helpmann said:
This statement may be completely wrong, but to the casual observer, there appear to be many more tourists and ex-pats (particularly American) on the North coast instead of the South. First, is this statement true and second, if this statement is true, why so?
Thanks, Helpmann
Not so at all, not anywhere, North, South, East, or West, and not all that are there are, nor all that are are there. Not long ago, upon returning from Azua with my family, and stopping at the obligatory bus/truck stop known as El Cruce de Ocoa, I approached an American-looking couple sitting a few tables away, and after a formal introduction I asked them where they were from. The said they were Peace Corp volunteers, on the last leg of their tour of duty at a remote village close to the border with Haiti. I asked them what was the most outlandish encounter with the culture. They said it was Dominican voodoo. After a brief explanation on this folk religion telling them that Dominican voodoo actually went by the name of La Veintiuna División", I asked them if they could help me finish a nursury rhyme for my young children. They agreed, and I proceeded to recite "little miss muphet sat on her tuphet eating her curds and whey..." then they enthusiastically jumped in and proceeded in unison, but stumbling on the words, breaking into laughter. We all laughed. However, I suspect they were not Americans.