Hey! Nice TV. Can I have it?

Wow,  you need to think hard about who you spend time with.

Is that really normal there, or do you just know some really duff people?

yes they are very greedy, jealous people generally speaking..and its ironic that the most materialistic people i have ever seen live in this country of poverty and despair..

to be fair i have to compliment the same people that i seem to be critcizing because as i briefly mentioned all it takes to put an end to the practice of asking you to give them your stuff is to politely refuse.  as "greedy", "selfish", or "materialistic" as they might seem they don't mind being turned down in the sense that they don't hold a grudge against you. 
i would rather label this type of behavior in a less threatening way:  i think a more descriptive term woud be "childish".

I think  that there is some misconceptions and labeling going on.  In many cases people do not understand how we get to have all that we do have.  They see it as us having so much and them having nothing.  Sometimes when they ask for something they might get it! It can be a learned behaviour.

There are a lot of people who will take advantage of you in a heartbeat though.  Stay away from them as much as possible. Usually they somehow make a living in and around expats and tourists, so they learn to take advantage.

For the most part people are quite humble and willing to take no for an answer.   That being said,  be very careful who you let in your house!  Not saying she or her kids would be an issue but it takes one kid bragging about what the gringo has at home to set you up for a robbery!

they seem childish but their behaviour is very calculated and far from casual or natural..well i only label what i can see..i quickly learn what the main trend  in a country is..there are poor countries where people just open their doors to u and offer u dinner even if they have nothing at all to eat themselves..here they prefer to BE OFFERED ..oh by the way i wanna reply to a comment which was posted ages ago, it insinuated that being a teacher i couldnt afford a proper "sanki panki" that is the greatest labelling i have ever seen, assuming that all foreigners come here for that purpose, especially women, i only came here to stay with my mum, i dont fancy Dominican men at all and thank God for that, im so naive they would probably leave me stripped to the bone ...

in my opinion if you need safety and security in your life the dr is not the place to be.  the united states makes more sense for those seeking a risk-reduced standard of living.  here it's all about partying up because at any moment their is an out of control motorists heading around the corner who is going to put an end to all your future plans.

i am seventy one years old and as far as i am concerned life is too long.  the time i have left i consider "optional" and for that reason am willing to accept certain risks in exchange for certain pleasures i will not find elsewhere.  if you try to play it too safe here you will end up being bored to death.

and who are you to talk about risks when one of your pleasures is having a barbeque in the middle of the highway?

Your house has not been "cased" and do not be surprised if you come home one day to stuff missing

Bob K

I think it is fair to say that safety is all relative.  I have always felt quite safe here.  I have tried to live below the radar, not take stupid risks and be quite observant.   

That being said, 3 days after I moved into this house I was broken into. It is a very middle class fairly safe neighborhood. Someone(s)  watched me move in I believe.  On the 3 third day I was out at a friends house for the day.  They used this time to get into my back yard (all walled off)  where they  could not be seen and they used a pickax to pry the bars off the master bedroom.  They pried the bars right out of the concrete block walls!!!! 

They took a pillow case off my bed and filled it.  They took a 32" TV, camera, all my jewelry, passport, other ID, all my perfumes  and whatever else they could shove in the case.

You can imagine my reaction  when I got home.  I called the home owners who came and immediately helped me.  They got welders and moved the bars from the outside of the house to the inside, reinforced doors etc.   And they loaned me their pitbull who has been a huge reassurance.  Note to self I need to get another BIG dog..... soon....

I was upset,  pissed the hell off etc.  The police are trying to locate the guy, a neighbor actually got a photo of him.   

Did I feel unsafe? No.  Did I do everything I should have to prevent this? I think so. 

Sometimes there is nothing much more you can do!  It happens. 

It could happen anywhere to anyone.   I am a pretty private person  when it comes to my house and who comes in. But you cannot block the whole street when you are moving.

And trust me, this isn't anywhere near enough to make me even think of blaming the culture the country or make we want to leave! 

Yes I feel violated.  Yes I want me stuff back and yes I want them to catch this asshole!  And I have offered "incentives" to make that happen. I will keep you posted.

Good luck.  Yes one needs to be very careful who you allow into your house (not that would have helped in your case)
Very few folks have been to our house and very few even know exactly where we live (after 10 years).
That being said as the case with Planner  you can do it all right and still it does not work and yes dogs are a good defense.  We have a 15 pound barker and a 140 pound (Rottie) bitter.

Bob K

Planner, you say you don't want to blame 'the culture or the country'. But unless you also have to have prison-like bars on Windows and doors and guard dogs in the country and culture you came from, isn't it reasonable to blame the country and culture where you do have to do that?

I believe that is called adapting!  I would adapt no matter where I was living to the reality of the situation!  Anything else is foolish.

This is what I have to do in order to live here in reasonable safety, so I accept that and stop fighting it. IF I hated that so much I would NOT live here.

It does not follow that you 'hate it' , if you can admit that it is a really un-safe place.  It just means you have some reasons for living in a dangerous place. 
I remember the other year in Sosua where I knew a bunch of gringas that were afraid to go out at nite, at all. They scurried back to their places before dark. When I asked them why they would live in such a place, they just made excuses like..... ' at least the beach is nice in the daytime'.

I grew up a mile from Detroit city.   Unsafe is relative my friend.

For the record:  I do NOT feel unsafe here. I live quietly,  simply but nicely here.  After being broken into,  I still do NOT feel unsafe here.

So,  your logic is faulty when it applies to me and possibly others. If YOU feel unsafe here or don't want to take preventative actions then do NOT live here. It is really that simple!

Planner you hit the nail on the head, so to speak. I work and live in a more dangerous place than DR. Occasionally I go to clubs at night and when I go, I travel with a Police escort who carry AK47s. It can be dangerous no matter where you go. Stop living in fear and start living.

Hahahaha, I don't think we'll see her walking home at nite.

I  have done and  will do again in certain areas. I can easily walk a few blocks at night in my neighborhood! I would not however walk alone at night in many areas of many cities in many countries!!!!

Really comes down to using your head.  NOT giving in to fear for the sake of fear but not being stupid either!

thecolonel do you live here?  Have you spent time here?  Or do you like to stir the pot on things you may not know anything about.

Sorry not enough GOOD Dominican coffee yet this morning

Bob K

Irrelevant to any of the points I've made.

Actually  not irrelevant at all!   It tells us where you are coming from,  those who actually live here experience things every day.  Those who dont rely on memories,  2nd hand information  etc etc.

Neither is better they are different though!   That is all.

I have been here 4 years and haven't met any behavior that blatant.  I have had kids ask if they could borrow my camera or tablet etc.  But haven't been foolish enuff to say yes.

I watch the posts for I may very well be an Expat in the region fairly soon.
Safety and whom you invite into your home/yard is a concern I have here in NH.
Not just there.

When you think about material items, what you have, can afford, and what others can not.
Why wouldn't they ask?

I would not put that asking against anyone.
It's a principle I teach to my people in the field.
If you don't ask, you will never have the opportunity to receive!
If No is the answer you expect, then there's no disappointment.
If Yes is the answer, all gain!