Dream of reloc. will remain a dream? Sigh!

Voyager

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Maybe this is too personal, but what the heck!

I have been open before about my life, on this Message Board and so... I thought maybe some of you might be curious about the ongoing saga of Voyager... Or am I too egocentric? Hahahaha!

I have been trying to find a way to relocate to Santo Domingo (only place in DR, that I can consider living in) but it is very, very, very difficult.

The lifestyle I want to have (including travels, being a "Voyager") require a decent income. Having read a lot of threads about cost of living in DR, been speaking to friends in DR and been visiting the country maybe 10 times now, I fully realize that it is NOT a cheap place to live. Just my travelling will require at least 10,000 US Dollars a year.

If I just go there, without having a job and maybe not getting one, the cost of setting up life there and sustain my lifestyle will consume all my savings in less than 4 years. Then what do I do? Live in a shack like that Belgian (was he?) guy that someone mentioned on this board some weeks ago? Poverty holds little appeal to me...

Investing money in a business of my own makes me feel un-comfortable. I have never done anything like that before and I don't think DR is a good place to start. I am the kind of guy who enjoy working in a controlled environment in an established company. To run my own business has never been my ambition.

But to find a job in DR seems like an ever steeper uphill struggle. It is a bit sad and almost ridiculous in a way. I mean, I feel I have such a lot to offer a country like DR. I really feel I could make a good contribution there. But DR is a country that does not seem to realize that it is competing for experienced people in a global community.

I have been searching for jobs globally, including DR. Now there are offers for me from Ireland (Sales Manager for Europe) and Sweden (Purchasing Manager for Scandinavia) and tentatively also from China (Purchasing Manager for huge paper milll project).

Until now, I have received very little feedback from DR companies. The most comprehensive feedback I received was from a company that advised me that I was too qualified!?!?!? Huh? Too qualified??? Maybe I should have sent them only half my CV and they would have given me the job?

I was hoping to find a job as "Commercial Manager" or whatever the right title would be for a DR company to help them expand business into Europe and maybe elsewhere. With my contacts in the Middle East and in South East Asia (especially Australia) I thought I could develop exciting global business exchange for a DR company. But there appears to be little interest in that. Kind of weird, isn't it? I was of the belief that DR would welcome income from international business! No?

Sorry if I have a sour-grapes, bitter and disillusioned tone in this text... But this is a little bit what I feel like...

I guess I was just too romantic and with too rose-coloured illusions? Funny really, me always being the true example of the rational, controlled, analytical and slightly cool Swede, not wearing my heart on my sleeve.

I guess I was swept away by the soft breeze from the Caribbean ocean...
 
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Hillbilly

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I think a little on-sight exploration is needed

I cannot imagine any DR company accepting high level personnel based on a CV.

Nearly everything here, unfortunately is based on "who you know" as much as what you know.

I am sure that if your were to invest a week of two of your next visit to exploring companies that you think might provide just those goods or services that you could take to your contacts, then you could approach these companies with a plan for expansion. There is not a majr business in the DR that would not like to open new markets.

They don't know you or your charms. For that you have to look them in the eye. Just a fact of life in the DR-and a lot of the rest of Ltin America, unfortunately.

Don't give up the dream just yet. Start planning. Nobody goes on a voyage with out planning, do they?

HB :D
 

Voyager

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I will do that!!!

Hillbilly said:
Don't give up the dream just yet. Start planning. Nobody goes on a voyage with out planning, do they?

HB :D


Hey HB, thanks for the advice and encouragement!

I will most probably come to DR at end of April and I will try to approach "suitable" companies during that visit. And I will be soooo charming! Hahahahaha! Hopefully, the company reps are women! Ay caramba! They might hire me on the spot! Hehehehehe!

The offer from Sweden is quite tempting though. To create a Supply Chain for Sweden, working for a daughter company for a railway company based in the UK. Potential future assignments is Germany, the Middle East and Asia.

I need to work! A touch of "rat race" is something I need to keep my edge and that benevolent potion of "angst" so good for keeping my "drive" and sharpness. I need a finger-snapping pace of life to feel alive. I am used to working 60 hours a week. Give me a place on the beach and a case of beer and I will peter out within a few days. So life in boring Saudi is very aggravating. What I fear of DR is that it will prove to be too boring, unless I have a consuming job.

My present job in Saudi-Arabia is in a project and it is now entering the final phase. It will go on for a few more years but I can already see the chaotic pandemonium setting in. From a career point of view, every day here is wasted since we work according to procedures abandoned in the west in the 1970's. I am already on the brink of lagging too much behind knowledge-wise to stay competitive on a global job market. So it is time to leave whenever I can. I am not too happy to be the last man here.

Off to the gym! Need to look good on my visit in April and flex those pecs!
 

Escott

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I would like to applaud your common sense approach to your possible relocation.

This is a tough country if you "HAVE" to work. Salaries are low and it is difficult to start a new business where you come from let alone a foreign country with a culture far different and unique. Most people think that everyone that opens a business is successful and makes money which isn't true.

I hope you enjoyed this site and that it was helpful to you in making your plans or in your case lack of plans. I know that it was the best resource I found by far and although my relocation is complete it is still a fantastic and ongoing resource for me.

I have met people here that NOT ONLY gave me good advice but that I do continual business with. Mr. Mike for instance is in the computer and inverter business and I have done more business with him probably than 99% of the people in Santiago where his business is located. Just a example of a great guy that gives a fair deal and great honest advice and there are many others. I even use AZB as my Chiropractor and he has saved me from terrible pain more than once. Greg from Coastal is a great guy and runs a fine business I am in just about every day. I am at Rockys now eating breakfast and using his wireless internet and Marcos info over the years has been invaluable. Robert who is one of the owners of this sight is also a wealth of information and another of the people here that I have grown to depend on. There are many many others that there isn't time or room to even mention.

I hope that there are others here who can say that I have been helpful to them which I would hope would be the case. This is a great community with some of the finest people you will meet anywhere in the world and with the exception of a few who do things only for their own gain a fine group of people to count as friends.

Good luck in your future endevours.

Escott
 

Voyager

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To Escott!

Thanks for those words, Escott!

I have indeed had the pleasure of meeting some of the people on this site.

And I have received valuably "eye-openers" from posters on this Message Board.

The people I meet on my visits to Santo Domingo are solely Dominicans. Mostly doctors, bank people, military and government officials. Very good people and with so much love in the friendship they give me. Being Finnish/Swedish, I am still a little rigid in my response to them, but I am slowly warming up.

The dream is still alive, I guess...
 

AZB

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Voyager, I certainly hope you make it out alive (in one piece) from saudi arabia. I can only imagine your life in saudia arabia (gives me goose bumps). I couldn't see myself living in united arab emirates, so saudi arabia is definitely a no no on my list.
I am one of the people who would like to meet you and hear all your traveling stories that you may want to share with us. You have a good head on your shoulders and you have done your homework. DR is not an easy place to make money and certainly not a cheap place to live in if your income is limited. So you would have to think much before you make your move. If living in DR is so important to you then you may consider giving up some luxury in exchange for a stress-free life. I can make a ton of money in USA doing what I do here but I have traded all the cash for a stressfree life. To me, peace of mind, is far more valuable than having a ton of cash in the bank and suffering from high blood pressure etc. Life is simple here and people are friendly. If you are in contact with the right people, then your life could become even more rewarding. There are foreigners who are bent on going against the grain and thus, making their lives miserable in paradise. Then we have folks who do what romans do when in rome and live happily ever after.
I hope you will make it to DR and stay here for a long time.
Good luck.
AZB (your friend in santiago).
 

Mira

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Hillbilly said:
Nearly everything here, unfortunately is based on "who you know" as much as what you know.


Unless one already has a job in a branch abroad, or a professionnal leaving with an organisation such as "doctors without boarders", that is the way it is for the most comon people who plans on living in any third world country. And it is also true in many other places, I just think about here for exemple.

Everytime I traveled for months I needed to do a lot of networking, make friends until I found someone who could help me find something. And, it also worked to move from a village to another because someone would always know someone else etc.

Most of times thought, it wasn?t the best of jobs, but the answer to this is be open minded, do what it takes, eventually, your network is big enough and helps you get something better if you stay there awhile.

Of course, if one is use to get US 200k a year and live like royalty, I can barely imagine him doing ANY jobs for a few pesos a day...
 

Voyager

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To AZB!

Marhaba, Sahib! Sabah al kheir? Kweiz? Al Hamdulehla! (I think you speak arabic, right?)

Thank you for your very nice words! Much appreciated and also needed as encouragement for an ageing (48) Voyager, planning for his last voyage... I rather feel like a latter day Columbus! Hahahaha!

Next time I am in DR, I'd like to call you!!! And of course meet, if possible!? Could you please PM your phone number?

I guess when I talk to you, I need to keep about me, what is left of my wits! I have learned from this message board that you are a quick witted gentleman with an occassionally sharp tongue! Hahaha!

You come from Pakistan? The Pakistanis I have met here in Saudi, and some of them have been working for me, have all been very good and pleasant people! Smart, reliable and with great sense of humour. There is a reason why Internal Audit in my company use solely Pakistanis for the work. They are dedicated and with attention to detail.

So, AZB... ashufak bukra, in'shallah!?
 
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Chirimoya

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Please indulge me in a little bit of bragging here...

Voyager said:
Marhaba, Sahib! Sabah al kheir? Kweiz? Al Hamdulehla!

...ashufak bukra, in'shallah!?

I understood all that too, except for 'Kweiz'. Used the BBC 'Get By in Arabic' tape when I went to Egypt over ten years ago and it's all still there: 'B'kam il gamal da' and 'mish mumkin' have also stuck in my head for some reason. ;)

Good luck in your planning, Voyager. Maa Salaama.
 

Voyager

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Chirimoya said:
Please indulge me in a little bit of bragging here...



I understood all that too, except for 'Kweiz'. Used the BBC 'Get By in Arabic' tape when I went to Egypt over ten years ago and it's all still there: 'B'kam il gamal da' and 'mish mumkin' have also stuck in my head for some reason. ;)

Good luck in your planning, Voyager. Maa Salaama.


Good girl! I am impressed!

Hey, d'you know that the second half of your signature (="moya")is the arabic for "water". I don't dare to even begin to guess what the first half stands for...

By the way, "bragging" is good! I always used to downrate myself and it lead to nowhere! I remember the Swedish (and he was very un-Swedish!) boss for Volvo Cars of North-America in the 1980's. He often wore a T-shirt, with the text: "Damn, I'm good!" printed in big letters all over the chest.

So keep on bragging, Chirimoya! It is good for you!
 

Chirimoya

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Maya is water, isn't it? As is 'Maya maadaniya, min fadlak'?

Who knows, maybe the name of the chirimoya fruit is of Arabic origin?
 

Voyager

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o and a ! Or "oh and ah", as my girlfriend says when she sees me in the morning!

Chirimoya said:
Maya is water, isn't it? As is 'Maya maadaniya, min fadlak'?

Who knows, maybe the name of the chirimoya fruit is of Arabic origin?


"Maya", "moya"... writing arabic words in non-arabic text is always a challenge.

I am responsible for the supply of water to the camp here, where a total of 400 people rely on me for being able to take a shower and wash the dishes! Water is a constant nightmare here in Saudi. Water here is a bit like electricity is in DR!

One of my Saudi guys is discussing with me every day about the situation at the desalination plant. In his pronunciation, the word actually sounds like "moya", with an o ! But maybe it is different in Egypt?
 
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Lambada

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Voyager,
We met many years ago & you are an intelligent, cultured, educated person. I'm sure some of your thinking has moved on from when we first met & you have certainly had more exposure to the DR since then. But I need to ask you, will you really be happy here? I understand the frustrations about employment etc but even if you had the 'perfect' job here, at the right money for your needs, even with all the other reasons you have to want to live here............will you be happy & able to adjust? You don't need to answer me here or anywhere, for that matter..........but think about it for yourself. It is asked in the most kindly, understanding way & certainly not to rain on your parade. If the answer is 'yes'........then I wish you nothing but the best & doubtless our paths will meet again, someday.
 

Voyager

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Thanks for caring!

Lambada said:
Voyager,
We met many years ago & you are an intelligent, cultured, educated person. I'm sure some of your thinking has moved on from when we first met & you have certainly had more exposure to the DR since then. But I need to ask you, will you really be happy here? ...


Well, what can I say? Except that you are reading my mind! You just summarized one of my major concerns. And you know what is inside my mind, without me having to put it in words.

But then again, you also met Cecilia at the same time you met me. She is the sweetest, smartest and loveliest of women (and also unbelievably patient with me)! So what can I do? What can I do?

What is the name of that song? "Love will find a way!"

By the way, and risking to glide away from DR issues... d'you know an English company called "Carillion PLC"? They are the ones offering me a job in their Swedish subsidiary "Carillion Rail Svenska AB".

I wish... I wish... I wish... oh, well...

Warmest regards and thanks for your thoughts!

/John

Please give my best to the "small African lemur" (acc. to Oxford Pocket Dictionary)
 

Voyager

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mislarimar said:
dear voyager,

I do hope that you can make your dream come true one day!
never give up,you only have one life to live .
I hope things work out for you,


sabrina

Hey Sabrina, thanks for sweet words! Appreciated!

It is getting late here in Saudi, almost 10PM, and it is time for the ancient mariner to retire for a rendesvous with his pillow... I will bring the autobiography of Luis Bunuel. It is called "My Last Sigh" and somewhat befitting of the slight melancholy mood I'm in this evening. However, I do feel strenghtened by the caring responses I received on my post.

Good night!

/John
 

Formosano2000

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Old post from last year

Voyager said:
I have been trying to find a way to relocate to Santo Domingo (only place in DR, that I can consider living in) but it is very, very, very difficult.

Investing money in a business of my own makes me feel un-comfortable. I have never done anything like that before and I don't think DR is a good place to start. I am the kind of guy who enjoy working in a controlled environment in an established company. To run my own business has never been my ambition.


Regarding your situation, you might find Point 2 and Point 4 of my old post relevant, especially Point 2. Have you thought about contacting multi-national companies that might have positions available in their DR offices ?


---------------------------------------------
Time and again I read posts from newbies seeking employments in DR. The recent debate on RD$9000/month part-time job also got me thinking. I thought I'd share what I've observed during the 5 years living here so far.

By and large, highly-paid foreigners in DR tend to fall into these categories:

1. Independent investors. These are business owners who have either accumulated significant capitals from their own countries before coming here or have been successful since setting up in DR, or both. In other words, resourceful entrepeneurs.

2. Intra-company transfers: middle to upper managers at Citibank, Shell, Scotiabank....and other multinational companies that land a job here through HR manuevers in their home countries. These jobs are almost always paid in US$, Euro or other hard currencies. Significant perks (housing stipend, country club membership, insurance, paid flights home one or twice a year..) are usually included.

3. Diplomats: embassadors, consuls and high-ranking diplomatic attach?s. They are deployed by decree of their home government, often by the president/prime minister him/herself. Same perks as No. 2 apply, but extend to include chauffeurs, diplomatic license plate and internationally recognized immunity privileges.

4. Contract professionals: consultants, technicians, skill-specific instructors....etc. They are here in DR working on time-specific or subject-specifc projects. From days to weeks to even months.

Notice that none of these jobs are "on-the-table", meaning you can just walk in the office, deposit a r?sum?, interview and land it. These are pre-arranged and pre-negotiated. It often requires that you are already at certain job level in the home country to be eligible.

I think the most critical aspects are PROPER CHANNELS and RIGHT CONNECTIONS instead of INTRINSIC QUALIFICATIONS. I can think of thousands more qualified than I am yet are only paid a fraction of my keep while thousands more get paid multiples of mine but have only a fraction of my credential. This is just the way of life in DR.
 

Voyager

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Formosano2000 said:
Regarding your situation, you might find Point 2 and Point 4 of my old post relevant, especially Point 2. Have you thought about contacting multi-national companies that might have positions available in their DR offices ?


Buenas!

Thanks for reminding me of your post! I remember now that I read it already the first time you posted it. You make some valid points there and it was good to have them reiterated for me.

About the discrepancy between qualifications and salary, I think this is a universal problem and not limited only to DR. I know several people in such a situation. And if you look at statistics comparing the salary for women in similar jobs as men, it is pretty scary to see how badly they are compensated.

It is Friday morning and I will have breakfast outdoors, together with the kolibris in my garden, keeping a watchful eye on the baboons roaming around in the distant hills.
 

Lambada

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Voyager said:
Well, what can I say? Except that you are reading my mind! You just summarized one of my major concerns. And you know what is inside my mind, without me having to put it in words.

But then again, you also met Cecilia at the same time you met me. She is the sweetest, smartest and loveliest of women (and also unbelievably patient with me)! So what can I do? What can I do?

What is the name of that song? "Love will find a way!"

By the way, and risking to glide away from DR issues... d'you know an English company called "Carillion PLC"? They are the ones offering me a job in their Swedish subsidiary "Carillion Rail Svenska AB".

I wish... I wish... I wish... oh, well...

Warmest regards and thanks for your thoughts!

/John

Please give my best to the "small African lemur" (acc. to Oxford Pocket Dictionary)

Carillion are based in Wolverhampton.......they have done projects in Caribbean, not DR I believe, but close..........just a thought?
 

Voyager

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Lambada said:
Carillion are based in Wolverhampton.......they have done projects in Caribbean, not DR I believe, but close..........just a thought?

AHA!!!!! And a very good thought too!!! Hey girl, d'you want me to bring you anything from Saudi? Maybe some incense, myrr and gold?

You know what? Maybe this is my ticket to the Caribbean, detouring via Sweden? The Lord works in mysterious ways, doesn't she? (For me, God is a black woman...)

When I realized, some 4 months ago, that I was transferring to my companie's local project in Bureidah, north of Riyadh and close to the Iraqi border, I closed my eyes and gnawed my teeth and whispered "No! No! No! Pleeeeease, don't let this happen!"

You see, Bureidah is the epitomy of the boondocks, even the Saudis don't want to go there. It has the highest concentration of Al Qaida supporters in Saudi and it has a "mattahwa" school, educating "religious police", who happily practise their newly acquired skills in the streets of Bureidah. One of my colleagues there, was walking down the street in Bureidah and was stopped by a "mattahwa" who gave him a warning that his T-shirt had too short sleeves and therefore was "immoral".

And then, as of magic, three weeks ago, I get this offer from Carillion, from out of the blue! I never applied for the job, I was recommended to the company and they just couldn't resist the temptation! Hahahaha!

Hm... esatblishing myself back in Sweden, impressing the h**l out of Carillion, using my incredible language skills and experience of how to deal with Brits (it does take some training to do that, as them Brits have a different mindset than Swedes) and then manouvering myself to the Carribean! Yeah!

And meanwhile, using my 6 weeks vacation for visits every second month! Need to keep the tan, don't I?