Will THIS Cause the Death of Dominican Culture?

Welcome to the Grubernation Weekly Newsletter!

I share information, tactics and tips for moving abroad, living your dream and EVERYTHING in between.

In this week’s edition:

• Will THIS Cause the Death of Dominican Culture?

• 6 Ways to Make Friends FAST in Punta Cana

• I Bought a Condo in DR 🇩🇴 (Here’s a Tour)

For those interested in talking to Boardwalk Developments, the developer I chose to work with, just fill out this form and their team will reach out with opportunities they have. Serious inquiries only please 😁 

Will THIS Cause the Death of Dominican Culture?

When I ask people why they’ve delayed their move to the Dominican Republic, one of the reasons most often cited I TOTALLY get!

Inefficiency!!! 😡 

If you’ve ever gone to a bank, or a doctor’s office or God forbid a government office - you can INSTANTLY see how things can be done much faster and better.

My wife has talked about needing to touch down in the US every few months just to experience a more organized life.

She calls it ‘getting her Target fix’ (a friend gave us that haha)

One of those frustrating places to go is the grocery store.

There are no automated cashiers which, living in America, actually sounds amazing!

But here, you’re at the mercy of a VERY slow cashier, VERY slow managers who need to come over and do a void, or even customers in front of you just leaving their cart and shopping.

How AMAZING would Instacart be??

Another thing is Amazon.

It’s available - but it’s a 5 day shipping process and then you need to walk or drive to Domex or BM Cargo to pay the shipping charges and retrieve your packages.

TOTALLY inefficient!

We went back to the US for the month of August.

Instacart, Amazon and Door Dash came by often and it was SO convenient!

During that 30 days, we reached out to friends and neighbors to hang out but they were too busy to.

During that 30 days, we experienced a shooting at the state fair as well as another in Atlanta.

During that 30 days, we saw and felt political divisiveness to a level I completely forgot about.

The country, honestly, felt dehumanized!

What else explains branding someone by their political beliefs and calling them ‘evil’, ‘Nazi’, a ‘DEI hire’, ‘garbage’, ‘stupid’?

What else explains the process of a kid getting so mad at other kids that he not only goes to get the gun, but puts it in the bag, takes it to the school, then sees the human being they’re mad at, still pulls the gun, sees the fear, and STILL pulls the trigger?

No 12 year old has that in them without become completely disconnected from humanity.

It gave me a new appreciation for the lack of delivery to our home, for the need to go to the store and ‘waste’ time waiting in line.

We’re forced to see each other! We’re forced to greet each other, kiss each other on the cheek, shake hands, apologize for not returning the whatsapp because you TOTALLY forgot (I do that WAYYYYYYYY too much 😁 ).

We’re forced to feel each others’ humanity.

We’re not a left or a right.

We’re not a Nazi or DEI hire.

We’re not these soulless beings.

There’s connection between people. And I TRULY believe this connection is a big part of the difference between the US and DR.

The weapon of choice has it’s critics, and even in England there are mass knife events, but I honestly think the heart of it is a desensitization to each other as humans in the fully developed world.

Here’s what’s also interesting …

I get HEAVILY criticized for being a colonizer, a ‘culture vulture’, an oppressor, for making life worse for those around me by merely existing here.

It’s all ridiculous, it’s all from people NOT living her and it’s dismissed by me instantly (after I get a jab back at them in the comments or DM of course - I’m a NYer at heart after all!!)

But those who move to this culture become part of it, not the other way around.

In the US, there are tons of neighborhoods of immigrants who do NOT want to integrate with American culture/society.

My wife’s town she grew up in has plenty of folks that live and exist without needing to speak English or integrate into general American society.

Chinatown is in every big city, and little Italy - heck Detroit has ‘Mexicantown’!

Every hear of ‘Little US’ in Santo Domingo?

The culture in DR is overwhelmingly strong

I truly believe that even as Amazon or Door Dash becomes more of a ‘thing’ (like it is already in Santo Domingo), the culture of connectness is not decaying - quite the opposite.

One person said ‘in the poorer neighborhoods, people are so committed to each other, helping each other, checking in on each other’.

I disagreed.

It’s all neighborhoods!

By all accounts, I live in a very nice neighborhood in DR where houses run multiple 6 figures into the low 7 figures to buy.

I can’t keep people out of my house!!!! Haha

Last night, we needed our kids to get to bed by 8pm - they were up late the few nights before.

Then ‘ding dong’ the kid across the street came by at 7:45.

Halloween got rained out here (yes, Halloween is a thing) and suddenly we pivoted to a birthday party for another kid at my house, and then me being called to a neighbors house my kids trick-or-treated at for drinks and fun until 11pm on a Thursday.

That neighbor is American too - the only fully American family I know here (most are like us - one Dominican, one American).

Will Amazon be the death of Dominican Culture? No.

But I have a new appreciation for going out to get things for sure!

6 Ways to Make Friends FAST in Punta Cana

I received a DM asking, "Do you find it hard to meet people in Punta Cana?" 

My response was something like, "Pfffffffft, as if!"

The follow-up was, "Well, you’re a guy, so I’m asking as a woman because I don’t think it’s as easy for us. Has your wife struggled?" 

My response was something like, "F’ing pfffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffft, are you kidding?"

Socializing is NOT an issue in the Dominican Republic, and that INCLUDES the "bubble" of Punta Cana. Dominicans are social people—remember that!

I thought through how we made friends and how we did it SO quickly and came up with 6 ways to share.

PLUS, there’s a tip at the end to help you meet the KIND of friends you’re looking for!

#1: School

Obvious, right? If you have kids, connecting with other parents at the school is the way to go. Here’s how it’s fast: When I drop the kids off, it’s an ordeal of walking them up to the front door and seeing them off. Then I see all the other parents, and we greet each other. It happens at the end of the day too, then at soccer practice, then at the playground. I joke that I kiss our friend Kristy as much as I do my wife (on the cheek, of course). I see her 3-4 times a day, and that’s just how you greet! Unless Kristy’s getting extra sugar under the guise of culture. School is an AMAZING place to meet people.

#2: The Gym

Ok, maybe you don’t have kids, or they’re grown. The gym is its own community here—at least the one we go to. Conversations, fist bumps, handshakes, deep discussions. We’ve met amazing folks at the gym, including our trainer. It’s a great environment to meet like-minded people, but stay tuned for that tip I promised to make this an even BETTER place to meet people!

#3: Facebook Groups

There are a ton of online resources for expats moving to the DR. One of them is Facebook. You’ll find a few different groups dedicated to locals who are expats coming from the US, Europe, etc. Here’s one called Punta Cana Expats, for example, you can check out.

#4: WhatsApp Chats

Once you’re here, you’ll meet someone who knows everyone, and VOILA, you’ll be part of tons of WhatsApp Groups. I’m in "Dad’s Night Out Punta Cana" for me and a few other guys that get together. I’m part of the "Park Parents," which is us communicating when our kids are going to play at the playground. My wife and friends have the "Baddies of Punta Cana" (amazing name, haha). She’s in a bigger group called "Punta Cana Expat Moms." Find these people at the gym or school, and they’ll hook you up!

#5: Expat.com 

This website is a great reference point for information on living in the DR, or anywhere else in the world, actually. Find the DR forum, interact and engage, and you’ll find folks from all over the island to network and grow with.

#6: Neighborhood Events

From Halloween parties to Christmas tree lightings to NYE parties or farmer’s markets, there are TONS of events advertised online to attend. Here are a few Instagram pages to follow that share when they’re hosting something: Fundacion Punta Cana, Grupo Punta Cana, Punta Cana Village (Pork Fest is coming up November 11-12 - FYI).

PRO TIP FOR NETWORKING:

This one may not apply to everyone, but do you want to get around amazing people who are doing amazing things so you can open that business, do more business, or maximize your opportunities in Punta Cana?

Pay for the best spots!

Don’t go to the budget gym; go to the one that’s $80/month.

Don’t send your kids to the cheapest school; send them to one that costs a bit more.

Don’t move to the cheapest neighborhood; live where the entrepreneurs do.

This is something that has served me VERY well! Especially when it’s more than I’m comfortable spending—I get more value out of it when I stretch myself a bit!

I Bought a Condo in DR - Here’s a Tour!

Fresh new YouTube video for you touring Boardwalk Developments Maple Beach/Suites project in Cortecito.

Hope it’s helpful to see the process and wait until the 10 minute mark for a really cool update on the story that happened AFTER recording!

Appreciate you following along - I hope this is valuable to you. Feel free to reach out with any thoughts or suggestions for future content!