Learn. Speak. Belong.

The Friday-night signature that cost me a client A few years back, I dashed off a proposal to a potential partner in Bogotá. Feeling casual, I ended with “¡Abrazos!”—my go-to Dominican sign-off among friends. Monday morning, I opened my inbox to a politely frosty reply: “Agradezco su propuesta, pero preferimos un tono más profesional.” Turns […]

The elevator ride that almost tanked a contract I’d just arrived in Bogotá, sleepless and over-caffeinated, to pitch a Dominican fintech to a conservative Colombian bank. In the lobby elevator I met the VP of operations—a gray-suited gentleman polishing his glasses. Without thinking, I blurted, “¡Hola, ¿cómo estás?” He blinked, adjusted his tie, and answered […]

Few language shocks rival standing on a Cádiz pier at sunset, overhearing fishermen swap banter that sounds like Spanish chopped into guitar riffs: “¿Quilló, vamo a comé er pescaito aquí mismito?” I caught comer and pescado, but every final s seemed to vanish into the Atlantic breeze. My Dominican-trained ears are used to island s-dropping—gracia’, […]

I learned the hard way that a Dominican “no hay problema” doesn’t always mean the same thing to a Colombian procurement manager. During my first regional project review, I presented mock-ups to a Bogotá client over Zoom. When Camila, the brand lead, frowned and said, “Hay algunos detalles que podríamos revisar,” I instinctively replied, “Perfecto, […]

The Madrid sidewalk moment that rewired my handshake muscle memory My first month living in Spain, I trotted down a leafy street in Lavapiés to meet Lucía, a Madrid journalist I’d only emailed. I rehearsed the standard Dominican handshake-plus-half-hug and felt confident—until Lucía leaned in, landed a kiss to my right cheek, pivoted, and delivered […]

How a single “Claro” saved my barber shop reputation The first time I wandered into my neighborhood barbershop in Santo Domingo, I was brand-new to town and still translating everything in my head. The barber, José, launched into a story about his cousin in New York. Halfway through, my silence grew awkward; he paused, blade […]

The day a single “compai” opened three doors When I first moved into my pastel-painted apartment building in Santo Domingo, I introduced myself with an awkward “Hola, soy James, mucho gusto.” My upstairs neighbor Julio nodded politely, then vanished behind his metal gate. Weeks later, the power cut at midnight. I wandered into the dim […]

A lullaby on the Malecón One breezy Sunday evening I perched on Santo Domingo’s Malecón, rocking my eight-month-old daughter, Sofía, while the Caribbean slapped the seawall in lazy applause. A young Dominican mother next to me began humming “Los Pollitos Dicen.” Instantly Sofía’s sleepy head lifted. She gurgled the onomatopoeic pío pío pío, her very […]

A three-finger mix-up that almost cost me a coconut Picture a hot Santo Domingo afternoon, the kind where traffic horns melt into bachata riffs. I was bargaining for coconuts at a stand and flashed an open hand—palm forward, fingers spread—to signal “give me five” pesos off. The vendor’s eyebrows crashed together. In the Dominican Republic […]

The day my API spec became a telenovela Two springs ago in Santo Domingo, I wrote a 12-page API specification for a Colombian client. I sprinkled it with English jargon—“endpoint,” “payload,” “throttle bursts”. The engineering lead skimmed three pages, set it down, and quipped, “James, esto parece libreto de ciencia ficción.” Translation: it read like […]

A wrong turn and a paint-splattered lesson I was hustling through Medellín’s Comuna 13, chasing the last cable-car ride, when a neon tag froze me mid-step: “No te dejés dar lora.” My Dominican ears knew lora as a parrot, but “don’t let them give you parrot” made zero sense. A local teen, skateboard tucked under […]