Dominica

Greetings

Man greeting Man - A warm handshake with a Good Day or Good Night. Also, they may say “Okay” to which the reply is “ya man” or “okay”. Another popular greeting is the ‘tap’. This is when you make a fist and tap it against the other person’s fist. Men shake hands when greeting one another and maintain direct eye contact.

Woman greeting Woman - The same as men except the only differences are that you tend to see the ‘tap’ less and that in closer relationships, a hug with kisses on the cheek can be seen often.

Man greeting Woman- The same as men greeting, plus the hug and kisses on the cheek for friends, family, and close acquaintances.

Communication Style

• Dominicans tend to be direct. Honesty is appreciated.
• Humor plays a big role in communication.

Personal Space & Touch

• Dominicans tend to speak to you at a distance that is easiest to touch you or shake your hand. This tends to be the same regardless of gender.
• There is a fair amount of touching between men and men, and women and women and men and women while conversing.
• It is common for a person to hold your hand/arm as they speak to you. You can tell it is time to let go when the person loosens their grip. This occurs no matter your relation with the person.

Eye Contact

• DirecteEye contact is common and expected especially in a business relationship or if it is the first time you are meeting the person.

Gestures

• When beckoning a car or bus, you need to stick your entire arm towards the ground in the direction you are attempting to go.
  
• To beckon someone people tend to make the ‘pssst’ sound.
  
• Some Dominicans will place their fist across their chest and then point it towards you. This is saying good bye, peace, or ‘one love’. It is a sign of friendship.

Views of Time

• Time is very slow in Dominica. Meetings and events tend to run between half an hour to an hour late. Occasionally, you will be reprimanded if the entire group is extremely late, but generally it is understood nothing occurs on time.
  
• Time is given freely and willingly. Buses do not run on an official time schedule and can come earlier or later each day depending on situations.
• Dominicans place more emphasis on people and relationships than to the strict adherence of set schedules in social situations.

Gender Roles

• Women are expected to do it all- have the children, education, job, garden, and hold the family together. They have taken over for men who are either overseas or have dropped out of school.
  
• Women tend to wear skirts or pants to their knees and nothing low cut. In the more rural areas, guidelines of clothing and behavior tends to be stricter.
  
• Women should not go out to bars, drink more than one or two drinks at functions, or go dancing alone.
  
• Generally, it is accepted that foreign women will not follow these cultural trends, but that does not mean that locals think highly of them. They will almost never tell you to your face what they think of your actions or clothing, but they generally will be thinking poorly of you.
• In the workplace women are considered equals to men and are expected to act and perform at the same level.

Taboos

• Putting your middle finger up is an obscene gesture.
• Sucking air through the teeth to make a sucking sound is used to express anger or annoyance.
• Pressing your lips together and sticking them out as if for a kiss is also a sign of displeasure.

Law & Order

• The legal drinking age in the is 18, and is not enforced.
• The legal smoking age is 18 and is not enforced.
• Penalties for possession, acquisition, and trafficking of drugs are severe and include fines and lengthy imprisonment in local jails.
  
• Theft is about the only crime that is common and highly enforced. This is especially true if the theft is committed against a tourist or visitor.

Dress

• For men: Long sleeve dress shirt and tie. Dress pants and nice shoes.
• For women: Nice blouse with long skirt and fancy/ heeled toeless or toed shoes. Skirt suits are worn often.
• Jeans, shorts and sandals are usually not appropriate for the workplace.

Titles & Business Cards

• Titles are common and expected to be used. One unusual one is “Honorable”. This is used for those holding political positions.
• There is no specific ritual surrounding the giving of business cards although it is advisable to treat the card with respect.

Meetings

• You should show up on time to meetings, but do not expect anyone else to.
  
• Be ready to make small talk until everyone arrives.
  
• Introduce yourself to as many people as possible- no particular order is necessary.
  
• The chairperson of the meeting will begin and end each meeting.
  
• Dominicans tend to use very official protocol during meetings and one should be careful not to speak out of turn.

Negotiations

• When hiring for a service, make sure prices and guidelines are laid out early. If it is a business deal or if you are loaning money make sure you get it in writing.
  
• Stay calm and remain firm and consistent. Know who the authority is above the person you are dealing with before interacting.
  
• Most transactions will take a long time especially if it is going through a government office.
• Be aware of alliances especially along political party lines. These can shut down a project or lead to their quick approval.
  
• Be careful of starting a venture before an election, in case the opposition wins and the business policies of the government changes dramatically.

Gift Giving

• It is not expected to give gifts in any situation. This includes tips.

In the Classroom

• In classes, students are expected to participate in discussions and work in groups both in class and in assigned out-of-class projects.
• Students should not speak in class during a lecture or during a test. Teachers are strict with rules and cheating.
• Plagiarism or any misappropriation is considered grounds for suspension or expulsion.
• There is usually assigned seating in lower grades (preschool to high school).
• Deportment is taken seriously and students should be in uniform at all times and be neat. It is possible to get sent home for being untidy, wearing wrinkled clothes or if you forget your tie or crest in cases where those are a part of the uniform.

Other Observations

• Local people are used to visitors and therefore know what to expect and are very helpful. You should not hand out money.
  
• Tips at local restaurants and bars are not expected.