If I’ve learned anything about living in another culture, I’ve learned to try not make sense of things. You see, we Americans have a certain idea of what makes sense. Well, such rules for making sense don’t exist here. Dominicans have a completely separate set of rules. Therefore, in order to live a happier life here, I just let things be… So in the nature of being light-hearted and to express my sincere fondness for the DR, I would like to share some examples of what I would like to call “Dominicanismos” (which usually refers to the colloquialisms here, but I will venture further and expand the definition to idiosyncrasies):
HISSING
Ah, the hissing…. Everywhere someone is letting the air out of their tires (there is an expression in Spanish which translates to this, but it refers to the custom of hissing at someone in order to get their attention). Usually the hissing comes from admiring hombres or curious individuals (men and women alike), but once in a while someone will hiss at someone as a way of calling them. If I come back hissing, you will know why!
STOP LIGHTS, STOP SIGNS, WHAT ARE THOSE?
Really, what are those? Though you can see them, they aren’t necessarily followed. And once in a while motorcyclists like to travel on the wrong side of the road!
LOUD MUSIC!
When I say loud, I mean ear-piercing, heart-jumping-out-of-your-chest loud. When you go to a discotec or a fiesta, you are supposed to dance (not talk)! And dance you will! Forget about trying to understand what someone is saying… It’s twice as difficult for me, b/c not only am I trying to hear what they’re saying, I’m trying to translate it so I can understand!
WHERE ARE THE TOILET SEATS?
Um, some toilets don’t have toilet seats. Don’t know why, and I’m not sure how you’re supposed to sit on them, but a couple fellow Trainees have shared some inventive ways of using seatless toilets. And forget about toilet paper and soap. Bring your own.
ALSO, WHERE ARE THE LAMPS?
I haven’t seen a single lamp here. We use the energy-saver halogen light bulbs for overhead lighting. But no nightstand lamps. No desk lamps. No coffee table lamps. No lamps (and I love lamps)!
“SE FUE LA LUZ”
The electricity can go out at any time without notice. Nobody knows why, it just does. And when it comes back on, there’s no reason. Some people are able to figure out patterns to the electric outages, but mostly it’s random – and kinda fun. You can bring out your gas lamps or flashlights. I actually have three lighting aids – one being a nifty head light. Also, the running water stops once in a while. When I visited a Volunteer at her site a couple weeks ago, we had no electricity or running water for a day. It was okay, we made it through, everyone has their method… but that’s a way of life for most people in this country.
DOMINICAN TIME
Dominican time equals one hour later. Hence, if you make an appointment for 2 pm, you really mean 3 pm. Seriously. And guess what, I’m loving it (as you all know, I’m always late…and now I’m early!).
THE RIDICULOUSLY SLOW INTERNET!!!
It takes all my “centering” in order to keep my patience over the slow internet. Yes, it’s broadband, supposedly, but I really think that translates to dial-up. But I’m learning that during page loading time, I can do some stretches, think about my next plan of action, or talk to some other Americanos who are in the lab with me. Slow internet = chisme time!
CHISME
I know I have the translation in the “Glossary,” but really this is a phenomenon here. Everybody knows everything always. It’s like that fun game of telephone. One day I was looking for my amigos in the barrio, and eventually we found each other… When my amigos approached me, they told me how some people told them there was a “rubia” (blondie) walking around looking for them. I don’t know how the neighbors knew (b/c I didn’t ask anyone), but they did! Besides, I’m one of few rubias in this fair pueblo so it’s hard to miss me!
“ME GUSTA MUCHO” = SERVE ME THAT EVERYDAY!
Dominicans really care about serving you, and they really care about serving you what you like. So if you say you like something very much, you will be getting that everyday and sometimes in very large portions. You like those “habichuelas dulces” (literally sweetened beans)? Okay, I make it for you everyday. It’s cute and endearing, but you really have to be careful! And the Dominican people are very sweet! That’s because they LOVE their sugar! :)
SI DIOS QUIERE; AY, DIOS MIO!
Dios (God) is everywhere here. He has a lot to do with whether you can make it to an event, whether you can do this or that, whether you wake up in the morning. Dios is very important to this culture… So my famous “goodness gracious” is slowly transforming into “Ay, Dios mio!”
FOR THE PRICE OF A TOWEL, YOU CAN BUY A LOT
The prices of things here really puzzle me. Some things are really cheap and some things are really expensive. For instance a 20 minute guagua ride may cost 15 pesos. An hour on the internet: 15 pesos. A pair of brand new jeans costs 300 pesos. A prepaid cell phone: 200 pesos. And a towel of similar quality to towels I owned in Brooklyn, at a discount Wal-mart type store: 300 pesos! That’s $9 and that’s not even the greatest quality!
(And just so you can do conversions of the other prices listed, $1 USD = 35 pesos)
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed those. There will be more to come as I become more and more integrated into the culture. However, I want to forewarn you that when I return, I may be speaking lots of Spanglish, may only know Spanish for certain words, may be using large gestures and pointing with my lips, and I may be spicier!
Also, my frequent usage of Spanish words in these blogs reflects my changing vocabulary. I find that using such words are better suited to the situations I’m describing… “Chisme” or “guagua” just don’t mean the same as their English counterparts.
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