Life in the country side DR

[the gorgon]

The thread is about displaying life in the campo PERIOD!!! It is not about the DARKSIDE of the campo in DR. Everybody knows their is dark part to every society all across the globe, but the video is NOT about that.

No education, no jobs , no careers, no human development training etc. It does not take a genius to under stand the cause and effect if NONE of these things are visible or common.

BTW It does not make gorgon or HUG intelligent by standing in the middle of a Dominican campo and saying to themselves " I think BAD things happen here"

again, if i am understanding the thread correctly, YOU were the one who stated that the people from the campo were very, very, strong people, and proceeded to rhapsodize about your admiration for them. well, any grown person with half a brain knows that such remarks are likely to elicit the counterpoints. your dogmatic references to the bright side of the campo denizens is likely to cause opposing viewpoints to be ventilated.

unless, of course, you believe that there should be no contrary viewpoints after you have issued your edicts.

 

[malko]

@ matilda, so sorry for Simba's brother and sister...... so sad and horrid.
Was in POP at SIL visiting Ricky, Simbas brother....... thought I was going to cry..... ( well I was also visitimg SIL and MIL----of course:devious: ).

 

[dv8]

here, a great story from diario libre:
Juan Santiago, el pueblo del olvido - DiarioLibre.com

 

[HUG]

This is ridiculous. Not one of ys are living as basic a campo l7fe as the thread is dire ted towards, so stop with the 'I live in campo, I'm living on the edge of poverty'. Just be ause ypu have a field within viewpoint does not mean you are camposino. I lived on the outskirts of Jarabacoa, many think that was campo, but I had internet, cable, phone, hot water etc so lets be real. My place in La Caleta is much more campo than many of our 'campos' us gring8s l7ve in. tin roof, no kitchen, no toilets, water brough in by hand, no police presence, dog fights, child abuse, everyone is missing front teeth and some do not kniw how old they are. And this is a stones throw from the Capital.
Campo is relevant, our interpretation is very relevant, but our experiences form both of these and so our opinions will vary massively. Real hard Dlminican Campo living is not where Matilda or any of us live full time. Its tough, nasty, ****ty living wifh absolutely no future and people eilling to do whatever it takes to get out. It aint at all romsntic or peaceful livint, so get real people.

 

[AlterEgo]

We live in the campo, west of San Cristobal. Most of the people here do have block houses, not all of them have cement floors [compressed dirt], running water, etc. They pretty much live off the money family in the US send them, and shop only at the colmado. Very few have even beat up cars. These people, for the most part, would rob you blind given half a minute. Very few exceptions.

We have a small house on 15 tareas [well, according to the surveyor someone has stolen one, as there are only 14 now]. It's peaceful and quiet most of the time [neighbors on one side can be very loud], and we dread going into San Cristobal or Santo Domingo.

We did spend the entire day in Santo Domingo today, had to bring some Stihl equipment for repair, do some shopping, met a DR1er, exchange a defective chair, etc. On the way down Luperon at the end of the day, after dodging darting cars, squeegee guys, road-hog trucks & buses, etc., all day, Mr. AE looked at me and said "I don't belong here anymore". Then he paused a few seconds, and said "Thank God".

Back to the campo by 5 pm, unwinding.

 

[Matilda]

This is ridiculous. Not one of ys are living as basic a campo l7fe as the thread is dire ted towards, so stop with the 'I live in campo, I'm living on the edge of poverty'. Just be ause ypu have a field within viewpoint does not mean you are camposino. I lived on the outskirts of Jarabacoa, many think that was campo, but I had internet, cable, phone, hot water etc so lets be real. My place in La Caleta is much more campo than many of our 'campos' us gring8s l7ve in. tin roof, no kitchen, no toilets, water brough in by hand, no police presence, dog fights, child abuse, everyone is missing front teeth and some do not kniw how old they are. And this is a stones throw from the Capital.
Campo is relevant, our interpretation is very relevant, but our experiences form both of these and so our opinions will vary massively. Real hard Dlminican Campo living is not where Matilda or any of us live full time. Its tough, nasty, ****ty living wifh absolutely no future and people eilling to do whatever it takes to get out. It aint at all romsntic or peaceful livint, so get real people.

[video=youtube;DAtSw3daGoo]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAtSw3daGoo[/video]

 

[DRob]

Sorry, trying to catch up here.

Are we actually debating the question of "how happy are the desperately poor?"

Somehow, I get the feeling the answer to that question matters far more to personal edification of the debaters, than to the aforementioned poor folk. I'm sure they would prefer to live a lifestyle where decent food, quality education, indoor plumbing and, you know, doors and floors are kind of the norm.

 

[the gorgon]

Sorry, trying to catch up here.

Are we actually debating the question of "how happy are the desperately poor?"

Somehow, I get the feeling the answer to that question matters far more to personal edification of the debaters, than to the aforementioned poor folk. I'm sure they would prefer to live a lifestyle where decent food, quality education, indoor plumbing and, you know, doors and floors are kind of the norm.

my argument is with JMB, who seems to believe that the desperately poor campo people serve a higher God. as AE said, they too would rob you in a heartbest.

 

[dv8]

Are we actually debating the question of "how happy are the desperately poor?"

some folks here get nostalgic about simple life. ask them how long they will stay in the deep campo with no power, no running water and a corrugated roof over their head. it's like going back 100 years. thanks, i'll pass.

 

[Matilda]

Poverty is not a character flaw, it is a social condition. Around half of the people in the DR are classified as living in poverty. I don't think anyone chooses to live that way, and it is not a condition unique to the DR. Ask the homeless on the streets of the United States if they would rather be poor here or there.
The fact is that there are many people in the DR, around 30% from the census if my memory serves me correctly who live in the countryside. The younger ones migrate to the towns where they believe the pot of gold lies. In many of the barrios in towns there is no running water and sporadic electricity, and corrugated iron roofs. That is not unique to living in the countryside. In the same way thieves and bad people live all over the country - that is not unique to the countryside.
Those that live with all mod cons, dishwashers, breadmakers, air conditioning whatever, cannot imagine life without them and they need the electronic appliances plus the iphones, blackberries and other thingies to make their lives complete. There is something to be said to going back to a simpler way of life for those that choose to, and no one is forcing anyone to do that. It is your choice. But those who want a simpler way of life, the DR offers it. And for those Dominicans who do live in poverty it is very hard to break the cycle, but some do, and they will continue to do so. There are several programmes going on across the country in the poorer provinces to try and help people earn more money by planting more, by giving them low interest loans to increase production. This should not be a thread to mock those who live that way, and no one is asking anyone to do it. Surely this should be to learn and understand the good points of a more simple life and maybe time to appreciate what you do have?

Matilda

 

[dv8]

this should also not be about calling poverty and hardships "peaceful", "beautiful" and "enjoyable".

 

[Matilda]

this should also not be about calling poverty and hardships "peaceful", "beautiful" and "enjoyable".

They may not be for you, but for those who live in the campo with little money they have never known any different life. Yes it is peaceful, yes they have fun, for those in the mountains it is often beautiful. Downside is they are sometimes hungry and cannot have the material possessions. No one gets their knickers in a twist that they have to go outside to the toilet. No one gets uptight there are no posh ceramic tiles on the floor, instead there is dirt. There is no comparison. You could not live like them, but it does not mean they are not content living as they do - they know no different.

Mat

 

[dv8]

that they do not know any different does not mean they would not want to have power, running water and some cash to spare.

 

[malko]

Turned into a strange thread.......

Campo=rural, logic no ??? Lots of poor folk in the campos....... but lots of poor folk in the cities as well, so....... the point is ???

I live in the campo ( well maybe not to some posters standards.....erhmmm ), everytime I go to town ( POP, SD or santiago ) and someone asks me where I live ( and I name a nearby village, cos no one has ever heard of mine..... ), they exclaim," Dios mio,!! / maria santissimo !!! Es el campo !!".
So if domincans qualify it as a campo, than campo it is.

A second point is, one can live in the campo and have lots ( if not all modern facilities )......... luz is more off than on, get an imversor and some batteries. Water is scare, build a cistern and buy a tinacoa......whoooo comstant water. Want pressure, buy a water pump.
I have inside toilets ( 8 of them, even....), thank u very much. A swimmimg pool, cable Tv, internet ( ok, off a claro sim card....), ceramic floors, tiles on the roof........ but I still live in the campo.

Third point would be, IF I was dominican ( which I am not.....yet ) and IF I was poor ( which I am....), would I want to be poor on a noisy, dirty, overpopulated city...... or would I prefer trees and rivers and peace and quiet ( ok maybe not peace and quiet ) ???????

Nobody will bluff me...... the worst living conditions I have seen were in the cities......
Its just plain dumb to state that all campo houses are dumps....... most are, but there again in towns most are too !!!!!

 

[HUG]

some people never got the hint a long time ago, and are still after many years still squeezing by on 'experi3nc3'. I have to wonder where people really came from to appreciate sh1t.

 

[Harleysrock]

Those that say that one cannot live i this country without at least $3000 a month haven't noticed that half of the country lives on less than that per year!

Oh I notice it everyday and it is not for me!!

 

[dv8]

some people never got the hint a long time ago, and are still after many years still squeezing by on 'experi3nc3'. I have to wonder where people really came from to appreciate sh1t.

this thread reminds me about into the wild book by krakauer about this dumb student who fancied himself as a next thoreau and vowed to live with nature in alaska only to perish some three months later. boy, did that book make me angry.

with that note i'm outta this poor-but-happy squabble.

 

[HUG]

this thread reminds me about into the wild book by krakauer about this dumb student who fancied himself as a next thoreau and vowed to live with nature in alaska only to perish some three months later. boy, did that book make me angry.

with that note i'm outta this poor-but-happy squabble.

That was a book of spiritual suicide, nothing more. His time was as **** as anyone elses, but romanced in the script. I once got robbed in Barcelona and had to hitch to Andalucia. Aged 22, most miserable 2 weeks of my life. But never got shot fir robbing from farms.

 

[Africaida]

Downside is they are sometimes hungry

Mat

I was with you until that sentence. Going hungry is not a "downside" and no human beings is content to do so.but I understand that it happens whether one is a campo or a barrio.

 

[Marcion]

I don't get it.

Are they selling a soundtrack or something?