Gift Giving

A DUH

Cause they are backwards ass dominicans....



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Makes perfect sense to me. Save money on a ticket so you can afford more things for your famliy that perphaps couldn't afford these things. A big diamond necklace would be a luxury but a fridge isn't.

Feeling a little judgemental this morning, Fred and GirlieGirl?

The amount of money that Dominicans send back is a major source of foreign exchange for the DR and a major source of support for a great many Dominican families. Whether or not you think it is right, Fred, the help given them by family members in the US is what is keeping these families reasonably comfortable and well fed.

The gifts that they bring back at Christmas, and which the government encourages by dropping the duty on gifts brought back by Dominican relatives at Christmas time, have at least two purposes. (1) they enable family members is the DR to have "luxuries" that would otherwise be out of their financial reach, and (2) they demonstrate to the family and friends that they are a big success in the US.

The gift giver gets and ego boost and increased status in his family, and the recipient gets something that makes his life easier/more pleasant.

What is wrong with that? The fact that they fight for the best possible price for their plane ticket has nothing to do with it. A large majority of the posters and readers of this board spend a lot of time shopping for the cheapest possible air fare on the internet.

My wife spends about 3 months prior to going back each summer shopping for bargains( she buys toothpaste, lotions, childrens clothing, goes to garage sales, sally ann, anywhere she can get good new or almost new clothing) When you consider that the average Dominican makes $4000 rd per month, bringing back some small gift that help relieve their burden and delights the children is ample reward. Certainly many bring back things to impress their friends and relatives, but if you knew my wife you would know she certainly doesn't do it for ego gratification. She may be Dominican but she is no dumbass Dominican.

Listen to Ken and Bob!!!

And know,that when you marry a dominican ,you also get the family!!!! Kind of like a 20 for 1 special! The "successful" members of any dominican family are "expected" to help out the less fortunate members of the family.The person "helping" also knows that if they fall on hard times,they will be helped as well.Since there is virtually no government help for the citizens here,they have their own "Welfare" system.
It keeps a roof over your head,and food in your belly!
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Besides, it's fun

When we were in graduate school, I worked and so did she.

We spent every last penny we had buying stuff for our kids and our brothers and sisters in law's kids.. Came back loaded to the gills with stuff. It was wonderful.

Even now when we travel, we always bring back chocolates for the "girls" and our secretaries. And little stuff for our grown up children and their children. No way I can take it with me, but the smiles last forever!!

HB

Ever think this might reflect why Dominicans think Americans are tight fisted (Taca?o)?? Ever see a Dominican tapping his elbow with his other hand? That means skinflint!

Dominicans abroad cannot even take care of themselves( do without a lot of things)

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Maybe they choose to do without things simply in order for them to afford to take things back. Or is that too obvious?

I think it shows great consideration and compassion when family members can help each other out in that way. Pity more people around the world aren't so generous.

I remember a time, maybe around 10 years ago, I was going through a rough time, no job, very little money coming in from the State, really struggling to pay my rent. My big brother had a win on the football pools, something like ?125K. Did he offer me any help? Like hell he did, how mean is that???

Aside from being fun...

There is a certain satisfaction one feels when your gift is indeed needed and appreciated. I will be leaving on Wednesday for my two weeks vacation and although I'm not going to be anywhere near Santiago, my friends are all getting gifts. The list goes on and on, from the woman who took care of me as a child to my childhood girlfriends. It's a tradition. Every trip I make whether business or pleasure, I bring something for everyone on my list.

I wish I could help out more, perhaps with their kids schooling, etc. I certainly w/ look into that while down there.

my wife is very selective in who she brings gifts for. She has a number of wealthy relatives who get nothing. She doesn't bring anything to her adult cousins except one who is very poor but hard working. a number of her cousins live in the states and like Fred says, don't send anything home to their mom or other poor family members. She does help out one aunt(money every month) whose own children do nothing for. Every family has one pendaho(sp) and my wife is the one in her family. She can stretch a dollar like I've never seen but at the same time is is very generous with her time and resources. Each year she very selectively sponsers several children in her school. These children pay no tuition or other fees and all school books and other supplies are paid for by my wife. She does this because it was done for her by the Miribel family when she was a child. I have seen this kind of generosity in many poor dominicans. For example when someone needs an operation in her neighbourhood the old ladies go door to door collecting 20 pesos here, 50 pesos there until they have enough. Allmost everyone gives , even when they have little to give. Yris' aunt has a small finca loaded with fruit which she goes to in her spare time and then distributes all the fruit to the old people without income. As in all cultures there are meanspirited tightfisted people but there are many that give of themselves.

Fred, I'm trying to understand what pushed your hot button. What do you care if Dominicans living in the US bring gifts back to their relatives?

It sounds to me like the only reason you are making an issue about this very long-standing practice is because the Dominicans dicker with you for the lowest possible price for their tickets.

In poor countries like the DR, it has long been the practice for families to have a number of children in the hope that when the parents are old that their children will be able to help them. Those children who make it to the US feel this obligation and do all they can to help. For someone living in a country that has many social welfare programs this is probably very difficult to understand, but as CC said, there are none of these programs here. If you need help, you had better have family members able to do so.

You aren't going to change this and it doesn't, as far as I know, affect you personally in any way. Certainly there must be more important things for you to worry about.

However, when they return home they are loaded up with all kinds of cheap "chopo" junk, and to boot, they expect to stay at the mother's house for free.

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Fred, just what is your problem here? What gives you the right to judge what is junk and what isn't?

I didn't realise that you were in the travel industry (assuming Ken is right of course, which is generally the case ). In which case, I have to agree with Ken - you are just pissed because the Dominicans manage to screw you on the cost of the flight!

Why should it matter to you what someone chooses to take as a gift for someone else? Whenever I visit, I take loads of stuff to give to friends, probably stuff that you would class as "cheap chopo junk". But, you know what? Everything I take has always been gratefully - and gracefully - received by whoever I've given it to.

Just get a life, and worry about stuff that affects you, not stuff that doesn't.

DB, if you reread his first post you will see that he works for a travel agency.

Ken - you're right again .
By the time I got all the way down, I had forgotten what I'd read at the beginning!