The story of my last 10 years in the Dominican Republic
Lindsay de Feliz walked away from an enviable lifestyle – marriage, successful career, expensive holidays, designer clothes, fast cars – to pursue her dream of being a scuba diving instructor. She could not have predicted the journey ahead when she arrived in the heat, sunshine and vibrant culture of the Dominican Republic.
She found love, a ready-made family and – despite being shot in a bungled robbery – a desire to help the Dominican people, many living in abject poverty. She supported her husband as he ran for political office and with Lindsay by his side they were a formidable team.
As the campaign gathered momentum, they learnt the hard way what happens when you oppose those in power. Fighting corruption, double-dealing and with their lives at risk, they were forced into hiding.
Their incredible story is stranger than fiction and twice as menacing. The dark underbelly of the Dominican Republic is exposed, from the tourist beaches to the soaring mountains of the interior. Lindsay tells it how it is, but in the telling her deep love for the Dominican Republic, its culture and its people shines through.
Professional Reviews
Riveting expat memoir with a sting in the tail
Readers will recognize the familiar elements of a good expat memoir - the triumphant sense of liberation at escaping from the greyness and cold rat race to the warm, slow-paced tropical idyll, the baffling experience of culture shock, the author's perceptive and witty observations about her adopted country's quirks as well as a good dose of self-deprecating humour when recounting her initial misadventures and misunderstandings as a `gringa' in a strange land.
The sting in the tail in What About Your Saucepans? is that unlike the expats we've read about in Tuscany and Provence, Lindsay's dream-come-true suddenly turns very sour: not just once but twice. In both cases, in very different ways, the sequence of events is truly nightmarish in that every time it seems as if things are finally getting resolved, another unforeseen and unbelievable complication arises.
And in contrast with what one would imagine most people doing in her situation, Lindsay doesn't seriously consider the option of upping sticks and leaving for the safety, predictability and comfort of her home country. She was determined to stick it out and that's what makes the reading so absolutely riveting.
Lindsay endured the most incredible adversities with zero self-pity and happily is with us to tell the tale. In fact, the writing of the book is what has helped her make sense of it all. Although it's clear that her love and respect for her adopted country hardly wavered in the process, she never particularly idealises the Dominican Republic nor is she sentimental about its people - she acknowledges and understands the complexities of poverty, injustice, corruption and their consequences, as someone who has had to tackle them head-on.Read more ›
Inspiring story
Lindsay's story is thrilling, devastating, inspiring and thoroughly entertaining.
She writes simply and honestly about what is truly a rollercoaster of experiences, truly taking you on the journey with her. Her encounters are frightening, amusing and heartwarming. They remind us of the joys and tribulations of living with and loving people from a different 'world' and ultimately teach us to keep a grasp on what is most important to us in life.
Highly recommended read and one that you will feel compelled to talk about and recommend yourself.
