Let's be real

     

This picture has nothing to do with my post, 

but I thought it was a cool sculpture so I decided to share it with you!

          All of my posts up to this point have been pretty positive, and it has been a positive experience. But I want to be completely open and honest in this post and talk about the not so positive stuff. My goal is for this to not be a depressing post, but I do want to bring to light some of the harder aspects of this International move. No, I am not talking about legal stuff, just personal observations and experiences in my everyday life so far.

            Now that I have possibly made you want to stop reading my blog for the week (sorry about that) I am going to just plunge headlong into this post.

            The first thing I want to talk about is judgement. Being here as an American tourist is completely different than being an American that lives here, on many levels but in particular, in how the Dominicans judge me. The biggest thing is the fact I am not a fluent Spanish speaker or even at a level where I can hold basic conversations. I know this is a failing on my part, but it isn’t from lack of trying! My Spanish is better than it was when I came in 2014, but being in the US, I had no need to use it, so I learned it very slowly. I am already ahead of where I was in the States, but I still have a long way to go, obviously. Some people reach out and try to help me; others just look down their noses because most of the time, I need Jonathan to translate. What they don’t know is that I understand a lot more than I can speak. I can tell Jonathan what they are saying, I just cannot respond. It’s incredibly frustrating.

            Another thing that I want to talk about is being taking advantage of. Because of my pale skin (less pale now thanks to the Dominican sun!) and my obvious accent in the little Spanish I do speak, some people try to take advantage of that. The other night we went to a store to start buying kitchen accessories like silverware, cooking utensils, cups, etc. We needed to take a taxi back and previous rides were $350 pesos. This time it was $400 because of the “International”. Jonathan did talk the man down from his original stated price of $500 peso, but still, it was frustrating.

            I have grown used to being stared at; it happens a lot in the States due to my attire and head covering. So, being stared at here is not unusual for me, and I only notice if it is abnormally long or weird in some way. However, several times people have either hollered at me or to Jonathan while walking with me. Some of things said are fine but some of them are not. Jonathan will sometimes just shake his head and translate what they said usually followed by a “they think they are funny [or original]” and it really was a statement that does not make a lot of sense or is not at all relevant to me/us. However, there have been a couple of times I have been yelled at from a truck (without Jonathan there, I was literally standing on my own patio receiving a load of sand for the wall plaster) and I had no idea what was said. My only clue that it was probably something inappropriate was the other man’s reaction (the one delivering the sand) to what was said. Jonathan was talking to his Mom so was not there to yell back or translate and my Spanish is not good enough to ask the other guy what was said. Then there are the comments said to Jonathan about me while walking together. One such comment was (in Spanish of course) “you hit a home run with that one”. Although slightly flattered, I was also offended. What was his real meaning behind the statement? Jonathan thanked him so I don’t think it had a bad meaning but I can’t help but wonder what the man really meant. Jonathan says marrying an American (United Statesian as we are called down here…long story) gives the person status. Okay, cool. But I still wonder about the comment….

             

            The last thing is the currency. The conversion rate is $45.35 pesos = $1 US. For quick conversions I round up and say 50 pesos = a dollar but it is still hard to understand the currency. To better understand expenses and make wise choices spending money, I have to convert it because of not understanding the currency. It is a really pain when I look at something that says 500 pesos and I think it’s a good price but then conversion says its actually $10 and I would not pay that in the States for that item! It’s really frustrating.

            However, I am adjusting and overall it has been a positive experience. These are just a few things that are not so positive because every experience has a negative side. I post this for those down the road that might be considering something similar with their lives, and I wanted to be honest. It’s not all good, great or glamourous, there is an ugly side too. However, just keep pushing through and sticking with it and eventually, it won’t be as hard anymore.

            Blessings to you all, and I will plan on posting something positive next week!