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Today is Father’s Day in the Dominican Republic, and here we bring you a beautiful tribute to a man who has been part of our Casa de Campo community since the early 1980s.
Jaime Bermúdez Mendoza first came to the Dominican Republic in 1984 as the ambassador for Columbia. Jaime, like many before him fell in love with this beautiful paradise and soon after bought his own Casa de Campo villa, becoming a much-loved member of the Casa de Campo community ever since.
Here, Maria Clara Bermúdez, Jaime’s daughter, would like to wish her father a very happy Father’s Day.
In a few words, what my Dad means to me
He is a kind, generous, polite, bright, clever, a brilliant tradesman, a man who had a very happy childhood with his family in Colombia.
His biggest dream and thing he was the most eager about was becoming a professional surgeon, but a few months before he could finish his carrier, he took a difficult decision to abandon his studies and to take over his home, since his parents, after living a full and comfortable life with a stable economical status, had a set back caused by the extreme violence that Colombia went through those years. That is how a new phase started in the life of Jaime Bermúdez Mendoza, my father.
After a few years and overcoming that tough happening, he started studying Diplomacy and International Law whilst simultaneously working in different government administration positions, which gave him great experience, and that today, are the reason for long and exciting talks (which I am fascinated and astounded by) where he tells us about numerous adventures lived around those dates. (Just to be clear my Dad has an extraordinary memory for dates, addresses, names, etc.)
Once he finished his studies, he married my Mum, María Emma Lega (the foundation of my family) on the 8th of December and he started his life in the world of diplomacy, with his first political office in Chile, were I was born, his daughter María Clara, Spain is where my brother Jaime was born and after that in France, England, Switzerland, Egypt and others…
Today thanks to my Dad, Ambassador of Colombia (Honored with the Honor Legion from France and others) and my Mum, my brother and I had the blessing of receiving an extraordinary education with a different view of the world, knowing and experimenting different cultures, countries and ways of life, whilst meeting amazing people. Thank you for all the life experience!
My Dad arrived to the Dominican Republic with his family as the Ambassador of Colombia in the year 1982, a mission that had a duration period of 4 years and during which time he fell in love with the country and bought his house in Casa de Campo. Given his nature, sense of humor, his “savoir faire” and his experience in diplomacy, he made many friends which contribute greatly in making his stay in this beautiful country and especially in Casa de Campo even more amicable.
He is a good athlete, he plays Golf, (we play together when we can and he constantly corrects me haha) as well as tennis and he loves fishing; he also has an exceptional collection of hunting guns as a result of his fondness of the sport which he has practiced in many countries.
One of Dad’s great attributes is that he is a remarkable chef, an activity which we love to share and from which I have learned a lot and obviously as a result of this, the whole family is “blessed” with a few extra pounds!
Ahh I almost forgot that he is a great Poker and Bridge player and he has also passed this skill onto his children through long and fun games. Another of my Dad’s hobbies is his poetry, which I love to share with him and I listen attentively because of the way he recites, it’s like magic!! It even brings tears to my eyes! You have to listen to him someday!!
My Dad inspires me through everything he does, it makes me proud to know that he has had a life full of success, adventures and experiences, his tenacity motivates me, his analysis of situations, his drive, his honesty, his generosity and love towards his family, his strength and knowledge inspires me, I love his advice that is always-on-point and his guidance which I follow word for word!
I could go on forever telling you about my Dad and my relationship with him, and how much he means to me, I adore him and I am so proud of being his daughter!!… HAPPY FATHER’S DAY DAD!!!