You know the saying, "fashionably late"? Well, they take it to another level especially when it comes to parties, unless they want a good seat. If a party starts at 8 p.m., they may arrive at 10:30 and sometimes maybe at 12 a.m. saying, "better late than never" or "well, we didn't miss much, let's find us a table". As long as they get there, that's all that matters.
This past Sunday, I went to a "campo" called Salamanca. Campo means the countryside/mountains. It can also be a "pueblo" which is a village. Salamanca is located in the countryside/mountains in the Providence of Santiago. The woman who helps clean the house invited us to visit her home and boy was it beautiful up there. Her house was right in front of one of the freshest and purest rivers I've ever been to. Well anyways, we told ourselves that we would wake up at 9 a.m. to leave at 10 a.m. Time flew and by the time we left it was 12 p.m. When we got there the lady said, "I already cooked and cleaned! I thought you guys were dead!" Doctor visits: good luck waiting for them to come on time because his/her secretary will say he'll be back at 12 p.m. and he/she ends up coming whenever he pleases (4 p.m. for example). That's just how it is in this country.
There is a trick though to get your Dominican friends to come to your event on time. If your event is at 4 p.m., tell them that it starts at 3. I can guarantee you that most will show up at 4. The same thing happens with my parents back home. When I had to go to the salon, I would call my mom and tell her that I was ready to go when actually they just started blow drying my hair. This way she would come right when I finished, give or take 10-15 minutes. So there you have it, Dominican Time!
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| Salamanca from an outer to inner view of the country Pictures from: http://www.maplandia.com/dominican-republic/santiago/salamanca/ GIF made by: http://makeagif.com/ |
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| Since Salamanca is located in the campo, we had to drive about 15 minutes up the mountain. It was worth it because look at this view! Here we were overlooking Santiago. These pictures were taken with a phone camera because I don't have my digital one with me. Sorry! |
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| This is the river I mentioned. I shot this picture facing the house. If you go up the trail where the trees are (the ones to the left of the picture), it leads you to the house. Spectacular! |
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| La Hora Dominicana (The Dominican Time) http://www.tirapop.com/ |
*Translations (Didn't put any accent marks)*
Nos Vemos A La En Punto (nunca es exactamente a la en punto) =
We will see each other at that exact time (This never happens at the exact time)
Voy Ahora (depende de lo que se este haciendo pero nunca se llega inmediatamente) =
I'm coming (depends on what he/she is doing but he/she never comes immediately)
De Camino (generalmente es cuando nos metemos al bano) =
I'm on my way (generally is when we're about to jump in the shower)
Ve Pidiendo Algo (se lo dice porque sabe que va a llegar tarde) =
Start ordering (says it because he/she is coming late)
Haciendo Yuca (lo que hace el otro que nos espera) =
Making yucca (what the person who's waiting is doing) (kind of confusing)
Toy en 5 Mins (en realidad son 30, siempre con excusa de tapon) =
I'll be there in 5 minutes (in reality it's 30, always with an excuse)
Llegando (en realidad ahora es que estas saliendo) =
I'm arriving (in reality now is when they are leaving (their house))
Enchandoraices (ya tiene un tiempazo esperando. todo comenzara casi 2 horas despues de lo acuerdo)=
(I'm not sure what that means!) (They've been waiting a very long time. Everything will start 2
hours after the time it was supposed to.)
ANY QUESTIONS CONTACT ME
@ mydominicanjourney@gmail.com
or comment below : D
I'm here to help!
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