No one in DR should go hungry!

[pelaut]

It's a bit distracting to hear ex-pats that flee to poorer countries rhapsodize over child labor they see there.

I'm an American raised by a single mother in poor health. Pitching in to increase family resources wasn't "work", it was the objective of any idle time and came as natural as sunshine. Here's a list of most of the jobs I had from 9 to 19 years old, most full time, some up to 70 hours a week.

Selling light bulbs door-to-door, all kinds of gardening, mason's helper, printer's boy, pin-setter, dishwasher, busboy, pizza and hoagie maker, all night country singer in fisherman's bar, bellhop, cannery machines operator, factory foreman, radiator rodder, truck driver, dry cement tanker loader, forklift driver, parking valet, document taxonomist and a happy stint shilling for the tourists' Cha-Cha teacher at Bea Morley's 4 O'Clock night club.​

And I was ecstatic to have each of them. From 14 years old I paid all my own meals, clothing, transportation, schooling and whatever entertainment there was time for. From 17 years old I also paid for my shelter.

Not then, not now, did I ever consider myself poor or downtrodden. Had I done so, I'm certain I would not have led my full and satisfying life. Major disservice is done to Dominican kids when ex-pats openly regard them with pity.

 

[Xavier_Onassis]

Regarding someone with pity does not damage them. Perhaps there were those who saw you working your butt off and pitied you. You will never know.

You are not typical. Where you grew up was clearly not like the DR.

 

[pelaut]

. . . unskilled tasks like newspaper delivery, car washing, babysitting, etc. are not open to middle class teenagers the way they are in our countries of origin.

It seems so, I'm sure. But my grandson is 15, lives in Sweden where there's cradle-to-grave socialism. His mom's an engineer with a good position. Yet he delivers newspapers and had other odd jobs. His idle time goes to piano and violin practice and studying to maintain his A average.

He's not specially gifted. He's just ambitious.

And — OH! — his mom's Chinese . . . .

 

[Criss Colon]

See what I mean about,"BOTH WAYS"???????????????????????
I would like my 4 kids here to ''Pay Some Dues" doing some kind of low paying WORK.
But I don't want them being exposed to the people doing that work here !
'Shoe Shine Boys", "Baggers at SUPERMARKET", Constuction, no thanks!
My oldest daughter wants to be a vet.
She offered to volunteer in a vets office near our home, she was turned down.
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You Ain't In SWEDEN anymore"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Xavier_Onassis]

Sweden is not a nation of slackers, despite their social safety nets. It is a soundly middle class country with middle class values.

Go to Barahona and see if there are any openings for newspaper delivery. If you want the latest news, you can pick up the Listin Diario at the Simchomiba station every morning: usually they sell about 30 copies. Newspaper delivery is a job in a place where people read newspapers.

 

[the gorgon]

Sweden is not a nation of slackers, despite their social safety nets. It is a soundly middle class country with middle class values.

Go to Barahona and see if there are any openings for newspaper delivery. If you want the latest news, you can pick up the Listin Diario at the Simchomiba station every morning: usually they sell about 30 copies. Newspaper delivery is a job in a place where people read newspapers.

touche!!

 

[Commander Ooh La La USN]

we had this nasty old dude buy buying a packet of la pelas every now and then. when i questioned who does he bone at all i was informed that he gets really poor barrio girls for plato del dia. 100 to 150 pesos.

we need pics!!!

Sent from my SPH-M820-BST using Tapatalk 2

 

[Xavier_Onassis]

I have noticed that shoe shining is also not as profitable an occupation in Barahona, due to the high proportion of cloth shoes and flipflops. No one shines a flipflop. I wear a sort of sandal, and get them shined perhaps once a week.

Leather as the principal material form which shoes are made, is on the decline.

 

[Bronxboy]

I made a killing bussing tables at the Seashore in City Island when I was 16.

Easy 100 USD a night back in 1983. Hard work but was getting paid.

 

[frank recktenwald]

Me too, but in five feet of snow. At least 7 months out of the year.

Fish, are you Canadian?

 

[AlterEgo]

Back on topic please - hunger in the DR

 

[pelaut]

......I would like my 4 kids here to ''Pay Some Dues" doing some kind of low paying WORK.
But I don't want them being exposed to the people doing that work here !
'Shoe Shine Boys", "Baggers at SUPERMARKET", Constuction, no thanks!...........

I always tip the kids bagging at PriceSmart — most are in college. Exposure to them might be an education.

 

[Criss Colon]

"OK, AE",........"I'm HUNGRY HERE IN THE DR."!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Pelaut,.....Sooooooooooooooooooooooo, you bought their,..."I'm a struggling college student" scam?????????????
Works for the "Hungry Hookers", why not the "Bag Boys"??????????????????????

 

[dv8]

"kids" bagging at pricesmart are not in a college. they work all day, they'd have no time to go to school. unless you mean those night classes that take place once a week and most of the time the teacher does not even show up.

 

[mofongoloco]

Too many "When I was young" stories here!
"When I was young I walked 5 miles to school every day"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
UP HILL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"BOTH WAYS"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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So did my Dad. In the snow with a baked potato to keep his hands warm. That was later his lunch.