Listín Diario interview (in Spanish) both Cuban now DR content creators. The guy on the left (Waldir) has been in the DR for 15 days while the one on the right (Estibito) for over a year (on and off, goes back to Cuba more often because he has a very small kid there.)
Both are impressed with the DR. One of the first things that impressed Waldi as soon he arrived was the large number of electronic billboards in SD. They both agree the DR has an abundance of food not just in supermarkets but everywhere. They mention many places they have been impressed with (Waldi says he was impressed with Puerto Plata and how clean it’s), but what both like the best are the Dominicans and the treatment they get. Then they mention some of the things Dominicans do that impressed them and, quite frankly, those are normal stuff Dominicans do even among themselves (greeting strangers as if they have known each other forever, always sharing what they have regardless if they have a lot or not, etc.) They also don’t notice any difference in treatment. Waldi doesn’t miss Cuba per se, but does his family and girlfriend which all are over there. Estibito misses his family, his kid, his childhood friends and the neighborhood where he grew up. He does says the DR is very similar that often he feels as if he’s in Cuba, but though very similar it isn’t the same. The similarities is probably why Waldi doesn’t misses Cuba that much, plus it’s obvious he think (well, both of them) the DR is a better version with more opportunities, greater abundance, and more freedom than Cuba.
Interestingly, both mention that many of the things Dominicans complaint about the DR is because they don’t know how bad it could be. Waldi says if every Dominican was to go to Cuba and for a few days live like a Cuban, when they return to the DR they would kiss the ground. They didn’t say it but gave the impression that Dominicans seem to not appreciate the DR for what it’s. They know how bad things can be because they lived it.
