The general infrastructure is messy compared to what we Racers see as “normal.” You can’t flush toilet paper; it has to be thrown away in a trash can in the bathroom because the plumbing can’t handle it. If you flush it will probably clog your septic system.
Hot water is uncommon and limited, and like I said before, the water and/or electricity may shut off for no reason. If you were to call and complain that the water/power is out, they would just shrug it off and say something along the lines of, “We’ll get it back on as soon as we can,” and that’s it. Which leads me to the most stand-out thing about Dominican culture: the people here are so relaxed compared to people in the United States.
First off, schedules aren’t very important. When we tried figured out a well-timed schedule with our ministry contact, he just seemed confused. If a Dominican tells you that he’ll meet you at 3:00 in the afternoon, he’ll probably show up sometime between 3:00 and 4:00, maybe as late as 4:30. In a situation like that, there is no sense of “That is so rude of him to keep me waiting,” amongst the Dominican people.
Imagine trying to pull that in the States. Try telling a friend, even a good friend, that you’ll pick them up at a certain time, then showing up an hour later without calling ahead or letting them know why. Even a best friend would be at least a little ticked.
Also, from about 1:00 to 4:00 in the afternoon, no one really does anything. This is a time for “siesta.” People take a nap, or just find a spot to relax and beat the heat during the hottest time of the day. And as a couple of silly americanos who went somewhere to get online during that time of the day because it was our most common free time, April and I experienced some oppressive heat.
It’s not only the heat that keeps people in. In the town where we were ministering, there was a planned women’s group meeting at the church. This is a town with dirt roads where nearly everyone walks to get where they’re going and it was raining. The American response would be to break out rain jackets, rain boots, umbrellas, etc, and just march though the downpour to get where we had planned to be. The Dominican response was that nobody went to the church, and not because they called/ sent out e-mails/otherwise arranged for the meeting to be cancelled; everyone just understood, “Oh it’s raining. We’re staying inside, so, no meeting.”
I’m an extremely laid back person, so you’d think that I’d be all about this relaxed way of doing things, but it is a double-edged sword. In addition to the occasional frustration that comes with schedules being more like suggestions than plans, this uber-relaxed demeanor spills over into the working world.
Sometimes a shop will close an hour early, just because. Sometimes a shop won’t open for the day, because the owner manager decided not to come in. If a shopkeeper is having a good day, you know it. If they’re annoyed at serving you, you know it.
As someone who has worked in restaurants, retail, and the professional world, it’s just really different from the United States: Having a set schedule is a big deal. Being on time is a big deal. Having good customer service / a professional demeanor even when you’re having a crummy day is a big deal. Working an eight-hour day with just enough time off to eat lunch is generally expected. “Siestas” are unheard of unless you’re not working full-time hours. And in the States, if you’re not working full-time hours then you’d better be a student who is studying to better his long term work life or you are probably a slacker.
There is tons of research to say that Americans work too hard and have too much work-related stress. I’ve often felt out of place in the American working world, thinking to myself, “These people take their jobs too seriously,” “These people need to relax,” “These workaholics who are breathing down my neck are going to die from stress 20 years before me, then what good will their condescending ‘You’re a slacker!’ attitude be worth then?” Okay, so that last one is a little harsh, but it illustrates my point.
In my personal and working lives, I’ve often butt heads with more structured types who seem to be obessed with having a set schedule, standardized expectations, and specific goals. When plans are up in the air or a plan goes awry and these types of people get all bent out of shape, my attitude has always been, “You know, it’s not really a big deal. Get over it.”
Now, I have new appreciation for people who want to keep things organized. Am I saying that the American way of doing things is better? Not really. If I had to choose between the two, I’d choose the American way, but I’m sure that’s only because it’s what I’m accustomed to, but both ways are frustrating and are inconsiderate of others in different ways. Ideally, there’d be a balance between rigid and fluid social structure. People tend to gravitate towards extremes.
I’m gonna go ahead and close this out because I could write a book on that previous sentence and this is long enough.
Part 3 (Amazing God Stuff) to follow soon.
