Dominican Republic Cultural Shock for Americans

Prepare for cultural shock in the Dominican Republic! This video explores the differences Americans may experience when living in the DR.
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[@krhodessch]

DR does have traffic laws, they are just more like traffic suggestions.......😂😂😂

[@ladytravels4808]

You ain’t lying 😂

[@NorberisR]

😂🤣

[@walteranderson2507]

​@@NorberisR yeah I saw you run a couple 🛑 signs before in your video. The camera don't lie 😂😂😂

[@NorberisR]

@@walteranderson2507 😉😊

[@CreativepreneurJourney]

Years ago when I used to go to Haiti and Dominican Republic, I will see a lot of people in the motorcycles 🏍.

[@NorberisR]

Yes motorcycles are everywhere

[@Andrew-hk4dh]

I look to both directions before crossing a one way street here in DR, you can imagine why

[@toddmaek5436]

I did the same in Mexico lol

[@EduardoOlsson]

You guys are such an inspiration couple goals for real 🦾👌🏾 Big fan from Sweden!

[@ericpowell4350]

Wow, I thought they were siblings. They look alike.

[@xiocaruso6289]

James, I agree with you about the cold shower situation. Not something I can't get used to it.

[@maninflite]

I didn’t have culture shock. I felt at home

[@hellisgood666]

Yeah you did

[@chrisgabriel7241]

Lol..😂 The information is soooo correct.. I'm in the US and I'm feeling homesick missing DR..😂😂🇩🇴❤️..Much Love

[@NorberisR]

Thank you🤗

[@OnirikaLovelace]

To drink a beer at lunchtime is European style! In Europe, it is common to have lunch and enjoy your meal with one glass of wine, but beer is more economical than wine in DR ❤ Like it is common to go out every night with your friends until 1Am. In Spain, dinner time is around 10:PM

[@NorberisR]

I don't think because beer is economical here, it's that it's our country's drink and because it's hot here all the time.

[@OnirikaLovelace]

@@NorberisR I see. It can be a traditional style too, since we drink beer more than wine in Germany.

[@anibalfernandez7924]

The never is going to change people drive crazy in DR. You just have to be aware at all time to prevent a accident

[@akjtrinity]

And the insane things they carry. Like I’ve seen people moving large armoires and other furniture on the motoconcho.

[@NorberisR]

Yes😁

[@rosacortes5074]

​@@NorberisRDominican people will find a way to resolve a problem. I saw 2 Dominican men move a mattress & box spring & other household stuff from the Bronx to Washington Heights, on the roof of a beautiful MERCEDES BENZ. They don't play.🇩🇴🇩🇴🇩🇴🇩🇴😊

[@brycebarker1437]

We are looking to move to DR and your videos are fantastic to see and what to look for. Thank you for what you guys are doing

[@NorberisR]

You're welcome. Glad these videos have been helpful in trying to make that decision.🤗

[@teofilosuarez5253]

I love you guys and your chanels , from BELGIUM. Peace and love.

[@ricoyoung8373]

Great video and great information. Let your hubby know that I one million percent agree with him and i absolutely positively will never ever get used to the cold showers 🤣🤣🤣 So he is right about that part 👍🏿

[@NorberisR]

😂 I will let him know.

[@buddyweiser1288]

Great topic and video. When I was there for the first time, I was somewhat shocked by the things you mentioned, but the one that really got me was the toilet paper thing 😂. It felt so wrong to just put it in the trash can. And yeah Jay I did look at it first 🤣🤣 Norberis, I would like to hear about some culture shocks that you had when first coming to the United States. I know you must've found some things we Americans do kind of strange ??

[@NorberisR]

🤣 I did do a video about my cultural shock when moving to DR but it was long ago. Maybe I'll do an updated version.

[@walteranderson2507]

Back in May, Me and flaquita jumped into a juajua from the Agora Mall to Sambil mall we were seven deep inside the car! What a rush!😅😂😅😂😅

[@NorberisR]

😅

[@ricoyoung8373]

😂😂😂 yes the toilet thing is funny as well. I get in trouble every year in El Salvador flushing tissue with family there 🤣🤣🤣

[@shirleywilliams6892]

Great info, I really enjoyed this video. Because I have experienced these issues too while I was visiting SD. And yes, it was truly a cultural shock 😂😂.

[@NorberisR]

🤗😂

[@drmshewa]

I didn't mind the traffic in SD; I'm used to driving in Los Angeles. I felt brave so I rented a car at the Punta Cana airport, drove to Casa de Campo and from there drove several times over to Santo Domingo. On one trip I was sailing along there listening to music and suddenly a police officer literally just jumped out into the middle of the road. I was speeding :-/ He let me 'pay for my ticket on the spot'. Other than that, the traffic was OK; chaotic but doable. I like the fact that I just blend in until I start talking.

[@ItsNelson23]

Great topic and video. Always tuned in when a video drops.

[@NorberisR]

We appreciate that!

[@ladytravels4808]

Love your videos ❤

[@NorberisR]

Thank you.

[@XYRN02]

That FIRST COLD shower… I think my HEART RATE dropped… kid you not! Not use to those showers 🚿 either…

[@RichRotorhead]

Weird, because mine races 😮

[@NorberisR]

😂

[@Dee-pj7hh]

You know what guys. The only thing that really, really shock me was doing the number 2. I can’t get use to it, not even after all these years when I am there. But you know what, real freedom is in the DR for real. James try soaping up first before you let that cold water on you. I use to take a bath in cold water too in Jamaica. But living in the States change that for me. Now it’s difficult. James y Norberis I can really understand why most Americans have culture shock when they are there. Good video guys👍👍👍

[@NorberisR]

You're welcome🤗

[@fredrobinson8866]

James, norberis, dats a different kind of concrete for my sandals!! We❤❤uuuu!! Much ❤️ from 305!!

[@NorberisR]

🤣😂

[@solentricxinc.9944]

After 2 days I got used to the cold showers.

[@NorberisR]

That's all it took was 2 days?

[@XYRN02]

YOOO… the wrapping part … 🫢!

[@NorberisR]

😂

[@feliciagonzalez9144]

But the cold water is not so bad if you have a tinaco the water het really warm up, especially in Sommer.

[@jayrose79]

The wrapping up the #2 had me dying laughing 😂 I been to the DR a few times I can’t do the cold showers..it’s awful

[@NorberisR]

😂

[@anibalfernandez7924]

Enseña a tu esposo American a comer nuestra comida que es orgánica las viandas sancocho gissado de pata de vaca sopa de aves, si tú le das esa comidas Depues que el arga tomado ron brugar se va a olvidar de tar pensando en cereales que tiene dos y tres meses en una caja

[@CarlitoswayDR]

It’s 5 o clock somewhere! Facts! 😂

[@Erv704]

😂 this is soo true for my first visit to D.R. a few months ago. I will say Ive been to Colombia many times and I have to say I prefer DR traffic over Colombia 🤣. Great content and Yah bless

[@NorberisR]

Thanks for sharing!!

[@DNice..]

great video

[@NorberisR]

Thanks!

[@juancordova8509]

I experience the motorcycle mobs which is worse in Colombia.

[@NorberisR]

Worse in Colombia?

[@patrickjlouis6651]

I was shocked on my visit there when i saw a woman on a motoconcho with a big screen tv she just brought. I will add the driving and the motorcycles all over the place was a culture shock the first time....Cold showers, yep shock....Great video

[@NorberisR]

Thanks🤗

[@stephanieshepherdson2468]

I learned something new each trip and my hubby drives since he is a native..tried once and no sir😂😂😂😂😂i leave that to the professionals ..alot of dos and donts as well i have learned ...always a learning experience but i enoy it nonetheless ❤special place en mi corazon

[@NorberisR]

Thanks for sharing🤗💛

[@stephanieshepherdson2468]

@NorberisR 😉😊yw...thanks for the content as usual❤️🫶

[@NorberisR]

You're welcome

[@kennethherring3894]

Que Lo que to my favorite KZbin couple ? Hopefully everything is going well with you and your families! My first cultural shock was the traffic and I drove for 21 days and did exactly what the Dominicans did , another thing , taking cold showers 🚿 I can’t ever get use to that ! My other experiences back in 2000’s everyone spoke and said hello or hola which don’t happen often in the states ! I love everything about Dominican culture even hearing roosters 🐓 , and lastly I was amazed at how friendly and inviting my neighbors were in the Alma Rosa zona , if you were hungry they offered what they had ! God bless the Dominican Republic 🇩🇴

[@NorberisR]

Well said and that's DR life in a few sentences😂

[@leonardoantmann9884]

I am planning to relocate to Costambar in Puerto Plata with my wife and youngest daughter, whats the pros and cons for you about Puerto Plata or maybe one day to do a video about Puerto Plata. I am argentinian and my wife dominican but we live in NYC.

[@NorberisR]

I don't know enough about Puerto Plata to make a pros and cons video. Sorry. I just know it a tourist area with a lot of expats living there.

[@rafaelalmonte8212]

I truely don't believe that there is a friendlier and more solidary country than Dominican Republic. We must be the only country in which people --literally-- cook more than the necesary for the family just because in case someone come at the last minute or they notice that somebody is walking by and look hungry. Which other country do that? That is one of the things that turn the balance to make me proud of being dominican

[@rosacortes5074]

Puerto Rico 🇵🇷🇵🇷🇵🇷🇵🇷 El Campo

[@krhodessch]

James, my question is: How was it the first time that you drove in the RD?

[@NorberisR]

He said nerve-wracking 😂

[@ParteraQuisqueyana]

We shouldn’t be flushing toilet paper anywhere in the world. It’s not good for the plumbing systems (as I’ve heard from plumbers) and it’s not good for the environment.

[@alvinlee4745]

Uber moto was a shock to me

[@titeofcpt2867]

😂😂😂

[@krhodessch]

😂😂😂😂 cold showers.....Hey James, you know that supposedly cold showers are very good for men in other areas... know what I mean?......to me it's a cruel way to maintain that stamina and drive.....but I gotta get use to it since I'm planning on moving there.....

[@PaultheSheik]

Hahahahahaha fortunately because I lived in a developing country in Africa for my first 20 years, all this is very normal to me. Chaos!

[@RozyRoPink150]

Have you been to the Countryside and pooped in an outhouse or pooped and then had to flush the toilet with a bucket of water yet? That’s the real culture shock right there

[@NorberisR]

Yes he's done that too😂

[@mariajackson2570]

Yeah, I’m still not used to cold or lukewarm showers. The last place I stayed at, I rented last minute. The place itself wasn’t that great but the water was piping hot. I couldn’t believe it. I would stay there again just because of that. My granddaughter stopped the toilet up in one of the places we stayed in. After that incident, wherever I stay, I get to wrapping as James said 😂😂😂

[@NorberisR]

OMG🤣😂

[@user-gk4cc7rx9u]

I believe that the DR will face major problems in the near future. Once the EU supply chain law has been implemented, which will also place very high demands on environmental protection. In the long term, this means that the EU will only enter into economic relations with countries that can prove that they comply with these supply chain laws and environmental requirements at all times. But how is this supposed to be possible in a country like the DR, which is also an island? A country in which traffic is increasing. Even now, the smog levels in Santo Domingo during rush hour are many times higher than the European average. This is also becoming an increasingly important issue in the USA. I can see a number of difficulties there. In Europe, they want to be climate neutral by 2035, which means that from then on only electricity can be generated from alternative energies and vehicles can only be powered by alternative energies. So no more new registrations of combustion engines. A little later, they will also demand this from their international trading partners.

[@ParteraQuisqueyana]

We don’t need (or want) the EU agenda in our country. The fact that we have international relationships doesn’t mean we can’t be completely self sufficient. If the world were to stop trading, I would want to live in the DR. We produce 80% of what we consume, good weather and agricultural conditions year round, daily sunlight, clean water sources, even petroleum. Our island’s air is still cleaner than the air in developed countries. I have lived in both the USA and in the DR, and I would bet that we don’t produce a quarter of the garbage produced in the US.

[@user-gk4cc7rx9u]

I am half European and I also find EU politics repugnant. But it will happen. The USA is also in the process of setting rules according to its own standards (in some points even stricter than the EU). Both sides will conclude contracts with each other on this basis. If only for the reason of keeping China on a low profile

[@user-gk4cc7rx9u]

​@@ParteraQuisqueyanaYes, the DR would be able to be self-sufficient. But you know your country. (I love it). You know the people. Going in that direction would also mean going back to other virtues, ways of life, goals in life. Do you think that's what most Dominicans really want?

[@clarencehammer3556]

Aren’t most of the things you mentioned common all over Latin America in general or at least in the Caribbean?

[@NorberisR]

We don't live all over Latin America or the Caribbean. We live in DR. So we wouldn't know. We are speaking directly about DR.

[@profesorshaq]

So I'm going to Santo Domingo this week and staying in like a modern air bnb..should I ask if I can flush the paper down the toilet?

[@ParteraQuisqueyana]

You should definitely ask. And if you are in the Colonial Zone, that would be a No.

[@NorberisR]

No you don't ask that. Typically if they don't want you to do it'll have a sign there.

[@christian77733]

# tengo apartamento y me gustaria consejos

[@NorberisR]

Email me at [e-mail]

[@dagobertodejesusmartinezhe9399]

Hello guys , have you learn some spanish living here ?

[@NorberisR]

I speak Spanish, I was born here😂

[@MrTee12]

Hay demasiado motochoncos 🏍️

[@NorberisR]

Siiiii

[@Juancarlossantana2023]

Bernie bbq. I saw that too lol

[@NorberisR]

Yes, that is the place. We didn't like that. We haven't been back since.

[@Juancarlossantana2023]

@@NorberisR the food good though. I always get the beef ribs and the burnt ends. For Bbq in RD it's the best I could find. But they are overpriced. Can't do the cats though 😆. Have me thinking they bbq them lol

[@NorberisR]

Same thing my husband said it's now the best place in SD to find BBQ that close to what you would find in the US.

[@keithjetski3060]

How much is the ferry to go to Puerto Rico?

[@NorberisR]

Not sure I've never checked.

[@philosophicalphillyx9732]

Do they have mail delivery there?

[@NorberisR]

Yes, we mentioned this in the video. But it doesn't work the same as in the US.

[@keithjetski3060]

Can you get 6 on a 125 scooter like Philippines?

[@NorberisR]

I'm sure they can😆

[@keithjetski3060]

@@NorberisR I rode scooters through rush hour traffic in Cebu City...hair raising experience.

[@edhnic1]

Hello, I'm Eddie Hutchins, I'm selling my house and starting my Journey with D.R. I want a gated community in or around Santa Domingo under $800 mnt. Can you suggest or direct ?

[@NorberisR]

Depending on the number of bedrooms you want this budget may not work. Definitely can find something in this budget in Santo Domingo Este or Norte. You can look at website like corotos.com.do

[@Hillsidedojo]

More Stop signs!

[@krhodessch]

😂😂😂😂 no look pass....Gotta look at it

[@NorberisR]

😂

[@stephen74gc]

LIKE #15!!!!! HIT THE LIKE AND SHARE Y'ALL!!!!

[@NorberisR]

🫶🏽

[@stephen74gc]

@@NorberisR I love both you and your husband's content.

[@NorberisR]

Thank you🤗

[@RANDOMPOLAND85]

Noise not respekt 😢 is most annoying thing i think i could .... someone one day for this loud music 24/7

[@ParteraQuisqueyana]

Where do you live in the DR? I’m Dominican and I never lived in a place with noise.

[@DETODOENSPANISH-tn2jr]

SAN PEDRO MACORIS SOME POOR HOOD I HAVE 3 NOISY NEIGHBORS SATURDAY OR SUNDAY GHEY PLAY MUSIC ALL DAY LONG FUUL POWER OVER LIMITS HUMAN RESISTENCE​@ParteraQuisqueyana

[@anibalfernandez7924]

Enseña a tu esposo American a comer nuestra comida que es orgánica las viandas sancocho gissado de pata de vaca sopa de aves, si tú le das esa comidas Depues que el arga tomado ron brugar se va a olvidar de tar pensando en cereales que tiene dos y tres meses en una caja

[@rosacortes5074]

Con El tiempo ese se come hasta El concon cuando Le pica la tripa.😊😊😮