The Dominican Republic: A Short Story

The Dominican Republic was explored by Christopher Columbus in 1492. When he first discovered it, he named it ‘La Española.’ It became an official country in 1844. The capital is Santo Domingo and the population is about 10.4 million people. The main language spoken there is Spanish, the main religion is Roman Catholic, and their Independence Day is February 27, 1844, which makes it younger than the United States.

What do you think of when someone says “Dominican Republic”? Do you think of spas, hotels and beaches? When I think of it I recall dirt roads, poverty and dilapidated shacks. My senior year of high school I went on a mission trip to the Dominican Republic with my basketball team with the simple goal in mind to advance our skills as basketball players and to help the people of the Dominican. Little did I know this trip would change my life completely.

Within the unique culture of the Dominican Republic, the complex heritage of Arawak, Spanish, African, and French lore, is unique to the Dominican Republic compared to other Caribbean islands. Moreover, the country maintains close ties with the United States. Currently, the people of the Dominican Republic are striving to build a democracy against the unscrupulous and authoritarian politically privileged leadership. A large element that shapes Dominican national identity is its Spanish heritage. Currently in this country, light skin color, which is marked to reflect European ancestry, is valued, while dark skin tones indicate West African slave ancestry. The Roman Catholic cathedrals still are in existence and the majority of the population

The migration from the Dominican Republic to the United States was initiated by the US military occupation in the 1960s. The US involvement lead to a mass issuance of visas to Dominicans in order to forestall a Cuban-style revolution (Castles & Miller, 2009: 175). The migrant flows are maintained by existing links in the form of US trade and investment in the country (Castles & Miller, 2009: 28). In contrast to most other Latin American countries the Dominicans have easier legal access to the United States and thus can usually work in the formal economy and come and go as they wish ("International migration and social policy underdevelopment in the Dominican Republic" author Gabriel Ondetti: 46 ).

The Dominican Republic (D.R.) has a deep-rooted history with the country of Haiti. This makes sense since they share the same Island. Yet, the culture, cuisine, and native languages are different and unique from one another. I was born in Haiti and spent a majority of my life living there until I immigrated to the United States with my parents. Although I have never been in the D.R. I have an interest in its history and people. As a female who has just entered the American marketplace as a worker I took particular interest in the role of women in the Dominican Republic workforce. In effect, I chose to explore the role of women in the labor force and how gender inequality affects their hiring prospects. Specifically, the unique challenges that affect Dominican women culturally that may prohibit them from entering the labor force. Additionally, systems of oppression that affect Dominican women 's opportunity for upward mobility. In exploration of these topics I used two academic research articles. First, “Social Context, Household Composition and Employment Among Migrant and Nonmigrant Dominican Women” by Douglas T. Gurak and Mary M. Kritz which explores how the household composition (among other things) of Dominican women affects their likelihood to be employed (Gurak & Kritz, 1996). Second, “Joining the Dark Side: Women in Management in the Dominican Republic”

The day has finally come to go on vacation. My family and I departed promptly from our house at 4:30 in the morning. Our flight was scheduled for 7 in the morning at Pittsburgh International Airport. We had to arrive their early because all people flying international had to be their two hours before the flight would leave. We boarded the flight out to Punta Cana, which is located in the Dominican Republic. I can remember that I was so excited to go, that I was the first on the flight. I am pretty sure that it took about three hours to get to the Dominican Republic from Pittsburgh. It was a really long flight to me because I could not wait to get there and I just wanted to land. Finally, the moment has come and we landed. When we departed

For this map project, the country of research is the Dominican Republic located in both the northern and western hemispheres in the Caribbean. The country is located on the east section of the island of Hispaniola, with the country of Haiti on the west section. The island of the Hispaniola is the second largest island of the West Indies and it is 29,418 square miles in total. The Dominican Republic's shores are dominated by the Caribbean Sea to the south and the Atlantic Ocean to the north, but its nation capital Santo Domingo is located on the southern portion of the island. The also has close surrounding neighbors which are Cuba and Puerto Rico. The main reason why the country is in my interest of research is because it’s my place of

In The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, the reader gets a sense of what the expectations are of Dominican men and women. Junot Díaz uses Oscar in contrast to the other male characters to present the expectations of the Dominican male. On the other hand, Díaz presents the women in the text, especially Belicia, La Inca, Lola, and Jenni, as strong characters in their own rights, but the male characters, with the exception of Oscar, have a desire to display their masculinity to maintain power over these women. It would be unfair to say that the women bring the abuse unto themselves, but rather it is their culture that makes the abuse acceptable and almost to a certain extent—expected.

The Dominican Republic or also known as La Republica Dominicana is a small island that is 18,816 square miles, located off the coast of Florida. The Dominicans of this land share their island with the Haitians. The island has a subtropical climate, mountains, rolling hills, and fertile river valleys. The economy is mainly dominated by sugar, which still earns much of the country's foreign exchange despite establishment of varied light industries and the development of nickel, mining and tourism. Coffee, cocoa, tobacco, and bananas are also a major export crop. But, despite their seemingly stable economy, and lush landscaping, a vast majority of the estimated 8,603,200 people that live there wish to migrate to the

The Dominican Republic and Haiti not only share the island of Hispaniola, but also have similar histories and cultures. These similarities have been overshadowed by a tumultuous relationship that has existed for centuries between both nations. Many wonder why the Dominican Republic and Haiti have not been able to have a harmonious relationship. However, they must take into account that this relationship has endured mass killings, oppression, and racial divides. Although many of these actions took place in the past, they continue to influence the present-day relationship between both nations and how it is depicted by the media in the Dominican Republic.

The Haitian revolution had tremendous repercussions in the social, political and economic arenas of the world, but especially for the relationship with the neighboring nation of the Dominican Republic. In order to understand the development of the Dominican-Haitian relationship after the Haitian revolution one must examine how the two colonies of Hispanola dealt with each other before it. Throughout history there has been constant stress between the interactions of these nations, yet there is no easy explanation for what has caused it. In effect, it has been an accumulation of events which has allowed for the present relationship to evolve.

The Dominican Republic and Haiti are two countries that share an island. The difficulties of two ethnicities sharing an island bring forth conflicts that stem from colonial times. Race, economics, politics and stigmas all play a role in ethnic conflict between these won cultures that have very different views on their roots. Prejudice, cultural identity issues and resentment towards Haitians is the reason why Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo massacred thousands of unarmed Haitians. This is why the two cultures still clash today.

Thesis Statement: I believe that education allows students to find themselves by giving them the tools and qualities needed for being successful and doing what they want with their lives. Introduction (Attention Grabber) Tell a story about going to the Dominican Republic Last Summer when I made the decision to go to the Dominican Republic to help out at a local school, I had no clue what to expect. All I knew was that my Spanish was pretty decent, I enjoyed working with children, and I was feeling pretty adventurous at the time. One of the students I worked with was a 16 year old boy named Antonio Rojas.

Let me start of by saying, there is no reason why anyone wouldn’t want to become a Dominican. Dominicans have strong beliefs in resurrection. Their religion customs were brought to their island by Spanish colonist. The Dominican Island is a very beautiful Island full of friendly people. The Dominican flag colors are red, blue and white, in the middle of their flag they have a bible. The culture is unique and follows an old tradition, They have a history of native Tainos and Africans which were the ones who repopulate. Dominicans influence their tourist places with Taino souvenirs. Their people love tourist, mostly Americans. Every Dominican dream for some reason is to come to the U.S. Other than the U.S. having benefits for everyone and being a multicultural country their Island is

The caribbean is where a small island, contains two countries within its borders and a long history of conflict. Haiti and the Dominican Republic are two different country, with completely different cultures, from religion, to the food they eat, Two countries, with two different, yet correlating stories. A story of conflict is what unites these two countries. This paper will attempt to analyse that story, and answer how this small island came to be divided into two countries, and inhabited by two peoples of such different cultures. This paper will also take a small look at the results of this history, and it’s effects on both countries.