On foreigners and integration

[margaret]

Very interesting post indeed. The way I see it as long as you have financial resources to live comfortably in the DR, you will be perceived as someone that is superior to others. It may seem to be a very materialistic point of view, but when you are dealing with a country were poverty is seen just around every corner, money will give you that certain status. I mean the fact is what foreigner that relocates to the Dominican Republic expects to live like the average Dominican....none.

Integration is a beautiful and worthwhile endeavor, but the human dynamic is greatly influence with what's in the bank. Some use that status altruistically others as a power tool.

What about Haitians? Are they not foreigners who relocate to the DR? Some dream of living like a poor Dominican, other based on their class and education may compete with middle-class Dominicans for jobs.

I think it's almost impossible to live in the DR without integrating to some degree, you have to participate in the economy as a producer or consumer etc. You might face barriers and you choose to associate with only certain social groups, but you are still integrated even if you live in a little expat gated community. Integration shouldn't be confused with assimilation. I think they are quite different and it takes time. Sometimes generations. You can immigrate and integrate and never assimilate. Assimilation is more about transforming identity - how you see yourself and your relation to others. You do what you have to do as an immigrant anywhere in the world. And some times you are marginalized in your native land and you find your "home" in a foreign land. For some people, it is about money, for others it's about community and others about deepening an understanding of themselves and others.

Regarding economic status and perceptions of superiority, I think you only have to present the markers of wealth without any real substance to be treated as superior.

 

[PICHARDO]

I'll tell you all something that you haven't grasped yet:

The day you landed in the DR and placed your feet in Dominican soil, you became de facto a Dominican!

You engulfed yourselves with all the politics and ills of the country, just like Dominicans do. You love a Fria bien ceniza just like Dominicans do. You hate the traffic, the cop’s corruption, the high and ups of the prices on everything but air. You became a Dominican and maybe got to know more of the DR than many born and never out of the country Dominicans will ever know or see about their country, and now yours too.

So you assimilated into the Dominican way of life, NOT! The Dominican Republic assimilated you! Resistance is futile!!!

 

[A.Hidalgo]

What about Haitians? Are they not foreigners who relocate to the DR?

I was referring to foreigners that come from more developed countries to retire in the DR and have the economic ability to do so.

 

[Tordok]

IMHO, being a foreigner in another land does not always equate with the mindset of an expat. The level of "assimilation" will depend on the specific degree of interest that the expat may have to do so.

There are many examples of the fluidity with which many foreigners (rich and poor) integrate into the fabric of their communities in the DR. But I wouldn't necessarily call them expats.

The Adventurer-type of foreigner will tend to "go native" and hang out with rural or semi-rural folks by default. Some "go Dominican all the way",, or 'cogi? el monte'. Going half-ways in terms of assimilation, are possibly those in need of comforts of home mixed with local falvors. These are more structured persons who stick to their comfort zones of the international (neocolonial?) coastal culture and stay in the tourist-oriented circles and related ventures, mostly associated with low, and medium, class Dominicans.(Some exceptions at the high-end exist, if we take into account multi-millionaires that choose to live in social isolation in places like Casa de Campo, even if some of those do hang out with their local financial-kin). The first two categories can overlap and they have more exposure to such cultural staples as loud bachata, rudimentary manners, sankies, and the whole gamut of classic behavioral chlich?s of underdevelopment. Foreigners who marry into Dominican families, whether male or female, rich or poor; inevitably get absorbed by the culture in an expedited manner. There are also many non-Domincan artists, teachers, engineers, preachers, technical advisors, that come from other Latin Countries or Latin Europe and "foreigners" see them just as more Dominicans, failing to detect the alien aspect of those whom due to their depth of assimilation. etc, are already taken for Dominicans. There are of course, high-level diplomats and genuine expats* that wine and dine with the economic and cultural elites of SD and Santiago, just as they would anywhere else they go.

- Tordok

*who's an "expat"- this has been discussed on other threads, however I believe the original 'spirit' of the word was in reference to people sent by their home-based multinational to overseas locations. Typically for a specific project of predictable duration (think NGO technical advisors, university students, managerial supervisors from headquarters, etc). By this understanding of the term, many if not most of the 'solo-player' types that abound on these DR1 pages would not qualify as expats, simply as a mix of migratory retirees and extended-stay travelers. There is little incentive for a true expat to assimilate, given that their relationship with the mother-country is usually constant and they are in the DR to teporarily represent foreign commercial or political interests rather than personal ones.

 

[NALs]

As usual, that's an excellent observation Tordok.

However, concerning the "whose an expat" part, I will simply add the following literal meaning(s) of such word:

According to "The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language" (I'm using the 1976 version); it states the following:

ex-pa-tri-ate: 1. To banish (a person) from his native land; to exile.
2. To banish (oneself) from one's native land. --intr. To leave one's homeland, and often renounce one's citizenship, to reside in another country.

Apparently, the literal meaning of the word expatriate or expat is to leave one's country and settle in another. Since this naturally leads an intriguing person to ask the question of what constitute an immigrant and/or why some people that move from their countries are considered expats while others are considered immigrants; then the same dictionary states the following concerning this:

im-mi-grant: 1. One who leaves a country to settle permanently in another. 2. An organism that appears where it was formerly unknown.

Of the two meanings, only the first one is pertinent to the discussion. It appears that there is no difference between an immigrant and an expatriate; at least in the literal meanings of such words. However, there is one clever word that clearly separates the meanings between expatriate and immigrant.

As can be clearly seen, in the explanation concerning the word expatriate, you will find the word banish embedded. What is the literal meaning of such word? Well, let's see. According to the same dictionary:

ban-ish: 1. To force to leave a country or place by official decree; exile. 2. To drive away; expel.

Following the such description, the following paragraph is found:

Synonyms: banish, exile, expatriate, deport, transport, extradite. These verbs mean to send away from a place of residence. Banish applies broadly to forced departure from a country by official decree. Exile specifies departure from one's country, either through compulsion or voluntary action. Expatriate pertains to departure from one's native country, forced or voluntary, and usually implies formal change of citizenship. Deport denotes the act of sending an alien abroad by government order. Transport pertains to the sending abroad (usually to a penal colony) of one convicted of a crime. Extradite applies to the delivery of an accused or convicted person to the state or country having jurisdiction over him.

Hence, it appears that the word "expatriate" is more appropriate among people who left their native countries and formally changed his/her citizenship status. "Immigrant" applies to a person who moves out of his/her country permanently, but, perhaps, maintains his/her former citizenship status.

This also seems to validate your assumption on the origins of the word expatriate.

Its unclear which word applies to dual citizens.

-NALs

 

[A.Hidalgo]

Hence, it appears that the word "expatriate" is more appropriate among people who left their native countries and formally changed his/her citizenship status. "Immigrant" applies to a person who moves out of his/her country permanently, but, perhaps, maintains his/her former citizenship status.

So I can infer that we in DR1 have been using expat inappropriately?

 

[BushBaby]

So I can infer that we in DR1 have been using expat inappropriately?

I think that would be determined by if you were using the word as a noun or as a verb!! Ex-Pat-re-AT (phonetic spelling of noun) has a different meaning to Ex-Pat-Re-ATE (phonetic verb spelling). irate: :ermm:

It might also differ when using a 1976 dictionary as opposed to a more modern one that acknowledges the more common & accepted usage of the words. ~ Grahame.

 

[margaret]

I think that would be determined by if you were using the word as a noun or as a verb!! Ex-Pat-re-AT (phonetic spelling of noun) has a different meaning to Ex-Pat-Re-ATE (phonetic verb spelling). irate: :ermm:

It might also differ when using a 1976 dictionary as opposed to a more modern one that acknowledges the more common & accepted usage of the words. ~ Grahame.

Or use online dictionaries.

Cambridge Dictionaries Online - Cambridge University Press

expat - Definition from the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary

expatriate - Definition from the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary

immigrants - Definition from the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary

emigrate - Definition from the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary

integration - Definition from the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary

assimilation - Definition from the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary

I know an expat (Mexican mother, Scottish father, Canadian citizen) and he is completed assimilated to both Canadian and Mexican cultures, perfectly bi-lingual, integrates himself well in both countries yet prides himself in his expatriotism. aranoid: He organizes expats using his dual nationality and citizenship (foreigners in Mexico and Mexicans in Canada).

Here's the Web site he established: The MEXPAT - Where the International Community in Mexico City Meets - Mexico City Home

I think we'll see more and more people who are able to integrate in 2 or more countries.

 

[johne]

Would we then agree to

some of the key words here and how it relates to "ex-pats" in the DR.

1) Renouncing citizenship of the country they have come from.Does anyone know the numbers?
2) Getting full residency and a Dominican passport. Numbers?
3) Holding dual passports?

On a personal note I would be interested in knowing from longtime dr1 members WHY they did or didn't take one of the three steps listed above.
john

 

[Tordok]

I admit that this issue of trying to find the "right" definition is a: 'in-the eye-of-the-beholder' kind of deal. The way that international business people use the term is indeed different than the manner in which a war refugee or maybe a political exile may use it. It is BTW the political exiles who in the literal sense may be the only truly expatriated since they are officially banished from their home country and may be stripped of citizenship in their nation of origin.

But those tangents aside, I find that in the context of this discussion and the self-view of many foreigners living in the DR and DR1 worlds, it would be valuable to differentiate the various scenarios under which someone from somewhere else ends up in the country.

I could be wrong but in this day and age the word expat is essentially slang for people who TEMPORARILY relocate, usually from North to South or West to East, but not always if we note for example that a Japanese (the East) executive from Sony or Toyota living in Houston or Milan (the West) would also be considered an expat in his homeland of Japan. If your move is to settle PERMANENTLY, then no matter where in the world you are from, or whether wealthy or a bum, educated or illiterate; you may have started as an expat, but are now by definition an IMMIGRANT, in this case to the island of Santo Domingo, and quite possibly well on your way to become a first generation Dominican.

So Nals, in my previous post I purposefully used the phrase -'spirit' of the word- since I know that the dictionary definitions may not properly reflect the actual usage. In this view, an expat can only be called an expat by his/her own compatriots who stayed home, regardless of lenght of stay elsewhere. And in the view of the host country they are either long term visitors (plan to move back home or some other third country) or else immigrants (in the DR for good). In some ways it is like the use of "Dominicano Ausente". Absent to whom? Not in their jobs in Madrid or Rhode Island; there they are quite present so it would be stupid to call them ausentes since they are not dead, simply residing somewhere else other than the native soil. So the absent part makes semantic sense only to the Dominicans in the DR but not to anyone else.

- Tordok

 

[Robert]

Let's just stick with the word "expat". I think everyone is aware what it means and how it should be used. No point in beating this to death on DR1.

 

[Squat]

I think that after a decade, usually those of us who started their "Dominican years" by "going native" are slowly going back to their "mildly European self"...
I would say it is also true for some of the "gated community/English speaking only" Gringos... After a decade, they usually open up a bit, because you can't really fight it...

As an "expat", or a "local Gringo" of European roots, one will never be "from here", but one is not "from there" anymore...

 

[Tordok]

Let's just stick with the word "expat". I think everyone is aware what it means and how it should be used. No point in beating this to death on DR1.

Robert,
like some of my young gringo friends might say "hey,..my bad" for taking this issue into such minute detail. Looking back up the thread your OP comments and external link were actually much more on target by using the word foreigner rather than the confusing expat term which was only later introduced into the thread. I thought of it as a relevant clarification because it is not quite the same thing to have a short-stay mentality (traditional expat) than a long-term one (DR1 kind of expat). That's that.

The level of assimilation will therefore be the result of:
1- host country's ability to accept foreigners, and
2- the individual foreigner's social skills and degree of motivation to become part of the local society.

It is acknowledged that it is much more difficult to assimilate into Japanese culture for example, than to US culture. There are varying characteristics to each culture that makes them more or less welcoming than others. I happen to think that the DR as a specific host is quite open to the rapid incorporation of foreigners, and therefore it falls back to the foreigner's part of the equation: how much do you want to adapt and assimilate?
best,

- Tordok