Life: Live it. Love it. Appreciate it. Make the most of it. The culture here is all about living to the fullest, but they do not think of it that way..it is natural for them. They do not value material things, or worry if their electricity or water is going to work today. They simply appreciate when it works and when it does not, they find other ways to make it work. One person told me the Dominican Republic is the 'happiest, saddest place'. Such a oxymoron, but so true. Most people may have very little, but they do not let this stop this from enjoying each and every day, every single minute.
Laughter: It goes along with their lifestyle. They are always happy and do not worry about the little things that some people (me especially) always seem to worry about. The little things do not matter, what happens, happens. And whatever happens there is always friends, family, and neighbors to help each other out in every situation. They protrude such a happy, carefree sense of life that they make you want to live one too!
Showers: All day, every day, two or three times a day. You know I am not talking about America here, but this is the lifestyle of the Dominicans. Most of the times there is no hot water and so imagine taking a cold shower three times a day?! To them it is completely normal and to me I was like more than one shower in two days say whaaat?! I was guilt tripped into taking more showers than I ever have in my life. They take one in the morning, afternoon, and night when I still have not had my first, and I start to think I must smell or that they think I must be a really gross American. So I showered. A lot. It got up to two times a day. I could not believe myself. But with the hot weather and continuous sweat I have to admit I get why they shower so much, and I even got to where I did not mind it (so much)!
And if my blog has entertained you enough to convince you to visit the beautiful country of the Dominican Republic, I have listed a few things that are unique to the DR that I have gotten to experience along the way!
Laughter: It goes along with their lifestyle. They are always happy and do not worry about the little things that some people (me especially) always seem to worry about. The little things do not matter, what happens, happens. And whatever happens there is always friends, family, and neighbors to help each other out in every situation. They protrude such a happy, carefree sense of life that they make you want to live one too!
Showers: All day, every day, two or three times a day. You know I am not talking about America here, but this is the lifestyle of the Dominicans. Most of the times there is no hot water and so imagine taking a cold shower three times a day?! To them it is completely normal and to me I was like more than one shower in two days say whaaat?! I was guilt tripped into taking more showers than I ever have in my life. They take one in the morning, afternoon, and night when I still have not had my first, and I start to think I must smell or that they think I must be a really gross American. So I showered. A lot. It got up to two times a day. I could not believe myself. But with the hot weather and continuous sweat I have to admit I get why they shower so much, and I even got to where I did not mind it (so much)!
And if my blog has entertained you enough to convince you to visit the beautiful country of the Dominican Republic, I have listed a few things that are unique to the DR that I have gotten to experience along the way!
Presidente: The infamous Dominican beer. It is everywhere here and usually the only beer that places sell. Along the beach walk there is buildings with Presidente umbrellas, banners, and more! I think is tasted wonderful, but of course the sight I had while drinking one might of helped it a little bit too!
Motos: They drive motorcycles EVERYWHERE! The motos line the street, beg you to take a ride, and zoom in and out of the cars with no thought to the rules. I was lucky enough to ride one, but only when one of my Dominican friends knew the driver and knew that he was not one of the crazy ones! Thankfully I made it safe on the few trips I went on, and the nice breezy rides truly made me feel I was in the Caribbean!
Attire: Long pants, skirts, tank tops, and short sleeve shirts. That sums it all up. If you want to fit in the Dominican style do not bring any shorts and bring lots of pants and knee length skirts. I, however, could not bear to wear this style in the heat and stuck with my shorts and tank tops and still sweating like no other. I still have not figured out how they do it! Also, they always look nice whether they are playing games or taking a walk. They love to look nice, smell nice..their culture is just overall much more formal and conservative than the American culture. I added my bug spray perfume to my shorts look and competed the American tourist look pretty much every day!
Workouts: There is not a better place to workout! What more could you imagine than a beautiful run by the ocean every morning or a swim in the ocean watching the sunrise?! It is a great motivator and an easy place to make excuses for a break because you want to 'look at the view'! :)
Happy attitudes: It will be impossible to have a bad day while you are here. The people always have the best attitudes and there is never a dull moment when you are with them! Be prepared for lots of smiles, laughs, and great times!