New to Forum -seeking info about DR

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Susan Montgomery

New member
Nov 14, 2014
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Hi everyone,
I joined the forum and am seeking your collective wisdom about the Dominican Republic.
My high school son is looking to study abroad over the summer. We are considering the DR.
He is also a baseball player.
We are looking to enroll him in a Spanish language academy in a city where he could also play baseball.
His ideal experience would be:
study Spanish for half the day;
live with a DR family where he could practice his Spanish;
play baseball with other high school boys as well perhaps work in a community org with young boys teaching baseball.
What cities in the DR would offer this experience?
Anybody have any suggestions on language academies?
I would appreciate any info you could provide.
Muchas gracias!
 
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Dolores1

DR1
May 3, 2000
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I would come down for an exploratory visit of the baseball academies, starting with a visit to Rafael Perez of the Major League Baseball office in the Dominican Republic. That office is located on JF Kennedy on top of Ferreteria Americana. He can give you a list of the baseball academies, and tell you what to expect.

I would think the largest number of these are located in the Province of Santo Domingo, no longer in San Pedro de Macoris.

Meet the Santo Domingo office | MLB.com: Dominican Republic (DR)
 
franco1111

franco1111

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May 29, 2013
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Make sure to leave plenty of time for the other two national pastimes here, chicas and beer. La verdad. Just the reality of it.
 
keepcoming

keepcoming

Moderator - Living & General Stuff
May 25, 2011
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I agree with Dolores, speak with Rafael Perez. However the baseball academies here are mainly only for players who are "contracted" with one of the MLB teams that own/sponsor the academy. I am not sure where you live but do you have a minor league baseball team in or near your town? You may also want to contact them and see if they have any contacts in the Dominican Republic they could refer you to. There are a couple former players that run baseball camps however I would have no idea about the living arrangements. My son played while in school here however in the end he decided continuing his education/studies ranked above playing baseball which began to take up a lot of his time. Best of luck to you and your son.
 
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chic

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Nov 20, 2013
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i see a movie contract/////cosner baseball/girlfriend good idea? send sexy photo of mom and baseball bat...
 
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Susan Montgomery

New member
Nov 14, 2014
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Thanks for the info. My son is a dedicated player but he is not of the caliber to play in the MLB. He loves to play and would like to play in college but who knows... I'm more interested for this experience to be more about improving his Spanish and learning about a different culture. Baseball is the draw for him to spend time in the DR.
Are there neighborhood kid leagues in the DR? Like Little League or Babe Ruth league here in the states. Does anyone know anything about the camps organized by former players mentioned above? I truly appreciate your help.
 
Cdn_Gringo

Cdn_Gringo

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Apr 29, 2014
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There is a partially cleared rubble strewn dirt field on almost every block where the local kids play until one of them yells, "Tourist!" then they all run over and ask for a watch or some pesos to buy a catcher's mitt, then the game continues.

Baseball is a religion here, but worship is not well funded.
 
franco1111

franco1111

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May 29, 2013
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You apparently have no idea what the DR is like. It is a third world country. When you say your kid wants to study "abroad" this summer it seems you think it is like Europe or something. Unless he is experienced with the ghetto lifestyle, he will see things and experience things that will surprise (if not shock) him. If you have not been here, you need to visit first and then decide if this is the place to send your teenage son by himself. Also, read some of the other discussions here to open your eyes.
 
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Contango

Banned
Dec 27, 2010
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this has to be a sock... lets send our son to the DR to learn Spanish? Bad move.. Send him to Miami and learn from the Cubans if you must, but DR... bad bad idea...
 
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Susan Montgomery

New member
Nov 14, 2014
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I'm not sure I agree with you. Spending time immersed in a language is the best way to learn the language and learn a new culture. I've been to Miami you don't have to speak Spanish because you will find someone who speaks English at some point. what do you mean by "sock..."? Miami is still the U.S. in my opinion - nothing wrong with just not the same thing.
 
franco1111

franco1111

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I recommend the Oscar Taveras baseball camp. Oh, wait he crashed his Camaro and killed himself and his girlfriend a few weeks ago.

Oscar Taveras Had .287 BAC During Fatal Car Accident, Nearly 6 Times Dominican Republic's Legal Limit: Report
International Business Times Nov 13 09:04am

St. Louis Cardinals prospect Oscar Taveras was driving drunk before the fatal car accident that killed him and his girlfriend in the Dominican Republic in October, according to a report. Taveras’ blood-alcohol level was .287 at the time of the crash, nearly six times the nation’s legal limit of .05, authorities said Wednesday.
 
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ctrob

Silver
Nov 9, 2006
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franco1111 said:
I recommend the Oscar Taveras baseball camp. Oh, wait he crashed his Camaro and killed himself and his girlfriend a few weeks ago.

Oscar Taveras Had .287 BAC During Fatal Car Accident, Nearly 6 Times Dominican Republic's Legal Limit: Report
International Business Times Nov 13 09:04am

St. Louis Cardinals prospect Oscar Taveras was driving drunk before the fatal car accident that killed him and his girlfriend in the Dominican Republic in October, according to a report. Taveras? blood-alcohol level was .287 at the time of the crash, nearly six times the nation?s legal limit of .05, authorities said Wednesday.
Click to expand...

Do you sit around and think about moronic off topic statements you can make?

Why not post something useful? Or maybe that's not possible?
 
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