dancing. One of them always bragged about being able to have any woman he wanted! BIG EGO! He name is Carlos and trust me, from what I?ve heard from other women, he?s more talk than action! Hehehehe The other guy is Marcos and we became good friends too. He was constantly pulling Carlos off of me because I wasn?t strong enough. Carlos finally stopped harassing me when I bit his tongue. He was a piece of work all right. He was hitting on every woman in the hotel and I will share more stories about him in my July trip?.coming soon. Although Marcos and I became close, he really never tried to cross the line. And I respected him for that. He was also up to no good most of the time but I still enjoyed his company. One thing people have to realize is that some of these guys are real proud about their conquers and they talk more than woman do. By the next morning, EVERYONE knows who slept with whom, who got busy in the bushes, how many times, what they got from it (cash, gifts, etc.), and who the next prey was. I know because like I said, I became very close to this team of people. I would sit with them in the morning and listen to their stories. I?m surprised they opened up so much with me around, but I guess they knew that I wouldn?t judge them. Don?t get me wrong, I do not agree with some of the behavior, but who am I! That being said, I guess that?s why the guys never bothered with me (other than Carlos). HAHAHAHA Oh, but someone new did start during that week and he was coming on pretty strong, but the guys stopped him dead in his tracks. So, this was my May 2001 trip. It was amazing. Ashley is begging her mother to allow her to come back with me someday. Victoria had such a great time that she too loves the DR. I was starting to form friendships that mean the world to me now. Just an aside. Some of you know that I?m engaged?.to Guillermo. Who is the best bartender at this resort! Ask his boss! We were only friends in March and May and to this day, he teases me about not having any time for him during these trips, because I was too busy with ?my boys?. Can you believe Guillermo can still remember what I was wearing the day that I got to POP in May? Hehehehehehe He was too shy to say anything to me, but trust me, I noticed him! It just wasn?t our time?.yet?.see the August trip?.coming soon.

Hope I haven?t bored you but I needed to write about the May trip before I can continue. Lots of twists coming up soon!
 

maryanne

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Mar 16, 2003
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July 2001 Trip

July 2001 Trip

Although I was separated from my husband, we were trying to work out our issues and perhaps reconcile. Well, one fight lead to another until finally, he announced ?I?m taking a break from you until the fall?. Fine?whatever. I wasn?t going to sit and wait for him to return. But the constant fighting was taking a toll on me. Stress was building up at work too and I just couldn?t concentrate anymore. To top it all off, my uncle?s cancer had progressed and doctors told us he had at most 6 months to live (he did make it to 9 months). I started to withdraw from friends, family, and co-workers. It?s bad enough dealing with problems when the happen one at a time, but when everything starts to come down, I crumble too. So, I called up the ex and asked if he could take his daughter for one week because I needed a break. I?m surprised, but he agreed. Work gave me the time off. So off I went. I booked a round-trip ticket to POP and I stayed at the same resort. It was good to get away from Canadian life but it was also therapeutic to talk to my friends in the DR about what was happening. Those who were close to me knew what I was going thru because we always kept in touch. I was received immediately by a wonderful warm welcome. I was tired?.mentally and physically, and nothing cheers you up like the DR. So, off I went to ?my? room. The staff always reserved it for me when I came and even though I was alone, they gave me the same suite! Cool! I immediately met 3 women. 2 Canadian sisters?.one extremely happy in her marriage, one a recent widow?and 1 American from NY who was involved with a bartender (since Feb 2001). We automatically clicked. I?m still good friends with the woman from NY. We had our meals together and we partied it up together too. The widow made a quick connection with Carlos. At least he would leave me alone this time! NOT! He still tried. Everyone tried to convince the married woman hasn?t lived fully until she had an experience with a Dominican man. Well, she didn?t want to hear it. At home, she had a wonderful husband waiting for her return. Good for her! She stuck to her guns and that week, none of the men won their bets. Once again, the resort was pretty quite and the four of us were pampered with constant attention. We went out dancing every night with ?my boy? and they protected us from the others. Hehehehehehe One of those nights, I bumped into one of the guys who used to work at the hotel. It was great to see him. We all hung out and we had a great time. The next night, it was the same thing, but I noticed he was hanging around too much?..more like clinging. The staff at the disco were doing some games (lick the tequila off a girl thing) and this guy insisted that I do that with him. Well, if looks could kill, he would have been dead. I don?t think so. I?m very outgoing and fun, but that?s just not me. Well, maybe it was due to the fact that he was drinking quite a bit or just plain dumb, he ended up following me back to the hotel. I said goodnight to the 2 Canadians (the American took off to her boyfriends house) and I went off to my room. Within 10 minutes, someone was banging at my door. It was my buddy from the disco. I wouldn?t open the door. He wanted to stay the night?he loved me?.blah?blah?blah?we were meant to be together?he wasn?t going to leave. By this time, it was 3:30am and the pounding was getting worse. No way I was going to open that door. And then I realize that the patio door could easily be opened?.and so I?m sitting in the dark on the bed, starting to panic. Where the hell is the security guard? My room was in the back corner of the hotel and no one was around. Damn. I threatened to call the front desk and he still wouldn?t leave. So I called. Everyone knows me including the security guards and the people at the front desk. So, I?m on the phone telling them what?s happening and who was at the door. They?re like: ?oh, you know him, he?s your friend??. And I?m yelling at them! Get someone down here before he pounds the door in. He?s been pounding for 30 minutes now. Well, finally the pounding stops. The front desk calls back and a security guard was placed in front of my door. Yup! Either way, I didn?t sleep much. I still had half of the week to get thru! What the hell was I going to do? By the next morning, the phone was ringing off the hook?.it was him. I took off with one of my good friends (the masseuse originally from Canada). I had a massage done and then I was going into town with her. After my massage, I went back to my room to change, and the phone was still ringing. I looked outside the window because I knew David had arrived and I was hoping he could help. Well, it was David calling me. I could see the desk from my window. I went outside and of course, he knew everything. Everyone did and even though I had only told the masseuse, the word spread like wild fire. So I sat down with David in tears. I told him what had happened and that I was thinking of moving to another hotel. He held my hands, looked me straight in the eyes and said: ?you are here to spend time with me and your other friends?I?ll take care of this?.you?ll see that he?ll stop?. David tried to reach this person at home and his parents didn?t know where he was. David is a close friend of that family, so he headed straight over. He spoke to the parents but he couldn?t find this guy. In the meantime, I took off into town and while I was gone, guess who showed up on the resort again? Yup. I was informed by my other friends that he was here looking for me again. Phone kept ringing the entire day. That night on the way to dinner, I left my room and I was physically grabbed by someone. When I turned around it was him. He sat me down on the stairs of the building. He was crying. He was sorry. He loved me. He wanted me in his life. Oh cry me a river! It took some time but I managed to get away. I got up to the restaurant and told the supervisor. They immediately grabbed him but this time, they invited him to stay because they wanted ?us? to be civil with each and ?to be friends?. The supervisor was a Canadian and although I think she?s a great gal, she was trying to be the peacemaker way too hard. So, we (the girls) head out to the disco that night. He follows me again, but this time he didn?t follow me back to the hotel (so I thought). And this time, the 2 Canadian girls checked up on me and a security guard was there all night (yeah right). But the phone kept ringing. And what I later found out was that he was calling from the desk just outside my door! Now that scared me again. Too close for comfort. I found this out the next morning, because EVERYONE knew about it. He must have been blabbing to someone about it. Well, I was outside and I could hear the phone in my room ringing again. Shit?.I?m talking to the only woman in the animacion crew (Ramona?.I love her!). She reassures me that it isn?t him. I pressure her and she tells me that he?s sitting in the small room just behind me (where the stereo is). Well, don?t piss off this hot blooded Italian! My fear finally turned into anger. I kick the door open and shove my finger in his face and curse him out like there?s no tomorrow. I threaten to have his ass kicked so hard by someone that I can pay off if he ever comes near me again, or if I ever hear from him again! Well, that did it! I haven?t heard from him since. I have bumped into him a couple of times in passing, but we don?t even look at each other. After that episode, word spread like wild fire and ?my guys? were all proud of me?.and scared at the same time. But hey, the experience brought us all closer.

In the meantime, Carlos was getting lucky with the widow while all the time, showing off his photos of all the pretty woman he?s having relationships with. Yes, he even bragged to the widow. Showed her and all of us the visitation letters from 2 separate women (one from Germany and one from Sweden). He was going to leave POP someday, somehow.

More stories to come....if any one wants to hear them.

Oh...and I still didn't hook up with Guillermo at this point. But he did tell me later that he wanted to hurt this guy for me....
 
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ricktoronto

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Jan 9, 2002
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Good stories, dang hard to read....

Since you have edit rights how about going in and adding quite a few paragraphs, break things up a mite?
 

AnnaC

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Jan 2, 2002
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Thanks for sharing your story maryanne. It was done in a very tasteful manner.
 

Lore

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Mar 9, 2003
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Maryanne: You are simply laying it all out on the table - good and bad. Fact is, we have all seen both, and if you simply said only the great points of your romance there would be ones that said your head was in the clouds and you have no idea what really goes on. Obviously you do. Hopefully this will add some credence to those of us that feel we are making a well-informed decision, based on just that, being well-informed and deciding that this is what we want. In recent posts, it has been "dared" to post any true romance stories that have worked and there has been a good response and I am so happy that your response is definately in that number. I also want to add that the ones that seem to have worked did not simply jump into a relationship, it evolved over time, sometimes years. Of course, some say they fall in love at first glance, I don't personally believe that (lust yes, love no), but, hey more power to them and if it really works I think that is great. From you posts it appears that your relationship has evolved into a true love story and you are doing everything in your grasp to confirm just that. Looking forward to your next "installment".
 

maryanne

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Mar 16, 2003
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I do have more stories and I hope people have enjoyed these ones so far. Most of my stories will probably be about my relationships with other Dominicans, and not necessarily about Guillermo. Yes, you will see his name mentioned but I won't share too much about him. I'm not going to get mushy...well, maybe soemtimes I will.

My next trip was August 2001. Yes, finally the romance between Guillermo and I blossomed into something (or like he says, I finally noticed him!), but there are other interesting stories to tell. Prelude....I get someone from the resort fired.... Let's just say, that after that trip, I called this very nice resort, the sex palace! Hormones as big as whales! I was so disgusted that I actually cried out of fear and vowed never to stay on a resort again. As soon as I have some time, I'll write something up.

I know I'm asking for nothing but trouble by opening myself up like this this, but I've got nothing hide. When you stay in the DR for any period of time, EVERYONE knows your business. Someone is always talking about you! So why not share my trips with everyone else who wasn't around to see it first hand! If I could look back on all of this and still think of these times as some of the best times in my life, then I'm happy to share my stories.

Oh, how I miss the DR!!! 6 more sleeps and I'll be there!
 

maryanne

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Mar 16, 2003
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August 2001

August 2001

This time, Victoria and I went for 2 weeks; a treat for the both of us before she went back to school. The widow I had met in July was also returning but this time with her niece. He niece was a married woman with 2 kids; hubby was watching the kids. The widow was excited that she was going to be with Carlos again. Well, good for her. I wasn?t a big fan of Carlos, but if he mad her happy, then I was happy for her. As we were waiting in the airport lounge, we caught up with the widow and niece. Well, there was only one reason the niece was coming down to the DR and that was for some action. She was determined to have some fun, forget all about the hubby at home, and I?m sure she would accomplish that by the first night! Even if I didn?t want to know anything, I would hear it from ?my boys?. So, I just listened and smiled and I was happy Victoria did not hear anything.

We boarded the plane and as I was getting Victoria ready, I looked up to find a familiar face hovering over me. Well, low and behold, it was Poppy! Poppy and Mommy are a couple we met at the hotel during our May 2001 trip. The are fun people! Loud, happy Italians! They had been to this particular hotel before and every had nicknamed them Mommy and Poppy because they treat us all like their very own kids. This was great! They surprised me and Victoria. They knew we were going because we had stayed in touch and so, they decided what the hell, let?s go too. This time, their 2 daughters also came and one of their boyfriends. I got close to the older daughter whom I will call ?Loca?. Loca was a married woman whose hubby couldn?t get the time off of work.

So here we were, on the way to our favorite place, with several other frequent visitors!

After we got or luggage, none of us waited for the ?greeter?. We just hopped into cabs and split the costs. I did this in July and you?d be surprised how much better it is. No line up at the hotel when you get there. Mind you, it?s not busy this time of year anyway. So, we all walk into the lobby and since David and Ramona knew Victoria and I were arriving, they were hanging out at the reception. They knew about the widow and niece, but they were surprised about the Mommy and Poppy clan. Loca had been their before, so she already knew everyone. It was a crazy scene and by the time we reached the main pool, everyone knew whom had arrived. Lots of smiling faces, hugs and more hugs.

I caught up with everyone, including the masseuse. She and her became very close friends and we were always in touch with one another while I was gone. Canadians have to stick together! This time, her 21 year old son, was also there working on the computer system for the hotel. I brought down some books for him, so he was going to be my babysitter for the 1st week while I was there, as an exchange for the books. I?ll nickname him Blondy. Blondy was tall and cute and the woman were nuts about him. But he had a girlfriend back in Canada, and he was also still a virgin. YUP! The girlfriend was coming down the following week. The masseuse and Blondy also lived in the hotel, so I got to hang around them a lot.

First night there and everyone is tired. Victoria falls asleep and she won?t wake up for dinner. So, I was going to just go to bed too but Blondy comes over and insists that I go down to the beach party. Funny, after all of these trips, I never managed to see the beach show because it had always rained on that night. So, Blondy gets himself cosy in my suit, surrounds himself with books I brought him, junk food also supplied by me and shoos me off.

I?m glad I went that night. It was a good show. I went over to the bar to get some drinks and guess who was there. YUP! It was Guillermo. I had seen him earlier during the day but he was busy running around getting the bars ready. I called him over and asked if I could get a drink, please. I held out my hands as I gesture of saying ?good to see you?. He grabbed then, held them for a few seconds (but it felt longer!!), looked me straight into the eyes, and said ?it?s good to see you Maryanne.?. Well, the attraction between us was there from before and it was growing stronger. During the previous trips, Guillermo worked days at this same bar, and I would see him at lunch. The glances and the stares were always there, and God bless his little soul, my drinks were always replenished before I needed to ask (only tonic water at this time of day). So, during this night, the stares were back as well as the glances and smiles, and I was quite interested. Immediately, Ramona started to play matchmaker. You see, as I mentioned before, everyone likes Guillermo. Just before this trip, his mom had gotten really sick and she needed emergency surgery. The staff at the hotel all chipped in and they collected well over $700 for him. The rest of the money that he needed, he got from a loan shark and he was busy paying it off with his tip money and salary. As soon as word spread that I was taking a liking to this man, everyone was more than willing to share their thoughts about him. I found out a lot of things about him but I wanted to form my own opinion.

Well, my prediction was right about the niece. She got busy the first night down on the beach with one of animacion guys. If anyone ever asks you to take a walk down to the beach, it only means one thing! It was all the talk the next morning. More news going around too! The Loca was chasing one of the animacion guys too. I?m confused! Both married women! And neither of the animacion guys is worth looking at twice?.that was the kicker! Still gives me chills. The widow and the niece have rented rooms outside of the hotel for the purpose of using them at night time now. Let the game begin! The widow and Carlos are still together, and I?m shaking my head. They are constantly fighting, he?s still hitting on every woman on the resort, and now she?s dishing out money for this and money for that. He?s bragging about it to everyone. But the widow is not blind and she has no intention of having anything serious with Carlos.

A couple of days go by, and I find myself waiting patiently in the pool with Victoria at 4pm?waiting for Guillermo to come into work. We were spending more time together during his shift and as soon as he would come in, Victoria and I would retreat down to the beach bar with him. We would sit and talk for a couple of hours. He would play silly games with Victoria, feed her popcorn, teach her spanish, and have her glass of fresh lemonade always full! He talked about his family a lot, especially his mom and younger brother. Despite the sadness in his voice, he always had a smile from ear to ear. We would stay with him until it was time to close the bar, and then he would retreat up to the bar in the restaurant. Victoria and I would go and get ready for dinner. As we would climb up the steps, I could see Guillermo watching for us. The others would make cooing sounds and tease us. The stares were getting pretty bad and even his boss was making fun of him. But he didn?t care. He now tells me that no one ever captured his heart quite like me. Hahahahahaha He had always liked me and he always asked about me through Ramona (previous months) but he was too shy to say anything to me. He knew everyone loved and respected me, and even though we were close friends before, he felt the same way about me because everyone talked about me.

A few nights, I tried to persuade Guillermo to come out dancing with me. But nothing worked. He said he too tired, too sweaty, too disgusting to go out dancing. This went on for a couple of nights. He?s such a good dancer!!! Even better than Marcos! One night, my daughter stood up on the bar stool and demanded that Guillermo take her mom dancing! I love her!!! How could her refuse Victoria! They were good buddies now and to my surprise, she was really good with him. He paid her a lot of attention and she got a lot of affection from him. Blondy overheard everything and he came over to me and said: ?Guillermo is probably the only one around here that I trust, and so, I will give him a clean shirt so that he can wash up and meet you at the club tonight.? One of the guys from the investment group (I?ve known him for months too), blurted out that he would have Guillermo all cleaned up and ready to go! So, there you have it. Everyone was pitching in to make sure he would finally come out dancing. At I waited patiently at the club. I was so nervous that I couldn?t even dance. I paced, a lot. It was getting late and I thought he wasn?t going to come. Everyone had their spies out?..Guillermo was coming. He was with Invester Guy, getting ready. Still pacing. Well, when he finally walked in, my heart stopped. He came over and gave me a hug and kissed my cheek. I whispered into his ear that I thought he wasn?t coming. He replied with, ?are you crazy??. Later that night, I got my first kiss, in front of all ?my guy? and Canadian girls. Lots of cheering! I as smitten.

Week one was almost over. The widow and Carlos are still fighting. She starts to complain what?s happening behind closed doors is getting pretty boring. He just rolls over and falls asleep. The niece is getting bored on the animacion guy, and so she sets her eye on another one. All the guys are competing now. More action in the bushes. Loca has taken several walks down to the beach with her animacion guy and she has managed to keep all that away from her parents. Guillermo and I are attached at the hips, and I?m starting to get some flack from Marcos. He?s complaining that we don?t go out anymore and I think he?s jealous of Guillermo. Ramona isn?t feeling well at all, and David and I have our suspicions that she is pregnant by a man she is seeing (he?s married and also works at the hotel). I take her under my wing and try to make sure she?s ok?.I sneak her extra food, and tell her to stay with me and Victoria at night. Normally, she goes home every night, but these late nights are killing her, so the hotel will give her a room and she gets one next to my suite. Instead of staying alone, she stays with me and Victoria. I stock her up with whatever she needs (food and drink) and every night, she sleeps like a baby. This continued for the rest of our trip. Everyone knew she was staying with us and even though it?s taboo, no one said anything. They knew we were friends. I was really worried about her. As an aside, I got a frantic phone call from her about 1 month later. Yes, she was pregnant and she didn?t know what to do. She would never have a life with the father and he wanted nothing to do with her. Her brother would lend her money and she was going to have an abortion. She couldn?t tell her mom but I finally convinced her to tell her step-sister. I didn?t want Ramona to do this alone. Over the period of a week, I got many distressing phone calls, and finally, she had the abortion. Her sister went with her and David checked up on Ramona for me. She was pretty rough shape, both mentally and physically. Ramona loved this man and she was carrying his baby. But at the same time, his wife was also pregnant, and he wasn?t going to leave his wife. There?s also turmoil amongst the Dominicans. The are human too. Ramona finally recovered physically enough to return to work, but mentally, she has never gotten over it.

Week 2 has begun, and new people arrive. I meet 2 guys from NY and one of them is travelling with his son. The son and Victoria start to play together (before this, she was the only child around). I?ll call the dad ?NY?. At the same time, Blondy?s girlfriend arrives from Canada and he?s soooooo happy. And he?s determined to lose his virginity. So, I supply him with lots of protection and plenty of romantic music. NY is following me around the hotel and I?m thankful he?s only there for 3 nights. I explain that I?m currently involved with Guillermo, but NY doesn?t back off. He starts to call me, asking me if I want to hang out in his suite while the kids played together. NO! He was constantly trying to get me alone somewhere. Guillermo was so mad but he couldn?t say anything because he didn?t want to get fired. NY knows I?m involved but quite frankly, wonders if I want to have some fun. NO! One night, the phone rings and it?s NY. And it?s 3:30am! He knows I was out dancing and he wanted to know if I had a good time. And he also knew Ramona was in my room, so Victoria could be left alone, if I wanted to go and spend some time with him in this suite. NO! The nerve! Even ?my guys? were appalled at this behaviour! By his last night at the resort, he finally left me alone! OH!

It?s now Wednesdat of the second week and everyone is getting a little sad. NY guy is gone! Thank God. Marcos is giving me a hard time. Hotel is so bare that we (Canadians) are running the show. We take over the music after dinner and start to do our own thing. We dedicate some songs to Mommy and Poppy. I dance with my daughter to one of my favorite songs (Andrea Bocellis? Vivo per lei, which means ?I live for her?). As I?m dancing with Victoria, I look over at the bar, and there?s Guillermo. He?s at the back of the bar, crying. No one can say anything to him. He just keeps crying even after the song has ended. I try to speak to him, but he can?t express his emotions. Marcos comes over and makes a few nasty comments. And I?m surprised because Marcos and I had never exchanged harsh words before. He tells me that it?s all a game. I?m a stupid Canadian woman who will go home soon, and Guillermo will be busy next week with someone else. Everyone is yelling. I walk away from the bar and Mommy and Poppy follow me. The others are holding Guillermo back. He?s a strong guy! Marcos keeps at me. He starts to curse and call me offensive names. All of this in front of my daughter, who looks a little scared. People are defending Guillermo but Marcos is the loudest. He says to me: ?You don?t know the Dominican Man and that?s why we use stupid women like you!?. Well, I had my sweater in my hand and the camera bad in the other. I dropped everything, and I moved in closer to Marcos, and I slapped him. I told him ?Don?t you ever call me names or pass judgment on me or anyone else? I was stupid to think we were friends!?. He grabbed me, pushed me against a small ledge, and placed both hand around my neck. He was squeezing and by the time Mommy and Poppy got him off of me, you could see where the marks were going to leave bruises. Security was on their way and everyone managed to get me back to the room. Ramona calmed Victoria down and Guillermo was constantly calling me on the phone to see how I was doing. I was fine! I heard from David that 2 of the bartenders had to restrain Guillermo down when Marcos grabbed me by the neck. He had broken a beer bottle and he had his opener in his hand, and he was more than willing to use both. David was sure that Marcos did all of this because he was jealous. I met Guillermo that night and we talked about it. Lots of tears and we opened to one another. I wasn?t player and neither was he. He had never felt his way about a woman before and he hoped that I wasn?t playing with him. He told me that he had never brought anyone home to meet his mom before, and now, he wanted me to meet his mom.

The next morning, everyone wanted to speak to me (supervisors, managers, etc). Marcos was fired and sent home immediately. ?My guys? were summoned into the office of the hotel manager and they defended me. Guillermo was also summoned and since the hotel manager had seen the two of us together (outside of the hotel), he knew we were involved. He gave Guillermo some advice (don?t go after Marcos because he?s not worth going to jail for). And finally, I was summoned. I also knew this man personally and so, he was very apologetic and he too thought that Marcos was jealous. I felt bad for Marcos and I later learned that he was able to find a job the next day.

Thursday night, we all head to the disco. Widow and Carlos are still fighting and now she?s off in the corner making out with someone else. The niece is busy with someone I had never seen before. Loca is still getting ?it on? with the animicion guy and I?m had all I can take. I?m scared! I?m falling for Guillermo and now I?m worried about what will happen when I leave. I start to cry and I leave the disco. Guillermo follows me out and we have a heart to heart. He too is disgusted with everything that is going on. He explains that he doesn?t like to go to this disco because although these people are his friends, he doesn?t want to know what they are doing. Not everyone is the same and he explains that foreigners get the wrong impression all the time, because of the behaviour of a handful of people. I have a hard time sleeping that night. My heart and my head is torn.

Friday was Guillermo?s day off. Mommy and Poppy watched Victoria all day for me while I spent the day with Guillermo. He showed me his town. He?s quite a proud man and he loves POP. Finally, before going back to the hotel, we go and visit his mom. I understand Spanish much better than I can speak it, so Guillermo helped me out when I needed to be rescued. I meet his grandmother too. She had come to help her daughter recover. Mercedes was so happy to meet the woman who had captured her son?s heart. She explained to me that they would spend hours talking about me and Victoria, and there on the fridge, were some drawings Victoria had given to Guillermo. Mercedes was a tiny woman, and Guillermo looks so much like her. He has her eyes and her smile. She had never met any of his girlfriends before, and now he?s all embarrassed about that comment. His grandmother lives in the countryside and she hopes that the next time I come, I will visit her. I was welcomed with much love into that house and I am so thankful everyday that Guillermo had such a wonderful mother. She taught him a lot of things. And I understand his pain now that she?s gone. I too miss her.

Saturday, we are all back at the airport. It?s time to go home. Guillermo met us at the hotel this morning and he came with us to the airport. He showed up wearing his Sunday best and a dozen roses. He wore his sunglasses the whole time because he was crying. We were all crying! Mommy and Poppy too! It was difficult to leave. He promised that we would keep in touch. He was going to buy a cell phone so that we could always reach one another. As I walked thru the gates to head to my plane, he stood on the other side, still crying.

This was a good trip, full of ups and downs. I had ventured out to Santiago and POP this time. I had seen Santo Domingo the time before. There is a lot of beauty in the DR. Beautiful country and beautiful people. I was in love with the DR before, and now, I was falling in love with a DR man.
 

Lore

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Mar 9, 2003
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Maryanne: My goodness, you certainly have seen your share of bad with the good. I certainly can't wait to read your next "chapter". By what has happened since, I know it must have gone much better.
 

maryanne

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Mar 16, 2003
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The next chapter

First Day Back in TO

We took a cab home from the airport. I was in a miserable mood and exhausted from crying all the way home on the plane. Poor Victoria had to deal with me. The ex called and he had some bad news. His business partner had died over the weekend and he was pretty distraught. I just listened but my mind was elsewhere. Then he proceeded to tell me that he wanted to make our relationship work. His exact words were ?You have potential?. Besides making me laugh, this also made me quite furious. You see, he treated me like client of his, someone he could fix, even though I thought I wasn?t broken. I want to be with someone who loves me for whom I am and isn?t going to try to change me. I told him what happened in the DR and that I was going to give Guillermo a chance. He explained how he came to ?his senses? while Victoria and I were gone, and he confided in my mom and his mom that he would work on our relationship. But not once did he call us in the DR! If he really wanted me back, he should have tried to reach me earlier. He accused me of having this relationship with Guillermo since March or May. Why else would I be going there so often? I denied it but he didn?t believe me. It was an ugly conversation that did not end well. And before long, word spread like wild fire through out the family that I had betrayed the husband and I was choosing someone over him (even though we were separated and he had taken a hiatus from me). My mom said a lot of harsh things to me. She wanted me to seek counselling with the ex to work on our relationship. I said ?no?. I was willing to do that in March and now, I refused. For 2 short weeks, I was with someone who made me feel human again. Guillermo made me feel alive. He liked me for the person I am, not for the person I could one day become. He didn?t want me to change. So, why should I settle for anything less? I felt more joy in those 2 weeks, than in the past 2 years. Even if things didn?t work out with Guillermo, I knew what I wanted in a man. But the family didn?t want to hear anything. My mother would call Guillermo ?him? and she was so disapproving. To top it all off, even her sisters would call and tell me that I?m making a big mistake and that I have my mother worried sick about me. Well, between the husband and the family, I had my share of problems. I stopped picking up the phone and I would let the answering machine pick up. I only heard from my mother if it was an emergency and even then, it was via email.

In the meantime, Guillermo bought a cell phone so that we could be in contact with one another. The hotel had a toll free number, so I would call him at work. We spoke several times a day and we missed each other terribly. Every night, when he would get home from work, he called me. To this day, he still does that. He says he can?t settle down for the night unless he hears my voice. And every morning, I would call him to wake him up. This too still continues.

September 11th. What more can I say? I couldn?t believe what was happening. For a few days, I?m actually speaking to my family, but this fades quickly. I?m worried about my sister and my brother-in-law who live in Minnesota. My brother-in-law works at the airport, and so, I was constantly worried. For days I can?t reach my girlfriend in NY because she?s busy working over time treating victims. She lives an hour outside of NY city and she was doing some co-op work in a clinic when all of this happened. When I finally reach her, she?s so distraught and in disbelief. The mayor of town is feared dead and the eye injuries that she is treating are incredible.

Loca is having troubles at home. Well no kidding. She tells her husband that she cheated on him and he doesn?t believe her. They have been having problems for quite some time now and so he thinks she is making it all up just so that he will leave. The fights become too much for her and I let her come and stay with me for a while. Loca moves in without a hitch and she hides from everyone including her parents. All they know is that she is safe. In the meantime, she speaks to the animacion guy often and is talking about going back soon.

Things settle down and it?s quiet for a while, because no one is speaking to me. I tell the husband that I want to sell the house and rent an apartment. I do not want to endure another winter like the last one. I have been in the house without him for a year now and I don?t want the up keep anymore. I fell last winter while shoveling and it took some time for my back to heel. He relunctantly agrees and before long, the house is sold. Closing date in end of November.

NY girl and I are missing our men terribly. NY girl was dating another bartender from the same resort as Guillermo. We talk about making the trip together in early November. Loca is thinking of joining us too. My girlfriend, the masseuse makes reservations for us at Plaza Taina in Cofresi. The guys would be close to work and so would we. Victoria?s father agrees to take her while I?m gone for the 10 days. My mom is furious and I let her in a little secret of mine?.I was contemplating a longer trip. I need to find out if things will work between Guillermo and so, I wanted to spend 6 weeks in POP with him. Victoria?s father wouldn?t let me take her but he would take care of her. He was moving back in with his parents and it would be good for her to spend some quality time with him. He only sees Victoria every Wednesday and every other weekend. And she has been missing her dad too much these days. Perhaps, spending more time with her would be good for the both of them. But my mom accused me of abandoning my child for a swinging gigolo! She actually called Guillermo that. And now you know why I don?t speak to her often. I hardly see her or anyone else from the family. I only visit my uncle. I no longer get invited to family functions.

Loca decides she can?t wait any longer to see her guy, so she leaves before my November trip. Just before she leaves, she moves in with her parents. Her husband took off back to Italy and I help her move all her stuff from the apartment to her parents? place.

And in the meantime, I?m packing my house. The ex hardly helps and I hire a moving company for the final move. I find an apartment close by and I start to move things in slowly.

NY girl and I plan our trip. I arrive first and she arrives a couple of days later. She stays only for 1 week. Our guys are working the same shift, so we?ll be keeping each other company. Before long, I?m in POP. Guillermo meets me at the airport and it?s wonderful to see him again. He fills the room with surprises?flowers, a card, and a teddy bear. At night, I walk over to the resort and sit at the bar with him. His manager is great and he tells all the boys to take care of me. I catch up with all my friends and I get to spend quality time with Guillermo.

The masseuse and her DR boyfriend take me and Guillermo to see Sergio Vargas at the Orion. FANTASTIC!

NY girl and I spend many nights eating at Chris and Mady?s. Victoria and I were there for the first time during our August 2001 trip. Nothing like walking down to their place with a flashlight in our hand and the security guard following us. Then he would turn around and go back to the Plaza.

I slip on the stairs of the pool and end up with a bruise the size of a baseball on my ass. Guillermo?s mom concocts up a home remedy for me. We visit his mom daily and she seems to be fine. I have conversations with her about her son. She tells me that if he ever disappoints me, she will disown him. I am the daughter she never had. And that, if Guillermo ever decides to leave POP to come to TO, she would miss him, but she would accept it, because he would be with a woman who loves him as much as she did. He introduces me to everyone as his wife. I try to correct him but after a while, I enjoy hearing him call me that. I meet so many members of his family. I see his dad often too. Life is good with Guillermo. No fights yet and it could only get better. NY girl is having some doubts about her man. She spends plenty of time with his family but since he visitors visa was refused the month prior, he?s been a little different. NY girl is always digging into her purse for this and for that. And she?s getting sick of it. I?m not sure what will happen. NY girl goes home and I miss my buddy. I have dinner at the hotel with David and Blondy. A girl is hitting on Guillermo at the bar and I?m laughing. Guillermo points me out and she turns. Once again, he?s explaining that he?s married and he?s happy. I smile. David begins to talk to Blondy about me as if I wasn?t present. Blondy says ?Do you notice how different Maryanne is now?? David agrees. Blondy continues: ?She?s more relaxed now. She?s so happy and in love. And more importantly, she?s home. DR has become her home now.? David also agrees but replies: ?There is only one problem now. She?s no longer available for me. She?s happy and in love, but not with me.? And with that comment, Blondy falls off his chair and I?m choking on my tonic water. I can?t believe he said that. David and I have been the best of friends since March and until a few weeks ago, he was living with his girlfriend. I met her on numerous occasions. Since we were such close friends, I knew they were having problems but I thought they would work them out. But she has moved out. And now David is alone. I?m speechless but I manage to say: ? David honey, you?ll always be my second love.? I do love him, but not in that way.

Time for me to go back to TO. Time has just flown by. The house closes in a couple of days and I have to finish packing. I am determined to come back home to POP for 6 weeks in January and February. We find a one bedroom apartment in Costamber (Residence Atlantico) and I put a deposit down. Only 6 more weeks and I?ll be back. Even though I know all of this, I?m still having a hard time leaving POP. Guillermo takes me to the airport, but first we stop off to say good bye to his mom. She?s crying now and she?s praying that I have a safe flight home (she?s using the rosary that I gave her). She?s a very religious woman. When she passed away, she had those rosaries in her hand and Guillermo made sure she was buried with them. (OK?now I?m crying and typing at the same time).

Once again, Guillermo and I are at the airport, both crying. I leave and it?s the same scene as always. He waits for me to go thru the security gates while the tears just stroll down his face. I turn, blow him a kiss and walk away. It?s not good bye because I?m coming back soon. But it still hurts so much.

I'm sure that for those who are in a long distance relationship with someone from the DR, you must know how hard it is to leave. I know how you feel. I never wanted a long distance relationship but here I was, smack in the middle of one. Life works in mysterious ways sometimes....
 

MommC

On Vacation!
Mar 2, 2002
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Not only is it difficult to leave Maryanne.....

it's equally as difficult to be the one that stays. The uncertainty of if and when the light of your life will return to you colours your days and your nights and eats away at your soul.
I know how Guillermo must feel when you board that plane if he truly loves you as his wife.

Looking forward to the Jan/Feb episode!
 

michelle2504

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Jan 29, 2003
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Wow Maryanne,

That's an incredible story! I know from personal experiences some of the stuff you went through with your dominican man and I can totally sympathize.

I applaud you for posting your story for everyone to read.

Send me a pm. We can chat.


Hasta luego y suerte,

Michelle
 

maryanne

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Mar 16, 2003
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November/December 2001

November Trip is over and now I?m back in TO.

November?s trip went extremely well and I cam back feeling pretty secure in my relationship. Guillermo hadn?t set off any alarms in my head. And trust me, I was looking for them. It would have been so much easier to walk away from the relationship if I just found out something bad about him. But nothing! Now on the other hand, I was starting to hear stories about the other bartender my friend from NY was dating. Nothing serious and she was a smart woman, so I didn?t need to get involved. If she asked for my opinion, then I would tell her. Eventually she caught on and by February, they were no longer together.

So, I had another 6 weeks before I would be back in the DR. I was busy moving and settling into my new place. I was homesick for the DR badly! Family was just as distant and always and I hardly heard from them. I moved and my grandmother didn?t even know. She yelled at my mom for that one! You see, I?m the oldest daughter, the oldest grand-daughter and the most responsible person in my family. I never took any risks and I took like quite seriously (I still do!). Family was confused as hell. They didn?t know what to make of my actions. Too many changes in my life for them. My mom used to talk about me all the time ?Maryanne this, Maryanne that?; just like any proud mom! Well, that stopped too. Now I was the black sheep of this family and the talk was all bad. She would call my sister in the States and complain to her. My sister inturn would call me and tell me everything. It was nuts! My mom and I ended up having some pretty big fights over the phone (luckily not in person!). I was retracting even more from everyone in TO and only my sister and friends kept me sane.

By mid December, I got quite sick. I started to have lots of pain on my right side and I found myself in the emergency room often. Half the time, I would try to come into work and either turn around or drive straight to the doctor?s office. Tests all came back negative. Blood work was fine. X-rays showed nothing. Ultra-sounds didn?t pick up anything either. The pain was so bad on days, that I could barely walk, eat or sleep. Guillermo was terrified. Remember, his mom had surgery in July and she also just finished 10 weeks of spot radiation. He called constantly. My other friends in the DR also called constantly. My family on the other hand knew I was sick, but I think they were too angry to care. This went on for weeks. My family doctor was great and luckily for me, I didn?t have to wait long for any tests or to see other doctors. She started to set up appointments for me to see some specialists. The pain was definitely there and it wasn?t going away. She was worried it was something serious. Perhaps my kidney or liver and yes, she said the ?C? word (cancer). You see, when Victoria was only 2 years old, I had emergency surgery and I can no longer have children. That?s why she?s my ?miracle baby?. After surgery, the lab report showed that my cells were abnormal. So, could it be that all of this pain is somehow related? I?m praying that it?s not! I don?t tell anyone what the doctors tell me except Guillermo and his mom. And now they are worried sick! I?m not going anywhere in January unless I get better. Christmas comes and goes. And it was a sad one, knowing that this would be uncle?s last Christmas. No one is actually saying that out loud, but we?re all thinking it.


My sister arrives from the States just after Christmas. My mom sits the two of us down and announces that one 6 weeks prior, she had a mammogram done and they have found several lumps in both of her breasts! GREAT! She didn?t tell either of us because she wanted to wait until my sister was here in person. And she didn?t want to share this news with the rest of the family right now; one cancer patient at a time! In the meantime, they have done several other tests and the doctors can?t determine if it?s cancer. For now, the doctors will monitor her and perhaps in May 2002, they will go in and take a sample.
So, I don?t tell her anything about me either! How can I with all that is going on?

It?s now December 28th and I?m back in the doctor?s office, crying in pain. She touches me and I was in so much pain that I wanted to hit her! ?Don?t do that again?!!! I insist on having an IVP test done at the hospital and she agrees. She manages to get me an appointment first thing Monday morning (New Year?s Eve). I hate needles, but it?s got to be done! So, off I go to the hospital and during the test, they keep looking at my right side. I?m sure they have found something! They promise to get the results to the doctor as soon as possible, but with the holidays and all, they can?t promise much. But by the day after New Year?s I found out that I had an obstruction in my right ureter (probably due to a kidney stone that is stuck). My family doctor squeezes me in to see a specialist that afternoon. He basically tells me that I need to pass that small mass soon or he?s going to have to operate on me. And I wasn?t allowed to travel anywhere until I got his blessing. He sends me home with pain killers and tells me to drink as much as humanly possible. Well, with 5 days away, I went home and did as I was told. It took 10 litres of water in less than 6 hours, but I finally passed my stone! And what pain! I had a hard time explaining to Guillermo what was going on. I saw the specialist one day before I was expected to leave, and he gave me his approval.

WHEW! I almost didn?t make it back to the DR! I?ll be able to get some R & R in the DR. Guillermo has managed to get the entire 5 weeks off to take care of me and his mom. Good thing his boss and the hotel really like him!
 

maryanne

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Mar 16, 2003
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January/February 2002

January 2002

So here I was, in POP once again. It always feels so good to be back home. Guillermo picked me up from the airport and we made our way to the apartment in Costambar that we were renting. I settled in quite easily. It?s like I?ve been here so many times before and with Guillermo at my side. I was still pretty wiped out from being sick but the warm weather helped to get me back on my feet. And all the extra attention I got from Guillermo helped too. I must say, that it?s a known fact that Dominicans are warm and loving people. I have never been with anyone who makes me feel so loved as Guillermo. And for all of the skeptics out there, I?m not talking about what happens in the bedroom. I?m taking about what happens all the time. The caresses, the hugs, the kisses, the emotions, the verbal expression of what exists in the heart, and the eyes. Guillermo?s eyes reveal his soul, and his actions, speak louder than his words. He?s a romantic fool sometimes and he doesn?t care about what others may think of him. He?s never macho enough to serenade me in the middle of a store. He?s never shy of showing me affection, no matter where we are. He does these things without any hesitation, and I love that about him. Why do men become so reserved? And I?m glad I?m finally with a man who has no reservations! And we have found each other.

Needless to say, our time spent together was wonderful. Guillermo was off of work for the entire time. He went to school every morning and was back by midday. He kissed me goodbye before he left every morning, and before I would even open my eyes to begin a new day. Little love notes were left on the kitchen counter for me to read. He would write them as he ate breakfast. Our life was simple. It was about building our relationship and forming new ones as a couple with friends and family. I spoke to Victoria daily and it was hard not having her with me. But at least I knew now, that Guillermo would complete our family and that realization came one night as we were watching TV. Guillermo turned to me and said, ?this picture would be complete if I had you on this side like I do now and Victoria on my other side?. She was on his mind often too.

We spent quality time with his mom together. I made her lunch one Sunday and I was so thrilled about it. Cooking for the in-law! I wanted to impress her and I think I did. She was seeing the changes in her son and they were for the better, so she was happy. I was teaching him how to cook and clean, and that made her happy. Also, Guillermo has started some driving lessons before I came, and so, when we rented a car, I would give him some lessons. A DR man taking lessons from a Canadian woman! What a funny sight! Good thing we were in the back roads of Costambar. Poor Guillermo has so much patience and tolerance for me. I made him do at least 30 left turns all in a row until he got it right. I was sure he was going to blow his top off, but he didn?t.

For a long weekend, we drove to Las Terrenas and Semana. The drive was breathtaking and the beautiful scenery is still vivid in my mind. Going to Las Terrenas is like going back in time. It?s so unspoiled and the beach is amazing. It was a rough ride to the hotel and if anyone has been there, they?ll understand. The day we got there, we went down to the beach and curled up on a lounge chair together and watched the sun set. No one else was around. Memories like this will never fade in our minds and hearts. We went to Semana because I insisted that I wanted to see the whales. It took forever to find someone who would take us out into the water because no one would leave the dock until the boat was full. They explained that we only needed to venture out just past 2 islands to see the whales. The boats feel like styrofoam! We finally manage to get onto a boat with 2 other couples, and Guillermo and I are in the front on the boat with the driver and a helper of his. I?m sitting at the edge and as we leave, I?m excited. Believe or not, but we drove 40 minutes against waves that we at least 14 feet tall. And with each wave, we go crashing against the boat. My ass is killing me! It?s such a rough ride that I?m holding onto the boat and Guillermo so tightly. I puke my guts out over the side. Oh what a sight! I?m cursing at this point because I want the driver to stop so that I can sandwich myself between Guillermo and the helper instead of being at the side. I thought I was going to die! And I wasn?t alone. Guillermo was scared too. I finally stop puking and the drivers stops for a minute so that I can move. Poor guy beside me wasn?t prepared for my grip. But who cares! This boat ride was going to kill us! The 2 other couples were pretty drunk. At the beginning of our trip, they were happy, but as time went on, they too were getting scared. By the time the driver stopped, we couldn?t see land any more. So now we?re sitting there, in the middle of the ocean, waiting for whales. Guillermo keeps looking at me and saying ?you wanted to see the ballenas and now we are going to die together!?. I?m not too happy with his sarcasm right now. Then I start to panic a little. What happens if we do see a whale out here? This boat is made of styrofoam and whales are huge and strong. The only thing I can think of is ?the old man and the sea?. Almost an hour passes and we still sitting there. Every one at this point is cursing the driver. We all want to go back, please. We?re begging. I?m willing to pay anything as long as he gets us back alive. Eventually, he listens to our pleas and we head back. We drop off the intoxicated couples at some island. When we get back to the dock, I have a hard time standing because my knees are so weak. I?m covered in salt and my clothes are rock solid! I?m feeling so sick to my stomach. Guillermo was feeling well either. Oh, the hell I just put this man thru! We take a cab back to Las Terrenas and we endure the pain of getting to our hotel. Neither one of us slept well that night. But we tell the story to everyone with laughter now! But it wasn?t funny at the time! Oh and that wonderful road on the way into Costambar hurt our asses even more after this trip. It took me almost 1 month to be able to sit without scrunching my face and cursing inside.

Besides spending quality time with Guillermo, I spent time with friends. David and I grew closer, and now Guillermo and David were also becoming better friends. The masseuse and I spent a lot of time together and I almost saw her daily. Her and her DR boyfriend of 6 years were going to get married. Guillermo and I would stand up for them. To make a long story short, the wedding never took place. In fact, they tried to get married 3 times, but something always went wrong (due to the boyfriend). It was one excuse or another and in the end, Guillermo and I didn?t have much respect for this man. I don?t want to go into details because I care about my girlfriend. She was in this relationship for 6 year and she lived in the DR for almost all of those 6 years. She was really lied to and looking back, the signs were there, but she ignored them. Despite everything, she remained in the DR but eventually, she couldn?t take the pain of being there. So, she came back to Canada and she lived with me for almost 6 months. She gained her strength and faith back, and she returned to the DR. I haven?t heard from her in such a long time and I believe she and the DR boyfriend have been married. I hope she?s OK and that he has changed.

It was hard to leave POP and Guillermo, but I needed my daughter. This time at the airport, there were not that many tears. I had nothing to fear and I was sercure with Guillermo. Yes I was sad that I was leaving, but Guillermo?s love is with me no matter where I am. And as long as we are committed to one another and our relationship, then there was no reason to be sad. For once, I feared nothing. I trusted him and respected him. And more importantly, I loved him. I would be back soon, with Victoria. And the three of us would share wonderful memories together.
 

maryanne

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Mar 16, 2003
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Ileft POP in February and I found out Guillermo's mother was dying of cancer at the end of March. I never had the chance to see her again and I regret that. And more importantly, I regret that Guillermo's mom never had a chance to knwo Victoria. Out plan was to return to POP together during the summer to spend time with Guillermo and his family.

My next trip was at the end of July of 2002, but there was some time that I thought it best never to return to POP. After February, there were some dramatic changes in both of our lives. I lost my uncle in April and 2 months later, Guillermo's mother died. It was a hard time for the two of us. My family played a large role in what I next. I crushed the man I loved and walked away from our relationship.

More on that some other time. I must go and get some rest now. I have a big trip ahead of me. I will be in POP this coming Thursday.
 

maryanne

New member
Mar 16, 2003
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I'm back in TO.....

Well, I arrived back from my trip late Monday night (April 28th). As always, I didn't want to return back to Canada. It's getting harder and harder to leave POP each and every time.

I was gone from work for a total of 6 days and now I'm paying the price....I'm swamped. As soon as the dust settles, I'll continue to share some of my personal experiences!
 

maryanne

New member
Mar 16, 2003
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What I saw first hand

What I learned in January/February 2002.

I?m an observer and I prefer to remain that way. I don?t like to get involved with the gossip, however, for some reason, people are always so willing to share with me. But one thing for sure, whatever they tell me, remains with me because I?m not the type of person to start spreading the word of others. Especially since I don?t want others to be talking about me.

Having said that, it?s hard to talk about some of the things I learned without hurting others. But I won?t mention names. I think it?s worth mentioning these stories because I was there first hand to experience them.

As mentioned earlier, I became good friends with a Canadian who worked at the hotel which I always stayed at. I met her DR boyfriend many times and since we were friends, she shared many of her inner thoughts with me. First off, I never really trusted her boyfriend. Guillermo hated him and Guillermo?s family knew this man personally. His nickname amongst Guillermo family was ?thief?. My Canadian friend knew of the hatred between the two families, but chose to ignore it. It was difficult to hang out together (the 4 of us) and I could see the tension between the guys. During my November trip, hanging out together was so much easier. Guillermo actually told me that maybe his impression of the DR boyfriend was wrong and that he would form his opinion on his own. DR boyfriend was helpful towards me and Guillermo. But things were starting to change. He began to tell little stories of me. Quite frankly, I think he was jealous of the fact that Guillermo and I get along famously. He would try to tell me things that Guillermo would say or do, and all of them were lies. I knew this because his own girlfriend wouldn?t back him up. There was no proof to his lies and after a while, I stopped listening to them. But he tried desperately to start fights between Guillermo and I. For example, he would tell me he saw Guillermo with a girl on the Malecon on a particular day and time, and the truth of the matter was that Guillermo was working. Everyone could vouch for where Guillermo was, even me because we speak all the time when he?s at work. Anyways, the lies and stories eventually slowed down when I started staying off the resort, because obviously, no one knew my business. My Canadian girlfriend turned the other cheek when her boyfriend was trying to cause all these problems. Now come on! If your boyfriend is lying all the time, isn?t that an indication of his morals! When I returned in January for my longer trip, my girlfriend would stop in to see me almost every day. Something was going on and she had her suspicions. Let me mention that these 2 have been together for well over 6 years! She lives in the DR permanently and only comes back to Canada to visit her family (maybe once a year). They were going to get married during my stay in POP. I would stand up for her and Guillermo was so opposed to it. He didn?t think the marriage would last because he had seen first hand the fights that they were having lately. The DR boyfriend would disappear for hours and always come up with some excuse. Things of hers would go missing from their car which made her think that someone else was in the car while she was working and he was out. She was constantly forking over cash (always some excuse). They never lived together (per say) and he really never had a home somewhere. He would stay with some family members but even his family members wouldn?t admit it. His personal belongings were no where to be found and things were always gone. He would blame his family for stealing his stuff. He spoke English very well, however, when around other people who spoke Spanish, he always refused to speak English and he never translated. My girlfriend never acquired too much Spanish but she knew in some way that they were talking about her. Oh, and around town, he called her ?his gringa?. Not the wife or girlfriend?.the gringa. Even his best buddies warned her to dump the DR boyfriend.

So, they were planning on getting married in January. Without getting into too much detail, plans for the wedding fell through 3 times! The first time, we were all ready and the groom never showed up to pick us up. YUP! Flowers, cake, dress, etc. And he finally called 8 hours later saying that he had been arrested for speeding. Which he was never able to prove. And then a few days later, my girlfriend found out that he never even made the appointment with the judge (or whomever they were using). Second time, her passport goes missing. Humm?.she suspected he made it go missing. Third time, he doesn?t show up again, and when he does, he?s so drunk and insulting to all of us. Oh, how I love being called ?fat?. Guillermo wanted kill him! I don?t even know why my girlfriend still wanted to marry this guy. I hated him! Life for her went downhill from there. They even went to Samana for a few days to work on their relationship and all he wanted to do was come back to POP. POP was the only place to be for him! Guillermo and I loved Samana and Las Terrenas and we didn't want to come back to POP. She suspected he didn't want to be away from someone else or something else too long.

When I returned home, I would get the frantic calls from her. Her DR boyfriend was on drugs and drinking heavily. She knew that he had a daughter from before and then she found out he had 2 other kids with the same ?wife up in the hills?, during the time that he was in this relationship with my girlfriend. He was involved with the 2 of them, plus some other woman from a car wash. This destroyed my girlfriend and after months of living this hell, she returned to Canada. She stayed with me.

It?s hard to offer advice to her when deep in her heart, she loves this guy. I might not understand it but all I can do is listen and hope that she will eventually be happy.

We went back to the DR together with my daughter in August. That trip put a strain on our relationship. I?ll get to that later. When we returned, she took a job closer to her son?s house, and she moved out. She eventually returned to DR I think in November. And the last I heard, she married this guy. I haven?t heard from her in over 6 months and I hope she?s ok.
 

maryanne

New member
Mar 16, 2003
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Credit Card Fraud

I was a victim during this extended trip. I used my credit card only at 2 stores in POP...for grocery shopping at La Messon and at Casa Nelson. I always took the little yellow slips and put them somewhere safe. At least I thought I did. I suspect that during my last week and the frantic of packing, I must have left at least one slip somewhere in the apartment. I suspect that someone lifted it and used it. I'm suspecting that it was someone from the apart-hotel that I was staying at for several reasons.

1. The office manager told me during the first week that the phone line was supposed to be disconnected but it never was. The hotel kept calling the phone company to come and cut it and the phone company insisted that it was already done. So, the office manager told me to use it. Go ahead and buy a phone and call Canada as much as you want! So that's what we did.

2. 1 week prior to coming home, the phone company catches on and they cut the line. And then they insist that the hotel pays for the charges. They refuse.

3. All the fraudulent charges on my credit card where done the day I was up in the air, returning to Canada.

4. The first fraudulent charge on my credit card was from the phone company for the exact amount that they were trying to get from the hotel. ????????????????

Luckily for me, I call my credit card company each and every time I travel and inform them of my travel dates and destinations. They were trying to reach me when all of this was happening and I returned their call immediately upon my return. All the charges were reversed and I got a new card.

Beware of using your credit card and save all of your yellow slips. Call your credit card company to advise them of your travel dates and destinations.
 

Forbeca

Bronze
Mar 5, 2003
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Maryanne,

Did I miss the end of your story? did you finish? I found it very interesting and w/ love to read the rest of it.


Hope it worked out for you.
 

maryanne

New member
Mar 16, 2003
277
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I haven't had too much time lately to continue my story. I think my kidney is acting up again too! Anyways, I have some more trips to write about....coming soon!
Thanks!
 

italianchica

New member
Apr 26, 2003
7
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Hi Maryanne,

i've been reading all your posts about your experiences, I and i'm sure other readers can't wait to hear the rest!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
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