Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Integration of expats in the Dominican Republic



I want to understand more about expat integration and whilst I have found  lots of articles on the subject, I think that the Dominican Republic has certain challenges that are not faced in many other countries.


The first is obviously the language. It is not easy to integrate into a society where you cannot speak nor understand the language.

Secondly finding people you want to integrate with. The DR is in many ways a third world country, and unless you work in Santo Domingo or maybe Santiago, it is not easy to find Dominican people of your education and background with whom you have enough in common to form friendships. Some Dominican lawyers are not quite the same as an American or British lawyer for example.


The interesting question I think is, why should you integrate in the first place? Many expats come here to retire, for the weather, cheaper cost of living and the ambiance and are content living in villas in gated communities surrounded by similar people from similar countries. They search for the food they have at home, they watch television from home, they mix almost exclusively with fellow countrymen, and their contact with Dominicans is limited to gardeners, maids and repair services. They make no effort to learn Spanish. I find myself wondering is there anything wrong with this, as they are protecting themselves from the negative side of society here, but they are also missing out on the positive experience that comes from embracing a new culture.

There are those who love being here and there are those who have nothing good to say about the country and its people (the natives as they would say), but enjoy living in their bubble.

Then we have those expats who make an effort to integrate, by maybe working in the country and by making some effort to learn the language. They may still live in expatriate areas but will take an interest in the country, having some Dominican friends, reading Dominican newspapers, possibly belonging to the local neighbourhood group or volunteering to help the community in some way. They will still socialize with other expats and still try to ensure that they have as many things from home as they can.


The third group is those who are totally integrated and I think they will usually be married to a Dominican or have a Dominican partner. Obviously that helps the integration process significantly not only with learning the language, but to understand the culture and to meet and socialise with more Dominicans. They will watch Dominican television, eat Dominican food and rarely socialise with other expats. I think that this group may have a tendency to feel superior to other expats, feeling that they have somehow achieved something by integrating and by giving up the ‘pleasures’ of their former existence. However, I do not think it matters how long they are here, they will never become totally Dominicanised, nor do I think they would want to.

It is said that there are four stages to integration. The first is when you arrive and is the honeymoon phase when you feel euphoric about your new life. Then as time passes you become irritable with the fact that things are not like they are ‘back home’ and become hostile towards the local population, being overcharged for example, and the euphoria turns to anger and resentment. Maybe some of the first group are in this stage and prefer to stay in their expat bubble rather than expose themselves to more frustrations.

The third stage is adjustment when the anger is replaced by a grudging acceptance – of the electricity situation for example. No point in moaning about it as there is nothing you can do to change it, just sort out inverters and generators and make it work as best you can. And the final phase is adaptation which maybe only those who are totally integrated can reach. When you adapt totally to your surroundings with no need to go to international supermarkets, no need to watch anything but Dominican television, or to regularly socialise with other expats.



I think I am probably in the last group but I cannot imagine a time when I will be totally integrated to the extent of losing all of my background. I don’t go to international supermarkets and eat mostly Dominican food, but it doesn't mean that I adore the occasional treat of MacDonalds or Indian curries or cheddar cheese or…I could go on! I watch Dominican news on television, and films in Spanish, but I also watch some British and American television. I speak Spanish all day long, but I write in English and I chat online to my expat friends in English. I have Dominican acquaintances and friends, but I have deeper friendships with expats, albeit mostly online. I feel it is vital to have some access to part of my lifestyle I left behind, albeit minimum.

So I find myself wondering why integrate? There are benefits to the experience but it brings with it the negatives of moving out of your comfort zone. Is it to feel superior, the fact that you can live without air conditioning and enjoy mangu? Is it because you are rejecting your own culture? And for those who have no wish to integrate why not? Do you just strive to know enough to make your day to day lives easier and are completely disinterested in the country? And does that matter?

Any thoughts anyone?


14 comments:

  1. I really think you need to integrate, even if on a basic basis - a bit of the language maybe enough to get you by - assimilate or accept some of the customs...otherwise what is the point of living in a different country and just live in your own bubble of expats friends who speak your own language? Sooner or later you might need someone from outside your world, and then?
    It´s not always easy to make friends in your adopted country, but if you speak the language it´s a bit easier...I suppose if people go to a 3rd world country and they want to shut out the poverty and problems around them, then why move there in the first place, they have to accept what they got into, or not go there at all!

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    1. I agree Sami, but it is amazing how many people live in gated communities and do not want any contact with the Dominican people at all.

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  2. When I first moved to the DR I lived in a 'Gated' community but after about a year my Dominican girlfriend persuaded me to move to the barrios "because the people are friendlier there" and it's true. Plus my Spanish improved and because I got to know Dominican ways better I can quickly deter people from trying to rip me off. The other advantage of living in poorer areas is that it is safer - people living in gated communities are burgled and robbed a lot more than people living in the poorer areas.
    By the way, I'm still with the same woman after 18yrs.

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    1. Congratulations Glynn! I think you make some interesting points. The things that attract us to the DR apart from the weather are the people, and it is in the barrios that they are so much friendlier and welcoming. I agree too that your Spanish improves and the safety is significantly better. In fact in lots of ways life is easier and less stressful - but do you miss being with other expats?

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    2. No Lindsay I don't miss being with expats because I still go to bars where there tends to be a good mixture of Dominicans and expats.

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    3. I think it is important to keep some links with expats, and is nice to speak English once in a while!

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  3. My wife and I will be moving from the US in the next couple of months to Las Terrenas. We won't be living in a gated community, but definitely not in the barrio, either. We want to get to know our neighbors and be part of the community, whether that is local Dominicans or other expats. We like to cook and eat and drink and hope that we can find others w/ the same interests. We are trying to learn the language and will keep trying until we do. So I guess we want to integrate, but not give up our identity, either.

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    1. Welcome to the DR and you have chosen one of the best places in the whole country to live, so congratulations. I think you are doing exactly the right thing learning the language and wanting to integrate. That way you will get the very most out of your new home. You may find that your identity changes though over time, in that material things will matter less, time becomes less important and you learn to chill and laugh more - Dominican style.

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  4. We are all the sum total of our experiences to date. If you are going to live somewhere new then what is the point of keeping to what you know and never evolving and growing. You only do this by fully involving yourself in the new ways of living offered to you by your latest location of choice. Remember it's a privilege. Too many people in this world never get the opportunity. However if you do this at the expense of all the things you have learned from the places you have been to before then you become as myopic of some that never leave. So I say stay indvidual. Love the place you are in but don't forget the places you have been. That's what makes you an interesting and unique individual. So if you want to put Birds Eye Custard on your Mangu go for it!

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    1. Great answer Nicola. I think it is different to integrate in an English speaking first world country than a Spanish speaking third world country, which is why so many people don't do it. Not to say they shouldn't though. And did you have to mention custard. I would die to eat that on my bananas (not mangu though!)

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  5. Hi all, I know all these comments are from expats (a new word and didn't know) but let me give my 2 cents, even I'm not British (dominican 100%). First time I read this blog and I consider it to be an intelligent reading, now my opinion about this topic: We welcome everyone in the country and we don't expect anyone to change, no matter if you don't integrate at all, we still will be friendly. Dominicans will always be friendly and funny (even when ripping off) and won't treat you any worse if you don't speak spanish but, you might enjoy trying to fit. Come and try it.

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    1. Expat is short for expatriate and your English is so good! You are right that Dominicans are friendly to everyone whether or not they speak Spanish!

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  6. Everything you said was very true and very well written but this note "unless you work in Santo Domingo or maybe Santiago, it is not easy to find Dominican people of your education and background with whom you have enough in common to form friendships",I would have to tell you,you have a wrong idea in that area because apart of those cities you mention the DR you have san francisco de macoris...tell your husband to take you to SFM and see the city and the barrios and you would see a different picture of what you have in mind......Not all the dominicans are the same as you picture in your blog,I will not deny you say many truths but you have to leave a little more out of the neighborhood and look at other cities and you will have a different perspective of the country.. Ahhhhhhhh and not all the parts of country have the same idiosyncrasies,the north,east,west are very different.What happens on one side do not necessarily go in the other....I love your blog but do not generalize....."Civilization is the limitless multiplication of unnecessary necessities" ( Mark Twain )....God bless..

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    1. Good point Vincenzo I have not been to SFM so I will put that on the list of places to go. I know that expats here often are criticised for not having friends of the same standing as they were in their home country. But in their home country, assuming they were middle class, the middle class is much larger than it is here - hence harder to find people with similar interests. But you make a good point and I will try not to generalise so much in the future. Thanks for pointing it out.

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