As dawn breaks on another day in paradise, the sky es azul, the water es azul and my mood es azul.
It is clear that I am stupid and I suffer because of that fact and because I failed to heed the advice offered by so many on this forum. I am an eternal optimist. Preferring to see the good in all people before acknowledging the obvious that is staring me in the face. As a result of my flagrant disregard of the seasoned advice freely offered on DR1, I suffer. I suffer for reasons beyond DR1 but the theme is consistent. I am stupid.
Had some work done 8 days ago by a local contractor. He promised the world. He took his deposit and actually showed up on time (more or less) two days later to drop off two workers to do the work. They labored away doing the half a$$ed job that the cynics would say to expect here in the DR. They did not have the right tools and mine are bobbing somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic ocean so I could not easily come to their assistance. They damaged the material for part of the installation but installed it anyways only to be told by me that it would have to be changed. They of course knew this before I said anything because they would not accept damaged material installed in their casa but I guess they are paid by the hour so they merrily carried on like I was blind as well as stupid.
My stupidity knows no bounds. I had to leave while the work was in progress. Why is not important, but I did. When I was on my way home, because my wife failed to turn on her cell, I could not contact her to see if the workers were still there. So not wanting to go home and then have to leave again to pay the outstanding balance, I decided to pursue efficiency over common sense. I met the contractor at his place of business and paid him the agreed upon balance before I had inspected the work. Right about now, most of you have fallen off your chairs and I truly hope that you have not hurt yourself.
To save further embarrassment and to keep this post within a reasonable length, just let me conclude this parable on this note: I am now being schooled in the true meaning of ma?ana to a Dominican business person. Today is the 7th ma?ana and I have bet the bank that it will also be the last ma?ana for this job. To those of you who just fell off your chair for the 2nd time, my apologies. I hope you did hurt yourself this time either.
Cast your eyes 3500 KM north. Before discarding the only shred of common sense I possessed and moving to Paradise, mi esposa and I decided not to sell our house back home but rather rent it out, just in case you know. We opted to rent to a family member. Because family won't deliberately screw family don't you know. We had a serious heart to heart with said family member before we left. We told them that the rent would be less than fair market value. We told them that we would leave them all of our really nice stainless steel kitchen appliances and our absolutely wonderful front loading washer/dryer, assorted good furniture and a bunch of other quality stuff that we did not wish to pay to move south. We did this because we are nice people and they are family. Family wouldn't screw family right?
The tenants paid their first and last month in cash before we left. We told them they could move in the day after we left so the property was not empty for the month of Sept. and their next rent payment would be due on the 1st of Nov. For those of you still lying on the floor, don't get up, you may hurt yourself when you fall again. Of course family will screw family that is 3500 KM away. The rent wasn't paid. Not only that, after the first promise to pay it on a certain date that came and went with no further communication or explanation, the tenant is now extremely ****ed off that a lawyer has contacted them with the ultimatum of "pay up or get out". I mean the nerve of a landlord that expects the rent to be paid on time and in full right? Imagine a family member not agreeing to afford you endless consideration when your very first promised payment date is missed without so much as an explanation or an apology. The nerve of a family member who has the audacity to point out that maybe it would be only fair to let the other party know why money owed was not paid when promised and when it would be paid. I am stupid.
To further compound my current life of folly, I'm going to the Finish Line in Sosua this afternoon to kill even more brain cells, as I am clearly not using them for anything else. So I sit here this morning watching the dogs frolic, the butterflies fluttering to and fro, waiting for my Ma?ana man to show up. He will of course, because people don't screw people, just like family doesn't screw family.
Perhaps some day DR1 will offer a place for the common folk to post pertinent but off topic messages, maybe not. I think, the Gringo Report might just be something worth continuing if an appropriate home for such musings can be found that doesn't raise the ire of the DR1 overlords. Maybe off-topic is that place, but it would be a shame if those those newer to these hallowed halls cannot benefit from the rambling and prophetic musings of another stupid Gringo in Paradise.
Where is my phone, time to call the Ma?ana man to try and determine which ma?ana he meant when I spoke to him yesterday...
It is clear that I am stupid and I suffer because of that fact and because I failed to heed the advice offered by so many on this forum. I am an eternal optimist. Preferring to see the good in all people before acknowledging the obvious that is staring me in the face. As a result of my flagrant disregard of the seasoned advice freely offered on DR1, I suffer. I suffer for reasons beyond DR1 but the theme is consistent. I am stupid.
Had some work done 8 days ago by a local contractor. He promised the world. He took his deposit and actually showed up on time (more or less) two days later to drop off two workers to do the work. They labored away doing the half a$$ed job that the cynics would say to expect here in the DR. They did not have the right tools and mine are bobbing somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic ocean so I could not easily come to their assistance. They damaged the material for part of the installation but installed it anyways only to be told by me that it would have to be changed. They of course knew this before I said anything because they would not accept damaged material installed in their casa but I guess they are paid by the hour so they merrily carried on like I was blind as well as stupid.
My stupidity knows no bounds. I had to leave while the work was in progress. Why is not important, but I did. When I was on my way home, because my wife failed to turn on her cell, I could not contact her to see if the workers were still there. So not wanting to go home and then have to leave again to pay the outstanding balance, I decided to pursue efficiency over common sense. I met the contractor at his place of business and paid him the agreed upon balance before I had inspected the work. Right about now, most of you have fallen off your chairs and I truly hope that you have not hurt yourself.
To save further embarrassment and to keep this post within a reasonable length, just let me conclude this parable on this note: I am now being schooled in the true meaning of ma?ana to a Dominican business person. Today is the 7th ma?ana and I have bet the bank that it will also be the last ma?ana for this job. To those of you who just fell off your chair for the 2nd time, my apologies. I hope you did hurt yourself this time either.
Cast your eyes 3500 KM north. Before discarding the only shred of common sense I possessed and moving to Paradise, mi esposa and I decided not to sell our house back home but rather rent it out, just in case you know. We opted to rent to a family member. Because family won't deliberately screw family don't you know. We had a serious heart to heart with said family member before we left. We told them that the rent would be less than fair market value. We told them that we would leave them all of our really nice stainless steel kitchen appliances and our absolutely wonderful front loading washer/dryer, assorted good furniture and a bunch of other quality stuff that we did not wish to pay to move south. We did this because we are nice people and they are family. Family wouldn't screw family right?
The tenants paid their first and last month in cash before we left. We told them they could move in the day after we left so the property was not empty for the month of Sept. and their next rent payment would be due on the 1st of Nov. For those of you still lying on the floor, don't get up, you may hurt yourself when you fall again. Of course family will screw family that is 3500 KM away. The rent wasn't paid. Not only that, after the first promise to pay it on a certain date that came and went with no further communication or explanation, the tenant is now extremely ****ed off that a lawyer has contacted them with the ultimatum of "pay up or get out". I mean the nerve of a landlord that expects the rent to be paid on time and in full right? Imagine a family member not agreeing to afford you endless consideration when your very first promised payment date is missed without so much as an explanation or an apology. The nerve of a family member who has the audacity to point out that maybe it would be only fair to let the other party know why money owed was not paid when promised and when it would be paid. I am stupid.
To further compound my current life of folly, I'm going to the Finish Line in Sosua this afternoon to kill even more brain cells, as I am clearly not using them for anything else. So I sit here this morning watching the dogs frolic, the butterflies fluttering to and fro, waiting for my Ma?ana man to show up. He will of course, because people don't screw people, just like family doesn't screw family.
Perhaps some day DR1 will offer a place for the common folk to post pertinent but off topic messages, maybe not. I think, the Gringo Report might just be something worth continuing if an appropriate home for such musings can be found that doesn't raise the ire of the DR1 overlords. Maybe off-topic is that place, but it would be a shame if those those newer to these hallowed halls cannot benefit from the rambling and prophetic musings of another stupid Gringo in Paradise.
Where is my phone, time to call the Ma?ana man to try and determine which ma?ana he meant when I spoke to him yesterday...
Last edited: