San Pedro does NOT look like Paradise : (

Gitana-

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Jan 13, 2010
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I didn?t expect it to look like paradise and I knew about the poverty. What I did NOT expect was for it to be so crowded and so polluted, and so dusty. And the smells? But the worst thing and the most unexpected one was the fact that everybody lives like in a prison. It?s one thing to see the iron bars on the windows and a different one to actually open the window and have the bars there. Getting home and having to open three padlocks to get inside. Going out to the yard and having a wall surrounding you. That is the part that will be hardest for me to get used to. That and knowing people are almost always trying to get something from you. I guess I should have been expecting the culture shock but I thought I was prepared for it.

I have no other choice because I?m moving in with a friend and he lives there already but I?m pretty sure that for next semester (September) I will be able to convince him to move to a better place even if it?s farther from the UCE. So my question is: Where do I move? How much would it be for a decent 2-bedroom in Juan Dolio? I love the beach but are there any other areas I should explore?

That?s three questions, I know :)
 

dulce

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Jan 1, 2002
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Take a ride to Juan Dolio. Calle Blvd. has para alquilar signs everywhere. Some of the signs have the amount listed. If your friend is Dominican. Have him go without you to get the non gringa price. Remember that most prices are negotiable.
Many students going to school in San Pedro rent in JD.
 
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NALs

Economist by Profession
Jan 20, 2003
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The nicest neighborhood in San Pedro is Hazim, behind the Jumbo. If that doesn't do it for you, then Juan Dolio is your only hope.
 

Deyvi

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Dec 23, 2009
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Was there twice, luckily for a short time. Boca Chica is PARADISE compared to that place!!

A semester in college. Come on!!! Why did you ever end up there? Get out!! Go to College in Santiago with HB. Please explain the specific accredidation San Pedro offers for you to take the risks you speak of.
Is your BF a professor there?
Beach????
 

dulce

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Jan 1, 2002
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Was there twice, luckily for a short time. Boca Chica is PARADISE compared to that place!!

A semester in college. Come on!!! Why did you ever end up there? Get out!! Go to College in Santiago with HB. Please explain the specific accredidation San Pedro offers for you to take the risks you speak of.
Is your BF a professor there?
Beach????

The students I knew living in JD were studying to be doctors. It may not be better but it is cheaper in SPDM for them.
 

Gitana-

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Jan 13, 2010
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Thank you everybody for your comments and suggestions. I will definitely go check the signs in Juan Dolio and will also check out Hazim.


Was there twice, luckily for a short time. Boca Chica is PARADISE compared to that place!!

A semester in college. Come on!!! Why did you ever end up there? Get out!! Go to College in Santiago with HB. Please explain the specific accredidation San Pedro offers for you to take the risks you speak of.
Is your BF a professor there?
Beach????

I asked my friend the same question. How did you ever end up at this place?

I'm not going for a semester but for the whole ride. My situation is kind of particular: I'm not right out of high school, I'm in my late 40s and this is something I've always wanted to do. And before anybody goes there yes, financially it does make sense in my situation. I have tried a couple times and life (work) keeps getting in the way. What is different this time is precisely that this friend --he is a boy and he is a friend, but he's not my boyfriend :) invited me to live at his place without any kind of payment until I can finish the pre-req classes. After that it's a lot easier because the student loan limit goes up when you are actually in medical school. I'm pretty sure he will "see the light" and move to Juan Dolio once I can share the rent payment with him, maybe even before.

I will also look into transferring once my premedica is done, but I've read that can be tricky at the DR.
 

Chirimoya

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Dec 9, 2002
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I lived in a Dominican provincial town when I first moved to the DR (Cotu?) and my initial reaction was similar. I soon found the saving graces in the friendship of the people and the beauty of the surrounding countryside. San Pedro has some positive points including pasteles en hoja from Amable, a decent supermarket and nearby beaches. There is some beautiful traditional architecture here and there, some well-preserved or restored, much of it in decay. As NALs says, the residential area behind Jumbo is probably the best area to live.
 

La Mariposa

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Jun 4, 2004
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I lived in a Dominican provincial town when I first moved to the DR (Cotu?) and my initial reaction was similar. I soon found the saving graces in the friendship of the people and the beauty of the surrounding countryside. San Pedro has some positive points including pasteles en hoja from Amable, a decent supermarket and nearby beaches. There is some beautiful traditional architecture here and there, some well-preserved or restored, much of it in decay. As NALs says, the residential area behind Jumbo is probably the best area to live.

I'd say: San Pedro de Macoris has the best pasteles en hojas
 

NALs

Economist by Profession
Jan 20, 2003
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For the record, not every provincial town is as messed up as San Pedro. Moca, Jarabacoa and Puerto Plata are some examples of much nicer towns. Even La Vega is quite nice and in the southern region Bani tends to be on the nice side too. Of course, these towns are more prosperous than San Pedro...

By nice I don't mean tidy and such, no Dominican town is like that. But since you have seen San Pedro, you will definitely notice the difference in these and other towns.
 

Gitana-

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Jan 13, 2010
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Ok, so no Haina or Villa Altagracia for me, lol

For the record, not every provincial town is as messed up as San Pedro.

We went to Constanza for the weekend when I was there and stayed at Alto Cerro. It IS a beautiful country and Constanza has a very different feel to it. Even though still kind of poor and loud it was nowhere near as crowded and ugly. Maybe part of it is the pollution?

Hey, it could be worse right? It's not forever, only 4 to 8 months and then I can move to Juan Dolio. I will still have to go to La UCE every day but at least I won't live there. I looked at Dre Broeders' properties on the website and the prices seem reasonable. I won't be able to afford the luxury right-on-the-beach apartments of course, but the others seemed alright. I will explore the area when I get there.

Gotta see it as an adventure and make lemonade out of these lemons, try to find the silver lining. It's all I can do besides getting the he** out as soon as I can and learning to be safe, which I would have to do anywhere anyway.

I'm sure it will be worth it in the end.
 

Bronxboy

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Jul 11, 2007
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The pasteles from San Juan, PR are the best. jjijijijiji

No raisins though!!!! :)