Heading your way next year to stay!

[MikeFisher]

Just commenting on the misspelling of the name of the country: Other than in English, I?m familiar with a number of "pet names" for various countries, which are usually born when a country becomes somewhat famous. I know personally a few very nice Canadian people, who frequent in POP, and when in conversation they use the country?s name frequently, they turn to "the Dominican", which I consider in this sense just a pet name or abbreviation (yes, I know what is an abbreviation, and that?s officially not it), or is simply used because saying "The Dominican Republic" frequently would sound a bit odd to my ear, it?s better to use different terms that could be understood the same way (not necessarily official synonyms). My wife is very strict about grammar, but when joking about the country she refers to it as "errede". Just like for example Thailand has become a popular travel destination, also it has received a multitude of nicknames. I would consider it more serious to call the country "The Dominica", since then we have indeed mistaken of the country

EDIT: I seem to have lost word wrapping in the editor since the latest FF update, and only in this forum. IE and others work fine, no idea why...

right.
if a foreigner refers to the Dominican Republic as "the dominican", it is nothing else than a shorty for the full name of a country. my full name is Michael and since i was a small boy everybody names me Mike, so what?? nothing of that is meant offensive, and what the numerous foreigners and not spanish speakers wanna interpret as a offense in it, that crap. there is nothing of any offense at all to use such term, as it is simply meant as the name of the thingy/country.
those same guys complaining about someone using "the dominican", should just themselves start to learn more spanish to become fluent one day, maybe, then they may realize what a joke their prior complaint about such term been. i can not imagine a DR Citizen to be offended because a english speaker refers to the country as "the dominican".

Mike

 

[MikeFisher]

Yes and those are the posts that can be very deceiving to those looking to move here. Living on a low fixed income is not a way to live here. Yes I know people do but I have to question what kind of life they really have. Just because you post that your living on a "dollar day" does not mean you are.

no disagreement, but a addy:
what kind of a life the same people have now at home?
you have to see where one comes from, to what someone is used to, then we can tell how much such would cost to be had/lived here in the DR.
who lives in a first world country in a own 5 bedroom house on a nice wide property, 3 cars in da garage, kids in the best college, such person sure you shouldn't recommend to move to "Paradise" on a monthly budget of only 10KUS$ per month for a family of 3 or 4, because that budget would be gone before the 2nd week of the month is over.
if a person lives in some small city in Ohio, or comes from a trailer park city living in a 1 room appartment there for cheap, a beatup 10 years ole car and no garage, well, such person can live on it's used to standards here for 1K US$ per month easily, would most likely even experience a upgrade of lifestyle compared to what was lived back home.
everybody can move down here, but the question to ask to a new member is:
how you wanna live?
what kinda room/car/hobbies/sports etc etc you wanna have to live a happy life?
with such questions answered, we can give ballparks about the real costs of such specific lifestyles.

Mike

 

[Lucifer]

Man-oh-man! If I ever decide to move to the D.R., it'll be on a lot less than what the "experts" are claiming. But what do I know?

 

[the gorgon]

no disagreement, but a addy:
what kind of a life the same people have now at home?
you have to see where one comes from, to what someone is used to, then we can tell how much such would cost to be had/lived here in the DR.
who lives in a first world country in a own 5 bedroom house on a nice wide property, 3 cars in da garage, kids in the best college, such person sure you shouldn't recommend to move to "Paradise" on a monthly budget of only 10KUS$ per month for a family of 3 or 4, because that budget would be gone before the 2nd week of the month is over.
if a person lives in some small city in Ohio, or comes from a trailer park city living in a 1 room appartment there for cheap, a beatup 10 years ole car and no garage, well, such person can live on it's used to standards here for 1K US$ per month easily, would most likely even experience a upgrade of lifestyle compared to what was lived back home.
everybody can move down here, but the question to ask to a new member is:
how you wanna live?
what kinda room/car/hobbies/sports etc etc you wanna have to live a happy life?
with such questions answered, we can give ballparks about the real costs of such specific lifestyles.

Mike

great remarks, Mike!! i guess that there is a tendency for people to reflexively believe that these people who want to come here are moving from the lap of luxury. maybe the very reason they want to move here is because they are living like a fugitive back home.

 

[the gorgon]

Man-oh-man! If I ever decide to move to the D.R., it'll be on a lot less than what the "experts" are claiming. But what do I know?

nice that you put the word experts in quotation marks.

 

[mountainannie]

I disagree. The board has been less than kind to the newcomers, in general. If I had been greeted the same way when I first found DR1, I'd have been out the door and never looked back again. Save the snarky answers for the people who've been here awhile and understand our personalities.



I agree. A lot of the answers here in this thread are right on the money, it's how they are delivered that is inappropriate for an Introduction thread.

Tanis, gringoinparadise has a point about direct, specific questions. If you don't do that, the answers and advice will be all over the place. Also try to use the search function, everything you want to know has probably already been asked and answered.

Our members range from people surviving on small Social Security checks to people living in multi-million-dollar homes. Their appraisal of life and budgets in DR will vary drastically.

I agree that generally we have been pretty mean to some newbies recently - but have to also say that it maybe was reality based.. In that - if you are looking to come down here and live on working and you present your skill set as day care and bartending, that is not going to produce a lot of "WOWZA!" from the Board.

And the folks who are asking about the margins -- about the life on 1k or 1.5k - they seem to be really asking - and the Board seems genuinely interested in giving them realistic feedback - as in GREAT for Rio San Juan and doing just ok for SD.

And look at the thread with the opening of a performing arts school which I never figured would go for more than 5 posts..

Now, true, maybe we could have (shoulda) been nicer to Tanis - told her that she might indeed find a job as an English speaking Nanny - might even make $300 a month?

but really ? seriously? day care and a bartender? try english teacher and scuba instructor at least...

gotta give us something to work with .. we is what we is ..

 

[dv8]

cat-fights, specially between Moderators who should calm down Us "normal typing maniacs",
should be taken to the section "Mods off-topic chatter and Catfights".

it's not a cat fight, it's a a slight dissent between the privileged. :laugh:

 

[jd426]

I agree that generally we have been pretty mean to some newbies recently - but have to also say that it maybe was reality based.. In that - if you are looking to come down here and live on working and you present your skill set as day care and bartending, that is not going to produce a lot of "WOWZA!" from the Board.

And the folks who are asking about the margins -- about the life on 1k or 1.5k - they seem to be really asking - and the Board seems genuinely interested in giving them realistic feedback - as in GREAT for Rio San Juan and doing just ok for SD.

And look at the thread with the opening of a performing arts school which I never figured would go for more than 5 posts..

Now, true, maybe we could have (shoulda) been nicer to Tanis - told her that she might indeed find a job as an English speaking Nanny - might even make $300 a month?

but really ? seriously? day care and a bartender? try english teacher and scuba instructor at least...

gotta give us something to work with .. we is what we is ..

Exactly...

If she came here and stated anything along the lines of " My company just gave me an assignment in the DR (santo domingo, sangiago , whatever)... or I just got Transferred to the DR for a new Job opp, with my NORTH American/Canadian Salary" . etc etc ..
"oh, and by the way, my BF is a bartender, so he may be working too" ...or vice versa, he was transferred and she wants to work at whatever job.

A totally different conversation would have unfolded
i am 100% sure of it.

 

[Matilda]

it's not a cat fight, it's a a slight dissent between the privileged. :laugh:

Personally I believe in respect for someone who has been a moderator for years, who has been married to a Dominican for 35 years, who speaks fluent Spanish, who owns land and property in the DR, who lives in this country for 4 months a year and has done so for years, whose husband lived under the Trujillo regime and who knows more about the country, the culture, the politics and the ins and out of the country than 99.9% of people on this board ever will. But that is just my opinion.

Matilda

 

[dv8]

oh, so you are suggesting i am showing disrespect unless i agree with someone? gurl, please.

 

[mountainannie]

I would just like to register my objection to the use of the word "cat fight" Catfight - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

as if two women cannot have a disagreement? WHAT does their sex have to do with it?

or should us girly girls only make nice?

sexist!! Sexist!! sexist language!! Foul!! three points to the other team..

 

[mountainannie]

it's the heat

it is really hot here

really hot

really boring

and no sankie tales worth telling

we are restless here in the shark tank

it is getting oppressive

the dollar exchange went down again

it is only june .. july looms like a grade b movie..

august promises to bring nothing but terrible news and bad publicity

we need some good sankie tales

please make some up for us

 

[mountainannie]

not to mention the impending ZIKA outbreak

is there to be no end?

 

[mxcutie]

Some thoughts

Tanis,

You might want to consider going back to school and getting certified as a preschool or elementary teacher before moving down here. That way you could apply for a job at an International School and make a decent salary. A job at an International School can be secured from your home country before arriving, and often provide some kind of housing, and medical insurance. When I first moved to the country I worked as a teacher in Punta Cana, and though the salary is considered competitive, I probably wouldn't have been able to live in the area without the free housing and salary that I made. Remember that prices for most things are higher in Punta Cana.

For bartending, there really isn't much in Punta Cana. You would be looking at the Bavaro area, so unless you plan to teach in Bavaro (lower teaching salaries) you will need to invest in a car (double or triple North American prices here). Salaries for these jobs are low, and hours of work aren't really great, but he could try for a nice tourist restaurant where he would get decent tips.

These are just suggestions based on my experience. I have lived in the country for 5 years (4 of them in Punta Cana and one in Santo Domingo). Though some of the comments provide unrealistic dollar amounts, I would recommend having at least a few thousand dollars in savings as backup just in case. Living in Punta Cana, I would say about $1,000 per month to live on, if you don't have to pay for an apartment. Many people will not pay more than the approximately 10,000 pesos for a nanny. Keep in mind that a nanny here isn't just watching the kids, but also responsible for maintaining a clean house and cooking the meals, laundry, etc.

The country is beautiful, and there are ways to make it work. Just make sure you have a backup plan, and keep an open mind. I can honestly say that many things were not as I had expected. To make it here without a retirement pension, you will need to work hard and not expect things to be like your home country.

 

[dv8]

it's the heat
we are restless here in the shark tank

thanks, MA, you are right. i'm outta here before i get nastier.

 

[Matilda]

oh, so you are suggesting i am showing disrespect unless i agree with someone? gurl, please.

Dv8. You and I have known each other for a long time, and I have always shown you respect. I believe that everyone deserves respect irrespective of their background or social standing. I have also been involved with DR1 as an employee for several years. In my humble opinion, if you disagree with a fellow moderator, who has been doing the job much longer than you have, you should talk to her privately and not on the site. No business, and DR1 is a business, will succeed if those who work for the business fight in public. I know English is not your first language, even though you speak it much better than my Polish, but perhaps before you answer posts you should just take 5 mins to think before you post.

Mat

 

[keepcoming]

True on the comments about "where you came from". I mean if someone is use to just getting by back in their homeland then maybe life here will be ok for them but and I say BUT here you have to factor in a lot of what if's, etc...For many of us it took a while to learn "the ropes" of life here. With those (me included) with a Dominican spouse it may have been easier. But there is a learning curve when you first move here and it can and will cost you $$$. These are things you have to plan on no matter how simple you may want to live. Mike I know you have a successful business in Punta Cana ( family has taken fishing trips with you) but I am sure you will admit it did not happen overnight. Can someone move here and be successful? Of course but it takes time and knowledge (and maybe who you know). I believe in giving people the good and the bad about life here. There are positives and there are negatives. Depends on the day..lol...But I believe there is a wealth of knowledge on this site, you just have to weed through it. Some of us did not last that long here without knowing a thing or two about life here.

 

[AlterEgo]

Intro is long over.

I think we've intimidated enough newbies for one day.

Closed