Moving to the Dominican Republic

In terms of tolietries and personal care item buy them in the DR, if you don't mind trying different brands of soap, shampoo, deodorants you will find things much cheaper. Make-up is expensive, and nail polish is cheap but poor quality. You will be able to find American brands of things but they will be more expensive. Clothes are super cheap if you are not looking for GAP, Oscar de La Renta, etc. You can get perfectly adequate clothes, unless you are well rounded in which case bring pants from Canada, because you'll have trouble finding your size and they'll be tight!

When I first moved down I only brought enough stuff to last me a few months and from there went out and explored what the Dominican Republic had to offer me. Hair Gel, if you use it you'll find tons of it there...

Electronics are expensive unless you are talking about a blender and an iron, which come cheap. I brought I cheap cassette stereo player with me that didn't take alot of D batteries (name brands can be quite expensive so I brought enough for a year, super heavy though), since where I lived we didn't have electricity at all. That was such a savor at times! Also a Swiss Army knife with a cork screw remover, you'd never imagine how useful that knife became...

If you plan on having friends or family visit remember they can bring you things so don't feel like you must carry everything at once. Umbrellas, they are a dime a dozen, leave yours in Cananda.

I know I gave you random examples and I'm sure many on this board can add to the list. Juan Dolio is not an isolated town you will be close to larger cities and not too far from Santo Domingo.

So my three recommendations on never leaving home without are:
1. A cheapo radio/cassette player (I paid something like $16 USD for mine, you won't find that price down there)
2. Swiss Army knife
3. Great pair of hiking/walking shoes
3.5 A Positive Attidude!

three least useful items:
1. Nylons - too hot for them!
2. A personal water purifer pump
3. A close minded mentally, try not expect too much of anything or anyone...if you keep that in mind you'll be pleasantly surprised by the hospitality of people and children!

Things to bring

Hillbilly's Helpful Hints

Do not forget:
\Sun block (30+)
Bug Spray( OFF Forester)
Stomach medicine (Pepto, Imodium) Birth control pills or whatever...Latex condoms...
BandAids/Antiseptic gel
Good hairbrushes. Your favorite shampoo if it is special. T-Gel for example.
Huge bottle of Tylanol (DO NOT tell Dominicans you have it or they will beg you out of it in two months)


Now, do you golf? there is a course nearby.
YOu might want to bring a few boxes of your favorite chalk...
Erasers are usually scarce. And a little pouch to carry them in.
Extra pair of glasses-if you use them. Good sun glasses and a cheap pair for travelling about the country.

Good fotocopies, plasticized, of all your important docs.

Tennis is also nearby. Good snorkling gear is not only expensive it is difficult to find..You will be on the beach..

Hope this helps,

HB

Will it be Trinitaria's or Villas del Mar???

You'll love Juan Dolio!!! I know I do ( I spend winters there!).
Bathing suits are expensive and indispensible so bring two or three. Also Imodium (Pepto bismal also). I buy all my hair care products in San Pedro at Almacenes Iberia or Zaglul.
Bring Equal or Sweet and Low if you use it-very expensive -but lightweight to bring with you.
Perfume also is expensive so you might want to bring a few bottles.
Can't think of much else other than what HB has suggested (altho' I've also bought pencils and erasers cheaply at Iberia).
A good Spanish/English dictionary if you're not really fluent in Spanish will also be helpful.
For the classroom stickers to "reward" good work will please the children greatly and are light and easy to bring (even those small boxes of gold stars you get at office supply stores). Page protectors might be an idea also as well as a few binders to hold your notes and class schedules/teaching plans.
If I think of anything else that would be essential I'll post again!!
Good luck and enjoy JD......be sure to make it to one of Hotel Fior di Loto's Indian Feast nights. They're great fun........and tell Mara her Canadian friends say hello!!

Yes! Bathing suits are way too expensive and weird, or way, WAY too expensive and amazing. A definite bring-from-home.

I like to bring Purell?, that hand-sanitzing stuff. Such a lifesaver when you're somewhere (or in a situation) without water. Germs = evil.

I always bring a jar of two of Marmite along - but you could insert your own indespensible weird hard-to-procure food item here.

Like a reality-TV show contestant, I always bring a "luxury item" (or a *few* luxury items) that I meanly dole out to myself throughout the course of my stay. But silly things, like shaving gel, nice body creams, nice soaps, etc.

Oh, and if you dye your hair, bring enough of your colour for the duration of your trip - unless you're prepared to experiment.

I was surprised to see Imodium on several of the lists. We have never had any trouble buying it in the farmacias. It is known either as Imodium or by the generic name of Loperamida.

It is true that Equal, etc., are more expensive than in the US, but readily available in the supermarkets. If you decide to bring it, take the individual envelopes out of the box and spread them around in your luggage. You'll be able to carry more that way than if they are in boxes.

Band aids are available here if you are prioritizing.

As kjdrga mentioned, people coming to the DR are a great source of help. Chances are good that you will have someone coming to visit, or will soon meet someone at the school or elsewhere who will be having visitors, or you will hear of someone coming on vacation. Don't hesitate to ask them to bring you a few items.

toilet articles

My wife is on her annual trip back to Jarabacoa and she always takes shoes as they are better quality here and less expensive, Advil, vitamins, toothpaste, razorblades, aftershave, perfume, sunblock, and then she goes to the stationary stores(staples, pens,pencils, paperclips,...etc. Also if you are a brand shopper for clothing, buy back in Canada.

beckyred11, I'm sure that you will find more in Juan Dolio than is available in Jarabacoa. Toothpaste, for example, should be no problem for you. Staples, pens, paper clips, etc., will also be readily available. They are in Sosua and I'm sure they will be in Juan Dolio.

Vitamins are a good idea if you take any. Most are available here, but more expensive. Things like Tylenol and Advil are very good to bring.

If there is anything specific that you use and are wondering whether it is available, you may want to indicate what it is.

You can get almost anything someplace in the Dominican Republic, especially in Santo Domingo. So when you travel around, as I'm sure you will during your stay, you may want to look for things that are not readily available in Juan Dolio (assuming the supply you brought from home is running low).

ken you've read me wrong

My wife doesn't bring this stuff because it's more expensive in Jarabacoa, but because it's more expensive in the DR. It's not a matter of availability, I agree with you, almost everything is available.

Hey there! I think it's great that you're moving to Juan Dolio. I'm from the Dominican Republic and I'm almost a "local" in Juan Dolio. My parents bought a house there in 1981 and ever since we've been spending almost every weekend and almost the entire summer in Juan Dolio. Do you know where you're going to live?

There's a small supermarket called "El Batey" where you can find pretty much anything that you need, but since it's geared mostly towards vacationers and tourists, things tend to be a bit more expensive.

The city of San Pedro de Macoris is only 20 minutes away and there you'll be able to most of your shopping at regular prices. You might be tempted to go into the open market in San Pedro, but unless you're extremely fluent in spanish (and a very good haggler) I would stay away from it.

In Juan Dolio there are a few good restaurants that are not too expensive. One of my favorites is an italian one called "El Sue?o".

I'll be more than glad to help if you need anything else. I currently live in Chicago with my wife and will be moving back to the DR in September, so maybe I'll see you in Juan Dolio!!

film

I am bringing slide film with me to POP. Is there a shop there that will develop slides? Are there good photography shops on the island? Where can you buy good film at a good price?

BTW I found a great price for film on the web at bhphoto.com, I ordered yesterday and it will be here tomorrow, in time for our trip. They ship to DR but it costs between $25-50 and my order was not big enough to merit having it waiting for me when I got there.

Guess I should clarify........

Not much is available "IN" Juan Dolio itself altho' there are many small mini-markets for foodstuffs,bread,milk and basic needs. They tend to be more expensive. So most shopping is done in San Pedro (a short bus ride) where almost anything your heart desires can be found at either Iberia or Zaglul or one of the many pharmacies - including Pepto and Imodium (I always bring a small supply from home just in case it's needed within the first few days of arrival). Anything not found in SP can be found in Santo Domingo (you just need to know where to go and once in the country you'll be able to ask around-Mara can also be a great resource if you're looking for something and don't know where to find it). Many items do cost more than at home, being imported, however not prohibitively so except for the perfumes,bathing suits and also the Tylenol,Advil etc.
I haven't seen any of those sticker things in the DR so that is why I mentioned them.
Take whatever you feel is essential and you don't want to have to go shopping for within the first month of arrival. You'll find that many items are also cheaper in the DR than at home depending on where you now live and shop.
Jane J.'s hand cleaner suggestion is a good one also - I carry a small bottle with me everywhere as a matter of fact, even here at home in Canada. A tube of Polysporin and a bottle of Dettol or some such is also a good idea to take care of those small scrapes and scratches that can get infected easily in the DR.
If you'd like more info on Juan Dolio feel free to private message me with your questions and I'll try to answer as best I can.
A search of the archives with the keyword Juan Dolio will also give you added info as I have discussed the village with others in the last few months.

What to bring?

Having just come back to chilly Alberta from a year in Cabarete, I would recommend that you bring the following:
1) a sweater and jeans, you don't think you'll ever need them in the Caribbean (I sure didn't) but the wind and the rain do make it somewhat cold in the evenings.
2)tampons (if you use them), They are outrageously expensive in the DR because Dominican women don't use them. Try Costco and buy the huge boxes.
3)bug spray. As a newcomer, you are bait for the first three months. The mosquitoes can tell.

Let me know if you have any other questions, I'd be happy to help out.

Dominique