Posted yesterday from living forum.
Like so many who move down here, weather is no.1 reason.
I know about the infrastructure problem, I read about the ripoffs on North Shores becuase of the influx of tourist money, the fact you "need to know a general" to feel safe, story about drug money is being channel thro to become legal. The fact if you want to live and enjoy the same kind of material things in Totonto or Miami, it is more expensive here. I can't imagine how the DR government is able to withstand $50 a barrel of oil and IMF loan that never seems to be getting bigger.
After reading the post, my heart sank a little deeper. Last time I was here (Mar 2004), the guide told, milk to feed her baby just had the price doubled. A university graduate, high school teacher wanted to become a tour guide.
I guess human are very adaptable. If you like the weather, you will find a way to swallow the not so good with it.
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If Americans want to come down here, cool. But just don't come down here looking for a cheap place to live then b itch and complain when you can't afford your Fruity Pebbles.
If you want to keep buying American groceries and you're not wealthy, don't move here.......you'll be disappointed. I have lived in Washington DC, New York, San Antonio and Santo Domingo (my home) my entire life.
I know where many of the Americans come from, and I know DOZENS of Americans over the past 15 years that have moved here looking for exactly what many are looking for on these very boards. Many of them are stupid enough to sign teaching contracts and bail out on them after a single year and run home to the US or Canada.
The DR is NOT an easy place to live. We have NO electricity in this country any longer. Ten years ago we had 15 functioning electrical plants in the DR, now only 3 are operating. Corruption has run this country into the ground, and it's only getting worse with the continual change of people in office. Each time a new president comes in, the fleecing begins anew and new appointees begin stealing, and old appointees go to jail to place the blame on the new money they're stealing.
A little bit more about my country. Our government refused to pay 85 million dollars to the WMF in 1988, and everything has been downhill since. They also refused to pay 30 million dollars to Venezuela for oil, so I've seen our gas prices go from 20 cents per gallon US (yes 20 cents!) in 1986 to like 3 bucks now.
Crime is way way way way way up..........people are getting stabbed and shot left and right in Santo Domingo and tons of muggings in Puerto Plata. This place is not the place you may have heard about 10 years ago. It's NOT cheap to live here unless you like to live in a concrete apartment with no electricity and sweat all day and eat rice and beans.
That's life here. Sure you can get a maid, but to do what? Clean your dark, damp, mosquito ridden apartment? If you want to live CHEAP and still enjoy your life I'm dead serious move to North Miami or something and buy one of the 80k houses there.
Pretty much every middle income to low income Dominican I know would DIE to get a chance to move to Miami and you people want to come here? Get a grip..........this is not the paradise you're looking for. It's been a country in serious decline for 15 years now. Corruption people can deal with, annoying but you learn how to play the game. 500% inflation in 2 years and massive VIOLENT crime is something entirely different.
There are a lot of Americans and Europeans who come down here who have NO CLUE what the DR is all about. It's not the country you see when you first come where everyone smiles in your face and is supposedly nice. They are smiling because they think you have MONEY. To the common Dominican white skin = money. It's a fact.
Our healthcare here is pathetic. I broke my leg once in Casa de Campo, went to two of the best bone doctors in the country and guess what? Neither of them even set my bone correctly. I ended up spending over 30k US at Duke Medical Center in NC to have surgery and get metal plates in my leg.
My wife's jaws were nearly destroyed having her wisdom teeth taken out here. Many of the "good" doctors here reuse syringes and even smoke while taking out your blood.
Look people, 15 years ago I agree in many ways the DR was an ideal situation for what you guys are looking for NOW. But the DR has changed DRASTICALLY. What was a very naive, peaceful populace 15 years ago (in my opinion a holdover from the Trujillo "fear" regime) has become a bitter, disenfranchised, increasingly violent society.
Take it from me, stay away. You will find little more here than 3-4 hours of electricity a day.....an extremely racist population......and eventually you'll get robbed by someone you think you can trust.
Believe it if ya want, don't if not..........but I've seen this country go drastically downhill in the past 15 years. I can't leave because this is where my family is, and I'm lucky enough to not have to worry so much about the financial concerns.
However, I can tell you any intelligent middle class Dominican is intelligent enough to know even people they've known for over 20 years in this climate you simply can't trust......unless they are your own parents, wife, children or brothers.
Guards/maids/gardeners people have had for over 10 years are robbing them blind. Things are that bad.
Stay away for now, you're not adding anything to our economy but a target to rob.
Like so many who move down here, weather is no.1 reason.
I know about the infrastructure problem, I read about the ripoffs on North Shores becuase of the influx of tourist money, the fact you "need to know a general" to feel safe, story about drug money is being channel thro to become legal. The fact if you want to live and enjoy the same kind of material things in Totonto or Miami, it is more expensive here. I can't imagine how the DR government is able to withstand $50 a barrel of oil and IMF loan that never seems to be getting bigger.
After reading the post, my heart sank a little deeper. Last time I was here (Mar 2004), the guide told, milk to feed her baby just had the price doubled. A university graduate, high school teacher wanted to become a tour guide.
I guess human are very adaptable. If you like the weather, you will find a way to swallow the not so good with it.
================================
If Americans want to come down here, cool. But just don't come down here looking for a cheap place to live then b itch and complain when you can't afford your Fruity Pebbles.
If you want to keep buying American groceries and you're not wealthy, don't move here.......you'll be disappointed. I have lived in Washington DC, New York, San Antonio and Santo Domingo (my home) my entire life.
I know where many of the Americans come from, and I know DOZENS of Americans over the past 15 years that have moved here looking for exactly what many are looking for on these very boards. Many of them are stupid enough to sign teaching contracts and bail out on them after a single year and run home to the US or Canada.
The DR is NOT an easy place to live. We have NO electricity in this country any longer. Ten years ago we had 15 functioning electrical plants in the DR, now only 3 are operating. Corruption has run this country into the ground, and it's only getting worse with the continual change of people in office. Each time a new president comes in, the fleecing begins anew and new appointees begin stealing, and old appointees go to jail to place the blame on the new money they're stealing.
A little bit more about my country. Our government refused to pay 85 million dollars to the WMF in 1988, and everything has been downhill since. They also refused to pay 30 million dollars to Venezuela for oil, so I've seen our gas prices go from 20 cents per gallon US (yes 20 cents!) in 1986 to like 3 bucks now.
Crime is way way way way way up..........people are getting stabbed and shot left and right in Santo Domingo and tons of muggings in Puerto Plata. This place is not the place you may have heard about 10 years ago. It's NOT cheap to live here unless you like to live in a concrete apartment with no electricity and sweat all day and eat rice and beans.
That's life here. Sure you can get a maid, but to do what? Clean your dark, damp, mosquito ridden apartment? If you want to live CHEAP and still enjoy your life I'm dead serious move to North Miami or something and buy one of the 80k houses there.
Pretty much every middle income to low income Dominican I know would DIE to get a chance to move to Miami and you people want to come here? Get a grip..........this is not the paradise you're looking for. It's been a country in serious decline for 15 years now. Corruption people can deal with, annoying but you learn how to play the game. 500% inflation in 2 years and massive VIOLENT crime is something entirely different.
There are a lot of Americans and Europeans who come down here who have NO CLUE what the DR is all about. It's not the country you see when you first come where everyone smiles in your face and is supposedly nice. They are smiling because they think you have MONEY. To the common Dominican white skin = money. It's a fact.
Our healthcare here is pathetic. I broke my leg once in Casa de Campo, went to two of the best bone doctors in the country and guess what? Neither of them even set my bone correctly. I ended up spending over 30k US at Duke Medical Center in NC to have surgery and get metal plates in my leg.
My wife's jaws were nearly destroyed having her wisdom teeth taken out here. Many of the "good" doctors here reuse syringes and even smoke while taking out your blood.
Look people, 15 years ago I agree in many ways the DR was an ideal situation for what you guys are looking for NOW. But the DR has changed DRASTICALLY. What was a very naive, peaceful populace 15 years ago (in my opinion a holdover from the Trujillo "fear" regime) has become a bitter, disenfranchised, increasingly violent society.
Take it from me, stay away. You will find little more here than 3-4 hours of electricity a day.....an extremely racist population......and eventually you'll get robbed by someone you think you can trust.
Believe it if ya want, don't if not..........but I've seen this country go drastically downhill in the past 15 years. I can't leave because this is where my family is, and I'm lucky enough to not have to worry so much about the financial concerns.
However, I can tell you any intelligent middle class Dominican is intelligent enough to know even people they've known for over 20 years in this climate you simply can't trust......unless they are your own parents, wife, children or brothers.
Guards/maids/gardeners people have had for over 10 years are robbing them blind. Things are that bad.
Stay away for now, you're not adding anything to our economy but a target to rob.