Not Another Ugly American

[Garyexpat]

Stop complaining. These guys are working all the hours god sends to bring home very little. They leave the house at the crack of dawn, and come home last thing at night. Typically have sizable families to feed and are a step up from workhorses in DR. Either downgrade your car, become better aware of your surroundings on the road, use a taxi or go elsewhere. You can continue to moan but it will continue to fall on deaf ears!irate:

Hug, For the most part I agree, if you want to live here you have to accept the bad with the good. For me after more than 8 years the good outweighs the bad BUT I wanted to vomit when reading your description of these drivers. Ok, some are decent guys but nominating them for sainthood is kinda like giving obama the Nobel Peace Prize.

 

[the gorgon]

Hug, For the most part I agree, if you want to live here you have to accept the bad with the good. For me after more than 8 years the good outweighs the bad BUT I wanted to vomit when reading your description of these drivers. Ok, some are decent guys but nominating them for sainthood is kinda like giving obama the Nobel Peace Prize.

i wonder if the day will come when a thread gets opened and it does not contain some remark about Obama from the haters' club.

 

[HUG]

Hug, For the most part I agree, if you want to live here you have to accept the bad with the good. For me after more than 8 years the good outweighs the bad BUT I wanted to vomit when reading your description of these drivers. Ok, some are decent guys but nominating them for sainthood is kinda like giving obama the Nobel Peace Prize.

Where was the nomination for sainthood? I said they worked long hard hours.

 

[jstarebel]

Absolutely, if you are a resident then it is your country. You are entitled to make judgement, share opinion, bitch moan and slate the daily bullsh1t we have to put up with. People making these kinds of comments of, 'we are guests' tend to have limited, blinkered or sheltered lives from reality in DR (live the bubble), are Dominican and feel only they can slate their country or are actually guests and have not committed to making DR home.
I never get it when people say these things, you are a guest when on vacation. If you live in DR then it is your home, you are not a guest in your own home, if you feel you are an guest in your own home then the issue lies with you.

I respectfully disagree. My Dominican wife and I have held residency in Providenciales, Abacos Island Bahamas, St. Maartin, Curacao, DR, and come January, Anguilla. She also holds a permanent residency card for the USA. Residency comes automatically with extended work permits from a given country. She is given residency simply because she is my spouse. I have to do business with the governments on these islands, and have NEVER considered myself a full blown citizen in any of them including the DR. I'm an American citizen. My wife has the right to complain about what goes on in HER country, but not me. I consider myself a guest resident in these countries and try to act accordingly simply because I do not approve of non Americans trying to dictate political policy to Americans, so why would it be any different for me or for any other "Resident Guest". You're not born here, you just live here for a number of reasons. Mostly financial, so why bitch about what goes on here. If a person wants their guest country to be more like home, just move home.

 

[the gorgon]

I respectfully disagree. My Dominican wife and I have held residency in Providenciales, Abacos Island Bahamas, St. Maartin, Curacao, DR, and come January, Anguilla. She also holds a permanent residency card for the USA. Residency comes automatically with extended work permits from a given country. She is given residency simply because she is my spouse. I have to do business with the governments on these islands, and have NEVER considered myself a full blown citizen in any of them including the DR. I'm an American citizen. My wife has the right to complain about what goes on in HER country, but not me. I consider myself a guest resident in these countries and try to act accordingly simply because I do not approve of non Americans trying to dictate political policy to Americans, so why would it be any different for me or for any other "Resident Guest". You're not born here, you just live here for a number of reasons. Mostly financial, so why bitch about what goes on here. If a person wants their guest country to be more like home, just move home.

Dominicans are treated like second class citizens in the USA, whether or not they are residents, or citizens. the gate swings both ways, at times.

 

[jstarebel]

Dominicans are treated like second class citizens in the USA, whether or not they are residents, or citizens. the gate swings both ways, at times.

So why should it be any different for expats here?????? Are we supposed to be treated as "Special"??

 

[the gorgon]

So why should it be any different for expats here?????? Are we supposed to be treated as "Special"??

American Exceptionalism, perhaps? or foreigner exceptionalism. after all, it is not just Americans who suffer from this particular condition.

 

[drSix]

Dominicans are treated like second class citizens in the USA, whether or not they are residents, or citizens. the gate swings both ways, at times.

Source?

 

[HUG]

I respectfully disagree. My Dominican wife and I have held residency in Providenciales, Abacos Island Bahamas, St. Maartin, Curacao, DR, and come January, Anguilla. She also holds a permanent residency card for the USA. Residency comes automatically with extended work permits from a given country. She is given residency simply because she is my spouse. I have to do business with the governments on these islands, and have NEVER considered myself a full blown citizen in any of them including the DR. I'm an American citizen. My wife has the right to complain about what goes on in HER country, but not me. I consider myself a guest resident in these countries and try to act accordingly simply because I do not approve of non Americans trying to dictate political policy to Americans, so why would it be any different for me or for any other "Resident Guest". You're not born here, you just live here for a number of reasons. Mostly financial, so why bitch about what goes on here. If a person wants their guest country to be more like home, just move home.

Interesting, but there are massive differences. My reason to live in DR was not work related, certainly not financially motivated. It was an outright decision over anywhere else, my daughter was born in DR, I rarely leave (although I have this year and am enjoying the break) and made the decision to become legal and resident to improve my rights to be there, and my acceptance, it just made sense if this was going to be my HOME.
I think having residency here there and everywhere for work purposes is far removed from the typical scenario reasons for making DR home.

 

[barker1964]

Source?

Here you go. Please read the section "Race and Society"



The Dominican Republic and the United States: From Imperialism to ... - G. Pope Atkins - Google Books

 

[Harleysrock]

I'm getting a little sick of seeing that. It's on FB alot too, anytime a gringo has the audicity to complain about corruption, gringo taxes, being taken advantage of by locals...

I pay an awful lot of taxes in this country, support local businesses, employ Dominicans ect.. and very rarely do I use any publicly funded services such as the schools or hospitals.

I wish I could like this 1,000,000 times!

 

[CristoRey]

Absolutely, if you are a resident then it is your country. You are entitled to make judgement, share opinion, bitch moan and slate the daily bullsh1t we have to put up with. People making these kinds of comments of, 'we are guests' tend to have limited, blinkered or sheltered lives from reality in DR (live the bubble), are Dominican and feel only they can slate their country or are actually guests and have not committed to making DR home.
I never get it when people say these things, you are a guest when on vacation. If you live in DR then it is your home, you are not a guest in your own home, if you feel you are an guest in your own home then the issue lies with you.

"You are not a guest in your own home"

Unfortunately no matter how many businesses you own here, no matter
how many children you have here, no matter how many houses you buy and no matter how many times you
get married here... If you weren't born and raised here, you will always be looked upon as a guest. Same
applies to every other third world country I've ever lived in. The area I live in is far from a blinkered or
sheltered life here in the DR. I don't live in a gated community with barbwire fences and shady
security guards.

 

[jstarebel]

American Exceptionalism, perhaps? or foreigner exceptionalism. after all, it is not just Americans who suffer from this particular condition.

I understand, but I don't get it. However, living in the Caribbean since 1996 has given me a different perspective possibly,

 

[Celt202]

Drive a schitbox.

Bumps and scratches don't matter.

You don't stick out as much.

 

[HUG]

"You are not a guest in your own home"

Unfortunately no matter how many businesses you own here, no matter
how many children you have here, no matter how many houses you buy and no matter how many times you
get married here... If you weren't born and raised here, you will always be looked upon as a guest. Same
applies to every other third world country I've ever lived in. The area I live in is far from a blinkered or
sheltered life here in the DR. I don't live in a gated community with barbwire fences and shady
security guards.

That is a very sad view on life and expectations of life. If you can never find a new home, are always a guest anywhere other than where born. So born in UK, partly raised and early schooling in Australia, educated throughout Europe, university in England and then employed for significant years throughout the middle east and West Africa. Moving and then raising a family in the Caribbean. Are you telling me that I am not entitled to a home, or i am a guest anywhere other than where i have spent least part of y life?

I think your ideas of life relate to you, certainly not to me, and I guess not to most people who want to live elsewhere from their mother land. I can take being a guest of the planet, but my home is where I decide to, am able to and make legal steps to become part of. Maybe it is in the individuals mentality, ability to adapt, who knows!

 

[Celt202]

And if the air cond doesn't work like mine and the window is perpetually down all the better.

...with a caba?a towel in the driver's side window; keeps the sun off yand blocks the view of the gringo face.

 

[the gorgon]

Source?

source? me. i lived in the US most of my life. i know what i see.

 

[CristoRey]

That is a very sad view on life and expectations of life. If you can never find a new home, are always a guest anywhere other than where born. So born in UK, partly raised and early schooling in Australia, educated throughout Europe, university in England and then employed for significant years throughout the middle east and West Africa. Moving and then raising a family in the Caribbean. Are you telling me that I am not entitled to a home, or i am a guest anywhere other than where i have spent least part of y life?

I think your ideas of life relate to you, certainly not to me, and I guess not to most people who want to live elsewhere from their mother land. I can take being a guest of the planet, but my home is where I decide to, am able to and make legal steps to become part of. Maybe it is in the individuals mentality, ability to adapt, who knows!

I would never tell another person they are not entitled to a home. Its good to know you don't feel like a
guest here in the Dominican Republic. Its sounds like all of your Dominican neighbors and your Dominican
friends are treating you very well. Heaven forbid you ever have a falling out with one of them and some of
the things I have said start to make sense.

 

[ROLLOUT]

i wonder if the day will come when a thread gets opened and it does not contain some remark about Obama from the haters' club.

not gonna happen, never.

 

[HUG]

I would never tell another person they are not entitled to a home. Its good to know you don't feel like a
guest here in the Dominican Republic. Its sounds like all of your Dominican neighbors and your Dominican
friends are treating you very well. Heaven forbid you ever have a falling out with one of them and some of
the things I have said start to make sense.

You are mirroring your insecurities onto others. Nothing of what you say is relative to me. If I fall out with someone then we just don't talk, just as we would living anywhere else in the world. Get over it FGS.