The Dominican Republic has many similarities to the United States since it is within the Americas. However, there are also many differences that should be noted as well.
Main differences
- The main language is Spanish, followed by Haitian-Creole. Most of the places that you travel at will have only things in Spanish (including restaurants and museums), with only a few places having English translation. Even the waiters and other servers generally only speak in Spanish.
- The DR’s form of currency is peso. Approximately 40 pesos equate to one US$.
- If you hear racial slurs there, it shouldn’t be taken personally. People there yell out labels based on what they see (e.g. chino if you look Asian), but they do not mean it in any negative sense.
- While there are taxis there, one of the cheapest modes of transportation is the concho (very similar to a taxi in New York City). For only 20 pesos a person, the concho can drive you to a location within the city (Santiago). That being said, most drivers make the most use of the space they do have, squeezing multiple people in the taxi (up to six people sometimes: two in the front, four in the back). Other forms include the moto-concho (motorcycle taxi) and the coach bus (which I took with some friends to go to Santo Domingo).
- Especially notable in Santiago are the holes that can be found in places you least expect. They are there without any warning; watch your step!
Other
Much of the food consists of seafood, rice & beans, and fresh fruits (notably chinola ‘passionfruit’ and pina ‘pineapple’). However, the restaurants near where we stayed at had many American options (such as hamburgers) and even Italian food as well.
One of the main problems in the Dominican Republic would be the water system. The only safe source of drinkable water is bottled water. There were water purification systems that we visited; the people there said the water within the company was guaranteed to be clean. However, the water outside of the system cannot be guaranteed as the pipes going into the people’s homes are not necessarily clean, meaning the quality is compromised. In addition, the septic tanks there are not particularly efficient: even toilet paper cannot be thrown into the toilet without clogging up the system; thankfully there is a waste bin next to each toilet.
