Sosua Reports

[Charles Pooter]

She had me drive her to the Malecon, where she gave the leftovers to someone who looked like they could use them.

I remember that well. I was most grateful.

[Yanqui69]

Water hook up is a big deal. Oakie hook her up, this is a new year!

I agree, Oakie.

Throwing money away on frivolities is a waste. Demands for outrageous gifts are to be ignored.

But the amount of good to come from a lousy 100 bucks in this case, is immeasurable. Maybe I'm a 'softy' but to do so much good with such a small amount is too good to pass up. They will be using water from that tap for decades to come.

True story: The famous song writer, Irving Berlin, was once walking in the city with a friend, when a panhandler asked for money "for food ".

Berlin gave him a twenty, which was a huge amount of money in those days.

His friend criticized him, saying the guy was probably going to use it to buy alcohol.

Berlin replied, "Yeah, you're probably right. - But I couldn't take that chance. ".

[Yanqui69]

Better to use tomar for swallow.

Just my two cents. Tomar, is like beber, to drink. Tomar agua, cerveza, etc. 'Tragar' is what I have always heard for swallow.

Tragar.

TRANSITIVE VERB.

1. (to ingest).

A. to swallow.

Tengo la garganta inflamada why me cuesta tragar alimentos slidos. My throat's sore and I'm finding it very difficult to swallow solid food.

(Source: Spanishdict.com).

[Yanqui69]

A month ago in the while sitting outside a calmado sipping on a cool one, a kid about 4 yrs come out with one candy sucker, 3 of her friends where waiting outside, priceless to watch them all standing in a circle on the sidewalk and sharing multi licks as this sucker kept going around the circle sharing licks.

Trying circumstances, like war and poverty, bring out the worst and very best in people.

I once took a chica to an inexpensive chicken place in Puerto Plata. Afterwards, there were considerable leftovers. The chica lived in a small apartment with no refrigerator. She had me drive her to the malecon, where she gave the leftovers to someone who looked like they could use them. I can't imagine anyone in the US doing that.

[Bart1]

About once a month I go and stay a couple days with my regular in PP. She has a small apartment that she shares with her kid and sometimes a girlfriend. A thitd floor place that overlooks the La Serena parking lot! No running water, and on the third floor that can be a pain.

But it is accross the street from the beach, and has a nice balcony where she can light a charcoal fire and grill some party food. She likes to cook.

Anyway, the kid had a 9th birthday and I promised to buy her a regalo from La Serena, so she grabbed my hand and off we went. It was Independence day or some such and La Serena was jam packed. I said you go find something while I look around the store, but she wanted me to stay with her.

She made a bee line to the household goods and got a 20 pack of matches, then she went to toiletries and picked up two packs of Kotex, and two little bottles of spray cologne, and two hair clips.

What's this I say? She said for Momma and her "aunt". I say what about you? Then she took me over to kids wear and spent a fair bit of time looking at these little jeans and a top. Ok, I said, lets go. She held up the price tag and said no, too much dinero, and walked around to find something else. She could find anything so I took her back to the jeans, She hugged them but still said too much dinero. I grabbed them and put them in the cart. She gave a big smile and said OK we can go. Arn't you going to try them on? No neccesito.

But I didn't want to be coming back to the store, so I took her to the change room and two nice ladies helped her. She came out, a perfect fit!

I don't know the moral of this story but I found her thoughfulness and priorites a little different from the kids her age, back home!

A month ago in the while sitting outside a calmado sipping on a cool one, a kid about 4 yrs come out with one candy sucker, 3 of her friends where waiting outside, priceless to watch them all standing in a circle on the sidewalk and sharing multi licks as this sucker kept going around the circle sharing licks.

[Oakie]

Those are excuses for cheap Charlie's. LOL.

I would believe you if you were the one fetching the water for her. OTOH if you had fetched water for a few days the water hook up would have be done!

You got me! That's how I came to ask her how much it would cost in the first place. I could hardly make it up the steps, which for some crazy reason were all built at different sizes! Every step was a different height. LOL.

[Dg8787]

I probably will!

But the second most useful word in DR, besides No! Is puede luego, which means to her don't fuck up the deal in the meantime!

But suppose I did what some "guys" are reported to do here, and go all the way with a better apartment, full range of appliances, and maybe a car, she'd lose her whole lifestyle and reason to get up in the morning.

She's already happy with her life, as it is!

I see her only 2 or 3 days a week! That's enough for me, and she had to be pursuaded over the last 3 years, that is enough for her, Lol

She, like my old grandma, enjoys cooking from scratch on a little fire or two burner stove, seeing the hand washed laundry fresh and drying on the balcony, and getting thanks and praise from her family, friends, and me. And a good nights sleep at the end of a hard day! Hell, she might start asking for a LifeStyle Gym membership, or even entertaing a new boyfriend, to keep her busy! LOL.

If it ain't broke?

Those are excuses for cheap Charlie's. LOL.

I would believe you if you were the one fetching the water for her. OTOH if you had fetched water for a few days the water hook up would have be done!

[Oakie]

Water hook up is a big deal. Oakie hook her up, this is a new year!

I probably will!

But the second most useful word in DR, besides No! Is puede luego, which means to her don't fuck up the deal in the meantime!

But suppose I did what some "guys" are reported to do here, and go all the way with a better apartment, full range of appliances, and maybe a car, she'd lose her whole lifestyle and reason to get up in the morning.

She's already happy with her life, as it is!

I see her only 2 or 3 days a week! That's enough for me, and she had to be pursuaded over the last 3 years, that is enough for her, Lol

She, like my old grandma, enjoys cooking from scratch on a little fire or two burner stove, seeing the hand washed laundry fresh and drying on the balcony, and getting thanks and praise from her family, friends, and me. And a good nights sleep at the end of a hard day! Hell, she might start asking for a LifeStyle Gym membership, or even entertaing a new boyfriend, to keep her busy! LOL.

If it ain't broke?

[Dg8787]

Looks like we have a few softies here, LOL.

She'll have a better life because her estranged papa, who now llives with his second wife in SD pays to keep her in school in PP. And pays up on time, but nothing for her Mama.

As for the future, who knows? They mostly all go to school now, so that should make a difference from their parents.

But of the kids I saw grow up in the family of my former long time regular, and spent a lot of time with, 2 were pregnant at 14 and 15 and one, now 18, is on the street in Sosua.

One of my bartenders got into an argument with the manager and was fired. She was making 200 pesos (about $4) a day plus tips, for a long shift, and was getting most of the tips beacuse she worked the customers better.

So the temptation for easy tourist money is always going to be there. It really is a life changer!

But like the other vets here, my advice to mongers is always keep your PFP on a strictly business level, otherwise you run the risk of getting involved in their lives, and start asking like me, after a few visits and living rough, but seeing how she can happily cook for the dozen or so people who showed up on my last visit, and even washed and dried my cothes before I left, how much would it cost to bring up a damn water pipe to this place? So they would have running water in the kitchen sink, the toilet and the shower stall.

She got a price from her landlord of about a hundred bucks. So here we go! Last year I bought her her first little frig. There's an old saying, don't feed the bears!

That's how it starts! LOL.

Water hook up is a big deal. Oakie hook her up, this is a new year!

[Dg8787]

Yep, that's funny.

Can someone enlighten me on the humor of this?

Many deluxe homes in 3rd world countries are electrified with a wire to a single light bulb. Would have been nice to have bought her a LED light bulb to save on the electrical cost.

[SubCmdr]

If you are dealing with uneducated girls and putas tomar may indeed be the word they use (and the person asking I might add). But the educated ones use tragar as do I when asking for that sort of thing.

[Turgid]

........... She lived in a house with a wire running to a single light bulb. LOL...........

Yep, that's funny.

[Mr Enternational]

Yes sir. Tragar is swallow.

Better to use tomar for swallow.

[Oakie]

In my humble opinion you did the right thing. The kid certainly is not selfish and getting just the basics says a lot about her. Good story my Brother and yes her thoughtfulness and priorities are on track. Let's hope she has a better life because of you.

Nightwhaler,

Looks like we have a few softies here, LOL.

She'll have a better life because her estranged papa, who now llives with his second wife in SD pays to keep her in school in PP. And pays up on time, but nothing for her Mama.

As for the future, who knows? They mostly all go to school now, so that should make a difference from their parents.

But of the kids I saw grow up in the family of my former long time regular, and spent a lot of time with, 2 were pregnant at 14 and 15 and one, now 18, is on the street in Sosua.

One of my bartenders got into an argument with the manager and was fired. She was making 200 pesos (about $4) a day plus tips, for a long shift, and was getting most of the tips beacuse she worked the customers better.

So the temptation for easy tourist money is always going to be there. It really is a life changer!

But like the other vets here, my advice to mongers is always keep your PFP on a strictly business level, otherwise you run the risk of getting involved in their lives, and start asking like me, after a few visits and living rough, but seeing how she can happily cook for the dozen or so people who showed up on my last visit, and even washed and dried my cothes before I left, how much would it cost to bring up a damn water pipe to this place? So they would have running water in the kitchen sink, the toilet and the shower stall.

She got a price from her landlord of about a hundred bucks. So here we go! Last year I bought her her first little frig. There's an old saying, don't feed the bears!

That's how it starts! LOL.

[Brother P]

About once a month I go and stay a couple days with my regular in PP. She has a small apartment that she shares with her kid and sometimes a girlfriend. A thitd floor place that overlooks the La Serena parking lot! No running water, and on the third floor that can be a pain.

But it is accross the street from the beach, and has a nice balcony where she can light a charcoal fire and grill some party food. She likes to cook.

Anyway, the kid had a 9th birthday and I promised to buy her a regalo from La Serena, so she grabbed my hand and off we went. It was Independence day or some such and La Serena was jam packed. I said you go find something while I look around the store, but she wanted me to stay with her.

She made a bee line to the household goods and got a 20 pack of matches, then she went to toiletries and picked up two packs of Kotex, and two little bottles of spray cologne, and two hair clips.

What's this I say? She said for Momma and her "aunt". I say what about you? Then she took me over to kids wear and spent a fair bit of time looking at these little jeans and a top. Ok, I said, lets go. She held up the price tag and said no, too much dinero, and walked around to find something else. She could find anything so I took her back to the jeans, She hugged them but still said too much dinero. I grabbed them and put them in the cart. She gave a big smile and said OK we can go. Arn't you going to try them on? No neccesito.

But I didn't want to be coming back to the store, so I took her to the change room and two nice ladies helped her. She came out, a perfect fit!

I don't know the moral of this story but I found her thoughfulness and priorites a little different from the kids her age, back home!

Good Shit! I'm glad you hooked the little girl up with a nice outfit. Experiences like that remind us that the sue isn't the whole DR.

Its crazy about no running water. I went to bonao a couple of years ago. I hooked up with a chica I know from sosua. She lived in a house with a wire running to a single light bulb. LOL. It was crazy. She did have a tv. But to see her in merengue bar dressed to kill you would never guess she lived like that. Happy travels gentlemen!