A question for single expats

palomitamia

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Nov 13, 2005
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Would've any of you moved to DR if you had children?


Your thoughts and opinions would be greatly appreciated.


Cheers, Palomita
 

dv8

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Sep 27, 2006
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i am not exactly single but i am not married and childless at errrr... quite advanced age (for DR that is, not europe).
a decision to move here was a majore one, it was not easy for me to leave my family behind, but i know they are all adults and will do well.
i still cannot get over this move and i am still getting used to the weather, language and attitudes.
i can't imagine how difficult and stressful would that be for a child.
also, no offence to dominicans, but education in this country is not very good and if it is good it is not cheap. in poland all schools and public unis are free and they provide education at a very good level.
also i would like my child to have opportunities to take on activities it would be interested in - whether that would be japanese, fencing, rock climbing or chess and i think DR does not present those opportunities.
i dread to think about my future family here, just hope we will have enough money to provide the child with all the best.
having said that i think that parental care here is much better than in europe, parents are more involved in child's education and they bring it up as well as possible.
 

DominicanScotty

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Jun 12, 2004
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No I wouldn't have

It was the very reason that I was single and childless that made me decide to move to the DR in the first place. When the time comes (if it ever comes) I will have my little ones here in the DR. They will be raised as Dominicans, knowing the culture of their mother but also knowing that a US passport is theirs as well.
 

palomitamia

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Nov 13, 2005
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While in Sosua I met a very nice lady from Europe who lives there with her half dominican children.

Even she says that this is not a very good place for children because the level of the education is really low. She is planning to move to the US as soon as possible "so that my little ones can see some culture".


What a shame!I like the DR so much and so do my children. Dominican parents are so loving! They always carry their babies around and don't use the pram, I think that's great.

All the other ex-pats we met either don't want to have children or they are planning to move away as soon as the children have to start going to school.

Dv8:

I know a little bit about the polish school-system because our best nanny(we had 8 of them) was from Poland. She is sooo intelligent, wow! But not only that, she was really great with children and extremely diligent. That doesn't necessarily have to be the result of the great education she had.....but who knows?;)

I wish you all the best!

DominicanScotty are you a scotsman? I am asking because your "name" sounds a bit sc.&also because my children are 1/2 scottish :) :)


Take Care,

Palomita
 

Robert

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Jan 2, 1999
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dr1.com
Did you travel outside of Sosua? Sosua is not the Dominican Republic.
It's like visiting Orland Florida and thinking the rest of the USA is the same.

We have good private schools in Santiago and Santo Domingo.
Most expats kids go to good private schools. The International school is Sosua has a good name.

http://www.dr1.com/realestate/info/education.html
 

alabemos

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Dec 15, 2004
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Not unless

For various reasons, I wouldn't bring kids (if I had any) unless I were planning on homeschooling them.

Come to think of it, I wouldn't put my kids in an American school either for many of the same reasons!
 

macocael

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It was the very reason that I was single and childless that made me decide to move to the DR in the first place. When the time comes (if it ever comes) I will have my little ones here in the DR. They will be raised as Dominicans, knowing the culture of their mother but also knowing that a US passport is theirs as well.

FYI, dont tarry too long, because a US passport according to the recent law is not automatically theirs by right. It changed around the time my daughter was born,a nd if I am not mistaken, the rule is now that you have to have been resident in the US for five years prior to the birth of the child in order for the US citizenship to be conferred automatically. Check with the consulate on this. I imagine you could fight this with a lawyer, but then the point is that you shouldnt have to.

As for bringing a child here, well my daughter was born here, but I would have brought a child too, depending on circumstances. Really in many ways the country provides an ideal place for children -- so long as you find a good school for them, and that means of course a private school. My daughter couldnt be happier here, but I suppose a child coming from overseas would have to adjust and that can hard sometimes. still Domincan kids are very warm and friendly so in some ways the transition here would be easier.
 

canadian bob

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Jan 16, 2002
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When you are looking for a house, the 3 most important features to consider are location, location, location. When you plan on moving elsewhere with children, the 3 most important things are education, education, education. The general standard of education here is very poor indeed, unless you pay to employ a tutor for home-schooling or go to a select private school which can be very costly. Another thing to consider is Spanish. Unless you and your family are already fluent, it is another hurdle to consider. If I had to do it over, I wouldn't bring my 4 childrento the DR for their education.
Canadian Bob
 

palomitamia

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Nov 13, 2005
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I did also go to Puerto Plata a lot, we did drive all the way to Punta Cana and saw some nice places on the way, we went to Rio san Juan, Bonao,Santo Domingo......and to Cabarete. But I know that I know nothing;) That's why I keep asking questions.

I know about that great school in Sosua, someone's told me that it costs around 600US$/month, is that right?

I've also heard that if you study law in the university (in the DR )then you can only find a job as a lawyer in DR and nowhere else, is that true?




Did you travel outside of Sosua? Sosua is not the Dominican Republic.
It's like visiting Orland Florida and thinking the rest of the USA is the same.

We have good private schools in Santiago and Santo Domingo.
Most expats kids go to good private schools. The International school is Sosua has a good name.

http://www.dr1.com/realestate/info/education.html
 

palomitamia

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Nov 13, 2005
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Could you send me some links if you have some info about homeschooling in Europe&DR? Thanks.

Where do you live? (just curious)

For various reasons, I wouldn't bring kids (if I had any) unless I were planning on homeschooling them.

Come to think of it, I wouldn't put my kids in an American school either for many of the same reasons!
 

Original1

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Apr 7, 2004
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Hello Palomita,

We lived in Sosua for sometime. We did have our daughter in a good private school but after four months chose to take her out and home school her. We chose the Calvert method (american). While living in Sosua I met a lot of people. My adjustment to get to the point of liking my new life only took about six months. I longed for the way things were in Canada.

We chose to go back to Canada for some time to see if north american life is really better after being away from it for some time.

While in the DR I thought the education in Canada was better, there are more choices and maybe life would be better here for our family.

I can now say from my own experience (and opinion) that the education system will not teach your child everything. You must as a parent fill in the gaps in North America and/or the DR. It is not just the teachers job to educate your child but yours. Every child is different and has different needs only you as a parent will know your childs needs.

Maybe come and take a look for yourself and see if you could see your kids at the school. Good luck with your decision!
 

palomitamia

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Nov 13, 2005
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Hi Original1,

you are absolutely right and I don't expect too much from the teachers BUT:

while we were there we met some boys who couldn't read or write at the age of 12!

Are you still in the DR? And how does your girl like the HS?

Take care,

Palomita