HI HUMANS! This is a blog of my life in Dominican Republic, my thoughts on life and the way I view things around me. Welcome to my own little world. The way I see life through my sometimes rose colored glasses.
If you want to learn more about Dominican Republic please check www.ColonialZone-DR.com. This is a web site I made about the country I love.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Dancing Silly in the Colmado
I was out and about last weekend and stopped in a Colmado to have me a bien fria (cold Presidente beer). The place is not a regular stop for me but I do pass by there every once in a while to say hi. The guy started dancing and I just happened to have my camera (I don't carry it around all the time as I'm a little paranoid about having another camera stolen). I asked him if I could take the video and put it on the internet. He was all happy to have his own style of dancing bachata shown. While taking this video I was sitting on the counter and holding in my laughing as I didn't want to have all the music drowned out with my noisy laughing (and snorting..yes I snort when I laugh really hard) Enjoy!
I was sitting in front of a Colmado at Parque San Miguel drinking a beer Sunday. Taking a little break from my Sunday walkabout.
The owner is a nice guy and he invited me for a few beers. We were drinking, telling stories and having a nice ole time when a friend of his joined us. Mr. Teeth(as I'll call him throughout this story)was a bit drunk already and started telling me how he was in love with me. He kept putting his hand on my leg while talking. He was getting a bit too familiar so I asked him very nicely to please don't touch me. I don't like it. He would stop and then a few minutes later start again. I moved my chair a little away from him and he followed. Finally I decided I had to be a bit more forceful so maybe he would bet it through his head I did not like being touched. So I told him a sentence that I learned my first time on vacation in Santo Domingo, "Quintas sus manos sucios de me"! (roughly translated "Get your dirty hands off of me" and I'm not sure if I say it correctly or spell it right but you get the idea).
Mr. Teeth opened his mouth in shock ready to say something. When he opened his mouth his false teeth flew out and landed on the sidewalk! He had a look of shock on his face. I had to do the ole double take going from his face to the ground where his teeth lay. After the initial few second shock, I didn't want to embarrass him, I turned and started talking to my friend. Mr. Teeth grabbed up his dentures and hurriedly put them on the chair between his legs.
I was trying not to laugh. I really, really tried not to laugh.My friend was snickering the entire time and I was holding it in as best as I could. But when I looked at him, he was putting the teeth back in, I lost it. I was laughing so hard I couldn't breathe. Many times when I laugh too hard I snort and this was one of those times. My friend and I were laughing so hard, we couldn't stop. I tried to stop because I didn't want to humiliate Mr. Teeth but I couldn't help it, especially when my friend was laughing just as hard as I. I decided it was best just to get out of there. I told my friend I had to go. I tried to say goodbye to Mr. Teeth but I just couldn't. I had to walk down the street alone laughing aloud to myself all alone.
All the rest of the day every time I thought of it I started laughing. People probably thought I was a bit off walking alone and giggling but it could not be helped. I'm even laughing now just picturing good ole Mr. Teeth and the look on his face when his teeth shot out of his mouth. Am I a bad human for this?? LOL!
this is a little added on note I had to get permission to write about from my mom: The thing that really made me laugh when I could not hold it in anymore was thinking of my mother. My nephew, who was very shy and afraid when he was young as he was adopted and not used to our boisterous style of family, was playing with my mom. She was holding him above her balanced on her feet. All were laughing and having a good time when her teeth flew out! My nephew got this look of fear on his face and a giant scream came out of his mouth. He wouldn't stop crying and yelling for a while and it took him days, maybe months before he was able to sit with his grandmother without being afraid her teeth were not going to come out.
This is what made me laugh more at the Mr. Teeth guy. I laughed at my mom as did the entire family (except the frightened nephew) so I think I had a right to laugh at Mr. Teeth didn't I?
So you are thinking "friendly fight, whats that"? Well, here I have seen many friendly fights. Yes, there is punching and lots of verbal abusive words but it usually ends with everyone shaking hands and talking normal again.
Sunday I went to meet an American friend his girlfriend and baby for lunch at the Courtyard Marriott Santo Domingo (the taxi driver missunderstood me and dropped me at the Mejia first so remember if you take a taxi to the Marriott make sure the guy gets it right as both of those words sound similar to a Dominican). I was planning on walking back for my traditional Sunday walkabout but it was raining, like it has been for the last month, so I had their taxi drop my off in the Zone in front of one of my favorite neighborhood Colmados, Colmado El Arca.
We were all squished inside as it just kept drizzling rain outside. I got the cheep beer 3 grandes for $110 pesos and joined in all the conversations going on. A neighbor guy known for his over drinking started getting boisterous as he does sometimes. He loves to cause a scene especially when he's playing dominoes. Well, his mom came and was yelling at him and telling him to get home. He was yelling at her and all the men inside went out to get involved. Of course, I didn't understand all the stuff being said as everyone was talking way too fast for me and the music was playing inside and i was not going to go outside in all the turmoil. Normally when things like this happen I'm outta there but we all know the drunk guy and I did not feel at all concerned about my safety.
I was sitting on the little patio at this time talking to an Amiga not worrying about the grandstanding happening a few arms length away from where we were sitting. The guy came running into the Colmado . All of a sudden the owner of the place tore off his glasses and came out from the counter and jumped on the guy. The space is really small so all the guys around were falling to the ground while the owner was pouncing on the drunk guy. The guys that were all involved picked the drunk up off the floor and some others got between the owner and the drunk. All within a very confined space. They took the drunk outside and the owner (I thought his face was going to explode as he gets really red when he gets angry) went back behind the counter. This skinny, tall drunk was jumping around and the guys were almost holding him off the ground as he was doing his yelling and punching the air (yes, he was that drunk). A few times he and the interveners went to the ground but they got him under control. They took him home with the mother following.
When the drunk was gone then the machismo stuff started. All the men were telling their side of the story, at least 10 times over. My Amiga and I were watching from the patio and laughing at them. They looked like a flock, herd, gaggle, whatever you call a bunch of roosters hanging out trying to make the most noise over the next rooster. They were all laughing and sharing their versions. It was quite comical.
About an hour later the drunk guy returned, with his mother close behind, to apologize and shake everyones hand. He went back home to sleep it off and of course the men had more to talk about loudly.
I have seen this scenario happen many times in Dominican Republic with only one time the fight getting out of hand. Usually it is just some sort of show for everyone to watch (sometimes get involved in) and to discuss in detail for the rest of the day. Quite an interesting phenomena.
Well, I finally decided it was time to take the new Dominican subway called the Metro.
I took a walk from Colonial Zone to Ave. Lincoln and from there decided to go and get some chicharones (yes, I like chicharones) in the place that is known for making them, Villa Mella. I thought that maybe Xiomara and Jana would want to go so I gave them a call. It ended up that Jana and I went on this trip together. So I took my daughter (not really mine but she calls me mom).
The Metro was really nice and clean. I was impressed. It was really strange taking public transportation in Dominican Republic where there was no music being played, people were fairly quiet. It was very organized and all went smoothly.
After about 20 minutes we were in Villa Mella, the chicharone capital of DR and looking for a place to get some of that good, greasy and scrumptious pig skin and meat. We walked down a dirt road and stopped in the first colmado. Me for my beloved Presidente beer and Jana got a juice and some gum (she was so excited to find gum for 1 peso). The people sitting outside were very friendly and got us chairs and talked to us a bit. Very nice people. I even had to impress them with my mastery of dancing bachata (seems that people here are always surprised that I can dance bachata half way decent). We asked where was the best place close to get some chicherones and they directed us to a small, nice little restaurant called Tipico Villa Mella. The place is located on Ramon Matias Mella #77 and their phone is 809-568-1131 incase your ever in the area I highly recommend this place.
We placed our order or chicherones (both the hard and soft kind) and some batada (for info on these foods and more) and played with the cat until our food arrived. The food was great and so fresh, for sure different than buying it from the guys in Colonial Zone. The restaurant was playing some old music and the people were all friendly. They even gave us a taste of some foods that I never heard of. Jana has lived here most of her 10 years and she never heard of these either. I even did a search in Google and could not find these foods or what they were made of. But we had some chola and bobote (if anyone knows what the recipe is please let me know). One of these foods is yucca with coconut and the other, who knows. But it was all good. Even better with all the food, a beer and juice the bill was only $250 pesos. What a deal.
We decided to do a walk about but not too far from the Metro entrance so we would not get lost. We fed some pigeons. Talked to some people in different colmados. Then went back to the train as it was just starting to get dark.
We were a little more talkative for the ride back. We were playing with Janas little toy horses and laughing. One guy told us we should be a little more quiet as the police in the train was watching us. Could we be removed from the train for talking and laughing in a normal voice? Well, we weren't removed and got back to the first station. From there we walked back to Colonial Zone. It was a far walk, maybe an hour or so and we were so tired when we got back home. We had some stories to tell Xiomara when we got back all dirty and sweaty with happy content tummies.
I learned another new thing about Dominican life this past weekend, neighborhoods vote for their own President. This vote is done neighborhood by neighborhood, the neighbors choosing who will represent them to the local government. This vote is called the "Junta de Vecinos".
I also discovered that each larger neighborhood is divided into smaller sections. (I'm trying to find out the exact information about Colonial Zone to place on the web site). I believe there are about 8 different sectors inside the Colonial Zone area. Each voting for their own President, Vice President, Secretary and so on. I got to watch my old neighborhoods vote (I could not vote as I don't live in that section now. I hope to vote in the Parque Duarte elections coming up in a few weeks) and it was a serious matter indeed. There was even a policeman watching over the elections. There was a designated committee to take care of the voting table and to count these votes.
The first step is to go to the table where the committee sits, sign in and take the ballot. Go over to the table with the policeman and write your selection (this table was a dominoes board which I thought was very interesting and quite official looking). The next step is to go to the big box to deposit your vote. Then sit and wait for the results, conversing with the neighbors and maybe partaking of your liquid of choice.
At 5 the voting was finished. It started raining so the election board guys moved into the Colmado owned by one for these guys, Colmado Arca. The place got especially packed and loud as the votes were being counted. One of the counters had to even call for silence as this was a very critical moment in the electoral process.
I moved outside to wait for the results because there were just too many people inside the small Colmado. Soon after there was clapping and lots of commotion at the Colmado as the winner was announced. People were clapping and singing as they left the Colmado to share the results with everyone. It seems that the victors won by only 3 votes. Now lets hope her and her team will bring some good parties to the park and also do some good things for my old neighborhood.
I went on a little road trip with a friend a few weeks ago. We drove from the Capital to San Pedro de Macrois and La Romana. I never really know quite where I am but it was around in there somewhere. We took back roads in the Batey areas. Along these dirt roads there was mostly sugar cane fields with a little village here and there. As usual, I love to stop in the Colmados and talk to the locals. Buddy would stop and take a walk taking pictures and I would sit in the Colmados talking to people. My grandmaw used to tell me I had diarrhea of the mouth. Even now with my bad Spanish I still have the running of the mouth problem, jejej. There was a Colmado along one of these dirt roads and they had some great smells coming from inside so we stopped to get something to eat. There were a few men standing along the road with a guinea hen holding it by the legs. The feathers were beautiful, black with white spots. I went over to ask him if I could have some of the feathers to make some jewelry with. He offered me a wing feather but I wanted some of the smaller ones. He pulled a few out and gave them to me. I wanted more but just as I was about to ask the chicken lifted it's head from the hanging position!! I was so shocked! I thought it was dead. I apologized to the poor chicken whose feathers I was holding while the men were laughing at me. I went back and joined Buddy and ate my food. Then Buddy was off to take some pictures. I took my beer and sat on the wall surrounding the Colmado next to an older man holding a large rice sack. I started talking to the man, of course. I asked him what was in his sack as it looked empty except for a little bump at the bottom. He told me there was a cat in the bag. I asked why he had the cat in the bag (remember my Spanish is not that great). He told me the cat was good for eating rats and I thought he said that he was going to eat the cat! Now I have heard stories about Dominicans eating cat but I never really saw it before. I asked him why he would want to eat this cat as it was a small kitten and it didn't have much meat on it. He started laughing while I sat there in shock, feeling really bad for that little kitten who was going to be someones dinner. He then explained, slowly, that he was taking the cat to someones house so the cat could eat the rats. Ahhh, now I understood. I asked him if I could see the little kitten. He told me it was really mean but he untied the top on the bag and I stuck my hand inside the bag. The kitten was so cute and friendly, not mean at all. I told the man that the cat was mean to him because he put it in the bag. How would you feel if someone stuck you in a bag? I don't think I would like that person either! So we talked a bit more as I pet the cat. Then the bus pulled up. The man tied his kitten sack back up. Off they went, the old man and the cat in the bag. To the cats new home. These are some of the pictures I took that day. Sorry, i didn't get any of the Cat in the Bag and the Featherless Guinea...
