Biography:The conventional side: born in UK during WWII, grammar school, university and post grad studies followed by a career as a probation officer, social work tutor with the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children and University social work teacher for 17 years.
The less conventional side: as a schoolgirl vacation work started when I was 14 in 1957 as a clerical assistant in a company whose boss, I later discovered, had a penchant for 14 year old girls! My next vacation job was with a wrestling promoter. Seriously. As an undergrad vacation jobs ranged from life saver in swimming pools, custodial staff in a girls’ remand home to a go-go dancer in a US singles bar. The more conventional jobs itemised above were interspersed with periods of travel across the Sahara, in North Africa and later in Russia, China and Mongolia.
Before my marriage to an airline pilot I obtained a pilot’s licence in the UK. Legally. When that marriage became time expired I sewed wild oats for 8 years before meeting my current partner. He and I moved to the Dominican Republic in 1992. Tales from our early years in the DR are described in Quisqueya: Mad Dogs and English Couple published in June 2007. In the DR I have worked as an English teacher, tour guide and freelance journalist. During the last couple of years I started writing articles about the DR for a variety of websites. These are all listed on my website:
http://www.ginniebedggood.com/
Technically, I am now ‘retired’. One day I might even find out what that means………!
The Reunion
My buddies are coming back for a visit! One of the facts of expat life is that friends move on, whether because of jobs or changes in life circumstances but from time to time close expat sisters leave. It matters less to me now because most of my friends are Dominicans not expats; but back when I got to know Linda Sue and Michelle I had less Spanish. Now I have more and also from time to time I experience ‘Spanish Inquisition dread’ – being visited by new expats who fire a series of rapid staccato questions grilling me about ‘how to’ do whatever. Usually before I’ve finished answering their previous question…………..Or being pounced on in the supermarket to provide an instant translation service at the delicatessen counter.
So I was delighted to learn that August would see the return of two long time friends both of whom had lived in the Dominican Republic for many years. Some six years ago Linda Sue had left to take up a teaching post in Oman and Michelle had returned to Canada so that her daughter could pursue an appropriate education. And here they were – both going to be visiting at the same time!
We had also shared a very special bond some eight years ago. Expat women power in the shape of the three of us plus a Greek friend called Maria had joined together to help an American man who had been unfairly incarcerated. For the fourteen months until he was totally exonerated of all charges we had handled communication with his sister in the States, pressured Senators, Congressmen and the US Embassy in the DR, provided food, understanding and hope and visited a rather non-salubrious Dominican jail every two weeks. It took over our lives but it did join us in a way which would be hard to replicate.
Well, they duly arrived looking pretty much the same as when they had left six years ago……………or perhaps we all choose to flatter ourselves as to our immortality! Not Michelle’s daughter, though, she really did look different! The years from 6 to 12 had taken their toll (!) leaving behind a child and producing instead an intelligent composed young woman. We had the most wonderful lunch in the restaurant of yet another long term expat in Sosua on the north coast. The food was great but the nostalgia, the memories, the laughter were what I shall treasure for the next six years. ‘Do you remember the old biddy who told the newbies she worked for the CIA…….?’ Followed by old biddy’s name in unison as everyone remembered accompanied by gales of laughter. ‘Whatever happened to………….?’ The teenage laughter occasionally gave way to the sombre realisation that a lot of these people had actually demised since we had last spoken about them.
And then came the serious stuff. In the six years since they had left the DR has seen an epidemic of drugs in the barrios. Some 42% of the population do not have enough income to meet the most basic of life’s necessities so if they are using drugs they resort to crime for their funds. My concern was that these two women who used to know the country extremely well should not put themselves at risk by not realising that changes had occurred in their absence. We all laughed a bit less then. But throughout our get-together not one single ‘Ginnie, how do I do this……….’
Four weeks later Linda Sue was back in Oman and one morning I received two emails. Linda Sue had visited all her old haunts whilst in the DR and all her old friends. One day she went to a beach café where we would regularly meet up twelve years ago and along came Candida, the beach seller of jewellery. Back in the days the hotel used to provide a steady flow of tourists and Candy, with her ability to speak reasonable English, used to make a good living. But those days are gone: the hotel has become apartments and these house residents in the main and not tourists. Residents don’t buy Dominican jewellery. Candy’s other haunt, Long Beach, had all its bars and buildings demolished last year. The idea, we were told, was to make way for condos which would be bought by the ever increasing flow of North American and European baby boomers – yeah, the same ones who submit me to the Spanish Inquisition…………………
As it is, the area remains a demolition site. The undergrowth is now tall enough to hide the rusting car wrecks which owners have chosen to abandon therein. And of course there are no customers for Candy. Linda Sue offered to buy Candy lunch. Candy, proud woman that she is and always has been, preferred to sell something from her briefcase which always used to have a variety of necklaces, earrings, bracelets and charms all hanging from separate hooks enticingly displayed and glinting in the sunlight. Back in the days. This time she opened her briefcase and Linda Sue found a few tarnished necklaces and a pair of earrings rattling around on the floor of the case. Candy said she usually charged the tourists 125 pesos. Linda Sue gave her a 500 pesos note no change required and Candy burst into tears at the kindness.
Not having seen Candy in ages and not hanging out on the beach I had no idea how ‘progress’ in the DR had reduced Candy’s existence so dramatically. It took a visitor from Oman to let me know! Reunions can have spin-offs in all sorts of unexpected ways.
And the other email? That was from ExpatWomen.com telling me I’d won the Story of the Month in September along with US$100. Candy is a proud woman and doesn’t accept handouts. But she was persuaded to accept an investment in her business venture so that her briefcase can once again be restocked. And she would like to welcome ExpatWomen.com as her new business partner…………..!
We welcome your reactions to this story. Maybe you have had a similar experience - or perhaps a completely different experience, that you would like to share. If you would like to comment, please remember to comment in the spirit of this web site - that is: sharing, helping, teaching, learning, and/or inspiring!
Comments posted by the readers are independent ideas and do not represent the views of Expat Women. See our Terms of Use for further details. We reserve the right to remove any inapproiate comments.
