3 INCONVENIENT TRUTHS About Living in DR

In this edition of the Grubernation Weekly Newsletter:

• 3 INCONVENIENT TRUTHS About Living in DR

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3 INCONVENIENT TRUTHS About Living in DR

Coming back to the US with my family for multiple weeks gives me time to truly assess our life in DR.

I can sift through comments, DM’s and even videos made by angry old men on the north shore 😁 to form my thoughts.

I’ve done that .. and I have 5 truths to share.

#1: It’s Not Paradise, but it’s MY Paradise

There’s this counternarrative to my content that I am spinning everything as positive and don’t share anything negative.

And then .. when I do share challenges .. one trolly creator called them ‘throwaways’ - meaning quick low level acknowledgements that don’t mean much intentionally so I can then just start spinning golden tales of amazingness in DR.

I LIVE in DR .. which means LIFE HAPPENS in DR for me and my family.

Medical emergencies, school events, auto accidents, AMET shakedowns, flat tires in the middle of nowhere, etc etc.

For me, none of that is a ‘throwaway’ - it’s simply one aspect of life.

That said, I wake up most days to blue skies and sunshine, I chose to live in a place where my kids have an insane social life, I can walk to all the amenities I want and when I get sick of my bubble, I go stay in a different one (like the Domes in Jarabacoa haha).

My content pre-dates my move to DR.

I lived in Michigan, bought 41 units of real estate, became a capital raiser, quit my job .. and shared it all. Scroll back in IG and you’ll see.

My challenge to anyone is .. tell me when I shared the negative of life back then.

(I’ll save you time .. I didn’t).

In DR, I’ve found a home - enough of one to liquidate our US house and buy one there. Enough of one to choose to raise our kids there.

Excuse me if I like to see the bright side of life and share that - but I emplore those folks to go create their ‘real’ content and make sure people know the ‘truth’.

Here’s what’s real .. no place is paradise, not even DR - but it’s MY paradise.

#2: Breaks are Required

Whether you live in Punta Cana, Jarabacoa, Cabarete, Santo Domingo or anywhere else - you feel like the walls close in at times.

Breaking out to do an in country trip can flush that feeling of the walls closing in, but if you’re American or Canadian - a return to reset and get out of the natural craziness that is DR culture is highly recommended.

When we landed and I got a rental car, to have people waving me ahead, signalling, abiding by 4 way stops or traffic circles was refreshing.

My shoulders dropped a little bit.

Like anywhere, you can go a little stir crazy and as an American (born OR raised), you get used to rules being followed, to order and efficiency which is highly lacking in DR.

In part, that’s what makes the Dominican beautiful!! But you can’t deny a quick trip to the grocery store with a self checkout line to zip through, once seen, can’t be unseen!

#3: Punta Cana IS In the Dominican Republic

There’s a narrative out there that ‘Punta Cana is not REALLY Dominican Republic’ which to me is such a disempowering statement for anyone to say, ESPECIALLY a Dominican.

‘Real’ Dominican has to be the chaotic high crime inner cities I guess.

Successful Dominicans aren’t Dominicans.

That’s terrible .. and I know most reading this newsletter eyeroll those that feel this way.

However, another narrative that gets WAY too much acceptance even by some of the people most positive about DR is that ‘Punta Cana doesn’t have that Dominican culture’.

After 2 weeks in the US, I’ll tell you that’s VERY wrong!

Now look, if I visited for 1-4 weeks and soaked up all the things Punta Cana puts in front of people like the resorts, restaurants, theme parks and even a dip into Veron to get a Presidente at a Colmado, then you can’t see and feel the culture.

When you live, however, inside the mini-cities set up around the area (Village, Cocotal, La Palma, Vista Cana, etc) you can’t tell me it feels like US culture.

Even in the Village, which is a higher end community - the majority are Dominicans. The music is merengue and bachata.

Locrio, asapao and sancocho is cooked in the homes.

People simply show up at your house and that turns into a school night where everyones awake until midnight (including the kids).

But loud music has to be off at a certain time. People drink wine instead of beer. Residents are bilingual.

It’s Dominican CULTURE with American STRUCTURE.

But you can ONLY see this after you pierce the veneer that is Punta Cana tourism.

Behind it you find families.

How do you think 6-7 International Bilingual with US accreditation can exist?

How do you think Pueblo Bavaro can have dozens of spanish speaking schools?

How do you think multiple soccer clubs pop up?

I’ll admit this .. I like the American amenities to go with the Dominicaness of the area and I will continue to rail against this notion that ‘Punta Cana doesn’t have Dominican culture’.

Being back in the states, lemme tell ya … if PC is US culture, then I must not be in the US.

That’s it for this week! I’m writing this at the Atlanta airport after I remembered I had to present to a group of young entrepreneurs here. Last minute trip so I got behind on the newsletter.

Rather than fill it with ‘stuff’, I’ll just give you the highest value content I have this week.

Back to normal next week .. be well!