Canadiangirl ... I have no doubt ..
in your ability and competence to teach English as a second language in the DR or any other non-English speaking country for that matter.
Yes, you did not use proper Paragraph structure and Yes your questions were not ended with the proper punctuation mark, "?". But, neither are mine --- when I write on message boards I often combine a string of phrases together, separated by spaces and three dots, " ...". It's just quicker and simpler that way.
Yes, you had some spelling mistakes, "inlighten" instead of "enlighten" for example, and Yes, like you I also have this problem. Ninety percent of my 100 plus posts have been edited to correct spelling errors.
Yes, you could have Capitalized, your "i" as in "I", but I think this is fast becoming the latest "stylistic font" for the chat room and message board where speed in information delivery takes precedence over formal writing style. Likewise words such as "english" and "oct" should have been capitalized.
I have no doubt that you are actually well educated and that you were educated in the English language. You most likely have grown up under the new "holistic approach" to language acquisition and development. Most likely you were not given formal lessons and classes in spelling, grammar, sentence structure, and punctuation, nor formal instruction in writing development.
You were most likely taught that if you just learned to "Read" and you "read often enough", then you would just naturally develop, through osmosis or some other like process, skills in written and oral communication.
When you asked questions of your Teacher he/she most likely didn't know the answers or was just not able to explain them to you. Being the industrious student that I am sure you were, you likely searched your local school or community library only to find that there were no English Grammar or English Writing books. When you asked the Librarian, she must have given you the "blank stare" Librarians are often known for.
Canadiangirl, your mistakes and errors are minor ones that the use of a spell checker or dictionary and the application of some proof reading skills can easily correct. You have mastered the more difficult elements of English grammar, such as the proper use of the verb "have" with the singular pronoun "I", the proper tenses for the verb "have" such as "have been" and "would have". Those new to the English language often have difficulty in the use of these verb forms.
You also used plurals correctly and consistently and you even got the contraction. Many students now cannot distinguish between "whats" and "what's", the latter being short for "what is".
You also got the following, and here I will confess that I do not know what the correct grammer terminology is, but it is the single use the word "to" before the first verbs and then the inclusion of the "be" before the word "happy", in order to complete the phrase. These are the subtleties that new writers of the English language find difficult.
"DR is a great place TO live, work, party, and BE happy, wondering if"
"to live, to work, to party, and to be happy" would only be done for emphasis.
All in all Canadiangirl, it ISN'T bad writing, SLOPPY yes, but bad, NO.
NMS
Official Commentator on Canadiangirl's English Competence
Edited numerous times, with the aid of "Outlook Express" email message program, to correct spelling mistakes.