Why do People in DR think I'm Rich???

Hi everyone, I'm sorry if I sound like I'm moaning, groaning, and whining, but I have an issue every time I go to DR: people think I'm rich. My own family (in DR) is especially guilty of this. They always talk about myself and my parents as if we're rolling in the dough when we're not! I've gotten the whole "you're life is easy beyond belief" spiel from everyone in DR except, of course, from the few upper class people I've become acquainted with. My grandmother constantly undercuts the hardships that my parents have gone through in this country to become marginally successful. She makes light of the fact that my parents came here in their late 20's and 30's with nothing and , just like a lot of other immigrants in this country, had to etch out a living for themselves. My parents had to work full time and go to night school for years to learn English, as I'm sure many other people have done in this country; My father in particular had to go to college again in this country because his degree from DR was worth nothing here. I have tried over and over to explain to them that no one has it easy and that my parents have gone through hell for everything they've acquired in this country. I always hear them talking about how everything here is much cheaper than it is over there and are adamant about that assumption (even though they've never set foot here, so they're speaking out of their ass). I have to argue tooth and nail to make them realize that life here is anything but easy, but it certainly doesn't help when they see other extended family members that live in the U.S. that either make lots of money because they (sadly) sell drugs or because they save their meager paychecks all year to buy flashy things when they go to DR (para aparentar ser ricos). These same extended family members love nothing more than to fill my family in DR with false dreams about how things in the U.S. are practically gifted when it comes to price ( no wonder so many people lose their lives in yolas trying to come to the country "where everyone is rich". Does anyone else have this problem? How do you deal with oral diahrea such as this? Sorry to sound like such a little B*tch but I'm at my wits end with having to hear such absurd notions and I have to go back every few months for medical reasons so I always have to put up with their clueless yammering.

Maybe it is my persona and don't realize ( although the Elite in my handle refers to the entire name- I've always been believed in academic excellence and I chose my handle so that it would reflect that I am an Elite scholar). I guess I should just not worry about it too much, and quite frankly I'm tired of having to justify myself to people who know nothing about, or have never set foot in, the U.S. From now on I'll just try and steer the conversation in another direction as it's clear that other people deal with this too.

I'm sorry If I offended anyone...

Thanks guys, you've all made really good points, I can't keep tiring myself out trying to make people understand my situation if it will only be futile at best. And to AZB I'm sorry if I offended your sensibilities but I'm an intelligent individual like everyone else in this forum and I've always known that there are wealthy populations in DR, populations of people that have more money than I will ever dream of making in a lifetime, so please don't make it seem as if I live under a rock and don't know about this fact of life. At the same time I realize that I should have been more specific and should have mentioned that it is mostly Dominicans from lower socioeconomic backgrounds (and some middle class) that think I'm rich. In short, I'm very far from rich and the only people who don't see that are the people who've had even less than I all their lives. And for the record, I don't understand what AZB means when he writes that I have to get to know the "real" Dominicans; I wasn't aware that there was a certain checklist of things that make someone a "real" Dominican (although judging from the way he wrote his statement it seemed as though he was reffering to "well-off" Dominicans as the "real" Dominicans). Oh well, to each his own, I hate to throw this thread off track.Thanks to everyone here I have realized that I really need to relax and take it with a grain of salt. Keep the answers coming though, there's no such thing as too much advice!

Thank you so much Lambada, you stated what I was just about to state. Since I only know my family in DR they are the people that I am around all the time. And like Lambada said, I would probably be considered "plastica" (a snob) as some people say, if I were to only hang out with young Dominicans from well-to-do families while ignoring my own kin. I try to live my life reminding myself that I am no better than anyone (thanks to my parents); fortunately I had parents that served me a generous portion of humble pie whenever I was getting too big for my britches so that I could grow up knowing one simple fact: I am no worse or no better than anyone; anyone that thinks they are better than another human being should certainly get off any high horse that makes them feel as if those less fortunate are mere peons . AZB you've made some good points on issues in other threads but I must say that you've handled your responses to my thread quite distastefully. I was asking for pointers and help for making my family realize that I am not rich, I was NOT looking to be told that I should hang around a "different class" of Dominicans. I'm very sorry if I offend anyone guys, I'm just having a bad day and the last post rubbed me the wrong way.

No AZB I am not asking expats to delve into and interpret the psyche of my Dominican family, I was simply asking how everyone conveys to their families that they are not rich either. And I'm sorry about my last post, it had quite an angry tone to it and I had no right to address you that way, my apologies.