why are you an ex-pat?

dominicanlou

New member
Jul 30, 2009
20
2
0
if you don't mind sharing, what is your reason for living in the DR?

what has motivated you to remain there?

i would love to hear your responses!
 

dominicanlou

New member
Jul 30, 2009
20
2
0
im sorry. i searched many different search terms and couldnt find any thread that dealt with this topic exclusively. do you recall thread names, by any chance? general "why are you an expat" isnt working at all.


just went thru all the pages and found it on number 20 or so.

thanks
 
Last edited:

whirleybird

Silver
Feb 27, 2006
3,264
322
83
Although the 'search function' is a great friend, I agree that it is sometimes difficult to get recent information on a topic of choice and, as I have no problem sharing my experience a number of times, I will attempt to answer the OP's queries.

We came to live in the DR for a number of reasons. Firstly, to enjoy warm weather where our ageing bodies would feel more comfortable rather than 'surviving' in damp, cold England. Secondly, cost of property and living here in comparison to other countries. Thirdly, we 'fell in love' with the smiling, happy people here (not all are like that, I know) but, for the most part, although many are poorer, they are a damned sight happier than most people in the UK! Finally, we wanted out of the EU so ended up here.

Been here just over 3 years now, apart from Mr. WB's stay back in the UK for 10 months whilst they diagnosed and treated his cancer..... why do we stay? Because it has fulfilled all the hopes and dreams we had in the previous outlined criteria and we are lucky in that, where we live, we have (as yet) had no real adverse experiences.

Hope this helps to answer you.
 

Matilda

RIP Lindsay
Sep 13, 2006
5,485
338
63
Came as a diving instructor on 6 month contract. Met and married Dominican. Still here 9 years on. Life is not always easy but always fun.

Matilda
 

dominicanlou

New member
Jul 30, 2009
20
2
0
is it ex-pat or expat?

i typed it with a dash everytime. perhaps that is the error. again, sorry.

thank you for the replies. this is very interesting to me. so many trying to leave and others trying to come!
 

whirleybird

Silver
Feb 27, 2006
3,264
322
83
I obviously typed badly in 'search' too as did not find what you mentioned before, Rubio - I must try harder lol.
 

jrhartley

Gold
Sep 10, 2008
8,190
580
0
64
are you someone wanting to leave ?usually young people with no jobs and money leave and older people who have made money come (generalising)
 

Yayow

New member
Sep 4, 2007
389
47
0
What about you?

I don't my sharing my reasons I have already in the past, and don't mind doing it again, but before I do why don't you tell us your reason(s). Maybe I am being presumptuous in assuming that you live here, but with a handle like dominicanlou, who could blame me. :ermm:
 

dominicanlou

New member
Jul 30, 2009
20
2
0
look up dominican lou on SNL!

tracy morgan played a dominican "super" on saturday night live (an american skit comedy show) who only talked about dominoes and baseball. he was called dominican lou lol i always found it funny! stereotypical. i am from DR but came to the US in my early teens. now i am in my late 20's and wondering if i should go back. this is not what i expected. it is no longer fulfilling. too much work for nothing.

perhaps i too will have to wait longer and accumulate more money before i go back. i am not poor but not in any way rich.
 

Yayow

New member
Sep 4, 2007
389
47
0
Now I will

Now that you have been so kind as to share so will I briefly, as I said it has been documented here before.

I am a retired detective from N.Y., I was married to a Dominican woman that I met up in N.Y., and we had a child together a little girl. As many marriages do especially involving people in my profession, we eventually parted ways, when we parted she moved down to D.R. to be closer to her family. When we first split I wasn't retired as of yet although I had my time already in, but without my family there any longer; and a few other things that occurred, retirement seemed logical.

So I moved down to D.R., my pension serves me well down here, but most importantly I get to spend time with my daughter, keep an eye on her and I can continue to be an influence as she grows. I am quite happy down here, and have no intentions at the moment of returning to the U.S., I am still young enough, and am contemplating possibly opening up some type of business in the future, mostly to give myself something to do.
 

granca

Bronze
Aug 20, 2007
1,418
48
0
87
Escape from the EU!

I first came to this island some 14 years ago and stayed 14 days with a daughter of mine in Santo Domingo, she and her husband were running a restaurant. I decided that it was a very nice place. Whenever funds stretched far enough I came back when I could but on my daughters advice came to Las Terrenas. I was lucky and fell upon an hotel called Kari Beach run by a charming man from Ceylon named Kanesh. He eventually sold out to an equally pleasant and likeable man called Antonio. I stayed there each time I came. They gave me a good introduction to the country.
Eventually the decision was made, I bought some land and a house was started, unfortunately in my innocence I used an European builder and developer. The house took well over a year to build, the builder was never there 5 days out of 7, I found out subsequently the it was vastly overpriced, the design looked lovely and in Antibes would probably have been excellent but it was hopeless for here.
Starting 2003 I spent the winter months here and the 6 summer months in Europe. I steadily got more and more fed up with the ever increasing prices in the UK, the run down in services and the ever increasing interference from
Brussels nearly all about the most petty things. (One could no longer buy Spirits of Salts because some immigrant from Bangladesh or somewhere couldn.t read a label in English and hurt themselves.)
My marriage had broken down, I had got to love the Dominican way of life as well as its people (most), it was like being back in England in the 50's, nobody sticking their noses in and dictating what you can and can't do!
Most importantly I had fallen for a Dominican girl, so we had built a Dominican house together, ( a fraction of the cost of the original one). So here I am now happily married, we get on well with our neighbours, only today one of them gave us a big bag of chinolas. My Spanish (Dominican style) is coming on OK, I think this important.
I find I have very few ex-pat friends, those i have are good but I wasn't and still not am into eating out several times a week and drinks parties.
I hope I have not rambled on too much but this is a good place to live and have no regrets.
granca
 

ffritz

New member
Feb 7, 2008
463
30
0
www.gymbar.blogspot.com
We wanted to live in a free country that wasn't going to be a target for some mad mullah. Also we wanted to leave the the (Y)UK before the excrement hit the ventilation system financially & the whole system collapsed - we moved here the month house prices started tumbling :-D
 

dominicanlou

New member
Jul 30, 2009
20
2
0
thanks for the replies!

they help me not feel so crazy anymore. people look at me sideways when i say i would rather live in DR these days. as if money and metro conveniences are all there is to life.
 

Matilda

RIP Lindsay
Sep 13, 2006
5,485
338
63
Is this him Betty????
2uogoqf.jpg
 

Matilda

RIP Lindsay
Sep 13, 2006
5,485
338
63
Sorry. I got confused. Wrong country and i know you like much younger men. Here he is in all his glory
jshggn.jpg