Thinking on moving to Rep. Dom.

Kat84 said:

Hello,
I am a dominican woman who know nothing about the country having left as a four year old. I will soon be and empty nester my daughter is going to college here in the states. I want to know where to either buy or rent in Sto. Dgo. Also, would like to convince daughter to consider a dominican college she
Doesn't speak spanish but wants to learn! Any colleges suggestions? Which are the safest area to live as an independent middle age woman who is not afraid of the unknown? Is the Parque Mirador housing area a nice area? I mean, I am not naive, but it is wise to always ask questions before leaping into such a new experience. Any suggestions and rerecommendations are welcome

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ok...the only subject i want to touch on is the college thing...why not let her go to a school in the US, which is where i assume you are? the Dominican college with the highest international ranking comes in at number 5250 in the world. when she goes looking for a job with a degree from that, or any other Dominican college, prospective employers will not be impressed.

Kat84 said:

Hello,
I am a dominican woman who know nothing about the country having left as a four year old. I will soon be and empty nester my daughter is going to college here in the states. I want to know where to either buy or rent in Sto. Dgo. Also, would like to convince daughter to consider a dominican college she
Doesn't speak spanish but wants to learn! Any colleges suggestions? Which are the safest area to live as an independent middle age woman who is not afraid of the unknown? Is the Parque Mirador housing area a nice area? I mean, I am not naive, but it is wise to always ask questions before leaping into such a new experience. Any suggestions and rerecommendations are welcome

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The Gorgon is partially correct, however if your daughter does decide after research to enroll in the DR, perhaps for a year to learn Spanish here is a list of Dominican Universities and a brief description of each. My wife went to number 1 and number 8.

I would recommend staying in downtown santo domingo. Safe, modern, and very first world. For college, like gorgon stated, Dominican colleges arent really highly rated. However I would go to some of the Dominican colleges for medical school. Any other major have her stay in the states. Finally this is not the place to learn spanish... I am learning the hard way myself. Whoa it's bad here

alexw said:

I would recommend staying in downtown santo domingo. Safe, modern, and very first world. For college, like gorgon stated, Dominican colleges arent really highly rated. However I would go to some of the Dominican colleges for medical school. Any other major have her stay in the states. Finally this is not the place to learn spanish... I am learning the hard way myself. Whoa it's bad here

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Yes I agree but learning Spanish in a University class is not the same as learning it on the street. My Dominican wife, of course learned to speak Dominican Spanish at home and with her friends, but she went to a private school with nun teachers that were from Colombia, Spain, and Mexico. She also went to university in Barranquilla Colombia so her Spanish is a blend. According to her there are many Dominicans that speak and write proper Spanish but most TV commentators and journalists aren't amongst this group. I can't understand a word one of the teacher's husbands says in Cibaeno dialect.

As a Dominican you should have little difficulty getting your national ID so you can work here. Check with the closed DR Embassy to you to see what you will need to provide.

Cdn_Gringo said:

If working in the DR is important to you, you will need to have your Residency squared away. Process can take a year or so from start to finish. Contact your closest Dominican Embassy/Consulate for the latest requirements and application forms.

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She is Dominican, she doesn't require residency process that non-Dominicans go through, but she will need to get her Cedula. My stepson moved to Canada when he was nine, but we got his cedula last year at Christmas. Only required his Dominican birth certificate. Process took 15 minutes in the office, Cedula the next day. Didn't even require going to Santo Domingo.

Kat84 said:

Got you. Thank you both for your suggestions. My daughter has heart set on Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, FL. I am the one suggesting she moves with me since this will be our first and only separation since birth. Marine
Biology is her interest. Anyway i am the one wanting to move to DR for the warm weather, food, people and low cost of living. My main concern now is where to live on a healthy budget and also what to do as part time employment.

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First, welcome to DR1!

I have a student in my house now, friend of the family. He's 18, a freshman, away from home for the first time. It's a lot for him to process.

Respectfully, perhaps a compromise might work. She goes to Eckerd, and visits you on breaks and during the summer. You get your Dominican experience (as will she), and she gets a good education, and a fun place to visit her mom. She might even be able to swing a semester or year abroad, as liberal arts colleges tend to favor that.

Either way, best of luck!

Low cost of living in the capital only exists giving up all the comfort you probably have now. Warm weather in the capital is not really something to look forward to, it’s nice in winter but horrible in summer.

Personally I wouldn’t make my daughter even consider following college in DR if she can do it elsewhere. I left with my family early this year for exactly that, education, and I haven’t regret it for a second. Back in SD now to pass Christmas with my in-laws and though it’s good to be back for a while, it’s even better to have our flight back next week as well.

Kat,

Have you ever, or have you visited Santo Domingo lately?

What budget are you willing to set for house/apartment?

If she is paying for her daufhters college at 44 thousand per year I dont renting in Santo Domingo is out of her budget range.

Kat84 said:

Though I've heard about the low cost of living, hospitality and just good Caribbean life style, I am not naive to think that if and when I ultimately make the move in the near future, all will be smooth sailing. I need to know what areas to look to rent or buy a small house heard of the Parque Mirador area and others but have not visited. I plan to visit soon to familiarize myself with the city. Suggestions are welcome.

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First - I am not Dominican - and so that itself will make a big difference in how I viewed life there during my 14 years as a single woman.. But just to add a bit - Santo Domingo will not present such a "good Caribbean life style" - it is a traffic burdened city of 3 million people and about 30 to 40 minutes away from the nearest good beach. The cost of living? Having now moved back to Florida, I can say that there are a few things that are much cheaper in the DR - the first is household help and the second is rental costs.

What you will miss? Shopping, perhaps - as your food choices will be limited to Nacional, Bravo, & La Cadena. Restaurants? Do not expect Thai, Indian, good Chinese. --- The Library? I know I did!

You may have Dominican roots but you are American in upbringing and may find that you do not fit in as well as you may think with the lifestyle there.

Hospitality? A lot will depend on whether or not you have family there or how close you are to the ones that you have there.

Perhaps you have visited a lot? Although somehow it does not seem like it.

Please rent before you buy. Two years at least.

Bear in mind that if you are looking for part time work, the wages are very very very low... I will leave it to others to fill you in with more current numbers.

Perhaps for a more "Caribbean life style" you might want to look at Punta Cana.?

Kat84 said:

No, not lately. Last time I was in DR was in '79, visited for a week and stay on the beach most of the time. It was beautiful. My income will not be fixed, but I need to be conscientious of it and try to make it on approximately $5,000 a month after needing to partially support a college kid in the states

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My god do not listen to these people who do not live here. The Capitol is not expensive at all. Shopping-you have plenty of American style malls. Blue mall is higher end where you can buy coach and cartier if you want to splurge. Food- I find that they have everything I buy in the states however the imported things do cost more. Restaurants we have literally every type of cuisine there is to have. I dont understand that comment. Traffic is nuts, I mean insane during the week. It's the only thing I hate. On the weekends its nothing. And if you have 5k a month you're living better than 95% of the people here including the ex-pats. Your worry would be finding things to occupy your time. After a few months you've seen and done everything there is to do.