It's 6:30pm and there is perceptible change in the make up of the pedestrian traffic, the waiter interrupts me asking if I want another Bohemia, I'm on a rare "writing roll" and I tell him " si como no...traeme otra" A young woman puts a bag on my table, says "perdoneme" and proceeds to redistribute the weight of the other bags she is carrying. She thanks me and leaves...the waiter arrives with my third Bohemia; I hadn't realized I was so thirsty. I've been here three days and I've not had a single glass of water! I hear the unique rasping sound of a guira and three men appear with a guira, tambora and accordion, I say to myself "perico ripiao time!" No one asks for them to play and they walk on by...sh#$..I could have paid them to play and have more writing material; I hope they come back.
Anyone reading this should not expect any deep psycho-social-political conclusions, I'm just writing things down as they develop... a young man in his teens comes to "my" table(I feel its mine now)and says "papa regalame un peso"... "ya le di a otro" I respond, having given the shoeshine boy 20 pesos. Guilt overtakes me for a nanosecond and I continue writing(I don't "give 'till it hurts") A guy dressed in official looking blue and one in scarry camouflage sit at the table next to me and order a tall Presidente and get on their cell phones(there must be more cell phones here than people in China) while the women walking by appear to be wearing ever tighter second-skin like material; must the effect of the Bohemias. Oh, I forgot to mention that the shoeshine boy said he usually makes 100 pesos/day and eats most of it; I believe him having eaten at local restaurants and hole-in-the-wall establishments. It is getting so dark I can hardly see what I'm writing and move to a table inside, my eyes are relieved. I decide its time for Lasik when I get back home...tired of glasses. Tomorrow, Friday, I'm going to meet some Dr1 members at Adrian Tropical on the Malecon, East of Maximo Gomez...a girl sits at my table and asks if I would be interested in participating in a poll about my relationship with my credit cards and the issuing companies, I agree only if she gives me some paper for me to write on. It's a deal. She tells me she'll get paid $1500 pesos if she completes 60 surveys in 5 days, I'm her tenth and she needs two more to maintain her 12 per day average...it's 7:45pm and I suggest she finds people who are not drinking...she agrees.
I was genuinely impressed by the young lady's professionalism and felt hopeful for the country if there are a lot more like her. She was the youngest in her family and her siblings had acquired some level of success in their respective professions without leaving the country. She would like to travel but expressed the difficulty most Dominicans have when trying to leave their land. I suggested she try and learn english so she can be more competitive even if she never leaves the island, she said those were her plans. I feel great and order another Bohemia; gotta stop writing, getting a cramp in my wrist, this would be a good time to be ambidextreous.
Anyone reading this should not expect any deep psycho-social-political conclusions, I'm just writing things down as they develop... a young man in his teens comes to "my" table(I feel its mine now)and says "papa regalame un peso"... "ya le di a otro" I respond, having given the shoeshine boy 20 pesos. Guilt overtakes me for a nanosecond and I continue writing(I don't "give 'till it hurts") A guy dressed in official looking blue and one in scarry camouflage sit at the table next to me and order a tall Presidente and get on their cell phones(there must be more cell phones here than people in China) while the women walking by appear to be wearing ever tighter second-skin like material; must the effect of the Bohemias. Oh, I forgot to mention that the shoeshine boy said he usually makes 100 pesos/day and eats most of it; I believe him having eaten at local restaurants and hole-in-the-wall establishments. It is getting so dark I can hardly see what I'm writing and move to a table inside, my eyes are relieved. I decide its time for Lasik when I get back home...tired of glasses. Tomorrow, Friday, I'm going to meet some Dr1 members at Adrian Tropical on the Malecon, East of Maximo Gomez...a girl sits at my table and asks if I would be interested in participating in a poll about my relationship with my credit cards and the issuing companies, I agree only if she gives me some paper for me to write on. It's a deal. She tells me she'll get paid $1500 pesos if she completes 60 surveys in 5 days, I'm her tenth and she needs two more to maintain her 12 per day average...it's 7:45pm and I suggest she finds people who are not drinking...she agrees.
I was genuinely impressed by the young lady's professionalism and felt hopeful for the country if there are a lot more like her. She was the youngest in her family and her siblings had acquired some level of success in their respective professions without leaving the country. She would like to travel but expressed the difficulty most Dominicans have when trying to leave their land. I suggested she try and learn english so she can be more competitive even if she never leaves the island, she said those were her plans. I feel great and order another Bohemia; gotta stop writing, getting a cramp in my wrist, this would be a good time to be ambidextreous.