a whole new world

The sharp, bipolar worlds of the Dominican Republic would shock anyone who experiences or lives it. Julie and I had a chance to spend a short time in Bavaro, a resort area next to Punta Cana. My friend Jonathan, who works at one of the all-inclusive resorts, gave us a great deal that we couldn´t pass up. We left our small town, rural Dominican livestyles for 28 hours and stepped into a world of private beaches, fine dining, airconditioning, running water, unlimited food and drinks, Americans and Europeans, and simply put...luxury. It was a nice hiatus from reality I must admit; however, it was culture shock all over again. Going from one extreme to the other accentuated the lavishness and exorbitance that we North Americans and Europeans have come to depend on (myself included). It makes me wonder what the Dominican resort staff think of it all.

After living here for over two months, it was weird and oddly uncomfortable to be treated like a tourist. Many of the staff with which we conversed were often astounded when we told them we were only there one night because we had to return to work in Hato Mayor and El Seibo. I´m not sure what shocked them more, our Spanish speaking abilities or the fact that we actually knew of these two rural communities (not to mention live in them). I met a lot of staff that are from Hato Mayor but travel to the coast to work. Good, stable jobs are hard to come by here, so many work 12 days straight at the resorts and then return to their families for 3-day breaks. Despite my mixed feelings of the extravagant, foreign-owned resorts that line the coasts of this impoverished country, the economist in me can´t help but see it as a positive impact in the sense that it is creating jobs. Traveling through a community mid morning in the middle of the week often looks like people are enjoying a relaxing Sunday afternoon--men sitting in the shade playing a friendly game of dominos while sipping on an ice cold Presidente. At first I mistakenly dismissed it as laziness, but I was reminded that unemployment and underemployment are significant problems.

I had an amazing time at the Caribbean Club Princess, but 28 hours away from reality was sufficient for me. In my opinion, the best part of it all was being able to talk to the staff about their culture and relate to them in a way that most tourists cannot. The luxurious world was fun and rewarding because of my connection to the reality of local life.