The phases: euphoria, annoyance, acceptance
When I first moved to Santo Domingo, I was in an almost euphoric state for the first few months. Just being in a different country - and one with such a sunny, great culture - was so inspiring and life-affirming. It changed the entire way I looked at life: Before, I was a neurotic New Yorker who thought life was just drudgery consisting of subways, dead-end jobs and cold winters. I didn't think it was possible to be truly happy. Then, after experiencing a few months in the DR, I was thinking, "Ah ... now this is life! People enjoy themselves, despite the hardships, and life is a wonderful melange of beautiful women, vibrant music, mountains of rice and beans and platanos, iced cold bottles of Presidente, beautiful palms and beaches, and friendly people." I was filled with energy, and I wanted to do all kinds of things like learn guitar, paint, write a novel, etc. (None of which I ever actually did, but they were nice thoughts.)
Then I started to get a bit disillusioned. The electricity cut out almost every day. Service everywhere was impossibly slow. Getting anything done (i.e. getting the electricity hooked up; dealing with the water company) was next to impossible. I spoke about all this with a friend, an older British guy who had lived there for many years. He told me, "You can't come here and expect it to be like the US. This is their country, and you're a guest here. They don't have to adapt themselves to your way of life; you need to adapt yourself to their way of life." From that point on, I tried to take things in stride and not get annoyed when things invariably went completely wrong.
So, for the next three years, I truly enjoyed my life, despite our house getting burgled (twice), getting very sick from meat bought off a street vendor, barely having enough money to take a "publico" and hundreds of other annoyances. It was worth the cost, because I believed (and still believe) that only in the DR can one live life to the fullest.
Now I'm back in the US (Ft. Lauderdale), and it sucks. It's impossible to recapture the magic of Santo Domingo ... doesn't matter how many Latin bars and restaurants I go to, or how much Juan Luis Guerra I listen to ... there's something in the air in the DR that lifts me up out of myself and that is simply not present in the US. It's a feeling of tranquility, of transcending everyday cares, of truly feeling fulfilled and happy, and of loving the place in which you live. It's life as it should be lived. (To be fair, Presidente also played a large role ....)
