mean looks?

[trabajadora]

Hmmm, I used to be concerned about these stares as well. I think I'd have to agree with a lot of what Miguel said in his first post. But aside from that, I also have come to realize two things: (1) what might be construed as a "dirty" stare, usually is just a nosey or curiosity stare. I really don't take too much offense to it anymore as I've come to believe that people here, both Dominican and Haitian, are just curious about me or want to know who am I, what am I (meaning American, Dominican, Jamaican or whatever), why am I here, etc. At least that's what I THINK. I've come to that conclusion because I do, in fact, look different. My hair is not like anyone here for one thing. That in itself makes them wonder. And, (2) I've found that if I stare back, they will either turn the other way or stare harder. But the best thing I've found is that if I simply smile and say "hola" or "buen dia", I get a smile right back and a return greeting. I like that approach much better and it makes me feel sooo much more at ease. Friendliness and a pleasant smile go a very long way.

[Lambada]

Originally Posted by bk_d

lambada- thanks for asking. it's a ramped up version of harassment you get in other cities, the usual hissing which so quickly can lead to following and groping. in addition to the street harassment you get stared down openly and in a way that implies that they feel they have the right to do so, while in public (at a store for instance). i have quickly learned to cross the streets and travel with my boyfriend in which case they mostly lay off. also, yes, i do speak spanish and initially told them to leave me alone in spanish. when that was terribly unsuccessful i gave up and just avoided them.

I suspect the 'stared down openly and in a way that implies that they feel they have the right to do so' is you experiencing it as being stared down & them experiencing it as staring at along the lines of what mountainfrog & trabajadora said.

Hissing & following is normal, groping isn't in my experience. Only once in 15+ years here did I construe what someone did as groping (he tried, uninvited, to apply sun lotion to my back). Touching uninvited is crossing the line in my book, & he got sharply dealt with (I bent the offending fingers backwards against his hand: since he was allegedly a masseur this could have been a trifle.............inconvenient ). I'm nearly 65 so am unlikely to be subject to groping (good respect for age here & 65 is considered old - I'm a Doña ) but were it to happen now I would retaliate in exactly the same way - the hand which gropes is the hand which suffers........... I would never use a weapon in response to groping, just self defence tactics & a loud voice (yell!).

You know, I almost wonder if you're being too ladylike in the way you handle this, too western, too reserved (asking to be left alone) & whether that is encouraging more than your fair share of this? If you can achieve showing someone up (males here hate to loose face) however you do it - noise, rabbit punch, whatever, that should lessen the problem. If someone gropes your breasts or elsewhere uninvited knee him hard in the groin, accidentally of course. You can always look devastatedly sorry when he's rolling on the floor holding his testimonials.

[mountainfrog]

Originally Posted by bk_d

.... such anger in their stares, as they do here...

Well, I can only say that your case is extremely rare and I would like to witness such a "bad look" situation in order to grasp it fully.

In the meanwhile I recommend to get a 'mal de ojo' amulet bracelet...

mountainfrog

[les1]

I'm sure I'm going to get flack for this post from whats been called sexpats, but anyway....
I first went to Las T 15 years ago and it was a fairly chilled and pleasant place, true a lot of the prime land had already been bought by foreigners for next to nothing. Over 15 years, in my experience, it has become an increasingly unpleasant and definately unrelaxing place. It has become increasingly polarised with the rich foreigners at one end (generally the beach end) and the poor dominicans on the other side of the river in the dominican part of town. Yes Las T is two towns, the rich and the poor. It would hardly be surprising if the dominicans harboured resentment towards the foreigners. My dominican ex wife and I went there last year with the family, stayed one night and couldn't wait to leave. She is a nursery school teacher in London and even remarked that the way kids played there was noticably different to the way they played in other towns which had not been spoilt by a high concentration of tourism, a fair degree of it sex tourism.

[mountainfrog]

Originally Posted by les1

.... Over 15 years... It has become increasingly polarised with the rich foreigners at one end (generally the beach end) and the poor dominicans on the other side of the river in the dominican part of town. Yes Las T is two towns, the rich and the poor. It would hardly be surprising if the dominicans harboured resentment towards the foreigners.

Well, there is truth in that and although well observed this does not explain all those 'mean looks' the OP says she had been given.

Many of the 'mean lookers' would include people who do benefit from the development of LT (motoconchos, construction workers, mechanics, shop keepers, drug dealers, pimps, etc.) but still the majority of the locals (who are relatively few taken into account the high influx of outsiders and Haitians) are friendly and many of them have benefitted enormously from the sales of land (not necessarily their own).

So the poor town dwellers (like in barrios as 'come pan') came from far (like the many 'abogados' who have probably given LT the highest concentration of lawyers in this country) and IMO do not have much of a reason to give mean looks to foreigners.

So, the mystery goes on...

mountainfrog

[les1]

Well I certainly think this may be factor, particularly as OP is frequenting the dominican part of town. Also the fact that dominicans can make money from foreigners does not foster respect from the dominican. I would hazard the reverse, the more more money the less respect. Perhaps one could draw a graph for it!

[mountainfrog]

Originally Posted by les1

... Also the fact that dominicans can make money from foreigners does not foster respect from the dominican.

This goes at least for criminals who within the last month have attacked and robbed several foreigners in their houses here.
In a number of four cases (only those which are known to me) an American couple, a Dutch man, an Italian woman and a French couple (in Cosón) had their houses invaded by armed thugs.

mountainfrog

[caipiranha]

Originally Posted by bk_d

hi-

i'm new here and am visiting las terrenas. can anyone explain why people who live here, dominicans and haitians alike, seem to give you such nasty looks when you walk by in town and ride by on motos?

I´m female, I visit Las Terrenas very often and I´ve learned my lesson.

As an attractive woman, your age is not important, never wear shorts and a tanktop or short skirts etc. when you´re going there alone. Don´t look sexy at all, wear the ugliest clothes you´ve brought with you.

Las Terrenas is devellopping to become a second Sosua - famous for its sex tourism (especially female). So as a woman alone you receive always nasty looks and more...

Always smile, be friendly, talk with everybody! Your smile comes back to you.

And if you always have "your husband in the hotel" you won´t have any problems at all.

Saludos

[sascha]

Originally Posted by trabajadora

Hmmm, I used to be concerned about these stares as well. I think I'd have to agree with a lot of what Miguel said in his first post. But aside from that, I also have come to realize two things: (1) what might be construed as a "dirty" stare, usually is just a nosey or curiosity stare. I really don't take too much offense to it anymore as I've come to believe that people here, both Dominican and Haitian, are just curious about me or want to know who am I, what am I (meaning American, Dominican, Jamaican or whatever), why am I here, etc. At least that's what I THINK. I've come to that conclusion because I do, in fact, look different. My hair is not like anyone here for one thing. That in itself makes them wonder. And, (2) I've found that if I stare back, they will either turn the other way or stare harder. But the best thing I've found is that if I simply smile and say "hola" or "buen dia", I get a smile right back and a return greeting. I like that approach much better and it makes me feel sooo much more at ease. Friendliness and a pleasant smile go a very long way.

i agree totally with this. when i was in SD in february, i got those "stares." i didnt take it to mean that people were giving me dirty looks but after talking to some locals, i came to believe that people might just be curious about who i am, where i came from etc...and yes, i do look "different." i was born and raised in canada but my parents are from the philippines and locals who i had talked to said that filipino people in the DR are rare. i should also mention that if i was walking down el conde on my way to and from the orphange and school where i was volunteering, i would often have people yell out to me "chinese?", "japanese?", "korean?" and even a couple said "philippines?" i thought it was funny because they were just curious about where im from. as well, the stares may have also been attributable to the fact that i am a young asian female who was travelling, exploring and volunteeering alone which i definitely didnt see a lot of in SD.

also, i was in SD the other day (just got back ) and on the way there from a connecting flight out of NYC, i saw a few dominican passengers across the aisle from me "staring." i noticed and said "hola" and after awhile, they started talking to me and asking me where i was from, why i was going to the DR etc... i might be wrong but i think that the "stares" are more out of curiousity. i dont think that anyone is intentionally trying to be rude to give dirty looks.

[DOMINCAN BOY]

Originally Posted by caipiranha

I´m female, I visit Las Terrenas very often and I´ve learned my lesson.

As an attractive woman, your age is not important, never wear shorts and a tanktop or short skirts etc. when you´re going there alone. Don´t look sexy at all,

Saludos

Maybe she looks like this Bob A smoking 11 LOL