Re: Hello's and Greetings
By: Phuck Ewe to Khelair on Sun Aug 31 2014 01:36:00
I was going to ask you what DR meant and then I remembered, Dominican Republic. PR is nothing like the DR. DR has a few zones that are turist areas, and are modern enough, but when you venture out of them, extreme poverty hits you in the face. It's pretty sad really. Some people live there in houses with dirt floors, and the government is pretty corrupt.
You know, I spent most of the time that I was there outside of any of the urban centers... Las Calderas had a bit less poverty, but as soon as you were outside of the military post there, yeah, a punch in the face sounds about right.
I've said it before, multiple times, though . . . As bad as some of the things that the poverty causes, I still found it a refreshing change from the materialism and petty judgement of the USA. I spent all of the time I could away from the other American soldiers (even snuck aboard a Dutch marine transport for awhile to drink with the captain), trying to hang out with the locals, practicing my spanish.
I know that war fires up there pretty easily; our TradeWinds 2004 exercise was partially staged in order to have Marines nearby in case the Haitian border fired up really bad from the presidential assassinsation that'd occurred around that time. When you walk into one of the places off of the beaten paths, though, and start talking with the locals, you're _accepted_, so long as you're not the typical arrogant American. I will be moving to a less wealthy country at some point. The fact that these people are loyal, and tight, with each other, not based on materialistic and petty factors, but because each other are all that they have, calls to me quite a bit.
PR's government is not a jewel, but it being a US Territory, makes it safer than Mexico or the DR for that matter.
I don't doubt it... Yet I really want to stay as many hundreds of miles or kilometers away from any WalMart as I possibly can, as soon as I am able in life. ;) I had a lot of friends from PR in the military; seems like they pull a pretty disproportionate number of their ranks from there.
BTW: I do not in any way actually support what the US military does, for whatever that might be worth... Long story, and I think everybody here has heard it a few times. If you want to know, I'll tell, but I won't do it unsolicited ;)
Its funny though because anti-drug laws in the DR are pretty harsh, but in other areas they are a toy...
That's something I never got to find out about, being as I was wearing the uniform at the time. I did, however, break the rules enough to swap clothes for some local moonshine with some friends I made. Holy sheeeeeyyyyitt that was some potent turpentine. ;)
Let me know when you hit the Island and I can give you some pointers.
That would be absolutely awesome. I'll keep you posted for sure.
I have a trip planned for next year, I have to go see my mother...
I'd love to hear about it. When was the last time you were back there?
Best wishes!
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