Possible Dominican Move

Txrayngers

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Hello, I am writing as a frustrated American who fell in love with the Dominican Republic from the first moment I stepped into the country. I am currently only 18 years old, and do indeed understand that making a move to another country is a drastic change. I am frustrated with the American way of life. The racism, the economical segregation, some of the crazy laws here. I want to live in a place where most of the people in the area are simply happy to see you. I know that in the DR as with all countries, not everyone will welcome me with open arms and I am willing to accept that. I am ready to encounter some of the setbacks in the Dominican. I can deal with the constant outages of power, I can deal with a much more economically unstable community, atleast everyone more or less is in the same boat. I grew up not ever having alot, so all the "american luxuries" that most people assume all americans have, I will not miss. I enjoy beautiful beaches, and great cigars. Simple things that cost nothing but mean so much. I am visiting Juan Dolio again in a few weeks, to get a better feel for the country and if it is really what I want. I am looking for information on what I need to make this move a success if I do indeed decide on it. I am currently in school now for Business/Accounting, however I would absoultely love to be a casino crouppier or dealer, I would also be interested in being a bar tender. How realistic are these jobs for an American with a Low-Average amount of Spanish background. Also, will I encounter any problems because I am an American??? I also need to know about how much money I should plan on moving to the DR with. In a year I can have approximately $8000 USD, is that enough to get me started??? Please help me out as I would love to know more. Thanks. Please feel free to email me as well. Txrayngers@yahoo.com
 

Robert

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Jan 2, 1999
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Living here is NOTHING like visiting a few times.
The reality is often very different to the fantasy.

The jobs your looking at will earn you RD$5-8,000 per month.
Do you think you could live on US$170 - 270 per month?
Forget the casino job, you don't stand a chance.

I suggest you finish school and in the meantime learn as much as you can about the DR and the realities of living here. Educate yourself, save as much as you can and then live your dream.

I did what you want to do at 21, finished Uni and went to live in Brazil.
Fortunately I walked into a support network (roof over my head, friends etc) and had enough money available to survive for a year. It was a fantastic, evolutionary "boy to man" experience.

Plus...

It gave me that bug to travel, work and experience other countries.
7 countries and 15 years later, I think I have finally found home :)
 

Txrayngers

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I understand the move would not be the easiest thing in the world. I am curious as to how the people who currently live there survive. How do the casino dealers who are there NOW get by? Is there any job in the DR that I could realistically get by on? Would it mean managing a big hotel in a tourist area? I would really love to make this happen. I am not thinking right away. Thank you for your reply, I would love to hear more of them.
 

Robert

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Txrayngers said:
I am curious as to how the people who currently live there survive.
Retired, investments, employed or have businesses. Just like in every other part of the world.
Use the search function of this board and you find hundreds of posts on this subject.

e.g. http://www.dr1.com/forums/showthread.php?t=41763

Just surviving in the DR is no fun. It can be a very cruel and unforgiving.

Txrayngers said:
How do the casino dealers who are there NOW get by?
They are young and live with their families in 95% of cases.
I have never seen a foreign dealer in a casino. It's easier and a lot cheaper to employ locals.

Txrayngers said:
Is there any job in the DR that I could realistically get by on?
How long is a piece of string?

Txrayngers said:
Would it mean managing a big hotel in a tourist area?
How much experience have you had doing this?
My guess is none. So they answer is easy, zero possibility.

You need to do some research and then come back onto this board and ask specific questions.
 

carina

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Mar 13, 2005
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Go slow

Hi, I live here on the island, in Puerto Plata, since several years.
Do not rush in to anything, and take your time to learn about the country, its culture, laws ( written and unwritten ).

The reality here, as Robert stated, is very different from any All-Inclusive and the way of living, culture is nothing as what you meet at a hotel.
For me, I think the reality is better than any all-inclusive, but you must face the reality to understand it. You can never imagine it only.
You must find a way to support yourself financially, and that you can do only if you understand the culture.
Anyone can survive here almost, but I can garantee you survival here is not a fun trip to make.
I have seen it too many times, and it is not a beautiful sight.
It is a huge difference between survival and living here.

Many people relocate here, and many get a good life and "make it".
Truth is that more don?t make it.
Many expats are retired and have the security of a pension, others have money in the pockets, or live on investments, run their own businesses and others are employeed.

Looking for employment, one must understand a few things though.

- The competition is stone hard. You are not the only one, you are most of
the times not interesting for anyone, unemployment is huge.

- Salaries are very, very low. A local citizen will live or get by, as most people live in large families. You as a newbie would last 3 days on a local salary ( not only you, anyone ). Many locals own their houses since generations while you would need to pay rent etc etc.

- Working in a bar for instance would pay you around 5000 pesos a month.
It is possible to find jobs of that kind, and you would be expected to look good, speak Spanish, English and even more languages, more than you would be expected to make drinks though.
Because there are others that do has those qualifications.
You would not be hired at a hotel, simply because they hire locals and that is what the tourist want to meet. They want the latino culture and not gringos serving them here. ;)

My suggestion to you, and everybody else, who wants to come and live here, do a prolonged stay. Get to meet the real world here, learn, see if and where you can fit in. Build a net of friends and contacts.
Learn the country and the culture.

If it fits you, it will happen.
 
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Escott

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Txrayngers said:
Hello, I am writing as a frustrated American who fell in love with the Dominican Republic from the first moment I stepped into the country. I am currently only 18 years old, and do indeed understand that making a move to another country is a drastic change. I am frustrated with the American way of life. The racism, the economical segregation, some of the crazy laws here.
Well unlike the others who will speak common sense to you I will just tear apart some of what you wrote and leave the other nonsense to others.

This is the most racist place I have lived and far more than even in Atlanta Georgia.

The Dominicans only love you for the money in your pocket and not because you are a nice guy. You are nothing but a mark to the people you have probably run into and you probably haven't been here long enough to get to know anyone outside of a resort.

Without money here you are CRAP. Keep that in mind when you think of relocating here. If you want to go back to the States with a million dollars bring 2 million down and have half of it picked clean and then return. That is how you do it. You think the laws in the US are going to get you? Wait till you see the kaos in the streets here. You aint seen nothing yet.

Good luck,
Escott
 

carina

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Escott said:
Without money here you are CRAP. Keep that in mind when you think of relocating here. If you want to go back to the States with a million dollars bring 2 million down and have half of it picked clean and then return. That is how you do it. Escott

We, both me and Robert, wrote this too... Just used other words... ;)
 

Robert

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Escott said:
Well unlike the others who will speak common sense to you I will just tear apart some of what you wrote and leave the other nonsense to others.

This is the most racist place I have lived and far more than even in Atlanta Georgia.

The Dominicans only love you for the money in your pocket and not because you are a nice guy. You are nothing but a mark to the people you have probably run into and you probably haven't been here long enough to get to know anyone outside of a resort.

Without money here you are CRAP. Keep that in mind when you think of relocating here. If you want to go back to the States with a million dollars bring 2 million down and have half of it picked clean and then return. That is how you do it. You think the laws in the US are going to get you? Wait till you see the kaos in the streets here. You aint seen nothing yet.

Good luck,
Escott


Escott, The kid is 18, not retiring age. He's not looking to open a business or invest here. He can make a lot of mistakes at 18 and get away with it.

Moving on...

Get yourself an education first, something to fall back on, put a few $$$ in the bank, do lot's and lot's of research and then come down.

I have done what you want to do, it's a fun life changing experience at your age. Don't let anyone take the dream away from you. Many will try, I know from personal experience.

Read this thread: http://www.dr1.com/forums/showthread.php?t=37500
I arrived here with very little, some clothes, US$2,000, credit card and every intention of going back home after my 2 week vacation was up....
 

THE GAME

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Escott said:
The Dominicans only love you for the money in your pocket and not because you are a nice guy. You are nothing but a mark to the people you have probably run into and you probably haven't been here long enough to get to know anyone outside of a resort.

Without money here you are CRAP.
Escott


i agree,,, they love your money, not you.... they are friendly yes... but
those that want to be around you only want $$ and have a good time (you paying of course).

ex. You meet locals and they show you around,,, they take you to a club/bar,
they are friendly... but when it comes to order drinks/pay, they look the other way... why? b/c they want you to pay... and this happens all night.
One thing is being humble and truly friendly and another thing is taking advantage of you just b/c you're from US, CANADA, or Europe.

If someone is going to be my friend then they should not haven any monetary expectations.
 

riravaga

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Hello, I sugest you that first come the most of time you can, and don't stay at AI resort, go where are the real Dominican world, the most of us are friendly, so take your time to explore first before make any decition.

Our salaries are very low, things are very different between USA and DR, so you better study and come to explore with real people.

bye the way where will you stay? maybe next month I will be in Coral Costa Caribe from 20th. to 21th.
 

samsbar

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Hey there!

Welcome to the board, I hope it has been of some use to you. I'll fill you in on my story for a second because I was on here just a couple of months ago with many of the same questions. Unlike you, I had never visited so I wasn't in love with the country beforehand. I was in love with the notion of a form of escapism is all. Everyone warned me to at least come and visit first before I made the move and like a fool, I didn't. But lucky for me - I felt as if I were home from the moment I stepped off the plane (I borrowed that sentence from my friend Darlene because I think she summed up exactly what I felt at the time).

I did a naughty thing here on the board - I rambled on in a really long and stupid post my first time because I knew my ignorance would cause a bit of an uproar and that admidst the controversy over my naivety, I would probably get some genuine help. I read the posts for hours beforehand and noticed that the questions from people about moving here didn't always get a lot of responses because there were so many similar requests for help but I also noticed the people who sounded like blithering idiots generated a lot of talk. I would like to commend you for asking in an intelligent way, I probably should of done the same thing. But despite everything, I still came into contact with so many people that are absolutely wonderful, caring human beings ( although my friend Dawn mentioned an alien once!)

The reason the move here was so easy for me is because I knew myself extremely well before I came. I knew what my expectations were and weren't, what my standards were and I also knew that I was taking a huge gamble that I would fall flat on my face. No delusions of grandeur for this girl.

I would never tell you what I think you should do because after all, what do I really know about you? But what I will offer to you is a bit of advice - listen to the people on this board, especially people like Carina and Robert and oh, what the hell, even Escott. (Scott, you know I'm kidding and love ya with all my heart). But seriously, these are people who have been here for a long time and the collective wisdom you can ascertain from them is nothing short of a miracle.

If anyone seems to be discouraging you, remember not to take it personally. Any negativity you will encounter stems only from concern. I'm still amazed at the amount of genuine displays of care and concern that come from so many of the people on this board. But in one way or another, a lot of us have been in your shoes. The journey may have been a lot different but that destination is inherently the same.

I had a lovely conversation with Carina the other day and we agreed on one thing - this isn't a place where you should come to find yourself. If you're lost and confused and don't know what the hell you want from life then it's probably not wise to try to put all the pieces together here. But if you have a sound mind and a good head on your shoulders then you might find that coming here is the wisest thing you have ever done.

So if you need to escape life for awhile and you know beyond a doubt what you want and need then I wish you the best of luck. But as I said, escapism is fine, just not confused escapism. Everyone, in a sense, comes here to escape from the ordinary and mundane (or perhaps the police!). But if you come here hoping to find yourself, be careful. You need to know yourself inside and out before you uproot yourself and say goodbye to everything you know, IMHO.

Good luck!

Sunnie
 

sunshine_79

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Sorry!!!

Sorry everyone~


Damn, we really need to stop leaving ourselves logged in over here at Sams Bar. If Tony is not posting as me, I'm posting as Joanne.

So my apologies, that last post from Samsbar is from little old me.

:cross-eye

Sunnie
 

Txrayngers

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I thank everyone for their concern and all the replies that I have received. I am very interested in learning the true way of life in the Dominican Republic. If anyone here is near Juan Dolio, and could afford to take some time out of there schedules to show me the REAL D.R., I would really appreciate it. I will be there from August 15- August 19. Being in school for business now, when I do move, I plan on investing and opening up some form of business. I am not overly sure what kind yet, but I have time to decide all that. I indeed do understand alot of people will claim to be my friend only for my white complection and $$$, however I am no fool. How realistic would it be to actually OPEN a casino several years down the road. I am very interested in the gambling field and am very educated in it as well. I am aware this isnt going to happen over night, but when school ends in 2 years, and I can get some $$$ put away, I really want to know what path I will be headed in, and if I can make my dream a reality. Thanks for all the replies, please keep them coming, I am only getting more and more educated with every reply that is posted.

Ray
 

Ken

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Txrayngers said:
How realistic would it be to actually OPEN a casino several years down the road. I am very interested in the gambling field and am very educated in it as well. I am aware this isnt going to happen over night, but when school ends in 2 years, and I can get some $$$ put away, I really want to know what path I will be headed in, and if I can make my dream a reality.

If you are thinking about opening a casino, you will need much more than "some $$$ put away" and you will need much better connections than you are likely to find on this message board.

You are too eager to "know what path" you will be headed in. And you won't find it on this board. As has been recommended by others, you have to be here paying your dues.
 

Wineclubs

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Jul 10, 2005
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Txrayngers said:
How realistic would it be to actually OPEN a casino several years down the road. I am very interested in the gambling field and am very educated in it as well.

Ray

Forget about it, unless you can answer this question : Do you have unlimited funds to lose.

At your age, you have no idea how casinos work.

I was a dealer/ pit boss/ Chef de Partie(not the cook)/ at the GOLDEN NUGGET.

Come and play cards with me. You'll be broke in 1 hour. I promise you.
 

Rocky

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Attitude & Resolve.

There has been a lot of sound advice given to you.
Most people come here with a dream, and fail miserably.
That's the plain fact.
But, I very much understand where you are coming from and although I wouldn't want to be responsible for encouraging you to come and it turn into a disaster, I would like to say that I moved here with next to nothing, as I just had to get out of America and the cold, so I was hell bent on making it work.
I had to work my arse to the bone for the first 8 years, but I made it through.
I think that if you desire it more than anything, you have a much greater chance of succeeding.
Good luck.
 

Robert

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Jan 2, 1999
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Txrayngers said:
I thank everyone for their concern and all the replies that I have received. I am very interested in learning the true way of life in the Dominican Republic. If anyone here is near Juan Dolio, and could afford to take some time out of there schedules to show me the REAL D.R., I would really appreciate it. I will be there from August 15- August 19. Being in school for business now, when I do move, I plan on investing and opening up some form of business. I am not overly sure what kind yet, but I have time to decide all that. I indeed do understand alot of people will claim to be my friend only for my white complection and $$$, however I am no fool. How realistic would it be to actually OPEN a casino several years down the road. I am very interested in the gambling field and am very educated in it as well. I am aware this isnt going to happen over night, but when school ends in 2 years, and I can get some $$$ put away, I really want to know what path I will be headed in, and if I can make my dream a reality. Thanks for all the replies, please keep them coming, I am only getting more and more educated with every reply that is posted.

Ray

Casino? Think millions!

The Jaragua Casino is for sale, US$23 million and it's yours.
That's about US$9,000 a day on your 7 year plan.
You better start flipping those burgers faster :)

I have seen Dominicans bleed dry so called foreign business experts and "no fools" on more than one occasion.

Ray, I see the oxygen is starting to get thin up there...
 

carina

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Txrayngers said:
I thank everyone for their concern and all the replies that I have received. I am very interested in learning the true way of life in the Dominican Republic. If anyone here is near Juan Dolio, and could afford to take some time out of there schedules to show me the REAL D.R., I would really appreciate it. I will be there from August 15- August 19. Being in school for business now, when I do move, I plan on investing and opening up some form of business. I am not overly sure what kind yet, but I have time to decide all that. I indeed do understand alot of people will claim to be my friend only for my white complection and $$$, however I am no fool. How realistic would it be to actually OPEN a casino several years down the road. I am very interested in the gambling field and am very educated in it as well. I am aware this isnt going to happen over night, but when school ends in 2 years, and I can get some $$$ put away, I really want to know what path I will be headed in, and if I can make my dream a reality. Thanks for all the replies, please keep them coming, I am only getting more and more educated with every reply that is posted.

Ray

Ray, slow down.

Learning and getting to know the reality here, understanding the culture and getting to know the mentality of the locals, it not something that "someone can show you". This is something you need to learn and experience by being here and meet the daily life "face to face". This experience you get by meeting the reality day by day, if you stay on a prolonged stay.

Same for running a business. It takes time and knowledge and alots of experience. This is the wild, wild west in many aspects.

I know where you are coming from, and I understand your wish for experiencing an adventure, going somewhere else.
I have myself seen the world, visited every continent exept Australia, I have, as Robert, worked and lived in many countries.
I found home here and settled in Puerto Plata.
But I made no plans of it, it just happened.
Make no long plans where you want to be and what you want to do, not for now.
Start by coming and living the reality here, and see it it is for you.
 

Txrayngers

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Thank you for more sound advice. I would love to interact in the normal dominican life for an extended period of time however I am unsure how to go about doing this. I know that true dominicans do not spend all there time in an all inclusive resort living it up. Is it going to require meeting people in the dominican that are friendly enough to let me stay with them for awhile? Does it mean renting a home for a month or so? i am very curious, having never moved from one country to another. My schedule only allows for a 4 day trip otherwise I would have stayed longer. Again, anyone who is interested in spending a little time with me to show me the TRUE D.R. I will be in Juan Dolio August 15-19. Thanks for the replies, keep them coming
 

carina

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Txrayngers said:
Thank you for more sound advice. I would love to interact in the normal dominican life for an extended period of time however I am unsure how to go about doing this. I know that true dominicans do not spend all there time in an all inclusive resort living it up. Is it going to require meeting people in the dominican that are friendly enough to let me stay with them for awhile? Does it mean renting a home for a month or so? i am very curious, having never moved from one country to another. My schedule only allows for a 4 day trip otherwise I would have stayed longer. Again, anyone who is interested in spending a little time with me to show me the TRUE D.R. I will be in Juan Dolio August 15-19. Thanks for the replies, keep them coming

If you plan to live in another country, short or long term, you would need to do everything that comes along with that too in the practical meaning.
Arriving to your point of destination, find an apartment, look for a job, get to know people, get to learn how society works...
It is not a matter of living in a Dominican family, paying them as a tourist and watch their lives.
This is your life, and you have to live through the experience.

This is a hard job, when you land there in the reality.
It is far away from any all-inclusive, or imagined picture.
If you?re up for it, it might also be the best thing you have ever done.
You will get advices from many, but you need to do those things by yourself.
Everything from finding a job, to buy your food, pay your bills, buy your items you need for your new home, select and learn who is your friend and who is not, learn about prices..know when they are fair and sense when you get ripped off..
These are lessons each and everyone of us who lives here have learned by experiencing life and having went with the adventure.
It?s not a free ride, and if you want it you can take it, enjoy it and learn from everything it brings.
But it is your life, all about you, and you can take in as much education and advices as possible - that is good - and at the end of the day you go ahead and make it happen by yourself, or you don?t.
 
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