I ❤️ RD

🇩🇴

The first time I went on a solo adventure in the Dominican Republic was for work. My job at the time outsourced part of its Quality Assurance functions to a vendor in Santo Domingo, and as one of the company’s talent development leads I was sent over to assist.

Saying I was excited to take the trip (and on company dime, no less!) was an understatement, I simply could not wait! After all, the Dominican Republic is MY country. I was born there, went to school there, and still have family members I dearly love and miss there. At the same time, however, I was a bit nervous. In past trips, I’d always tag along with my parents, lounging around in the confines of our close-knit small town, while my mother handled the logistics: how would it be to navigate the biggest city in the entire Caribbean on my own?

To put it plainly, it was great. In between work responsibilities, I got to sneak off to the Malecón, wander around La Zona Colonial (founded in 1496, the oldest settlement in the Americas), bask in the beauty of Taino underground caverns at Los Tres Ojos, and catch the most exhilarating baseball game I’ve ever witnessed (my beloved Águilas Cibaeñas 🦅 coming out victorious over our arch-nemeses, Los Tigres del Licey 🐯).

But then it was time to come home. And as luck would have it, I missed my flight. I will bite my tongue regarding El Aeropuerto Las Américas, but iykyk, because of course they changed the gate without even making an announcement, and so I had to spend the night at the airport waiting for the next flight out which wasn’t scheduled until 6am the next morning.

As afternoon turned into evening, the only spot that remained open was the airport bar. There, I sat for several hours with a family who took me in as one of their own. We laughed together, we shared stories, and we drank together (I, alcohol-free at the time, opted for a few tazitas de café, while they, in true Dominican fashion, crushed so many Presidentes it prompted the bartender to raise one of the empty bottles above his head and ask: “Y e’ picha que ‘tan?”).

Once I was finally on the airplane (thanks in large part to the sweet counter girl at the airline who took pity as I sobbed uncontrollably when I realized I would not be going home that day and upgraded me to first class), I took some time to reflect, and noted the following on my Instagram stories:

And we are.

Now listen, there is a lot about the Dominican Republic I can criticize (the newly imposed gag order threatening freedom of speech and rising rates of femicide, among other very serious issues, for example). However, in this piece, I want to focus on the positive because it is also true, as I have witnessed many times over, that at it’s heart’s core, the country remains a collectivist one. In DR, the emphasis is on the whole, a stark contrast to the U.S, which has consistently been rated as THE SINGLE MOST individualistic society in the world.

Community is central to life in DR. While family is everything, it is the entire village that raises you. Loyalty, social connection, and cooperation are at the core of who we are. It’s why I always feel comfortable there.

Since that first work trip, I’ve taken a couple more solo ones to the motherland (outside of work), and there’s so much I’ve gotten to explore: Humpback Whales in Samaná, waterfalls in Jarabacoa, bird watching in Los Haitises, a three day climb to the summit of Pico Duarte, and motor-boat rides through the mangroves in Monte Cristi.

Recently, I spent a few days in Santiago de los Caballeros, la ciudad corazón.

And in addition to that sense of community, the saludos from strangers on the street, being called “corazón” and “cariño” so often that I almost forgot my own name, here’s a few more things I enjoyed this time around:

1. A quipe and Quisqueya at Casa Bader: There’s a reason it’s been around since 1939!

   

2. Museums, museums, and more museums:

   I hit up about five, all low cost and some even free. I really loved:

   • This statue of Anacaona, the legendary Taína cacica, poet, composer, and translator, at Fortaleza San Luis (a historic fortress which served as the location of numerous battles during the Dominican Restoration War against Spain).

     

   • The Amber museum where I got to see the famous blue amber (found only in the DR).

     

   • Centro Leon: A museum and cultural institution founded by la familia León (owners of La Aurora Cigars and the company that created the Presidente beer) with a great selection of contemporary art and a permanent exhibition on Dominican identity.

     This table highlights the confluence of cultures (Indigenous, African, and European) that make up everything down to the food we eat. Here’s a breakdown of the quintessentially Dominican sancocho:

   • In LA CONFLUENCIA GALERÍA ETNOGRÁFICA (my favorite museum of all) I learned that the Dominican tambora is two-sided, with the skin of a male goat on one side and the skin of a female goat on the other. The “macho” side is played with a stick, while the “hembra” side is played using the bare hand.

     

3. A ride over Santiago city through the teleférico (aerial tramway)

4. An unexpected but very welcomed visit to my hometown, Villa Tapia, Provincia Hermanas Mirabal.

   

5. Fresh fruits and veggies

   

6. Estadio Cibao, home of the aforementioned Águilas

   

7. What I think is a little Cigua Palmera (Palmchat)- the national bird of DR, catching the sunset at El Monumento a Los Héroes de la Restauración

   

8. A day trip to Puerto Plata

   

9. Trying new beers:

   Presidente is the undisputed …errr…. presidente of beers in RD. But these days, theres a bit more variety. I had a good time trying a few:

   

   

10. And of course, the food: Some of my favs…

    

    

    

    Patitas de cerdo con arroz, tostones y aguacate at Casa Musa, Morir soñando y chivo con chenchén at Campuno, Almuerzo del día at a local mom & pop shop, Mofongo Mocano, una Yaroa y un jugo de cereza, Pizza con jamón y maíz, Sushi de plátano maduro y jugo de chinola, My daily breakfast of pan sobao con mantequilla y cafe

    Until next time, RD! Thanks for the love. ❤️

    Note: All photos by me.