three year ride is it doable

jsizemore

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Aug 6, 2003
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I am married with two kids. The children will be in 4rd grade and 7th grade when I look to make the move. I have done the math but would like to bounce it off of some people. My expected time frame is summer 2006.
I am considering moving to the DR for a period of three or so years. I would like to attend college in the DR so I could be bilingual.
BTW I only need 30 credits to Have a BA in Culinary arts so I should be close to having a stateside degree by then. If not I could finish on line
I have education benefits of $1155 US a month to use for school and my pension of $1400 US a month.
I will have $50k US in savings to use for school and so forth for the kids over the three year period.
Could a family that is frugal already come down for a finite period of time and make it under that scenario.
While this seems a waste of time to some I feel the whole family will benefit. The children will become bilingual. And at the end of the three year period the family can reevaluate the situation and decide if we will want to stay.
I have free medical stateside so with evacuation medical insurance and judicious planning I feel medical will not be a major problem.
As far as exit strategy I will still have assets in the US in the way of real-estate. If I choose to head stateside I have my stateside expenses set so a McDonald's job would let us get by and rebuild.
If we decided to stay in the DR we would have been able to spend three years knowing it was temporary so we would not have rushed in to real-estate and other investments. After three years we should know the lay of the land.
Area I am considering is either STI or SDQ. I like STI never been to SDQ.
BTW wife and kids strait US no overseas experience.
John
 
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mkohn

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Jan 1, 2002
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John,
It's doable. I was in 8th grade, 6 younger siblings. We went for 1 year.
We attended local private schools, because the American school was a bit expensive at the time. We lived in Santiago. My dad did join the tennis club so we could go swimming on the weekends.
We didn't have a lot of money, but had a day time maid to help with preparing the local dishes. Buying live chickens, etc.
For me, the DR became my second home. I did learn Spanish, and learned to appreciate what we have here in the US.
This was in the late 60's, and even in those days, some of the people looked at us as rich, and as a way to get to the US.
The times have changed drastically, but one thing is for sure. If you decide to go ahead and do it, you can make living in the DR one of the highlights of your life, and of your family.
mkohn
 

rellosk

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Mar 18, 2002
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mkohn said:
It's doable. I was in 8th grade, 6 younger siblings. We went for 1 year.
We attended local private schools, because the American school was a bit expensive at the time...
Do you think the local private school provided a comparable education to the (non inner city) public schools in the US/Canada?
 

stewart

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Mar 1, 2004
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You can do it on that money. I think the biggest thing is that you will have a steady flow of American dollars. That makes a huge difference. If your family eats the local food, it isn't very expensive. I know if I were in your shoes, I would go in a heartbeat.
 

Chris

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Oct 21, 2002
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Imminently doable but certainly not a luxurious way of life. Looks like you have a good safety net and this will make it easier. Good luck, and I'm sure you and family will benefit from doing this.
 

jsizemore

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Aug 6, 2003
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Buisness ideas

I have about three business Ideas I could fund to start with. Two do not depend on tourism and one does. Between meeting ex-pats in the DR face to face and discussions on this board I know I would loose my A** to try something right away. Also I need to make sure I know the lay of the land and so forth. But if I spent three years going to school there and learning Spanish as well as making local friends and not just the tourist town locals then I would be in a better position to decide what to do.
Coming down with a goal of learning Spanish with a three year exit strategy and the ability to switch from short term to long term when the time comes then I will be better ready to decide do I live there or take semi annual vacations?
One thing I learned about DR1. If you are willing to be specific the peple on the board will tear apart any idea you have and make you think it through as long as you have a thick skin.
Also when it is time to decide to stay or go I have anough assets to liquidate if need be to make it worth my time.
John
 
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Dolores1

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May 3, 2000
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Do your children know Spanish? Schools in English will be beyond what you can afford on a RD$70,000 a month budget. In Santo Domingo, expect to pay about RD$15,000 a month per child for a bilingual school.

Also, you will have to pay for housing (about RD$15,000-RD$25,000), transportation (about RD$3,000 in gasoline in repairs of a relatively new car), cable TV, Internet and telephone (about RD$3,000 a month), figure about RD$12,000 a month for food, electricity and water (about US$4,000 a month).

The RD$70,000 in monthly income is good income, but you may also need to find work to supplement your income or dip deeply into your US$50,000 savings.
 

jsizemore

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Aug 6, 2003
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50k

Dolores said:
Do your children know Spanish? Schools in English will be beyond what you can afford on a RD$70,000 a month budget. In Santo Domingo, expect to pay about RD$15,000 a month per child for a bilingual school.

Also, you will have to pay for housing (about RD$15,000-RD$25,000), transportation (about RD$3,000 in gasoline in repairs of a relatively new car), cable TV, Internet and telephone (about RD$3,000 a month), figure about RD$12,000 a month for food, electricity and water (about US$4,000 a month).

The RD$70,000 in monthly income is good income, but you may also need to find work to supplement your income or dip deeply into your US$50,000 savings.

The 50k was what I was willing to spend out of my assets to pay for the school for the kids in the three years. My other assets I am leaving alone. I feel that at the end of three years I will be in a better position to determine whether it is worth it either liquidate my other assets or using the state side rental income to supplement my pension.
The 50k is what I am willing to spend in the three years to make the education portion for the kids work out.
My debt load right now is less than 30% of my assets. I could come down now except I do not want to commit my assets for a move. I am doing to one year overseas tax free job to build up enough to come down take a 50k hit on assets and still be in a good position when I get the DR out of my system or go totally native.
John
 

Dolores1

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jsizemore said:
The 50k was what I was willing to spend out of my assets to pay for the school for the kids in the three years. My other assets I am leaving alone. I feel that at the end of three years I will be in a better position to determine whether it is worth it either liquidate my other assets or using the state side rental income to supplement my pension.
The 50k is what I am willing to spend in the three years to make the education portion for the kids work out.
My debt load right now is less than 30% of my assets. I could come down now except I do not want to commit my assets for a move. I am doing to one year overseas tax free job to build up enough to come down take a 50k hit on assets and still be in a good position when I get the DR out of my system or go totally native.
John

My opinion is that three year bilingual schooling will eat up your US$50,000. But if that was what this money was for, then go for it. If you are a good cook, probably you could pick up some catering orders on the side to supplement your income and make connections for when you may consider staying.
 

jsizemore

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3yrs

In three years the kids should be able to attend spanish language schools so the 50K would be well spent. But also if we returned stateside with everyone bilingual then it would have been worth it also.
Either way I feel it is a good comprimise of leanring the ropes and leavingmyself an exit if need be.
John
 

Chris

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jsizemore said:
... or go totally native.
John

John, going totally native in the DR is not always a pretty alternative. Having said that, I met two great people over the weekend who went as native as it gets and are enjoying every minute of it. BUT.. they don't have kids to worry about. Somehow, if we get used to a different way of life including lots of learning, we want to give our kids opportunities for learning that may be beyond going totally native. We have a little 4-year old granddaughter who we love dearly and we assist with her support.. besotted grandparents we are. We have to take into account that we want to take her to Disney this year, and to our own country next year to see the big animals - this stuff costs. In addition, for her English schooling at a private school, we pay around US2,000 a year for starters (including a few hours of after school care and no books, uniforms or anything else). And now I see there are taxes on the horizon for private schooling.

I think you're planning this in a wise way. Commit for a period of time but have a good 'out' if something happens. If your resources run out and you can devote only two years to the DR diaspora, then you've had two years of a different way of life. So, I still say, go for it. I think one of the best things that I was fortunate to do for my children in their lives, was to expose them to different people, different places and different cultures.

I would make one suggestion though, and sure, many would disagree with me... with following your posts over a period of time and seeing your love for catering and cooking, you may be better off initially on the North Coast somewhere.. (At home, we do call it the 'gringo coast' sometimes). It may just be easier for you to settle with an inexperienced travelling family and it may be easier for you to work your own trade as a chef. Total immersion is a good thing, but with a little time on your hands, you could make it a tad easier on yourself and your family.
 

jsizemore

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Aug 6, 2003
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cooking

My love of cooking directly related to my love of eating. I love everything about food from growing it to preparing it.
As far as my kids go I am not that concerned. Reason being is as American citizens at anytime they can get on a plane and go home. So all I need to do ensure the education is happening. Once they are out of school they can go stateside for college or if I have made a go at a buisiness then there presence here would be that much the better.
On another note being on the north coast would almost defeat the pourpose as you would be in a situation to not have to socialize with the locals if you did not want to.
While it may be harder in the campos to make it work in many ways it would be so much more rewarding. I like my hills.
But it is all good.
This will be fun.
John
 
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audboogie

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to find out if the 50k is enough for only education u would have to figure out what schools are in the areas u are looking to live in and either contact them and find their tuition rate or ask someone on here if they know. i can tell you that this past year the Abraham Lincoln school in la romana a private school taught in english by British citizens cost US 7000 a yr. less if u work in the sugar factory
 

mkohn

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Jan 1, 2002
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rellosk said:
Do you think the local private school provided a comparable education to the (non inner city) public schools in the US/Canada?
It's hard to say as I was always a pretty good student. I returned to a private high school in Milwaukee, WI, where I picked up like I'd never left. And placed in 3rd/4th year Spanish as a Freshman. About Milwaukee's public schools, they expected fewer credits than the private. I know, because after 3.5 years at the private school, I chose to attend a public school for my last semester. I did not need any of the classes that I took the last semester in order to graduate.

We didn't know Spanish when we arrived in the DR. My school accommodated me by allowing me to do what I could. I always aced English class. LOL I was expected to do Math (metric), memorize the periodic table in Chemistry, do the physics problems (math), take dictation (whether I understood or not) and eventually by the end of the school year memorize a paragraph and recite it to the class. So, in my case, the private school in the DR kept me at the same level after 1 year. Miles ahead in the foreign lang. category.

I can't say how 3 years would have gone. But I know I'd have stayed.
mkohn
 

carina

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Mar 13, 2005
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mkohn said:
We didn't know Spanish when we arrived in the DR. My school accommodated me by allowing me to do what I could. I always aced English class. LOL I was expected to do Math (metric), memorize the periodic table in Chemistry, do the physics problems (math), take dictation (whether I understood or not) and eventually by the end of the school year memorize a paragraph and recite it to the class. So, in my case, the private school in the DR kept me at the same level after 1 year. Miles ahead in the foreign lang. category.
mkohn

This reminds me of my son and his first year in a private school here in Puerto Plata.. The school systems are very different.
He attended what he could, and we cut the French as I believed it was enough to learn Spanish. I paid a little extra for private Spanish lessons while others had French. More parents joined in that also were newcomers.
What he learned now in maths for example was something he was taught 3 grades earlier in his homecountry... and he did not believe he was having any challanges at all. In certain subjects we asked the teacher to give other tasks to fulfill. It all became better.
He also does each grade online with his old school back in Sweden, this way I know that he actually keeps up everything, and now several years later, I am not so worried anymore for the day he might want to continue the stud?es in for example the US..
In the beginning it was a little hard to discuss this with the teachers, many took it personal, not to see each kid on their own level, but to work strictly from the books.. Now that?s all history, and even the teachers enjoy giving the children different tasks still in line with the learning level.. ;)
 

Hillbilly

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Jan 1, 2002
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I have to agree with Carina (I seem to be doing that a lot lately and I don't even

Know her???:p

Anyway, from my curmudgeony point of view: Dump the kids into the best private non-bilingual school you can. Go on line to find more stuff for them to do.

At that age they will suck up Spanish like Oil-Dri on a Nascar speedway...

Don't worry about it. I mean that, buddy, do not sweat that part of it.

Just figure out what you want to do and where you want to do it.

Your plan, as so many of us has said, is doable.

I think you know where I live, so come on down..

HB :p:p
 

carina

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Mar 13, 2005
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I don?t see the school differences as a problem at all.
To each problem there is a solution and possibilities, just a matter of giving things time and adapt/try to change/or make changes along the way..

;)
 

nebraskamom

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May 4, 2005
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a bit of irony for you

jsizemore said:
I am married with two kids. The children will be in 4rd grade and 7th grade when I look to make the move. I have done the math but would like to bounce it off of some people. My expected time frame is summer 2006.
I am considering moving to the DR for a period of three or so years. I would like to attend college in the DR so I could be bilingual.
BTW I only need 30 credits to Have a BA in Culinary arts so I should be close to having a stateside degree by then. If not I could finish on line
I have education benefits of $1155 US a month to use for school and my pension of $1400 US a month.
I will have $50k US in savings to use for school and so forth for the kids over the three year period.
Could a family that is frugal already come down for a finite period of time and make it under that scenario.
While this seems a waste of time to some I feel the whole family will benefit. The children will become bilingual. And at the end of the three year period the family can reevaluate the situation and decide if we will want to stay.
I have free medical stateside so with evacuation medical insurance and judicious planning I feel medical will not be a major problem.
As far as exit strategy I will still have assets in the US in the way of real-estate. If I choose to head stateside I have my stateside expenses set so a McDonald's job would let us get by and rebuild.
If we decided to stay in the DR we would have been able to spend three years knowing it was temporary so we would not have rushed in to real-estate and other investments. After three years we should know the lay of the land.
Area I am considering is either STI or SDQ. I like STI never been to SDQ.
BTW wife and kids strait US no overseas experience.
John

As my first post to dr1 I am sitting in Santiago after a day of house and school hunting in a very similar situation. It is very heartening to hear everyone's positive support for bringing kids here. We have a 3, 7 and 9 year old and my husband has just been posted here by his university for three years. At this point we know no spanish but will be in intensive school all summer. I am scared to death but everyone from all ofyou on DR1 to friends here just keep saying how much they fall in love with the place. My greatest concern is for my kids to be able to integrate with other kids. We checked out New Horizons in santiago. they will be moving into a brand new facility in 20 months but for now it is like an old hotel. They do half day in english and half day in spanish. The cost will run around $3200US per kid. Housing is actually harder in that we are having a hard time finding housing with a yard (a must with two very athletic boys!). Generally our prices are US$260 per month for an apartment (spacious) to $500 per month US for a house. No idea yet on other costs in santiago but I believe it is significantly less than santo domingo. If you do come, we'll most likely be here. If there are any other US families with children in santiago I'd love to hear from you!!
 

jsizemore

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Aug 6, 2003
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my own experiance

As a 20 year miltary guy I can tell you my experiances with over seas. Not as a father but an observer of others. Forget trying to make everything seem like home to your kids. Let them integrate with the locals as the will try to. Yes encourage interaction with other gringos but not to the point that is their only exposure to other kids.
Trust me if you attemp to make this seem like home you will fail at it and you and the kids will be miserable. Embrace some of the culture. The language will come as fast as you are willing to dive in and try. Go to the market where yo can not find an english speaker armed with only a English Spansih dictionary and enjoy. With in a few weeks you will have friends that will know your level of Spanish and will tailor themselves to an almost baby talk Spanish and over a few months you will be talking to strangers and finding yourself at home.
The when you leave in a few years you will wonder why you cant stay.
John