Another Day in Dominican Republic
A day in the life of an expatriate (Expat) living in Dominican Republic.
The morning started the same as any other usual day, sunny, clear skies, birds singing and of course the passing of loud motorbike engines. Anyone will tell you, the down side about living on a main road in Dominican Republic is hearing those disturbingly loud motorbike engines. We’re moving away from the main road soon enough, so good riddance to that. The plus side about living on a main road is that you can always hear the trucks that pass by selling fresh fruits and vegetables, straight from the farms. On this particular morning while I was in another room, I hear the landlord knocking on the door. I don't think much of it, from my experience of renting different apartments here in DR, the landlords always seem to be friendly and will drop by every so often to say hello. My lady usually talks with the landlords anyway, and I hear her answering the door. Now it’s time to open my computer and begin my day. Then from a short distance we hear one of those trucks (Guaguita) that pass by selling all sorts of produce. Now if you're unaware on how to stop a passing truck (Guaguita) to buy fresh produce, it’s simple, just yell out “Hey” while waving and they'll stop for you. Not only is the fruits and vegetables fresh from the farm, the prices are also lower. Everything is weighed on the scale in front of you, and bagged up.
It’s good times when your able to stop one of these trucks and when they have produced that even the grocery store doesn't have. “Oh yea, what did the landlord come by for?” I asked. The landlord's wife knew that we had a bird and I guess she found a love bird, and decided to give the bird to us. With 327 different bird species in Dominican Republic, it’s every so often that one may just land on your front porch and hang around. The bird is small and looks very young, it gets along fine with the other bird that we have, so we fed him/her? and for now this bird has a home. Yea…. It happens; pet birds do fly away from their owners than seek food. Awhile back this blue bird with no fear, flew onto our balcony and decided to stay for food and water. The electric bills just came in, I wonder how low it will be this month? The weather for this time of the year (winter) is a little cooler. There's no need for AC or fans, so of course less power has been using. You can't beat this, $8.68 (USD) for this month electric bill. At this point, I wouldn't care to install solar panels at the future house. I feel like $150 would cover the electricity bill for a full year.
Speaking of the weather, so that you can get a rough idea. The winter months here in Dominican Republic are cooler with periodic rains. These are the times when you could wear a sweater or a light jacket. I reminisce when I used to think that the Caribbean was just hot weather all year round lol. Well, it's not. These homes are not built with the installation needed to keep the home warmer from cold weather. Don’t get me wrong, it never gets too cold but cooler temperatures in the night will have you loving your warm quilt. So, pack joggers, sweaters and thick socks for inside the home. I find the weather during December - February to be inconstant. One day could go from cool to warm, back to cool, never hot/humid, that's more in the summer months. I turn on my TV and I see it snowing back in North America. The snow on the flat screen grabs my attention, snow looks so good from this HD view. I tell you this, watching it snow from a mobile device, while being in a warmer climate, will put a smile on your face. I’m an advocate for the warm weather. To a large extent, warm weather is what got me here (DR).
The substitute for snow in these warm climates is rain. January and February haven't rain much, and when it has, it usually has been for a short period of time. There are times when it rains the whole day. I feel these winter months are just cooler/colder than the rest of the year. Visitors to the beaches are less, but people continue to still go. Even though the temperature is cooler, there is still lots to do by the beach like walking around, dinning at one of the many restaurants. For the most part it's usually a clear blue sky, with the high heat from the hot sun. Drying up the rain fall and clearing up those dark rain clouds. As long as it's not raining too heavy, walk along the shore, listen to the waves of the ocean, locate a nice quiet spot and take it all in (always a good choice).
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I love the images of "just another day in paradise." It shocks me I might need a bit warmer clothing. I had visions of it being in the 80s and 90s all the time.
You really showcase DR beautifully. Thank you.