Positive stories about Dominicans

[Berzin]

Arroyo Hondo...

My neigbor is dominican and her sister lives in Santo Domingo. One night a few years ago her sister was locked out of the apartment in the middle of the night and she was in the hallway crying. She did'nt know anyone in the building so(nightbird that I am) I heard the comotion and decided to help her out.

The lock was new and she could'nt get the key in, so I used a little degreaser and finally got the door open. She thanked me and I never saw her again after that.

Only later did I find out that she was my neighbors' sister. She heard that I had been travelling to her country so she told me to call her sister, who now lives in the capital. I called and she came to pick me up my hotel. I told her that I was starving and she said-"Could you hold out until we get to the house?"

I was'nt expecting them to put out a spread just for me, but they did. They live in a nice gated community in Arroyo Hondo and the house was really nice.
I met her sister and her uncle. The daughter of my neighbor back home was also living with them. We sat around and chatted-the uncle wanted to know what exactly it was that I loved so much about his country. He was a little suspicious because he thought I was going just for the chicas. But I explained in detail(I felt he deserved an honest, thoughtful repsonse) and he understood.

They were more than gracious and made me feel very much at home. They also have a home in La Vega and they wanted to take me there-they said that I would really enjoy travelling around seeing some more of the country. In true dominican fashion, as I left they told me that "mi casa es tu casa".

I feel as if I have made friends for life. Along with TwinCactus and his wife, I have made some really good friends and I hope to continue to do so the more I travel there. It took me a while, but I feel as if THIS is what the DR is all about.

 

[fundacionera]

stranded

i was on a lonely road in DR, going from Sabana BUey to Villa Fundacion (in the south). i was with my uncle when the motorcycle died. He couldn't fix it and i was afraid we would be stuck there for a while. luckily one of those big buses was on the road, the let me ride back to villa fundacion for free. about 10 minutes after arriving at villa fundacion my uncle showed up in the back of a truck with his motorcycle. In the DR no one is left stranded for long

 

[jrf]

Berzin- your quote:

I feel as if I have made friends for life. Along with TwinCactus and his wife, I have made some really good friends and I hope to continue to do so the more I travel there. It took me a while, but I feel as if THIS is what the DR is all about.


I know how you feel. True that IS what the DR is all about. I find that when you do make friends (true friends) it sure feels great to be invited to be a part of their family and home.
Nothing better when I return and they are as happy to see me as I am to see them.

 

[MommC]

I can second that emotion!!
For some reason, the Dominican people just seem to open their hearts and their homes and make you truly a part of their family.
They will literally take the shirt off their back to help you if help is needed although you may be a complete stranger with a language barrier to boot!!
So refreshing to be out of the "sankie traps" that AI's and resort areas tend to be.....

 

[Brian]

while me and budyy wer etraveling toplaya grande we deceided to drink a bottle of heavy booze at the beach,Wheile were driving we met to noce gilrls and went to her moms house for more drinks.It turn sout we were hammered.Her mother took our car keys and me and my buddy stayed overnight in a little old house on there bed/they all slept in the living room.Anothe time was in the campo and my car batteried died.Some guy had to rewire the battery cause the connectors were all corroted.He used SPEAKER wire and it worked.I droive all the way back to sosua from GAsper hernanadez with my lights flashing like a christmas tree.BUt i have ahd more good than bad. Brian ny

 

[M.A.R.]

I can second that emotion!!
For some reason, the Dominican people just seem to open their hearts and their homes and make you truly a part of their family.
They will literally take the shirt off their back to help you if help is needed although you may be a complete stranger with a language barrier to boot!!
So refreshing to be out of the "sankie traps" that AI's and resort areas tend to be.....

Yes this is true but you were able to do that even at night a few years ago or when I was growing up, but people are more careful now a days.
A couple of years ago we were going out one night and driving on the main road to San Jose de Las matas we saw someone who had been runover in the middle of the road, our instinct was to get out and help but the local girl who was with us told us, no, you don't know if is a set up.
We kept driving and went to the next house to get help. It turned out it was someone we knew who has a drinking problem and was walking home in the dark and got run over and the driver just kept going.

 

[suitelady79]

Good to hear of something positive other than Sankies all the time!

These are to be Stories about the good experiences that you have had with the Dominican people.[/SIZE]
What you have found that they will do for a stranger, a tourist, visiters from other countries. Their kindness and generousity

Hi Anna, I really enjoyed your pictures of the DR and it was refreshing to see people who have moved there and seem to be quite happy with their spouses and the new lifestyle that they have!

By the way, I looked at all your albums and it was really interesting to see the way things have changed--even the quality of your pictures was different (due to the changes that have been made with cameras) along with the differences that the pictures captured! Thanks for sharing them!

 

[Jan]

Good humans

I returned to live in DR after being gone for 2 years 8 months. When I left I left all my stuff in my apartment I rented as I thought I would return soon.
It eded up I wasn't going to return soon so my friends went and packed up all my stuff and put it in his garage.
When I found a place to live for my return I told him about the place. He went and got the key and moved my things into the place for me. There is still some things he needs to bring but it was all there. My TV, Wash machine, fridge (but it doesn't work any more), all my kitchen stuff, clothes, there was even a box with all my change and it was still full!
It was stinky from being in the garage for all that time. Lots of stuff was really dirty. But that was expected.
Another friend kept my computer and it is still here also untouched.
So there are good trustworthy Dominicans out there.
I am very thankful for my good friends here.

 

[drloca]

I returned to live in DR after being gone for 2 years 8 months. When I left I left all my stuff in my apartment I rented as I thought I would return soon.
It eded up I wasn't going to return soon so my friends went and packed up all my stuff and put it in his garage.
When I found a place to live for my return I told him about the place. He went and got the key and moved my things into the place for me. There is still some things he needs to bring but it was all there. My TV, Wash machine, fridge (but it doesn't work any more), all my kitchen stuff, clothes, there was even a box with all my change and it was still full!
It was stinky from being in the garage for all that time. Lots of stuff was really dirty. But that was expected.
Another friend kept my computer and it is still here also untouched.
So there are good trustworthy Dominicans out there.
I am very thankful for my good friends here.

That is great to hear! All the best and lets try keep this positive spirit going. I also think some people just lack the ability to see the good in others, wonderful that you did.

 

[Bronxboy]

I returned to live in DR after being gone for 2 years 8 months. When I left I left all my stuff in my apartment I rented as I thought I would return soon.
It eded up I wasn't going to return soon so my friends went and packed up all my stuff and put it in his garage.
When I found a place to live for my return I told him about the place. He went and got the key and moved my things into the place for me. There is still some things he needs to bring but it was all there. My TV, Wash machine, fridge (but it doesn't work any more), all my kitchen stuff, clothes, there was even a box with all my change and it was still full!
It was stinky from being in the garage for all that time. Lots of stuff was really dirty. But that was expected.
Another friend kept my computer and it is still here also untouched.
So there are good trustworthy Dominicans out there.
I am very thankful for my good friends here.

Life sometimes is not what you have but WHO you know.

God bless your good friends, they are hard to find!!!

 

[sascha]

i went to the DR for the first time in july and loved it so much that a girl friend and i are going again next month. because i wanted to make this 2nd experience a bit different from the first, i thought i would do more research about the country, its culture, the people and everything i could possibly find relating to the DR. im a new member to dr1 and i have to admit hearing some of the horrible experiences posters have had made me a bit reluctant to be a "trusting tourist" but this thread has given me new hope.

my girl friend and i are looking to take advantage of all the DR has to offer a couple of canadian girls wanting to absorb everything they possibly can...and its nice to know that there is more to the DR than sankies

 

[Alyonka]

Another positive story - on my first day I went to the beach near SD and came back by bus kind of late in the day, so it was dark. I could not figure out the way back to the hotel and was just standing there trying to remember which way I took to get to the bus station. People started asking me why I looked so lost and one of them offered to drop me off near my hotel. He had a car - at first I refused to get in it. He said that I should not worry because he is going home to his family and will take care of everything. It was really late, area was not safe so I agreed. Well, he actually dropped me off near my hotel and did not accept any money for it. He did not ask for anything, just made sure I made it to the hotel safely and left.

 

[yess]

on my visits there this past spring LOML took me to visit all local family members. We went across the road to visit his grandmother, she is in her eighties and has advanced alzheimers

each time there his aunts and cousins were in attendance, just hanging out playing cards, gossiping. They were all there to take care of grandmother and support her primary caregiver, her daughter. They have been taking care of her for years, she has never had a bed sore.

I am proud that I caught on pretty quickly and the next night when we visited, we volunteered to stay while they got some errands done.