From time immemorial Dominicans have left their country with little or no intention to return. It is almost part of a rite of passage which our people embrace. The process of building a small country with little competitive advantages is made more difficult by the constant state of flux which this migration causes.
The bright spot on all of this is that there are a core of people who remain and preserve, toiling to build this country and their lives whilst others run for supposed greener pastures.
One of the strongest arguments for migration is economic ambition. By the purest definition of ambition it may seem a logical thing to say, but it really can be held to question. Generations of Dominican migrating have not produced rich or even middle class diaspora elite. Indeed, Dominicans in other countries often live and work as hard or harder as they would have it if they remained here. Often their health and quality of life suffer as they pursue financial gain…
Source: The Tip
Besides those who remain and those leave, there’s a third and critically important group: those who depart briefly to work and save and/or pursue educational opportunities, and then return to retire or invest (sharing their wealth and/or creating jobs for Dominicans) or provide Dominica with services and shills gained through their acquired knowledge from abroad. I think that this third group should be commended.
Come to think of it, my wife and I are in yet a fourth category. We are coming from the USA to retire to Dominica. We have invested in land and a home here (sharing some money and creating some jobs) and we intend to volunteer to impart what special knowledge we may have to help Dominicans.