How has your life changed in Dominican Republic

Wow interesting thread. This will take some time, I will give this thought and be back!

Priscilla...Let me share as always with 1st hand experience. As always this experience is mine alone. People wanting to relocate should spend time and experience 1st hand.
I believe the DR experiences we encounter dictate the betterment of our lives. 

We recently had guest that have been sailing for past three years up and down the Caribbean. Their opinion...Sosua / Cabereta 2 of the better communities based on price, access to resources, and people.

In Canada we go to the mall or possibly our hair stylist of choice for haircut. The barber is making a comeback albeit slowly. I'm close when I share a hair cut should be titled "Fast & Furious. Walk in..give your name..have a seat..read magazine...call your name...cut your hair...pay your bill and vamoose.

In Sosua its a much different experience. I first met Mac during one of the earliest walks around the community. Gringo..you need a haircut!!...That was shouted out from the front of a barber shop. Sitting out front was a mixture of women & men. They all laughed. Mac wasnt too far off the mark and I did require a clean up.

When I'm ready will be back.

One wed afternoon I left the crowd and said will be back shortly I'm going for a haircut.
See you in a short while.

I walked to the place with a painted Barbers pole on the wall and met Mac. He had people lounging around the front and inside. One in the chair. I will be done in a few minutes sit my gringo friend was shared with a wide smile.

If Christopher Columbus was the 1st to land in the DR than the couch he pointed for me to have a seat must have been in the Santa Maria!!. I chose the 2nd barbering seat.

I watched so closely his technique for sculpting with a straight razor or a small curved one. His strokes along the skin of that mans face were calibrated.

In butchered Spanish my turn comes and we eventually THINK we figured out what I'm aiming for.

Approx 45 minutes in the chair. I dozed off. My hair cut and shave was a cavalcade of lotions, facial massage, eradicating each individual hair much in the same way we go after roots in our driveways / walkways back home. Ears, eye brows and any one individual hair that did not belong was quickly dispatched.  My face is soooo smoothe.

300 pesos ...approx 9 bucks can not including tip.

As a token of friendship I bring bottled water to the barber shop gang now.
Sometimes candies.
The couch was replaced this week.
We can only speak Spanish even though Haitians are around and reverting to francais comes easily.

The experience of living here is "humbling". The hair cut / shave is but one example.
I am indebted to the people who go out of their way to share advice for newbies.
WE are deeply grateful to the wonderfully warm Dominicans that are intersecting daily living.

Great post once again.

For your first 2 questions; Humbling is a good word for describing my experience here. (Thanks Ramdaddy) I first moved to the North Coast, in between Sosua and Cabarete and I have to admit, I got the mind set that many do after a short time there. "Everyone is out to scam me, Dont trust anyone. They are all stupid. Just a bunch of primates, etc.." But once I started getting out of Sosua and sitting down with the locals, the real locals, I started to feel very ashamed of myself for these thoughts and my attitude and I even had to reflect on the attitudes I had my entire life.
I came from nothing, looking for hamburgers in the trash behind McDonalds kind of nothing. I grabbed at everything I could, educated myself and 'came up'. I always thought life is a race, I gave about as much sympathy to those that did not 'come up' as I gave to the millions of sperm I beat out during my conception.
Here sooo many people work sooo Fn hard just to get by. Yet, many are always smiling (figuratively speaking of course). They seem to find their happiness in their families and just being together with friends. Despite popular belief, a lot of Dominicans (more than Americans) will eagerly help you out when they know they will not get paid for it.
So yeah, changes in attitude, mood, frame of mind? For the first time in my life, I am starting to see whats really important and what is not.
I will give it a 10 on my scale

Astray good post.  Yes if you get to "know" the country it is a great place to be.  It is "not like home" and that is a good thing for many of us

BobK

Astray...Let me begin by thanking you. Sharing intimate pieces of our life is courageous. Takes a lot of heart to admit our challenges in life. They say not everyone who wonders is lost. It just takes some of us longer to connect the dots. I recently traveled from the east Coast of Canada to the west. I flew from Sosua to meet an uncle and drive him across 7 provinces. There was no rush and we enjoyed our moments.  My family is from PEI and the island life is laid back and welcoming. It was a great start to a long drive.

Arriving in the west my plans were to relax for a couple of days and then drive a company vehicle back to Ontario.

My days to relax were not very.

Went out for dinner and the tab was 350 bucks for burgers and booze.
The cell phone is an official utensil in restaurants and bars. While the menu is glanced quickly patrons study the cell utensil with seriousness. Conversation is restricted to short words and glances.
TV's hang from every corner.
Driving. My kid, my friends are crazy. Racing from one place to the other.   
Reality TV...the number of programs keep increasing. People are managing their weekends and evenings around such.
Getting out of the house trips we directly went to large box stores.  I never realized everyone I know is a landscape professional.

I'm not sure what anxiety feels like but I wasn't going to hang around to find out. I flew home.

My scooter is awesome. 150 pesos is my cost for a weeks gas.
A great nite out for 2 will cost 30 bucks. We laugh and talk. Cell phones come out to share a picture.
My barber is an artist.
People we call friends here are genuine.
DR folks are forever smiling, hugging, talking and doing what they can to help.

We are humbled for the opportunity of living in another country. We give freely. We help easily. We smile more. We laugh more.

Good posts!

Ramdaddy another good and accurate post...thank you

Bob K

Great post ramdaddy.
Ashtray, you also have a great post. I look forward to more.

Ramdaddy,

  THAT is what I'm living and why I'm searching for a better more relaxing community life. The Canadian West coast is full of stress. When I read this thread it feels relaxing, like I'd rather be there, poor financially but rich in friends, than in this rat race.
I came from Nothing and wanted Status! Well it's not all it's cracked up to be. Spending $3400 / Month on rent is pure insanity.
  I'll be looking for more Real life stories. Love this.
Thanks
Scott

You could pay about 1/4 of that & have about the same size  pers here.To live well & sacrifice theweather, stress &  hassles. Others  will chime in with their thoughts.  Check out all the threads for answers to many of your questions.  Welcome to the site & update your progress for us.