A Million Questions about my Move to Santo Domingo

calimorena

New member
May 27, 2006
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Wow! It has been so helpful to read all of the past posts about people moving to the DR. I visited two years ago and want to visit again this month before making my final decision to accept a position teaching at a private school. But first, (or course), I have a million questions...

1) how does Los Millones neighborhood fare in terms of safetly, location, things to do, etc.?

2) Is 20,000 pesos enough for a single woman to surivive comfortably on? I wont have rent to pay but I'll have everything else. What does an average monthly budget look like? (electricity, cell phone, food, transp, etc.)

3) Is the weather really beautiful year round? Is Santo Domingo in the hurricane path?

4) I'm in my late 20s. Is it easy to meet other people my age?

5) Do all of the expats who post on this forum get together and hang out? (you guys seem cool) :)

6) Is it affordable to take short trips to other islands?

7) What is your favorite part of living in Santo Domingo? What is your least favorite part of living in SD? (there's the teacher in me coming out) :)

Thanks so much!!
 

macocael

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Aug 3, 2004
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1.los Millones can be nice, though a little off the beaten track for my taste. Safe, not much to do there because it is residential, but you are close to the 27 de Febrero which takes you right into town.

2. 20,000 (a month?) is not much, no. If you dont pay rent, you will be able to survive, but you wont have much to play with. telephone bill with DSL is close to a hundred bucks (2800 pesos) but if you use only a cell phone you can pay as you go and the cost is low because you dont pay for incoming calls; lights can come to 1500 or more if you use AC; transport is cheap if you use the local publicos, but food is not so cheap. Your 20 thou will get eaten up quickly.

3. weather is nice, but the summers are hot, particularly in the capital with all the concrete (and los Millones is not close to the sea so there are no breezes). Major hurricanes have mostly missed us since George in 98.

4. YOu will have no problem meeting people, you will have problems keeping the men at bay. but if you plan to go out to the discos and bar, again 20,000 is not much to play with.

5. Some do, I dont. I think the bunch up in Sosua know each other, but those in the capital appear to be on their own. I could be wrong. Why move to another country just to hang out with your own kind?

6. Depends what you mean. Flights between the islands can be expensive and their beaches are also more expensive. They dont offer much more than we do,so travelling around this island is the thing to do, and there is a lot to see. read up on the place, get the Rough Guide to DR.

7. SD is full of variety, it has the colonial city, which for me is an endless treat, and the people are great. It is growing and changing fast. but it is also a somewhat hellish place with dreadful poverty (which you wont see much of, I warrant) and rising crime and no zoning and awful traffic and smog (which thankfully gets whisked off by the breezes) and noise levels that are way too high. But the point is, you are embarking on an adventure, so just go with the flow.
 

fightingirish

New member
Dec 8, 2005
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Cali, Im in a very similar situation, but have already decided to accept the position. I move to SD in a month. PM me if you'd like, and we can trade info!
 

Dolores1

DR1
May 3, 2000
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If you don't pay rent, you will have enough to live austerely. On the positive side, you have the experience of learning a new language and experiencing a new culture. Also, there are possibilities for travel in the DR that could fall within your budget if you go with friends or by public transport. The DR has enough beautiful places to keep you traveling domestically. Inter-island travel is expensive, beyond your budget.
 

pol73

New member
May 21, 2006
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"Cali, Im in a very similar situation, but have already decided to accept the position. I move to SD in a month. PM me if you'd like, and we can trade info"

Yes, me too! Where abouts are you heading to DR from? I will be working as a teacher in La Romana, but would welcome the opportunity to discuss some of my concerns, fears and dreams!!

Pol
 
Mar 21, 2002
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It's about 700 dollars a month. How does a person with 700 a month live in the US? Remember that all US goods are more expensive because of shipping. So in the US you'd be living pretty bad.

OTOH, many dominican households live on less than 10,000 or even 5,000 a month. I dare say more than 70% of the population does. So in that sense you'll be better off than most.

How do they do it you ask?

Se la inventan!
 

qgrande

Bronze
Jul 27, 2005
805
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calimorena said:
1) how does Los Millones neighborhood fare in terms of safetly, location, things to do, etc.?
Los Millones is quite a nice and safe neighbourhood, I just stayed there for 3 weeks. It's really residential, nothing to do, and pretty far from most exciting things. The most exciting thing happening might be a couple of presidential cars with police escort passing through; the president's mother lives there. It is close to avenida 27, but still not too handy for the Zona Colonial or Gazcue, so it might be handy to have your own transport.
 

Hillbilly

Moderator
Jan 1, 2002
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Like you went into teaching to get rich? Yea, right! :p
You can get by. And as your circle of friends grows and you learn more about the whole place, I am sure that you will be fully occupied. The DR is about the size of West Virginia. There are 10,000 foot mountains, dry cacti & mesquite plains, lush rain forests, verdant farmlands. Large cities like Santo Domingo are really small towns within one area. You will be able to explore the whole country from your base in Santo Domingo. a lot depends on how adventureous(sp?) you are.
I started writing this very early this morning. Pehaps others have chimed in by the time i post this...

HB :D:D