Thinking of moving back to DR

randujar

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Jan 19, 2011
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I'm Dominican and have lived in the US for over 20 years. Married with 2 children (college and middle school), my wife is also Dominican. Families and friends in DR think is not a good idea due to safety, especially with teenagers and a comfortable living style (we are financially OK). Sun and beaches are not the problem since I have that were I live. The main reason for going back is an investment opportunity with financially sound and very hardworking friends who live in DR, plus I miss my country. A lot of work is needed to move the business forward, and I am OK with that. Again, the main concern is safety, but I really miss my country, which I visit at least once a year. I need help from someone who has gone thru this since at my age (early 50's), there is not too much room for error. I still have lots of friends and family in DR.
 
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amparocorp

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Aug 11, 2002
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i'm a gringo (56) who has owned property in SD for 20 years. i visit for a month or two but always return to the US for "just a few more dollars" and then it's a permanent move, or so i think. my wife is dominican, lots of relatives and friends, some really rich and important ones too. in the past year i've lost 5 friends to the cemetary who were in their fifties. how much time do you think ya got left. go for it! before you can't enjoy it now before you're too old to enjoy anything more than a sponge bath......i busted my butt most of my life, now it's my turn to sit in the sun, wife and kids will be fine. this time it's for me, if i don't have money for son #3 to go to college, too damn bad. i'm going to SD, my house in NY is for sale, my next ticket south is one way.
 

amparocorp

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and now it's ice and snow, been on the roof with a shovel, i think it was more dangerous to be on the roof than to walk the streets of SD...............
 

skinny36

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Mar 2, 2010
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i'm a gringo (56) who has owned property in SD for 20 years. i visit for a month or two but always return to the US for "just a few more dollars" and then it's a permanent move, or so i think. my wife is dominican, lots of relatives and friends, some really rich and important ones too. in the past year i've lost 5 friends to the cemetary who were in their fifties. how much time do you think ya got left. go for it! before you can't enjoy it now before you're too old to enjoy anything more than a sponge bath......i busted my butt most of my life, now it's my turn to sit in the sun, wife and kids will be fine. this time it's for me, if i don't have money for son #3 to go to college, too damn bad. i'm going to SD, my house in NY is for sale, my next ticket south is one way.

Good for you...life is too short!
Good luck with sale of your house and the move!
 
Mar 1, 2009
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If it's not safety, it's la luz, if it's not la luz, it's que esto esta malo, if it's esto esta malo, then it's that esto se esta acabando. So do your thing papo. It's your life, my girlfriend keeps busting my chops about the heat and the cold water but I keep telling her I am moving back to Santo Domingo. I feel you, everyday that goes by I feel that dolorcito to be back over their. So dale, you know the deal haste el pobre, pero vive rico!!!
 

randujar

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Jan 19, 2011
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Lando Calrisian,
What do you mean Haste el pobre, pero vive rico? it sounds good, and it seems that you know the feeling. Same here the dolorcito, and the wife with her pushback
 

Hillbilly

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Jan 1, 2002
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It means that here even the poor live rich....they don't pay water, lights or any services, but they live. They love, they drink and they go to beaches...and dances and pack the big "reguet?n" shows....They make do and have fun...

that's what he means...

HB
 
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Bolin

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Sep 22, 2010
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My husband (Dominican) and I (US/naturalized RD citizen) moved here four years ago after both of us working 30+ years in the US. Though we definitely have had our moments and have had all the typically bad things that happen to you when you make this move (bad legal advice, bad lawyers, general petty rip-offs) happen to us; but we haven't really regretted it. Safety here is no more of an issue than in the US, except for things like 911 service and a consistently good feeling about the police. We do not live in a gated community and, in my opinion, that's safer than living in one. I would think if you have a positive sounding investment opportunity here, you should not pass it up, especially if safety is your only concern.
 

randujar

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Jan 19, 2011
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Bolin,
Have you had any issues with thieves, bulglars or those kinds of problems? Do you feel safe at night on the roads? Here in the US you drive at night in any average town and you do not worry.
 

dv8

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Sep 27, 2006
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safety should not be your issue. i feel as safe in DR as in any other place i lived in. but then i do not hang out in barrios, i do not go out covered in gold chains and generally i stay reasonably alert.
what i think is a crappy part of your idea is that US offers a lot more in terms of education and career than DR. move, if you want, but leave the kids in the states, if possible (boarding school, uni, family).
 
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Bolin

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Sep 22, 2010
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Not really. The battery was stolen from our car twice but we park on the street. No problems with home burglery either - but we do have bars on all the windows - as do most other Dominican homes. We don't "hang out" in weird places at night but we do walk on the Malecon at night when there is an event and have never had any problems, other than having to look at a bag of garbage that some dumba** dumped. I would also agree that private school is probably a necessity - but I'll have to say there are some extremely computer savvy kids here.
 

Bolin

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Sep 22, 2010
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Also, if your kids are bilingual, there are some excellent job opportunities for truly bilingual young adults.
 
Mar 1, 2009
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If you go somewhere and don't feel cool, quietly get up and leave. I hadn't been to Manresa in years, my friends kept telling it was for chopos. Like the white guy in a horror movie I didn't take their word for it. I remembered the place as very clean, near the water, with an helados Bons concession, monkey bars and a garden. So I went with my family and some friends who hadn't been their either with their small children.

We get their and it seemed ok, but when walked in their was garbage everywhere. The people we're loud and low class, and the helados bon concession was gone, they had this cheapo ice cream, fake pizza and fries stand. They had even run outta chocolate, who runs outta chocolate!!!!????

We started to leave and as we we're leaving se fue la luz! From their we went to Centro Luperon and their we had pizza, ice cream (helados bon) and a place for the children called Happyland. Y no se fue la luz.
There are many classy and nice family oriented places here. Very, very nice atmosphere, just gotta pay for it hehehe unless it's a beach, that is almost always free. A nice drive outta the city on a Friday to any of the quieter areas is a delight and an adventure.
 
Feb 15, 2005
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Hillbilly is correct.
"haste el probre pero vive rico" mean to live as if you don't have money, not over your head, or pretentious, living like this affords you trips to the beach, full refrigerator,etc; a quiet but comfortable life.

Even the poorer ones in DR seem to live life fuller than the poorer ones in the US. Really living one day at a time.

Go for it man. If you are blessed you'll be 60,70,80 and the LAST thing you want is REGRET!!!!!
 

randujar

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Jan 19, 2011
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safety should not be your issue. i feel as safe in DR as in any other place i lived in. but then i do not hang out in barrios, i do not go out covered in gold chains and generally i stay reasonably alert.
what i think is a crappy part of your idea is that US offers a lot more in terms of education and career than DR. move, if you want, but leave the kids in the states, if possible (boarding school, uni, family).

Not to change the subject, but leaving teenagers in the US while moving to another country is like denying an integral part of the education process to your children. I know there are excellent boarding schools, but that's like abandoning your children. Plus children are not necessarily happy or with a well-rounded education. Yes, I agree there are more opportunities here, but they can always come back to the US after they are older if that's what they want to do. My older is already a college student living on campus, but still needing help with day-to-day issues. Furthermore, there are excellent private schools in DR, and getting into a high caliber college is a lot easier and cheaper than in the US. What do you think?
 

dv8

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Sep 27, 2006
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i prefer my european education, thank you very much. but then i am known for criticizing dominican education system. i just think first world countries offer more, that's all. on the other hand a moron will always be a moron and a genius will be a genius regardless of the university they finish.

i do not know about abandoning the kids, i am not a mother. but i know about being a teenager and fighting to have an opinion of my own. what do your kids think of that move?