A kindler, gentler....

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Chip00

Guest
For all the naysayers that say Dominicans aren't really civil, etc. etc I would like to say I'm back in the States and I'm already missing the friendliness I've been accustomed to back home in the DR. In fact, I myself, while never really being unfriendly have noticed that I am a lot more friendly than I used to be in addition to being more patient when waiting in lines and definitely a more courteous driver.

Maybe some can be attributed to not being in the "ratrace" but not all of it. I also see that most of my compatriots are always running around like they have 500 things to do and am wondering if this is the price to pay for having power that never goes out, good streets and good customer service. Who knows? All I know is I am a friendlier and more courteous person since I moved to the DR and that is good.

Now if we can just get the power to stay on 24/7, the potholes filled and responsible gov't. the DR would be heaven on earth!
 
G

gary short

Guest
Geez...chip....you sound so Canadian......whoops..I didn't really mean that.....sorry....I mean pardon me.....excuse me..never mind..
 

StellaRay

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Apr 8, 2007
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Chip, I agree with you about feeling more relaxed being outside the "ratrace". I'm from the East Coast of the US, which is notorious for being "go, go, go" and extremely rude (which I totally disagree with, but hey, I know it's a common stereotype). I definitely feel more at ease in the DR....but I cannot believe that you're more patient in lines and traffic! As much as I love the DR, those are two things I could never get completely used to. I never thought that I'd have an appreciate the orderly lines of the US.
 

Rocky

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Apr 4, 2002
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Living in the DR malkes you a better person (or corrupts the heck out of you).
Your post is spot on, Chip.
It's almost as if the people up there have become dehumanized robots and forgotten the charms of life.
 

Andy B

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Jan 1, 2002
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Living in the DR malkes you a better person (or corrupts the heck out of you).
Your post is spot on, Chip.
It's almost as if the people up there have become dehumanized robots and forgotten the charms of life.

I'm assuming that when referring to "up there" you are referring to the NORTHERN part of the US. The southeastern part still retains much of its charm and is also still easy-going and civil compared to other parts of the country.
 

Rocky

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I'm assuming that when referring to "up there" you are referring to the NORTHERN part of the US. The southeastern part still retains much of its charm and is also still easy-going and civil compared to other parts of the country.
I suppose you are correct.
The farther North you go, the more uptight it gets.
 

sirlurksalot

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Apr 2, 2002
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Well North Dakota is pretty far north...

and we are certainly 'neighborly' to one another up here it is nothing like what we experience on a daily basis at our house in the DR. When a car drives by they honk and/or wave. When someone walks by they usually holler greetings and sometimes stop to chat a little...and this isn't just our neighbors, almost everybody is this friendly. This is what impressed me the most on my first visit in 1991...and this is still the case today. I can't think of any other place I'd rather be.
 

Ricardo900

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Jul 12, 2004
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Rat Race? What Rat Race???

What are you guys talking about?

I get up 5:45am in order to catch the 7:00am LIRR from Copiague, Long Island to NYC and from Penn Station hop on the 2 or 3 IRT one stop to 42nd st. and then take the Shuttle across to Grand Central Station to start work at 8:40am. Then leave work at 6:30pm so I can do the aforementioned in reverse, arrive back in Long Island around 9pm so I can watch an episode of Seinfeld then the 10pm news and hit the sack just so I can do it all over again. What's a rat race?? I thought this is what normal New York life is all about:)
 

Kyle

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Jun 2, 2006
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here in the nation's capital area, the ratrace is what makes you who you are. it seperates "the haves" from "the have nots".

the ratrace is also responsible for the money we make to come to the DR every 2 months..:laugh:
 

A.Hidalgo

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Apr 28, 2006
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What are you guys talking about?

I get up 5:45am in order to catch the 7:00am LIRR from Copiague, Long Island to NYC and from Penn Station hop on the 2 or 3 IRT one stop to 42nd st. and then take the Shuttle across to Grand Central Station to start work at 8:40am. Then leave work at 6:30pm so I can do the aforementioned in reverse, arrive back in Long Island around 9pm so I can watch an episode of Seinfeld then the 10pm news and hit the sack just so I can do it all over again. What's a rat race?? I thought this is what normal New York life is all about:)



Rat race it is, but I thought you lived in Brooklyn Heights??
 

miguel

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Jul 2, 2003
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Me lo dice.....

What are you guys talking about?

I get up 5:45am in order to catch the 7:00am LIRR from Copiague, Long Island to NYC and from Penn Station hop on the 2 or 3 IRT one stop to 42nd st. and then take the Shuttle across to Grand Central Station to start work at 8:40am. Then leave work at 6:30pm so I can do the aforementioned in reverse, arrive back in Long Island around 9pm so I can watch an episode of Seinfeld then the 10pm news and hit the sack just so I can do it all over again. What's a rat race?? I thought this is what normal New York life is all about:)
Man, do I know what you are talking about!!.

I lived in Brooklyn and worked in NYC. It was a pain in the axx just to get to work.

Looking for parking, every morning, to leave the car around the train station. Then waiting for the L train to take me to 14th St. Then waiting for the F train to take me to 42nd street. Then walking a few blocks to make a line to buy coffee and a bagel. And that doesn't include ALL the rude people you encounter on a daily basis.

Then repeat the same routine the next day, starting a 7am.

When I got sick and tired of it, I moved to "Alaska".

Now, I drive to work, 3 MILES AWAY. Every day life is sloooooower and I love every single second of it!!.

I am here to tell you that since I moved here, back in 1997, I have not heard ONE car "honking" if I don't move fast when the light turns to green, NOT ONE!. This is paradise!!.

I guess it all depends where you live in the US.
 

Alyonka

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Jun 3, 2006
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I also noticed much less stressful atmosphere when I was in the DR, maybe it is was just me because I was on vacation? But what happened in VA Tech yesterday shows that stress affects not just working adults but young people. Could something like that happen in the DR? Would this be possible there? How is atmosphere in Dominican schools? Sometimes I think I should take my kid and move out of the US as soon as I can:paranoid:

P.S. Sorry if I am getting out of subject, but what is happening with kids and guns in the US is scary ...
 

M.A.R.

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Feb 18, 2006
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What are you guys talking about?

I get up 5:45am in order to catch the 7:00am LIRR from Copiague, Long Island to NYC and from Penn Station hop on the 2 or 3 IRT one stop to 42nd st. and then take the Shuttle across to Grand Central Station to start work at 8:40am. Then leave work at 6:30pm so I can do the aforementioned in reverse, arrive back in Long Island around 9pm so I can watch an episode of Seinfeld then the 10pm news and hit the sack just so I can do it all over again. What's a rat race?? I thought this is what normal New York life is all about:)

why don't u just take the cross town bus at 34th st.to the east side and just walk up to 42nd st.and you'll spend some time outdoor before locking yourself up in an office. ;)

This raterace gets to me when there's a sick passenger in the train and the train goes out of service and you must pack yourself in the next train and you get to work late....arghghgh, every single day is the same routine.

Ok but one strange thing happens when I go to the DR for vacation, after the few weeks there, I kinda want to leave!!!!! once I come back and I hit the US and the highway, everyone seems to be so polite and people follow the traffics rules and wait for you to cross the street, and say excuse me and thank you :cheeky: .
 

Ricardo900

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Jul 12, 2004
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Still a Brooklyn kid.

Rat race it is, but I thought you lived in Brooklyn Heights??

I was using an example on how miserable the rat-race with a long commute for many New Yorkers and coupled with their lousy two week vacations a year, just so that they can make ends meet while they're waiting for retirement to truly enjoy LIFE or their pending death, which ever comes first. I say "Live smarter and not harder" . I personally would rather sell coconuts and live in a small modest house while I enjoy the things I like to do. Air-conditioning would be nice.