I never stayed long enough for culture shock to go through the full cycle. I stayed a year and left during the frustration phase for a job back home in Canada. Now I’m never back for more than a month at a time.
What frustrated me the most while living there was probably the heat. I lived in SD, had AC in my bedroom, but still it got to me every month except December. I acclimatized a bit, but I liked Cabarete better because I could at least walk to the beach.
Food was also frustrating. I like milk, and regular milk is hard to find. The norm is the boxed UHT milk that I tolerated but it tasted gross. Cheese also- I like dairy. A block of cheddar cheese in SD was ridiculously expensive for next to nothing. I was able to compromise a bit more on the cheese. Bacon- same as cheese. 10 slices in a box for like 400 pesos- get out of here. And I eat bacon maybe 1x every 2-3 months. If I ate steak I am sure it would be the same.
Guaguas. Both good and bad I suppose, I used them ALOT. Sure the A/C is nice in moderation, but then it gets excessive when it’s on full blast and you have to step out into the dense, thick city heat after travelling 1-2 hours.
Romeo Santos everywhere, I’m not a fan.
I had a hard time in the culture that I was part of, wherein the upper class was so far removed from reality. I’m not saying that is the norm across the island. That was my experience. That is not to say that Canada is perfect and everyone is aware of and considerate toward those less fortunate (absolutely not). But the division between rich and poor bothered me. Volunteering was important for me while I lived there, but so was working and I didn’t have a lot of free time.
Things I liked- the way the lab system worked. Much more efficient! My results would be emailed to me! I found out my
Blood Type and got an Amadita card for maybe 300 pesos. In Canada, I was told I could not find out unless I was in an accident or had a child, despite requiring regular blood work every 6
Cheap movies and restaurants was great, so I guess that aspect of food was okay.
Evenings in SD were also beautiful, with groups of friends. The malecón in San Pedro was also quite a cultural experience - until the gunshots 30ft from us. When I first spent time there, people would sit out in the street until 11-12pm and enjoy the cool breeze off the ocean. Neighbors would share music, food, and cool drinks. On our last visit, nearly everyone was inside, locked up by 9pm.
Samaná is probably the most romanticized in my mind. Las Terranas, Las Galeras, so beautiful.
I could probably go on for awhile. DR being my second experience adjusting to a new culture. The first I stayed 10 years and I left in frustration. In retrospect, I feel a sort of acceptance and appreciation for the experience. I think it will probably always be a sort of love-hate with the DR too.
