Moving to DR w/ a young family?!

gettin'out

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Aug 17, 2004
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The wife, our three young kids and myself are debating an overseas move. I have been researching different Carribean destinations and it is down to the DR and Mexico due to easy flights and proximity to work and our home country. We are a Canadian family with lots of travel experience and want a new environment for a variety of different reasons. My main concern is that I work out of country 190 days a year and want them to be comfortable and feel safe when I am gone. How are the community programs and is there a good family oriented community there for young families? We are going to be leaving a very quiet relaxed community from Vancouver Island and want to maintain the relaxed family focused lifestyle in the DR. If anyone has any experience or input all are welcome to express their experiences, problems, opinions or concerns. Thanks.....
gettin'out
 

ricktoronto

Grande Pollo en Boca Chica
Jan 9, 2002
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How Often Have you Been?

This sounds like you haven't even visited the DR yet. Do that first. Quite a departure from the Island to noisier, hotter, no electricity, etc.....
 

gettin'out

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Aug 17, 2004
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Doing Leg Work

Just trying to get some input from experienced DR residents before we head south. There is no doubt that we will be there a few times before we even think of spooling our rags. However, I was curious too hear some valuable opinions from peoeple already there. Doens't hurt to put the horse before the cart sometimes. I have travelled to some extremely poor countries with work with cultures ranging form Slavic to extreme Muslim so the culture won't be a shock.
 

solituna

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Jan 26, 2004
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Give it time...

I moved here a while back with my wife and our young daughter. I too have moved around quite a lot and have now decided to try and make this a permanent thing. At first, you go "WOW"... however, as the truth hits you, its more like "What the s f**k"! BUT... if you give it time and be patient (very patient at times), things slowly fall into place. You should be aware though that somethings never will fall into place. In that case you find alternatives or workarounds... As long as you come here with an open mind & heart things should work out fine. (Hard $$ will also make life easier if you have it)

Some thoughts and reflections from my side:

Spanish! If you don't speak it, life will most probably be VERY hard.

Be careful when renting or buying a place to live in. Many things look great but can cause severe head and heart aches at times. exampleas are:

Planta full, that in fact is "planta-who knows-when-the-f**k-it-will-be-on-again".

If a generator is out of budget, get an "inversor". That so far is the best investment I've done.

Water pumps that don't work due to lack of electricity. For families that have several kids this could be all hell. Hell in this case would be,
-Many people using a WC that can't be flushed...
-Piles of unwashed clothes
-lack of general hygine causing heat rashes in places that really hurt


Back to the word patient. Things take time here. For me, in most cases, this is part of the charm of living here. However at times this can really get on ones nerves.
If something breaks down at home and you need a handy man, be patient. He will come, even though it is not at the agreed time or even in some cases the agreed day BUT...eventually your problem will be solved.

Living here is not all, palm trees, presidente beers, brugal and AI resorts. It is so much more. All in all, I do not regret a single moment that we moved here.
I am however walking around with an open mind & heart and at times am "forced" to use some hard $$ to solve things... when I run out of patience!...
Good luck!!

Solituna
 

Dolores1

DR1
May 3, 2000
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If money is not a problem, you could always move to Casa de Campo residential community. Would be like being on vacation all year. Good school (Abraham Lincoln), no dealing with traffic. You can buy almost everything you need in the Jumbo in town. Great beach in nearby Bayahibe. No power failures, although your long distance phone bill could be high for outgoing calls. Security excellent.

Or Sea Horse Ranch on the North Coast http://dr1.com/directories/rental/seahorse.shtml
Or Casa Linda community. http://dr1.com/directories/rental/casalinda.shtml
Both have a good school in nearby Sosua (International School).

Another option is Palma Real Villas on the East Coast, also offers the option of a good school in the nearby Punta Cana area. http://dr1.com/directories/realestate/palmareal.shtml

Guavaberry is another option to consider with its golf, beach and equestrian facilities. Very comfortable living. There is a bilingual school in the area you could check out. http://dr1.com/directories/realestate/guavaberry_realestate.shtml

If city life and night life is important, it's narrowed down to Santo Domingo. Lots of quiet neighborhoods... such as Bellavista and Cacicazgos. Lots of schools to choose from in Santo Domingo.

Again, if money is not a problem, you can live quite comfortably in Santo Domingo with the plus of year long good weather.
 
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Lambada

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Mar 4, 2004
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solituna,
I don't know how long "a while back" is, but can I say I was VERY impressed by your post. Read, digest & maybe keep a copy for future reference, gettin'out. This is exactly how it is. All I'd add is, after a few years you sort of think you've mostly cracked it........then WHOOOM, something will happen which puts you back to feeling as you did in the first few months. The best thing I can say to you is learn to operate the principle of damage control. After a few more years, you will not be phased by anything & you will smile when the downs happen. So much better for the blood pressure. Good luck.
 

KateP

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May 28, 2004
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Another thing you cannot do without here are contacts. People contacts. People who know other people who can help you solve anything. Without them, things take 3 and 4 times more time to get solved.

We moved to Santo Domingo basically without any contacts, limited cash, and ended up getting cheated several times during the first year especially since our spanish was limited to "hola, como estas?". It's been 8 years now and I'm proud to say that I can argue with the best of 'em and I've got enough friends and contacts to get me out of almost any situation. From engineers, to lawyers to Generals. You get these over time, but it's imperative to have a least one person you can trust when you get down here.

Just my 2 cents worth...
 

NALs

Economist by Profession
Jan 20, 2003
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KateP said:
Another thing you cannot do without here are contacts. People contacts. People who know other people who can help you solve anything. Without them, things take 3 and 4 times more time to get solved.

We moved to Santo Domingo basically without any contacts, limited cash, and ended up getting cheated several times during the first year especially since our spanish was limited to "hola, como estas?". It's been 8 years now and I'm proud to say that I can argue with the best of 'em and I've got enough friends and contacts to get me out of almost any situation. From engineers, to lawyers to Generals. You get these over time, but it's imperative to have a least one person you can trust when you get down here.

Just my 2 cents worth...

I might add, its imperative to have at least one person you can trust in all aspect of society (military, plumbing, banking, government, etc). Life becomes so much easier and pleasant.
 

gettin'out

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Aug 17, 2004
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Getting the Picture!

Thanks for all the useful links and info. I am continually reading about moving to DR and things look at the least challenging. However, getting outta the bubble is half the fun. Being adventurous w/o being irresponsible is my goal. Sounds like there is alot to offer from the move south in the way of new culture and a sencond language at a minimum. As I mentioned my main concern is keeping the family on the same page. IE: the wife....'happy wife happy life". She is very open minded and lived five years in India so knows the structure of the 3rd world. However, when you have kids there is alot more to consider. The advantage is that kids adapt quicker than adults. As long as I feel we can live there and my family is safe and secure then it will be a go. Dealing with the other issues will be challenging but can be overcome. I appreciate all the interest and suggestions. Keep them coming if you think of more. Thanks...
 

NALs

Economist by Profession
Jan 20, 2003
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Dolores said:
If your wife lived in India, DR will be a breeze.

Oh yeah!

In fact, several times since I have been a member of DR1 I have read posts from many expatriates who say that the DR is like the French Riviera of the developing world in many respects.

Not even the poorest countryside village in the DR can compare with the poverty of India. If you lived through that, you can and will enjoy the DR!

Plus, with all the mountains and palms and natural beauty beyond belief, this country might steal your heart away. It has a habit of doing that, from Columbus to everyday joes.

Welcome to Republica Dominicana in advance!

PS. Scroll to the top of this page and you will see different colored tabs above. Click on living, there you should get lots of info. on what to expect of the DR. Most of the info. is from an out of print book that was called Living in Santo Domingo. It deals mostly with living in the Capital, but much can be applied anywhere on the island.

BTW Dolores, Living in Santo Domingo should be brought back to print! I would just like to have a hard copy of it in my library. Its a personal thing, eventhough I'm Dominican and live here in the DR and know the ins and out of this crazy society, I still like having books like Living in Santo Domingo for those days when foreign friends of mine come here to visit and ask me those questions, you know - the how is life here different from there types. That book would save me alot of explanations.

Was DR1 responsible for the production of that book or someone else?
 

Toronto2inDR

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Jun 10, 2004
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We are a young couple that moved from Toronto to the north cost 2 years ago and started a biz. It?s been very very hard to come to terms with life here but it gets better day by day.

What everyone here says about having a trustworthy contact/friend in high places is very true but we have done without because everyone we thought was trustworthy ended up wanting us to pay for their kid?s operation or pay their rent one month (they?ll pay us back soon?yeah right) or wanted some kind of commission for their duties.

That is not to say that the latter does not exist but it?s not easy to find those kinds of friends so the best think is to keep chatting with people here and eventually they may give you an introduction.

We are planning to start a family soon and I will be honest with you, when it comes time for baby to go to school we are moving back to Canada or to the States. That?s not to say that you can?t find good schools here.

As for safety (knock on wood) we?ve been here 2 years and never had a problem of a violent nature but we?ve also heard about others having many problems?I guess it?s a matter of the company you keep and where you go and that is true of any place in the world.

What area are you thinking of moving too anyway?