A nightmare of mind-numbing beaurocracy.........from one government office to another.....all over the capitol.....contradictory demands......property confiscated.......time constraints on the seemingly impossible to accomplish......interrogation on unrelated matters.......humiliation at the hands of people who cant even write properly in their own language........feelings of despair while hoping they take you to jail in the hopes the embassy might send somebody to help........being reduced to a whimpering wreck in utter despair. That's just the short list of what happened to me and a buddy recently in Santo Domingo, and could happen to anybody.......so be prepared. We finally were released after several days and a few thousand pesos. I'm still shaking at this human rights abuse I thought id never have to suffer again in my life.
Preparing for...,.the Kafkaesque
Jeeze, Colonel, all this for jaywalking? Give us the skinny so that we all can avoid your travail. What went down to caouse this reaction by the powers that be? What dastardly deed warranted such a response? Please inform us, we need the knowledge to protect ourselves from such horrors. Pavlov was correct, we all can be conditioned to respond automatically to outside stimuli. Pol Pot knew that very well.
Wow Colonel....that sounds like some ordeal! Glad to hear you and your friend are ok....What prompted this episode? I try to explain to many who at times get a bit upset when some of the darker issues about living in paradise are brought up, but in reality all expats are simply one bad incident away from changing their view on what was considered paradise into something completely different. Expats need to realize that their rights on foreign soil are pretty much non existent albeit having residency or citizenship. As a foreigner you will never be given the same rights in a place where those rights are often denied to their own natives. This is not a reflection on the beautiful people of D.R. but more so on the institutions which allow some of these things to happen to everyday citizens. D.R. Is an amazing place, with amazing people, but just be aware that if you do run into any issues while there, you better know the right people or have some deep pockets, since Paradise can quickly become something else in a matter of hours. Enjoy the island, but be aware of the pitfalls as well. Hope you recover from this traumatic incident and please keep us posted as to how you are doing.
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