[unbluffable]

ED: Changed the title to focus this on the main areas covered in OP. We can do another broader cultural differences thread later.

I want this thread to be about interesting interactions that you have experienced with people from other countries that highlight some key differences between America and other parts of the world. Here is what happened to me last night.

I went out with a buddy of mine whom i met at a local casino. For those that don't know, I moved to the Dominican Republic 2 weeks ago and live in the most tourist filled area on the island, which attracts a lot of loose women looking to make a quick buck. My buddy is British, 37, has lived here for 2 years and has gone through 90% of the women in his town of Sosua. He is a very happy and easygoing dude, drinks and smokes weed and is fun to be around. We had a few drinks (Beer for him, Alize and Henny for me) and talked to the girls who werent very attractive, but we try not to pay for sex. They were obviously not happy with it, so we decided that we should just go to his pad and smoke a joint or 5. Which we did. He passed out and I took a cab home.

Here's the thing about the cabs. Most of them are called motoconchos, motorcycles, but they are extremely dangerous to ride at night, since the streets are not lit. But if you take a car, they pack 8 people (4 or 3 in front, 4 in the back) in it and its extremely uncomfortable. This is what ended up happening. We ended up pulling over to help some dude whose wheel broke, and were waiting for 40 minutes for our driver to return. I decided that the best way to spend 40 minutes at 4 in the morning is to hit on the girl sitting next to me. She was probably a 4 on the OOT scale, good body but meh face and I knew i wouldn't take her home but it was good fun. Here is how it went (we're speaking Spanish)
-Hi, my name is arkadiy, what is yours?
-says some dominican name and smiles
do you live in puerto plata?
-si, where are you from
-America
this goes on for a while, i am now stroking her hair and massaging her boobs, still not wanting to get laid, especially pay. at this point she tries to find out what i want to do and how much im willing to pay. I tell her i don't pay for sex (a blatant lie). She is appalled. I say that in America and Russia i get much more beautiful girls and they're grateful to be with me and really she should be paying me. That always gets them. Then she says something which inspired me to make this lame post
But When you go to a supermarket, you have to pay...

they love making this analogy. Ive heard gringos say it before, but this was a first from a girl. It is really a huge part of their mentality, perhaps even in their DNA, although im more inclined to blame it on the upbringing and the fact that it is a poor country.

some other things about Dominican that ive noticed
-they don't take hot showers. weird.
-it is a country of contradictions. They are very Catholic and religious, yet prostitution is so widespread. You can pick up girls in Church no problem. this is just one of many contradictions. In America, everything is black and white.
-there are very few laws and if there are they're not enforced. In US you go to the beach and there's 5 signs saying no smoking no drinking no eating no fire no glass no weapons. Here they're drinking rum on the beach, eating and doing whatever the hell they want.
-you regularly see policemen in uniform in whorehouses. i don't suggest talking to them because you'll end up buying unlimited beers for the po po.
-Girls get busy at a young age. you can have sex with a 12 year old (her brother already did it before you) and the only way you get in trouble is if her dad finds out you didn't give her a few bucks.
-Every girl has kids if she's over 17 or 18. When dominican guys screw them they don't use condoms and girls don't used birth control and abortion is a huge sin here, and a very serious crime. If you go to the girls house, expect to do her on her loft bed while the kids are sleeping underneath(haven't done it but i know ppl who have. talk about weird).

This is all. wow, sorry for the length. I encourage you to post your thoughts, especially people like adsman who lives in a foreign country (Italy, correct?)

RKD