The Gringo Report April 8 2016 - You are not in Kansas anymore?

[Ecoman1949]

The only thing with which I disagree fundamentally is that Internet is fast.

And that driving is fun. I drove for 20+ years in the US and I could count on my fingers and toes the number of times I bamped the horn. Once I figured out this horn fixation here, I do freely admit that driving is slightly less white-knuckle, but fun I wouldn't call it.

The overuse of the car horns here piqued my curiosity the first time I came here. A taxi driver told me brakes wear out and are costly to replace. Horns last forever and don't cost anything. Made sense to me. The first time I rented a car here I died a thousand deaths between Puerto Plata and Luperon. Now, if I don't experience one or two close calls, I get bored. Somewhat akin to me ducking moose on the highways at night where I live in Canada.

 

[dv8]

it's a lie. horns do not last forever. once it died on us in a mitsubishi we had years ago. and was fixed the same day. essentials always come first

 

[beeza]

it's a lie. horns do not last forever. once it died on us in a mitsubishi we had years ago. and was fixed the same day. essentials always come first

Ah yes, the good ol boy scouts motto, "Beep repaired"

 

[Ecoman1949]

it's a lie. horns do not last forever. once it died on us in a mitsubishi we had years ago. and was fixed the same day. essentials always come first

So your saying Dominicans are a "horny", lot?

 

[Derfish]

There are things that will happen to you in DR. Things that no matter what, will eventually happen, negative experiences.
The quicker you encounter these the sooner you will understand where you are living and slowly but surely the reality of you
decision is realized and then you know in yourself what an idiot you have been, or not, depends what your options were before
and how much you committed.
I have told people, lots of people who moved to the country certain things that I know will happen, and the usual response is, 'oh
we have great neighbours, no one will try us, everyone has our backs, we got this'. But every time without fail EVERYTHING I have
predicted has happened within a few years to them or close enough to effect them as if it had, and the realization that it really does
take time to know what you're up against hits home. In some way or another all the sh1t does hit the fan in certain fundamental
issues expats have with moving into Dominican society, and that is purely because we come from civilized societies where we
could not even imagine half the stuff that does go down ever playing out in a badly written Tarantino movie.
There is a reason there are few expats that have been living full time for plus 10-15 years unless tied to investment, and yes I know
we have some, but to be real the average span when you ask is around 10 years, that is considered long term. The most common
period is 4-6 years before people have had their buzz and if they can and have not trapped themselves then as I said above, find
a way to realize that the DR is certainly not paradise, most people would love to end their days in paradise, right.
Other than that everyone finds a way of releasing themselves, that is just a point in notice.
Yes we have people who find that special place, that special someone, or that business that creates their own personal reasoning to
live above and out of reach of the life among Dominican Society, but they are the overwhelming minority, I think the Dominican
is best savoured as a part time indulgence, a temporary exploration or life over several years, but I've never met anyone who would
say they want to die there, live out their last days, and that is truly what being at peace, tranquility and absolute comfort is all about, isn't it.
So if you don't feel like that then you certainly ain't found paradise. You only live once.

Three or 4 years ago there was a thread about "Would you want to die in the DR?" Most of us who responded at the time said it is as good as any place to die.
Above and beyond that I don't see what you are trying to say? That there are things that happen to us because we cannot integrate into society here? Is that it? Could you name one or 2?
Thanks
Der Fish

 

[Derfish]

It is indisputable than when one makes a move from a developed country to a developing one, specifically to any country in the Caribbean and particularly DR in 2016, some of those assurances about daily living and your safe being are not going to be on level par with what you had perhaps enjoyed back home.

The majority of DR posters who have second homes here will likely have lived in safe secure well serviced communities back home in 1st World domain.

Why keep drawing unnecessary comparisons when one has made the move? One should have understood better what to expect and adjust one's lifestyle accordingly? I guess just vacationing a dozen times does not give one the full picture and you have to 'live the new life' is one message we have been given in the OP.

DR, like the many small Caribbean nations, suffers a great deal in particular from the ills brought on it in more recent years through drug transit and increasing domestic use and everything that stems from it. The country was and remains in many parts poor and is developing in many ways, but agreed it still does not have a grip on many of the structures that keep society organized and safe. But so too are many other developing nations. They are still developing in the face of many challenges. Accept it and why compare?

It is what it is, but there are many more safer havens to live a pleasant enjoyable life than you seem to suggest in DR with the right approach. Sosua is a very imperfect example of DR living. Try and compare living in Sosua with Las Terrenas, the central city areas of Santo Domingo or even Bavaro for example. I can vouch for Las Terrenas as being a place you can life safely with normal caution. And I don't feel uneasy walking around and doing my day to day business in many of the better suburbs in the city. But agreed there are places where far greater caution is needed.

It is all relative. DR is out home and a nice one at that imo.

Therre is a saying in aviation education that any landing you walk away from is a good landing. I am here referring to the fear factor here. I don't feel safe. people say. What does that mean? if you woke up this AM and nobody hurt you during the night nor stole anything, how much safer could you be? Check out the thread about unrest in the USA. I "feel safer here than I ever did in the Miami area." i was never assaulted there either, but if we are going to get into feelings those are mine.
Der Fish

 

[SmileNow]

I don?t know how all of you been living back home. Speaking for me though, I?ve been shot, stabbed, beaten by the police,
had robberies attempted on me and so on, and on, and on.

In this country had a few close calls but other then thrown in jail for some bull**** never
happened **** to me. I only lived in barrios since day one over here and never felt any need to adapt to living here, more
then a few physical differences. E.g like living without luz and water at times. But that?s your everyday struggles over here, not
an reflection of dominicans and there hustle towards gringos and the cultural differences that DO exists.
How gullabale were all of you complaining about tigueres in this country back home?
did you run around with stacks of doe with no concern for safety? Not me.
Did you guys accept to be robbed by some idiot? Not me, not here nor there.

Does it come as a suprise to people here that people that are hungry wants to eat?
Honestly. The level of ignorance on this topic amazes me.

 

[charlise]

I don?t know how all of you been living back home. Speaking for me though, I?ve been shot, stabbed, beaten by the police,
had robberies attempted on me and so on, and on, and on.

In this country had a few close calls but other then thrown in jail for some bull**** never
happened **** to me. I only lived in barrios since day one over here and never felt any need to adapt to living here, more
then a few physical differences. E.g like living without luz and water at times. But that?s your everyday struggles over here, not
an reflection of dominicans and there hustle towards gringos and the cultural differences that DO exists.
How gullabale were all of you complaining about tigueres in this country back home?
did you run around with stacks of doe with no concern for safety? Not me.
Did you guys accept to be robbed by some idiot? Not me, not here nor there.

Does it come as a suprise to people here that people that are hungry wants to eat?
Honestly. The level of ignorance on this topic amazes me.

Don't forget that some of them (DR1 members) live in a perfect little gringo bubble a.k.a "gated community" and they don't like to be reminded of the "real" people of this country, furthermore, would never be living among them....

For other DR1 members, we live in the same world as the dominicans.... take the guagua or motoconchos, eat pizza or pica pollo, talk to the people we cross the street on our way to the grocery store...

And we don't get on our high horses when faced with little bumps in the road... Different expectations I presume...

 

[dv8]

yet the gringos killed on the NC so far this year were not gated community types. go figure.

 

[PeterInBrat]

Dying here, I'm OK with. It's above ground burial in a concrete shoebox that I don't want. At some point, I have to make my final planning clear to mi esposa. I know some Dominicans find the idea of cremation just as shocking.

 

[ramesses]

yet the gringos killed on the NC so far this year were not gated community types. go figure.

The gringos that I know, that live in gated communities, who have had trouble, have been burglarized.