- Thread starter Larry
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After living here 6 weeks......
Congrats
I miss DR everyday since I have been back in USA. I watch the web road cams just to pretend I'm there. I look at the satelite view and zoom in as close as I can to Zona Colonial just to look at where I lived. I watch the internet Dominican TV.
I was never home sick for US the whole time I lived there. And now I've been in USA for about 7 months. Everyday I am homesick for the DR. Can't wait for the day I can return to my home. USA is not my home anymore.
So glad that you feel the same. Isn't it great?!
Enjoy every minute you have in MY pais!
I miss DR everyday since I have been back in USA. I watch the web road cams just to pretend I'm there. I look at the satelite view and zoom in as close as I can to Zona Colonial just to look at where I lived. I watch the internet Dominican TV.
I was never home sick for US the whole time I lived there. And now I've been in USA for about 7 months. Everyday I am homesick for the DR. Can't wait for the day I can return to my home. USA is not my home anymore.
So glad that you feel the same. Isn't it great?!
Enjoy every minute you have in MY pais!
Anna Coniglio said:Hi Larry, I'm glad you are enjoying it so far.
Can you list some of the things in everyday living that are cheaper than you anticipated? Perhaps some price comparisons. That might be a big help for those thinking of moving.
Thanks Larry
Sure, well, the main reason why things are cheaper than I anticipated are because coming on vacations, you spend so much more by eating out constantly, paying for hotels, going out frequently, etc. so it is difficult to really get a feel for what the cost of living is here until you are actually living here. Also, I spent most of my vacations in touristy areas where prices are higher than SD.
My first couple of weeks, I ate out frequently and went out more often than I am now. Still, my first full month I spent a total of $1,500 dollars US. That includes my rent, electricity, cable, maid, groceries, entertainment...everything. I share a two bedroom apartment with "Scandall" who posts on here so naturally, my "housing expenses" are lower than if I lived alone. Additionally, I have no car, however, I spend about 5,000 pesos per month in taxis etc. Still, with the price of fuel, car insurance, maintenence, etc. not having a car naturally brings the monthly budget down.
Additionally, I have not taken any weekend trips, etc. which would result in hotels, etc. Also, I have not had any unforseen emergencies that would result in unforseen expense.
What specifically is cheaper in SD than back home? Well, I lived in NY so just about everything, except for gas. Rents are much cheaper, groceries are about the same. Some things like some canned and bottled goods, some cereals, etc. are a fortune but other things like fruits, vegetables, chicken, etc. are less. A few weeks ago, I wanted to buy salmon steaks. They were 349 pesos per lb! Instead, I bought tuna steaks at 89 pesos per lb. and they were delicious. You can spend a fortune on groceries or not, depending on whether or not you are willing to compormise.
Restaurants are cheaper here than back home. You can spend anywhere from a few hundred pesos in an average restaurant for a decent meal to 1500 pesos in a very nice restaurant which would include food, drink, desert, tax(yuck). You can eat out frequently for cheap as long as you dont need to go to a high end place all the time.
Going out at night, same thing. You can pay anywhere from 35 pesos for a beer to 100 or more. Still, 100 pesos is only 3 dollars and you cannot get a beer anwhere in NY for 3 dollars.
My lifestyle is fairly simple but I do not deprive myself of anything I want and it appears I can live comfortably on 1,500 dollars per month. Also, this is measuring against the peso being what it was when I arrived here which was 30 to 1. I am periodically changing dollars and now I believe the rate is somewhere around 33 to 1
Larry
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Larry Is Still In The "Honeymoon" Period!
Which can last up to a year in some cases.Also Larry is "Very" Single,so the only responsibilities he has are to himself.Both monetary,and time wise.Not having a car is a huge savings.A car in the DR is like having a black hole and throwing money into it each day.Dividing your "housing" expenses in two also is a big help.Also,you don't deal directly with Dominicans in your job,a huge tension breaker!
I wish you many years of happiness in the DR!
PS,You don't have a Dominican girlfriend yet ,that saves you about 20,000 pesos a month!
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Which can last up to a year in some cases.Also Larry is "Very" Single,so the only responsibilities he has are to himself.Both monetary,and time wise.Not having a car is a huge savings.A car in the DR is like having a black hole and throwing money into it each day.Dividing your "housing" expenses in two also is a big help.Also,you don't deal directly with Dominicans in your job,a huge tension breaker!
I wish you many years of happiness in the DR!
PS,You don't have a Dominican girlfriend yet
,that saves you about 20,000 pesos a month! CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC
That made me laugh. :classic:Criss Colon said:PS,You don't have a Dominican girlfriend yet
Criss, you'd be surprised to hear that I think kids are much less expensive than I initially thought. Granted ours is nowhere near school age. Cars on the other hand, I agree with you. Ours rarely move from the parking, sometimes my husband leaves a full tank and comes back to still find some of that gas in the tank (look up 'thrifty' in the dictionary, you'll see my picture) but it still manages to be very expensive. It ain't cheap living here.
Larry, your Spanish is going fantastically, are you taking lessons?
Where I find the tv, and other stuff
One of our fellow DR1 humans has a great site with almost all the links for good video-tv things.
http://www.dr-tourist.tv/index.html
I hope I.m aloud to post this link. He didn't tell me to do it so its not advertising I hope.
Here you can find links to alot of things that took me many years to find on my own.
One of our fellow DR1 humans has a great site with almost all the links for good video-tv things.
http://www.dr-tourist.tv/index.html
I hope I.m aloud to post this link. He didn't tell me to do it so its not advertising I hope.
Here you can find links to alot of things that took me many years to find on my own.
Jan said:
OK. . . .Jan. . .I just sent the payment via paypal. . .LOL. . . .where have you been? I knew since I had not bumped into you in the zona in a while that you might have been back in the US. I hope all is well. I am also working on moving back to SDQ soon I hope, so I know how you feel. I don't think I had ever gone seven months without traveling to the DR though.
I am glad you like the site! People that miss the DR like seeing and hearing a bit of what is going on there. I also get people planning on traveling there who dig getting a mini preview of the DR. I also get a bunch of Dominican visitors that use the site to show friends and co workers slices of Dominican life etc.
You must miss the DR if you watch the traffic cams. . . . . .LOL!
I am adding videos all the time and will try and shot some more zona colonial footage for ya!
You can also watch a few Dominican TV channels, read news from a few sources including of course DR1. watch Presidente and Barcelo commercials. . . . . hey if you are watching traffic cams. . . . TV commercials will be right up your alley;-)
I know you shot a ton of pics while you were down there, I am not sure how many you have posted online but you can post all you wish in the photo gallery.
So. . . .are you back on Mars? he he he he. Hope to see ya in the DR really soon amiga.
Larry,
It was great to meet you at last Fridays BBQ. I have lived here with my family for 7 months. The first 3 months I thought it was heaven and then evrything began to wear on me. Traffic, power, safety... I was ready to hop on a plane the next day.
My brilliant husband decided to take me to the US for a week vacation in the cleanest place on earth. Disney World. HAHA The minute we landed I dod not want to return to the DR. I even almost cried. But the week ended and we headed back. Sore from the trip but well rested from the chaos of the DR.
Upon arrival I was suprised at how I just feel back into things and seem to continue living. Infact, a wierd feeling of belonging came over me. I still cannot describe it. Point of my story, living here has been an adjustment and mentally challenging sometimes. Now I know that when I need a break I just need to hop over to the States for a couple of days and return refreshed.
I love your spirit, I had the same when I moved here and It has helped me so much! Looking forward to meeting you again.
It was great to meet you at last Fridays BBQ. I have lived here with my family for 7 months. The first 3 months I thought it was heaven and then evrything began to wear on me. Traffic, power, safety... I was ready to hop on a plane the next day.
My brilliant husband decided to take me to the US for a week vacation in the cleanest place on earth. Disney World. HAHA The minute we landed I dod not want to return to the DR. I even almost cried. But the week ended and we headed back. Sore from the trip but well rested from the chaos of the DR.
Upon arrival I was suprised at how I just feel back into things and seem to continue living. Infact, a wierd feeling of belonging came over me. I still cannot describe it. Point of my story, living here has been an adjustment and mentally challenging sometimes. Now I know that when I need a break I just need to hop over to the States for a couple of days and return refreshed.
I love your spirit, I had the same when I moved here and It has helped me so much! Looking forward to meeting you again.
Chirimoya said:
Well said, Chiri.
I think CC made some good points too. The honeymoon period can last anywhere from 6 months to a year. Most bail out after that.
Tomorrow is my three year anniversary living in the DR. It probably took about a year to a year and a half before I got myself into a position where I was "making a living" and enjoying my job. I worked several other jobs and had to do a lot of networking because I moved here without knowing a soul and had never ventured onto the board here at DR1.
When I do get frustrated it can usually be attributed back to one thing...the sheer ignorance of the majority of the population. That is the root of all of our woes. Even if they drastically revamped the educational system today it would be 3 or 4 generations before we ever saw any improvement.
When I do get ****ed off I just take a deep breath and remind myself of the things that I like about the country. Getting frustrated does nothing for you and is bad for your health (mental and physical). It also won't change anything.
Every week we see posts from new people who say they are moving down to "The Dominican" and can we "tell them what it's like". People like Larry have an advantage because they have been here numerous times and know a lot of people in the country. It makes the initial shock go very smoothly.
Here's some advice for those thinking about "moving to the Dominican" (man...that drives me nuts!)...
1) Everything will take you 2-3 times longer than you think. Maybe longer.
2) Initially (if you don't know the lay of the land) things will cost you much more than you think.
3) Your opinion of Dominicans will change the more you interact with them. I like many Dominicans. I have a lot of Dominican friends. I interact and contribute to my community. But most will drive you crazy. You will never get over the rampant lack of initiative, responsibility and dependability. Enough said.
Just my two pesos,
Good luck to all who take the plunge.
Scandall
taking that plunge
I've been reading the board more often now then before. I've gotten a lot of information from you guys, and the more I read the more I'm willing to take that plunge. Hearing the bad with good about the country is just mentally preparing me for what's ahead.
Scandall, I know what you mean about how frustrating we Dominican be. As a Dominican I recognize there's a lot of ignorance in my culture and feel they're very close minded when it come to some things, unfortunately, I'm just going to have to adjust and go with the flow.
WildCurls
I've been reading the board more often now then before. I've gotten a lot of information from you guys, and the more I read the more I'm willing to take that plunge. Hearing the bad with good about the country is just mentally preparing me for what's ahead.
Scandall, I know what you mean about how frustrating we Dominican be. As a Dominican I recognize there's a lot of ignorance in my culture and feel they're very close minded when it come to some things, unfortunately, I'm just going to have to adjust and go with the flow.
WildCurls
Ahhhhhhh!
Holy ****!
I just went back and read my post. Damn that was long. I am turning into Naolws!!!!!!!!
One more thing for newbies...make a commitment to learn Spanish. Larry has embraced it and is not inhibited to speak and learn. I am lazy sometimes but force myself to study and learn new words/phrases. I am a long way from speaking like Chiri/JDJones and CC but we can all get a little better every day.
Scandall
Holy ****!
I just went back and read my post. Damn that was long. I am turning into Naolws!!!!!!!!
One more thing for newbies...make a commitment to learn Spanish. Larry has embraced it and is not inhibited to speak and learn. I am lazy sometimes but force myself to study and learn new words/phrases. I am a long way from speaking like Chiri/JDJones and CC but we can all get a little better every day.
Scandall
This is such a good example of the way to move to a new country and have a true, realistic chance to enjoy the transition and be happy in your new situation. Well researched, visited the country before, met people before hand and has a support network in place, and is making the effort to learn Spanish. No wonder he is happy.
CC is right as well though to refer to the honeymoon period, but if you've done your research you are at least aware of the areas that are going to eventually push your buttons some day.
We've lived here nine years and enjoyed our time tremendously - I'm glad you are happy here Larry and I hope all the time you spend here is a positive experience for you.
CC is right as well though to refer to the honeymoon period, but if you've done your research you are at least aware of the areas that are going to eventually push your buttons some day.
We've lived here nine years and enjoyed our time tremendously - I'm glad you are happy here Larry and I hope all the time you spend here is a positive experience for you.