Dollar goes below 30 pesos

[El Belga]

Green go

Excuse me sir... please excuse me. You are not a what? "Gringo"? What do you mean by "not a real gringo"? What IS a REAL GRINGO?

Etymologically, the word "Gringo" comes from "Green, go !" (Green = US army), so a gringo, as reminded me a Dominican no later than yesterday, is someone from the US and I'm just a European (mix of Polish, Dutch and Belgian families, with also a bit of French blood running in my veins and a lot in my brain as this is my culture) and rather satisfied not to be obliged to beat around the Bush ... Althought Euro is dropping the same way as the USD does regarding the RD Peso (may be DR will become the new Switzerland with its strong curreny ), USD is dropping even faster in front of the Euro (2 months ago, I received 1170 USD for 1000 Euro, today rate is 1260 for 1000. And I am afraid this is just a beginning. Pretty good news for the US economy, and for the US citizens who rely on Europeans relatives sending them money and on tourism

 

[Lambada]

Very subtle, El Belga, and VERY funny. A whole new business opportunity eh? Remittances from Europe to US? Wonder if it would outpace remittances to DR?

 

[DominicanScotty]

Etymologically, the word "Gringo" comes from "Green, go !" (Green = US army), so a gringo, as reminded me a Dominican no later than yesterday, is someone from the US and I'm just a European (mix of Polish, Dutch and Belgian families, with also a bit of French blood running in my veins and a lot in my brain as this is my culture) and rather satisfied not to be obliged to beat around the Bush ... Althought Euro is dropping the same way as the USD does regarding the RD Peso (may be DR will become the new Switzerland with its strong curreny ), USD is dropping even faster in front of the Euro (2 months ago, I received 1170 USD for 1000 Euro, today rate is 1260 for 1000. And I am afraid this is just a beginning. Pretty good news for the US economy, and for the US citizens who rely on Europeans relatives sending them money and on tourism

To all of you semi gringos!

This is getting good! I am enjoying this because by reading your little remarks I see the undertones of what you are trying to say. Good for you, freeedom of speech is worth fighting for isn't it? Yes, yes, yes you are also preaching to the choir. Do you think a Dominican, Mexican or whatever really gives a hoot whether you are an American, Chinese, from the North Pole or even a "semi gringo" from Europe or not? Is this American bashing or what? Europeans have been visiting the Dominican Republic long before those @#$%^ AI Americans started coming down here. You wanna get in on a secret??? Sure you do! The Dominicans were calling the Europeans....... GRINGOS *SIGH* a long time (and I mean a long long time) before those no good Americans even thought about coming to the Dominican Republic. Before Castro the Americans were living it up in Cuba while some Europeans decided to follow some other Europeans that were allowed to live in peace in the Dominican Republic until these other Europeans arrived. Technically you are correct, great for you! Now that you have won the moral victory accept the fact that the term "gringo" has been adopted by "all Spanish speaking countries" to mean "F-O-R-E-I-G-N-E-R". Either you are a native born in the Dominican Republic, a NY Dominican, Miami Dominican whatever.... or you are a "gringo". Case closed.

DominicanScotty... Half Dominican, 100% GRINGO, 100% American and proud of it! Not meaning to beat around the Bush....

 

[Stephan]

... yep, still I think you don't know what I am talking of ... I guess the only information you have comes somewhat detoriated from TV, newspapers, perhaps a few stays in a country such as Cuba, even though one can not really compare the life in Cuba with the one in former Eastern Germany ... you probably never lived in such a country throughout several years. So, please be careful with your judgements ...

Beeing a german taxpayer and paying off the burden of socialistic economy in the former "Deutsche Demokratische Republik" I know very well what I am talking about.
Its easy to cry a river about the lazy days in the "DDR" when other people are shouldering the results of "real existing socialism", where, as You said, money was not that important....

 

[jrzyguy]

greedy gringo vs frugal gringos

at the risk of sounding insensative to the plight of the avg dominican....i think one has to take into consideration that many people travel to the DR precisely because it is affordable and a good deal......and also a great place. I would think that a govt would try to keep the tourism trade going as strong as possible...and i would think that a bad exchange rate might keep SOME people from traveling there.

I however cant wait till january 20th....when i will be on my way there.....and on that weekend catching a good game of beisball in San Pedro D.M. (and i dont give a darn what the exchange rate is! i am GOING!)

I guess my point is....the exchange rate effects both the locals and the tourists and then again the locals. IF we stupid, arrogant and obnoxious gringos cant get a bang for our buck....then there is less money being pumped into the local economy....and that can not be a good thing.

Who knows tho....it all could work out. By a bad exchange rate there might be less gringos going there to find the mythical 5 dollar lobster and UBH....and then perhaps a better class of tourism. who knows.

Ok...hope i didnt p*** anyone off....but dem are my 2 pesos

 

[sweetdbt]

anyone know why?

As a Gringo Santiaguero, I find it repulsive that all I ever read is complaints about the exchange rate. Have you ever bothered to look past your selfish greed to consider the plight of the average Dominican. In the past year, while YOUR dollar has gone from 20 to 55, the price of eggs, platanos and chickens have more than TRIPLED. But I guess you probably don't know this (or WANT to know). The real treasure of this country is not just in the beaches or the mountains or the putas that cater to you, but in the people that live their whole lives here, the people you pass in the airport or on the highway or that serve you in the restaurant that they could never afford. The only thing that makes me sick of this country is the extrangueros that come and go, taking all that is pleasing and leaving behind (or perhaps never even considering) a people of less fortune that know nothing of the world outside, and perhaps are better for it. For all your great worldliness, you can't even see what's beyond your own nose and right in front of your own eyes.

While I could question a couple of GOLFGUY's figures, I don't think you can argue with his point that the current price structure is really hard on the Dominican people. The thing that puzzles me is: why have prices of things which would appear to be totally domestic like plantanos and eggs gone up in price so much? I just don't see how the exchange rate should have such a profound effect on these items. There have to be other reasons.

I'd be interested to hear what DR1 thinks about this. Hard data and conspiracy theories equally welcome.

 

[El Belga]

To all of you semi gringos!

This is getting good! I am enjoying this because by reading your little remarks I see the undertones of what you are trying to say. Good for you, freeedom of speech is worth fighting for isn't it? Yes, yes, yes you are also preaching to the choir. Do you think a Dominican, Mexican or whatever really gives a hoot whether you are an American, Chinese, from the North Pole or even a "semi gringo" from Europe or not? Is this American bashing or what? Europeans have been visiting the Dominican Republic long before those @#$%^ AI Americans started coming down here. You wanna get in on a secret??? Sure you do! The Dominicans were calling the Europeans....... GRINGOS *SIGH* a long time (and I mean a long long time) before those no good Americans even thought about coming to the Dominican Republic. Before Castro the Americans were living it up in Cuba while some Europeans decided to follow some other Europeans that were allowed to live in peace in the Dominican Republic until these other Europeans arrived. Technically you are correct, great for you! Now that you have won the moral victory accept the fact that the term "gringo" has been adopted by "all Spanish speaking countries" to mean "F-O-R-E-I-G-N-E-R". Either you are a native born in the Dominican Republic, a NY Dominican, Miami Dominican whatever.... or you are a "gringo". Case closed.

DominicanScotty... Half Dominican, 100% GRINGO, 100% American and proud of it! Not meaning to beat around the Bush....

Well, I do not care being a gringo or not, I just wanted to say that some consider I'm not, as I'm not American. Personally, they can call me what ever they want as long as they remain correct...
In Sosua, they called me "Un Alem?n" (a German), as most of the foreigners who lived there while I did as well (4 years ago) were Germans. I have a funny record of a night in a bar when one of the waitress received a phone call, became very excited and went off the bar running. I asked to another waitress what happened and she told me "Lleg? su novio Alem?n" (Her German boy friend arrived). I saw the girl half an hour later with the so called German who in fact was Italian. I think that for most of the uneducated Dominicans, there are just 3 countries : "Nueba Yol", Germany and DR. I alos remember someone asked a friend of mine how long it took to go to Cuba by car... And several people were amazed that English was not my native language as I was not Dominican.
So the world is clearly split between DR and the rest of the world where everyone must speak English or German.

Sorry, I know all this is off topic, but I started to answer about the fact of being a Gringo or not and there are so many stories I could tell about the way Dominicans consider foreigners...

 

[Snuffy]

Simple - You will pay it.

While I could question a couple of GOLFGUY's figures, I don't think you can argue with his point that the current price structure is really hard on the Dominican people. The thing that puzzles me is: why have prices of things which would appear to be totally domestic like plantanos and eggs gone up in price so much? I just don't see how the exchange rate should have such a profound effect on these items. There have to be other reasons.

I'd be interested to hear what DR1 thinks about this. Hard data and conspiracy theories equally welcome.

Law of supply and demand. You will pay the price and so they price it high. There has been an enormous amount of money and people coming back into this country. Suppliers see the surge and they are happy with a certain buying level. If at that buying level they can get the current prices...well then they do it. You may not like it but that is reality here. I don't think it is going to get any better soon. Don't expect it. For some of us it is no big deal. For others, those less financially fortunate, it can be a squeeze and they will have to adjust their lives accordingly. I have had to adjust mine. Now that I have...we are okay.

 

[DominicanScotty]

Well, I do not care being a gringo or not, I just wanted to say that some consider I'm not, as I'm not American. Personally, they can call me what ever they want as long as they remain correct...
In Sosua, they called me "Un Alem?n" (a German), as most of the foreigners who lived there while I did as well (4 years ago) were Germans. I have a funny record of a night in a bar when one of the waitress received a phone call, became very excited and went off the bar running. I asked to another waitress what happened and she told me "Lleg? su novio Alem?n" (Her German boy friend arrived). I saw the girl half an hour later with the so called German who in fact was Italian. I think that for most of the uneducated Dominicans, there are just 3 countries : "Nueba Yol", Germany and DR. I alos remember someone asked a friend of mine how long it took to go to Cuba by car... And several people were amazed that English was not my native language as I was not Dominican.
So the world is clearly split between DR and the rest of the world where everyone must speak English or German.

Sorry, I know all this is off topic, but I started to answer about the fact of being a Gringo or not and there are so many stories I could tell about the way Dominicans consider foreigners...

Yes, LOL...we are a little but off the subject of the thread. But I enjoyed your point. Another fact is that most Dominicans will tell you what they think you want to hear. I don't know how many times I played a joke on them by telling them that I was German only to hear them tell me that they hated Americans. I would then whip out my New York drivers liscense and then they would laugh and say....aye yie yie, those nasty Germans...no good! Get my point? It is a survival game with them and they will say and do whatever it takes to get that daggone Pablo Duarte out of your hand. God Bless them because they certainly try.

Getting to the subject at hand regarding the peso vs the dollar. I see it everytime I go down there as I spend alot of time in the campo. Even though the people that live in the campo and mostly off of their land it is getting more and more difficult to sell their livestock. The people in the barrios are hurting the most... Personally, I don't care about the prices because I am fortunate and therefore grateful for the great life I live. I feel horrible for the poor Dominican family and this crazed fluctuation of the peso vs the dollar. While us gringos and (er hmm semi-gringos) complain about paying for a gallon of gas at least we can buy it. Keep in mind that most gringos spend more money on a couple of Presidentes then a typical Dominican makes in an entire day....and I mean a long day.

 

[juancarlos]

Regarding this Gringo thing...

In Cuba the word "gringo" was hardly used. White, English-Speaking Americans were always called Yankees, Canadians and Britons were called just that, unless people at first mistook them for Americans, in which case they would be referred to as Yankees too. Spaniards, regardless of region they came from were called "gallegos", Arabs were called "moros" even if they were Christian, or "Turks". Some Jews were also called "turks" or "moros", but since the large majority came from Eastern Europe and Poland, specifically, they were usually called "Polacos" or Poles, even if they came from Germany. People from Spain's Canary Islands were always "isle?os" or islanders. There were other people who came from Spain's other islands, like Majorca, but they were never called "isle?os". And of course, Chinese were always called chinos even if they were born in Cuba and so were called all other Asians of the Mongoloid race since Cubans could not tell the difference and to make it simple, they took the Chinese nationality and applied it to them all!

In Mexico when they say "gringos", they refer specifically to white Americans, they also use the word "gabacho". I heard that in Spain "gabacho" was what some Spaniards called their French neighbors, often in a pejorative way. Also, Argentinians did not use "gringo" for Americans but for Italian inmigrants! Which leads me to think that the origin of this word has little to do with the often told story about "green-go", but originated in Europe, the same as gabacho, and that its meaning changed over the years and today in many parts of the Spanish speaking New World it is used to refer to those other "foreigners", the Yankees. As it is evident, it changed so much that in some countries it is applied to blond foreigners, period. That may be the case in the DR, based on what I have read here.

 

[gringo in dr]

The real origin of the word gringo

 

[Escott]

I knew the belgian was a friggin gringo!

Hah!

 

[Robert]

Get back on topic otherwise this thread is history.

 

[ustelephone]

To all of you semi gringos!

This is getting good! I am enjoying this because by reading your little remarks I see the undertones of what you are trying to say. Good for you, freeedom of speech is worth fighting for isn't it? Yes, yes, yes you are also preaching to the choir. Do you think a Dominican, Mexican or whatever really gives a hoot whether you are an American, Chinese, from the North Pole or even a "semi gringo" from Europe or not? Is this American bashing or what? Europeans have been visiting the Dominican Republic long before those @#$%^ AI Americans started coming down here. You wanna get in on a secret??? Sure you do! The Dominicans were calling the Europeans....... GRINGOS *SIGH* a long time (and I mean a long long time) before those no good Americans even thought about coming to the Dominican Republic. Before Castro the Americans were living it up in Cuba while some Europeans decided to follow some other Europeans that were allowed to live in peace in the Dominican Republic until these other Europeans arrived. Technically you are correct, great for you! Now that you have won the moral victory accept the fact that the term "gringo" has been adopted by "all Spanish speaking countries" to mean "F-O-R-E-I-G-N-E-R". Either you are a native born in the Dominican Republic, a NY Dominican, Miami Dominican whatever.... or you are a "gringo". Case closed.

DominicanScotty... Half Dominican, 100% GRINGO, 100% American and proud of it! Not meaning to beat around the Bush....

Dominicans use a lot of words for the wrong reasons.

For the record, GRINGO started in Panama (which used to be part of Colombia) when President Teddy Roosevelt sent US troops to back revolutionaries seeking independence. The reason we did this was because the President of Colombia would not sell us the land to build the Panama Canal. As stated in an earlier post it comes from GREEN-GO, US Army in GREEN GOing through Panama.

 

[ustelephone]

While I could question a couple of GOLFGUY's figures, I don't think you can argue with his point that the current price structure is really hard on the Dominican people. The thing that puzzles me is: why have prices of things which would appear to be totally domestic like plantanos and eggs gone up in price so much? I just don't see how the exchange rate should have such a profound effect on these items. There have to be other reasons.

I'd be interested to hear what DR1 thinks about this. Hard data and conspiracy theories equally welcome.

The numbers are right!

My rent $12,000 pesos
Last year peso at 48 = $250
Now at 29 = $413

That's a 40% increase. Try a calculator before you talk numbers.

 

[ustelephone]

Is the tourism season going to happen?

The owner where I change money told me not to expect the dollar to gain strength anytime soon because of the start of tourism season and the expected influx of dollars.

Do tourists check exchange rates? Will they choose another destination where the exchange is better, like Costa Rica?

I moved here a year ago because I like it here, not because of prices. I accepted a job paying me what it costs me to live and then some. Due to the decline, I am once again broke, and in debt. I know I will not find a higher paying job in pesos or dollars, so my only thought is to move. I have to believe a lot of other foreigners are thinking the same.

Just wondering what the other permanent guests are thinking.

 

[Malibook]

Do tourists check exchange rates? Will they choose another destination where the exchange is better, like Costa Rica?

From my very limited observations, it would seem that many tourists spend very little money outside of their resort (not that they spend any inside either) and thus would not really be much affected by the exchange.

I spend most of my time away from the resort and I found this trip was way more expensive than any of my previous 4.
Many of the prices are outrageously high even just compared to last year.

 

[Malibook]

The thing that puzzles me is: why have prices of things which would appear to be totally domestic like plantanos and eggs gone up in price so much? I just don't see how the exchange rate should have such a profound effect on these items. There have to be other reasons.

I'd be interested to hear what DR1 thinks about this. Hard data and conspiracy theories equally welcome.

I believe part of it is a matter of people trying to maintain their profits from less and less sales.

Oil's effect trickles throughout the economy but not enough to justify the inflation in the Dominican.

 

[sweetdbt]

The numbers are right!

My rent $12,000 pesos
Last year peso at 48 = $250
Now at 29 = $413

That's a 40% increase. Try a calculator before you talk numbers.

We must be talking about different figures. These are the ones I questioned (although only in passing, while acknowledging his principal point)

GOLFGUY said:

"In the past year, while YOUR dollar has gone from 20 to 55"

I went back and checked the exchange rate thread here, and in fact a year ago at this time the exchange rate was about 37. It hasn't been 20 for over 2 years. Unless I'm wrong, if it ever made it to 55, it was only for a day or 2. It is currently about 30.

Of course this doesn't change your dilemma, which is real. The only response I would have to that is that I don't know many people who believed the rate was going to stay in the high 40s, especially after the election. Rent seems to be one of the few things that did not go up dramatically with the exchange rate. You were able to take advantage of the high rate for a while, and now are experiencing cruel reality. I hope you are able to work things out.

 

[sweetdbt]

Law of supply and demand. You will pay the price and so they price it high. There has been an enormous amount of money and people coming back into this country. Suppliers see the surge and they are happy with a certain buying level. If at that buying level they can get the current prices...well then they do it. You may not like it but that is reality here. I don't think it is going to get any better soon. Don't expect it. For some of us it is no big deal. For others, those less financially fortunate, it can be a squeeze and they will have to adjust their lives accordingly. I have had to adjust mine. Now that I have...we are okay.

For now, the only place I ever pay for a plantano or an egg (or rice, beans, or chicken for that matter) is in a resteraunt. I would think that all but a fraction of these basic food staples are purchased by Dominicans, who, if prices have indeed tripled, must be having a tough time right now. I guess when they are no longer able to buy them at all, and they start rotting in the markets, they will lower the prices? Meanwhile a lot of people will suffer.