DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

THERE IS NO PLACE LIKE IT.

Made up of sandy beaches, fertile soil, valleys and mountains, the DR is one of the most geographically diverse countries in the world and a paradise for memorable vacations and island living.

The Dominican Republic occupies the eastern two thirds of the island known as Hispaniola, which is shared with Haiti. For those of you trying to get your bearings, the DR is about the same size as Vermont and New Hampshire combined, or 10% larger than Denmark. It’s the second largest country in the Caribbean after Cuba. The Dominican Republic is the oldest country in the Americas. It’s the most visited destination in the Caribbean with more than four million tourists flocking to the hotels and resorts annually. Tourism is the largest sector of the economy with agriculture coming in a close second.

As a culture that captures a variety of influences, residents and visitors are constantly surrounded by Spanish, African, and native Taino cultures. While Spanish is the national language, you will surely hear many other languages during your stay, including English and Haitian Creole.

The language of music is also everywhere in the DR and dancing is highly encouraged. The most popular genres are merengue, bachata, and reggaeton, all of which you will hear on the beach and public streets.

FUN FACTS about the Dominican Republic

• The Dominican Republic is ranked the 10th most vulnerable country in the world to climate change.

• Hispaniola is the only island in the Caribbean shared by two countries.

• The DR is the only country in the world with the Bible on its flag.

• Santo Domingo, the capital city of the Dominican Republic, is the oldest city in the Americas and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

• Cabarete is the kitesurf, windsurf and surfing capital of the Caribbean.

• The Dominican Republic is home to the only raftable river in the Caribbean - Rio Yaque del Norte.

• Pico Duarte is named after Juan Pablo Duarte, considered one of the founding fathers of the Dominican Republic. The mountain was briefly named during the dictatorship of Rafael Trujilo, as Pico Trujilo.The first recorded ascent of Pico Duarte did not take place until 1944. At a height of 3,087 meters (10,178 feet), Pico Duarte is the tallest mountain in the Caribbean.

• 80% of the world’s Humpback Whale population returns to the Dominican Republic to mate and give birth every year during mid-January to late-March.

• World’s largest exporter of organic banana and cacao.

• There are 36 airports in the Dominican Republic.

• The Dominican Republic is the only place in the world where you can find larimar, a blue, precious stone that resembles turquoise.

• The Pueblo Viejo gold mine, just north of the capital city, Santo Domingo is the fifth largest gold mine in the world.

• The Dominican Republic is a leader in environmental and sustainable tourism. Approximately 25% of the country’s land and coastal shores are preserved as national parks, reserves and sanctuaries.

• According to The World Bank, the Dominican Republic’s economic growth has been one of the strongest in all of Latin America and the Caribbean.

• The Dominican Republic is part of the Caribbean Challenge Initiative, a group of 10 other Caribbean countries committed to protect 20% of the marine and shore environment by 2020. As of 2017, the Dominican Republic was one of only four countries that had already met or exceeded this goal.

• The Amber Museum in Puerto Plata houses the famous amber stone with a prehistoric mosquito preserved inside that was featured in the movie Jurassic Park.

RECOMMENDED READS

by Acclaimed Author and Mariposa Honorary Chairwoman, Julia Alvarez.

The Mariposa DR Foundation’s Honorary Chairwoman, Julia Alvarez, is recognized for her extraordinary storytelling. In poetry and in prose, Alvarez explores themes of identity, family, and cultural divides. She illustrates the complexity of navigating two worlds and reveals the human capacity for strength in the face of oppression.

Honored by former U.S. President Obama.

Photo courtesy of Bill Eichner.

Alvarez has won numerous awards for her work, including the Pura Belpré and Américas Awards for her books for young readers, the Hispanic Heritage Award in Literature, the F. Scott Fitzgerald Award for Outstanding Achievement in American Literature, and the 2013 National Medal of Arts. She is currently a writer-in-residence at Middlebury College. In 1997, with her husband, Bill Eichner, Alvarez established Alta Gracia, a sustainable coffee farm/literacy center in the Dominican Republic.

THE FOLLOWING ARE THE MUST-READS FROM OUR BELOVED JULIA’S COLLECTION ABOUT STORIES OF HISPANIOLA

ALREADY A BUTTERFLY

Julia’s newest book, Already a Butterfly is a gentle picture book tale about self-soothing practices and self-confidence beliefs. This latest work was inspired by her volunteer work in helping to develop the meditation and mindfulness program here at The Mariposa DR Foundation.

Young Mari is a very busy butterfly. She’s constantly on the move from flower to flower and planning for migration. In the midst of all of her busyness, Mari asks herself the question, does being so productive make her happy? The only way she feels like a butterfly is by acting like one. Mari discovers that the secret to feeling most like herself is to follow her instincts, focus on her breath and find her quiet place. Under the tutorial of a flower bud, Mari learns to meditate and appreciate her journey as a butterfly. In this children’s book, stunningly illustrated by award-winning artist, Raúl Colón, Alvarez highlights the importance of mindfulness and self-care for children.

A CAFECITO STORY

An eco-fable based on her and her husband’s experiences trying to reclaim a small coffee farm in her native Dominican Republic. A story of love, coffee, birds and hope, A Cafecito Story shows how the return to the traditional methods of shadegrown coffee can rehabilitate and rejuvenate the landscape and human culture, while at the same time preserving vital winter habitat for threatened songbirds.

AFTERLIFE

Afterlife is a whimsical portrayal of a woman in crisis. Antonia Vega has just retired from her college teaching job when her beloved husband, Sam, abruptly passes away. Reeling from the loss of her husband, life just continues to throw blows - her sister disappears, and one night, Antonia comes home to find a pregnant, undocumented teenager on her doorstep. While the world crashes down around her, Antonia draws on her love of literature to get her through tough times.

BEFORE WE WERE FREE

Anita De La Torre is a twelve-year-old girl living in the Dominican Republic in 1960. Most of her relatives have emigrated to the United States, her Tío Toni has disappeared, Papi has been getting mysterious phone calls about butterflies and someone named Mr. Smith, and the secret police have started terrorizing her family for their suspected opposition to the country’s dictator. While Anita deals with a frightening series of events, she also struggles with her adolescence and her own personal fight to be free.

IN THE TIME OF THE BUTTERFLIES

This story chronicles the tale of how three of the Mirabal sisters lost their lives in the fight for liberation against dictator Trujillo in the 1960s. At the Mariposa Center for Girls, it is required reading for all participants and volunteers, as it tells the valiant story of the daring, revolutionary Dominican women who came before us. The spirit of the Mirabal sisters, the original Mariposas, lives on in our girls.

TÍA LOLA STORIES

When Miguel’s aunt Tía Lola comes from the Dominican Republic to Vermont to help out his Mami, who recently got divorced, Miguel is embarrassed by his unusual aunt: her beauty mark keeps changing places on her face, she drapes her lace mantilla across their windows, and she paints their house purple. Tía Lola’s English is nonexistent — but how come she has no trouble making friends? In each of these intertwining children’s stories, Miguel finds his life changing in unexpected ways as he discovers himself.

WHO WERE THE TAÍNOS?

Most of what we see when learning about the history of the Dominican Republic begins in 1492 when Christopher Columbus landed in the new world on the island of Hispaniola, but what about the indigenous Taíno people - the original people who lived in this beautiful paradise? Before the Europeans, this island was home to an estimated 3 million Taíno people who settled here in the 7th century AD. The Taíno were the principal inhabitants of Puerto Rico, Cuba, Jamaica and Hispaniola, establishing the rich culture, agriculture, economy, political organization and ways of life that are still prevalent today.

The most legendary Taíno was Anacaona or “Golden Flower”, the female chief of the Xaragua kingdom who ruled equally alongside her brother. She was strong and highly respected and when Columbus and the conquistadors arrived on shore, she negotiated trades with the foreigners but stood her ground when the Spaniards tried to gain control of her land.

When Columbus returned to the Americas in 1503, Anacaona set forth to negotiate a peaceful trade, however upon arrival she realized that they had no such intentions, rather to conquer and dominate. A reception of over 80 Taíno chiefs was ambushed by the Spaniards where they removed Anacaona, barricaded the remaining leaders inside and set the venue on fire. Anacaona was given an ultimatum – become the concubine to the Spanish newly-appointed governor or die. Standing her ground, Anacaona refused to submit and was hanged at the age of 29. She continues to be heralded as one of the Caribbean’s greatest heroines and one of the few women in history who has always been recognized as a fearless and powerful leader.

Researchers estimate that as much as 90% of the Taíno population were wiped out either in battle or from newly introduced diseases, nearly reaching extinction. However, the few that did survive, their descendants in the Caribbean and the United States continue to reclaim and celebrate their rich heritage. During the last 50 years or so, there has been a movement to find Taíno descendants and to revive their culture. Modern-day Taíno are gathering and celebrating their rich history.

PRECOLONIAL HISPANIOLA

The Taíno population diminished significantly with Columbus’ arrival. However, part of their language still lives on today. Many of their words were adopted by the Spanish and passed into English and other languages.

Few people know that back in 1965 when elected president Juan Bosch overthrew acting president Donald Reid Cabral, the coup led to a brief Dominican Civil War, and allegations of foreign support for the rebels led to an American intervention in the conflict. Some popular English phrases and product names became part of the local Dominican lingo, and can still be heard today in many homes or while shopping at a local grocery store.

DOMINICANISMS | LOCAL LINGO

When Columbus came to the New World in 1492, his ships anchored right here in the Dominican Republic, which is when Spanish, the official language of the country, arrived. As the indigenous Taino population was wiped out by epidemics and brutal working conditions, African slaves replaced them as laborers and brought their language, which can still be heard in many words, intonations and colloquialisms. Though all Spanish-speaking countries have a unique dialect, many of the common phrases you will hear in the Dominican Republic are actually heavily influenced by the Yoruba syntax of Nigeria. The Taino population may have been wiped out when Columbus arrived. However, part of their language still lives on today. Many of their words were adopted by the Spanish and passed into English and other languages.

Here are some that you might recognize:

BARBECUE: Derived from “barbacoa”, a particular method of cooking meat on a raised platform

CANOE: Originally meaning a dugout like those used by Tainos, it comes from the word “canoa”

HAMMOCK: Spanish colonists learned about hammocks from the Taino, who protected themselves from critters while sleeping with fishing nets called “hamaca”

HURRICANE: Huracán is the Taino word for “god of the storm”

POTATO: But potatoes don’t grow in the tropics! The word comes from the Spanish “patata”, which comes from Taino “batata”, which we call “sweet potato”

TOBACCO: Referred to by the Taino as a pipe used for smoking, the word “tobaco” now takes on many forms

HERE ARE SOME MUST KNOW “DOMINICANISMS” THAT WILL HAVE YOU SPEAKING LIKE A LOCAL IN NO TIME!

AHORITA: In Mexico this means “right now”, here it means an undefined “later”

BOLA: Literally, “ball”, but means “a free ride” here

BOMBA: Literally, “bomb.” In the Dominican Republic it’s the gas station, where you will often find the best parties in town.

CHEVERE: From African roots, means “awesome” or “cool”

CONCON: The crusty layer of fried rice at the bottom of the pot. A tasty treat!

CHIN: Comes from the indigenous Taino language, means “a little”

CUARTO: Slang for “money”

DIQUE: Pronounced “D-keh” this means “supposedly” and is commonly used when divulging the latest gossip.

GUAGUA: “bus” or “van”

QUE LO QUE: Shortened from “que es lo que hay”, this means “What’s up?”

TATÓ: Shortened from “está todo bien”, means “good” or “fine”

VAINA: Pronounced “by-nuh”, means “thing”