Dominicans in Michigan

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Alove

New member
Sep 14, 2005
7
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Hello all,

I am an new member. I moved to the Metro Detroit area from NYC - the Heights - about a year ago. I have never experienced a culture shock like I did when I moved here. It is a very segregated state, you are either black or white. I miss my peoples. I want to eat MY foods, listen to MY music, etc. Can you believe there is not a spanish radio station here? Quisqueyanos, where are you? :eek:

Alove, MI
 
D

deelt

Bronze
Mar 23, 2004
987
2
0
Alove you aren't completely (but are nearly) alone. Contact Rafael Nunez Cedeno at UIC. He can put you in contact with folks in MI. I know there are a few in Ann Arbor (UM) and around MSU.
 
S

suarezn

Gold
Feb 3, 2002
5,823
290
0
55
Alove: There are a few of us here in Michigan, albeit nothing remotely close to what you'll find in NY. Some of them even post here from time to time. There are quite a few around Mexicantown in Detroit and a larger group in the Grand Rapids area. There used to be a Dominican restaurant in Livernois Ave., but I think they closed shop. Where are you at specifically? PM me if you wish...

Deelt: What's UIC?
 
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smilez119

New member
Oct 4, 2005
1
0
0
Hair Stylist

Hi,

I am not Dominican, however I just loved the way my hair was done by a Dominican stylist in Georgia. I wanted to know if you have found a stylist in the metro Detroit area to take care of your hair? If so would you mind sharing that information with me.

Thank you.
 
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purplebunniern

New member
May 13, 2004
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Dominicans in MI

Hey Alove, although Im not dominican, I enjoy the culture. I know there are a number of salsa clubs downtown detroit but as far as Bachata or Merengue Im not so sure. Im still looking myself. If we ever decide to have gathering in TO you are more then welcome to come up( I dont know of anyone besides myself in Windsor that goes)
Good luck with Detroit
 
J

Juniper

New member
Apr 15, 2004
406
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Greetings from Up North!

I am in Michigan but far from you. We have a cottage in Greenbush, near Oscoda, between Alpena and Tawas; we are on the northeast part of the peninsula on Lake Huron but there is hardly anyone who is familiar with this area. We spend the summers here.

If there are any Dominicans in this part of the world, please let me know.

Juniper
 
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concon_quemao

New member
Oct 28, 2005
55
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lostinthemetro.blogspot.com
actually there are some.. i spent some time there years back when a friend of mine's (dominicana) family moved to detroit. it was an experience. no one knew what to make of us. for some reason they only thought the world was split up into arab, mexican, black and white



Alove said:
Hello all,

I am an new member. I moved to the Metro Detroit area from NYC - the Heights - about a year ago. I have never experienced a culture shock like I did when I moved here. It is a very segregated state, you are either black or white. I miss my peoples. I want to eat MY foods, listen to MY music, etc. Can you believe there is not a spanish radio station here? Quisqueyanos, where are you? :eek:

Alove, MI
Click to expand...
 
M

MissIvana

New member
Sep 3, 2005
4
0
0
39
Detroit Rock City~

Welcome to Detroit!

I am 1/2 Dominican and have grown up here in the Metro Detroit Area. You're right, there is not much of a variety here in Michigan. Most people believe I am joking when I tell them people don't know what Dominicans are (in Detroit). Go Figure, look how segregated we are here:(:cross-eye

*You can find some merengue/bachata in the mix at salseros around Metro Detroit... look here for more information http://www.salsadetroit.com/home.html
 
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drminy

New member
Nov 12, 2005
37
0
0
concon_quemao said:
actually there are some.. i spent some time there years back when a friend of mine's (dominicana) family moved to detroit. it was an experience. no one knew what to make of us. for some reason they only thought the world was split up into arab, mexican, black and white
Click to expand...

You are right. I am a mexican from Michigan and it is not very culturally diverse there. Where i used to live (Grand Rapids) there is quite a large population of mexicans and puerto ricans but i haven't seen or met many dominicans there. The city is somewhat segragated. The hispanic community in Grand Rapids resides on a particular part of town.
 
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MissIvana

New member
Sep 3, 2005
4
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39
Syrita said:
You are right. I am a mexican from Michigan and it is not very culturally diverse there. Where i used to live (Grand Rapids) there is quite a large population of mexicans and puerto ricans but i haven't seen or met many dominicans there. The city is somewhat segragated. The hispanic community in Grand Rapids resides on a particular part of town.
Click to expand...



Thats so true. I was a team leader at a summer camp for teenage girls this past summer. A Mexican girl from Grand Rapids came. I was the only one who could speak to her to her parents [in spanish]. After the introduction, we began talking about how fast/slow different Hispanics speak spanish [breaking the cultural ice]. She then made a very offensive comment about how "ghetto" Dominicans speak, I almost passed out. I asked her, "what did she think I was?" She was so embarassed, but she explained that she'd never met a Dominican before.
 
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drminy

New member
Nov 12, 2005
37
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0
MissIvana said:
Thats so true. I was a team leader at a summer camp for teenage girls this past summer. A Mexican girl from Grand Rapids came. I was the only one who could speak to her to her parents [in spanish]. After the introduction, we began talking about how fast/slow different Hispanics speak spanish [breaking the cultural ice]. She then made a very offensive comment about how "ghetto" Dominicans speak, I almost passed out. I asked her, "what did she think I was?" She was so embarassed, but she explained that she'd never met a Dominican before.
Click to expand...

That's terrible! You see how even among the latino community there are still those prejudices and sterotypes. Even i have experienced it. Even though I am mexican i have been told numerous times that i look puerto rican or cuban (or anything other than mexican). There have been times where i have been around puerto ricans that talk bad about mexicans not knowing that i am mexicana. Once they find out they react like the woman did with you. I don't get it but it's just the way it is. All i can say is I love all my latinos!!:classic:
 
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vickat20

New member
Aug 2, 2005
48
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Although I am not Dominican myself, my daughter is half-Dominican, and we lived in Washington Heights for the first 5 years of her life (we moved back to Michigan, where I am originally from) in 2001. I can COMPLETELY understand the culture shock you experienced. My daughter, even at her young age, still talks about moving back there. The worst part? Going to the supermarket and paying $1.00 for two platanos, when you know in WAshington Heights you can get at least 10 for $1.00!!!

Hang in there...
 
K

Kidd Creole

New member
Nov 29, 2005
54
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0
Syrita said:
You are right. I am a mexican from Michigan and it is not very culturally diverse there. Where i used to live (Grand Rapids) there is quite a large population of mexicans and puerto ricans but i haven't seen or met many dominicans there. The city is somewhat segragated. The hispanic community in Grand Rapids resides on a particular part of town.
Click to expand...

Most hispanics outside of Grand Rapids in the suburbs live in Wyoming & Kentwood. You're right mostly all of western Michigan is very segragated.
 
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Mr_DR

Silver
May 12, 2002
2,506
60
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vickat20 said:
My daughter, even at her young age, still talks about moving back there. The worst part? Going to the supermarket and paying $1.00 for two platanos, when you know in WAshington Heights you can get at least 10 for $1.00!!!

Hang in there...
Click to expand...
$1.00? is that it? try $2.99 per lb here in Alaska.
 
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vickat20

New member
Aug 2, 2005
48
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50
OK - you got me beat. It must cost a whole lotta money to get platanos from DR to Alaska I guess :)
 
D

dale7

New member
Apr 18, 2002
481
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47
www.stores.ebay.com
Wife is Dominican and we live near Detroit

Alove said:
Hello all,

I am an new member. I moved to the Metro Detroit area from NYC - the Heights - about a year ago. I have never experienced a culture shock like I did when I moved here. It is a very segregated state, you are either black or white. I miss my peoples. I want to eat MY foods, listen to MY music, etc. Can you believe there is not a spanish radio station here? Quisqueyanos, where are you? :eek:

Alove, MI
Click to expand...

Hello,
If interested you can pm me, my wife has been in the US for almost 2 years now. We live in Taylor, MI about 30 minutes from Detroit. She is 28 and her name is Yesenia. We have a son who is almost 3. She has some family in New York as well . She hasn't met any dominicans here where we live but we haven't went looking in downtown Detroit though either. PM me if you would like to email/call her and I will let her know when she gets home from work.
dale7
 
N

neverlost

*** Sin Bin ***
Jun 7, 2004
73
0
0
Alove said:
Hello all,

I am an new member. I moved to the Metro Detroit area from NYC - the Heights - about a year ago. I have never experienced a culture shock like I did when I moved here. It is a very segregated state, you are either black or white. I miss my peoples. I want to eat MY foods, listen to MY music, etc. Can you believe there is not a spanish radio station here? Quisqueyanos, where are you? :eek:

Alove, MI
Click to expand...


Well, You could always move back to....
 
R

rellosk

Silver
Mar 18, 2002
4,169
58
48
You may want to send an email to Papillon. He's Dominican and has lived Michigan for quite some time. He hasn't posted for a couple of years, so you're probably better of with a email rather than a PM

http://www.dr1.com/forums/sendmessage.php?do=mailmember&u=12279

BTW: You're right about parts of Michigan being very segregated. I know a bi-racial couple that moved there from NJ and they experienced some real culture shock.
 
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