American Girl moving to DR soon

[challenged]

disillusioned and delirious

I would have to agree with the majority of the posters on this board. Whether you take your daughter or not, it would be a HUGE mistake to go to ANY country that you know nothing about to start a new life. Take into consideration the fact that you know almost nothing of the land or the culture. You need to do serious research and read some of the stories on this site. The land is beautiful but it is not all paradise.

If against all good sense,you decide to go, please, please don't take your daughter. You would just endanger her and she deserves better than that at the tender age of 2. Also, you have no support system in DR which is something that children need.

Your disillusionment with "Uncle Sam" is understandable but don't be blinded by it. You will only suffer more for it. If you don't even have enough to buy property there, what makes you think that you will have a better quality of life there.

There are many people from the DR that come to the US for the opportunity to succeed, not that it's guaranteed but because the opportunity is not present there.

 

[simpson Homer]

Hello

Sunshine,

Dominican Rep. Is a place like any other, you have to keep you eyes open and mind open for unexpected situation.

Many people will tell you that they will help you and by the end they never do it. You can always live there and get a job at some places when you get there but will be better to get the job there before you get there. (depends the type of job)

You can always try the :

US Embassy website
Apple Vacations
Thomas Cook
Conquest Vacation
US Peace Corps (Entrena Division) "No Voluntering"
There are also several Bilingual School down there

Many places hire foreign people without DR work permit
You will find many people complaining "There is not Job" Listen if you are willing to move around you will find a job. Living there at the begining is not going to be a easy thing but slowly you get use to the DR live and be careful spending money there. Because many things are like US prices.

I know a Canadian that toke her 2 kids to DR and now is comng back for the 3erd one. Some times people have better luck in other places than their own land however there are slim chances in the DR but still you can live there.

My wife was there was not easy the first 3 weeks and we Knew that going to some part of the Island wont be easy to find a Job then we decide to move where we were having more chance. she got a Job getting 3 times what I was making a month and also she got a job in a Radio station. We helped each other.

**Just don't forget that Vacation and living is a 2 way street***
the DR is not a all Paradise but is not either all hell

Be safe and enjoy your time.

 

[Bob K]

better, but......

Sunshine,
Your recent posts certainly make your decision sound better, but still even though you have done lots of research on the internet and elswhere, you still should visit before selling the farm. What you read and what you actually see maybe totally different. We are planning move this fall and I will admit we did it in quick order. Some on this board gave us some of the same advice. However we had explored much of the carribean and central america before deciding on the DR. We still had a couple of trips under our belt before making the final commitment and before putting our US house up for sale. Lots of luck.

Bob K

 

[sunshine_79]

Sunshine,
Your recent posts certainly make your decision sound better, but still even though you have done lots of research on the internet and elswhere, you still should visit before selling the farm. What you read and what you actually see maybe totally different. We are planning move this fall and I will admit we did it in quick order. Some on this board gave us some of the same advice. However we had explored much of the carribean and central america before deciding on the DR. We still had a couple of trips under our belt before making the final commitment and before putting our US house up for sale. Lots of luck.

Bob K

Thanks for the insight. I'm going to buy a plane ticket next week and one of two things are going to happen:

I'm either going to decide the DR is not going to work out for me

or

I'll decide it's the right choice, and when the timing is right, get my daughter


I'm really hoping for the latter. It's not that I don't have a gazillion opportunities here in the US, it's just that I feel compelled to take the road less traveled, cliched as that may sound. When my daughter is old enough to think abstractly, I just want her to be able to say she was proud of me. As much as I love my mother, I feel bad for her because she never took any chances or did anything out of the ordinary and I know she has many regrets now because we've talked about it.

Again, thanks for your insight. And keep your fingers crossed for me!

Sunnie

 

[ggn420]

Puerto Plata

Puerto Plata town is small, Puerto Plata area is another thing.
But my point was not # of inhabitants.
When it comes to find work in POP, it is a very, very small town for good and bad.
Good in the sense that many people can suggest something they have heard,
bad in the sense there is a very large unemployment and very few job openings.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Gotcha, I was refering (in my mind only) to the Puerto Plata area, Playa Dorado etc. It seems to flow together...............
Thanks for the correction

 

[carina]

No problems!

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Gotcha, I was refering (in my mind only) to the Puerto Plata area, Playa Dorado etc. It seems to flow together...............
Thanks for the correction

Puerto Plata region is quite big, several small towns incl. Puerto Plata, Sosua, Cabarete, Montellano, Costambar etc etc and villages such as Munoz, Bergantine, Boca Nueva and more. Playa Dorada & Costa Dorada touristcomplexes belongs to the city Puerto Plata as well.

 

[ggn420]

Good Luck

Sunnie, Good luck on your venture....I think some people have to learn or expierence it first hand or the hard way. Sometimes that is a good thing, they say "something good comes out of everything" It just blows me away that anyone would make that kind of move to anywhere, without first at least going for a week or two on vacation there. You have many options there and picking out a spot like Puerto Plata (not that its good or bad) is not the way to to it. All areas of this island are all VERY different from each other and some are better for employment etc. If it were me and I had not been there before, I would go for a month and travel the country, see all the different options available to you as well as the extreme differerences between them. The north is very different from the south, like black and white. You might do better at first at one of the resort areas, for work anyway, weather it be Puna Cana or Playa Dorado which is right next door from where you will be. It will get you started until you can get out and explore, you really need to do that before you settle. I will be down in the fall in Santiago so I'm sure that I will spend some time up north.....I'll try and hook-up, along with everyone else here....you won't be at a shortage of friends , for sure. Adios for now

 

[carina]

Just to add ...

one more fact..
Playa Dorada ( 14 hotels, bars, discos, plaza and golf ) get over 40.000 applications each year. Some positions, like kiddie clubs can be filled by foreigners and also at vacationclubs if you speak languages ( commission based ), and as mentioned before selling excursions for a company at the plaza ( allthough most of them requires workpermit or/and cedula nowadays ).Otherwise it is only locals working there.

 

[Snuffy]

My opinion is that if you do this you are rolling the dice and the dice are not in your favor. Did you say if you speak Spanish? If you get work it will most probably be in the range of 10,000 pesos or less per month. That is unless you speak Spanish and have banking skills or something else. If you are a hot looking white girl then you may be able to hook up with someone who will help you out. You may hook up with the wrong guy and get into a mess. You have to be damn careful here. If you go it alone you will need at least 10,000 dollars to put a life together here that is comfortable for you and your daughter...or can you do without A/C? Can you do without a fan on the hottest day of the year when the electricity goes out and you don't have an inverter? Are you okay when the lights go out at 6pm and stay out for the night? You are renting...you have first months rent, two months rent for deposit, and one months rent for commisision, and money to pay for the contract? You are okay walking to get a carro publico and cramming your daughter into the damn thing for the hot ride up to town? Do you know what things cost here...like sheets, pillows, cooking pots, etc... They cost double and triple what you would pay in USA and then the quality is lacking. You will most surely fall victim to a few scams while you are learning here...can you afford the financial loss? I could go on and on. There are those who will say go for it...but how much money did they have to back them up when they came here. Probably a hell of a lot. I for one hope you don't try this. Stay in USA, find a good job, find a few good friends and enjoy raising your daughter.

But you sound strangely similar to someone that post here a while back. Almost identical situation. Are you sure you are not her?

one more fact..
Playa Dorada ( 14 hotels, bars, discos, plaza and golf ) get over 40.000 applications each year. Some positions, like kiddie clubs can be filled by foreigners and also at vacationclubs if you speak languages ( commission based ), and as mentioned before selling excursions for a company at the plaza ( allthough most of them requires workpermit or/and cedula nowadays ).Otherwise it is only locals working there.

 

[carina]

Snuffy, most salaries in jobs like bars etc aren?t even as high 10 000 pesos.
More likely around 6000 pesos.
I have a friend who is here only for a few months, he works in selling excursions at the Plaza.. and YES he is not a good seller, but not bad otherwise with great knowledge of the area, great social guy and tourists love to talk to him. His comission for May ended up in 66 US.
He works because he likes to hang around there, and use saved money for his adventures a few months every year.. but still. 66 US.
Some people bought excursions, then it rained so they got cancelled etc.. things happen.

Call Centers, NotLurking said, and that might be an opening. They prefer billingual, but also hires Englishspeaking only from time to time.

Teaching jobs is a possibility as well if certified.
Still the salary though.. At Alic English School in POP for example they pay 8000-12000 a month depending on years of experience....
That would be interesting work I am sure, but it won?t cover the costs of living for a newcomer.

 

[jackquontee]

Similarities

Sunshine_79,

I have been following this thread from the very beginning and would like to weigh in, if I could.

First of all, it is good that you added some flesh to your initial comments, as it has helped a great deal in understanding, at least to a greater degree, what it is you're after. Some people don't realize that there are others who have a desire to live in the DR, or in other locations, not because we think we're going to find a better life, or "paradise". Sometimes we're not looking for paradise, but to simply get away from hell. At this point in my life I would much rather be a number of other places than here. Additionally, my idea of "a better life" doesn't necessarily include the creature comforts of life, but some peace and serenity that I cannot find here in the US for reasons that are too lengthy to discuss here. I have the creature comforts here in the US and am probably the most miserable I've been in some time. Some times we simply need a new start, for no apparent reason other than that the life we now live has gotten old, repetitive, mundane, etc., etc. Whatever your reasons, they are yours, and you don't necessarily need to explain those reasons to anyone. If you have decided that you would like to make the move, then do it. If you are unsuccessful in making a permanent move, you will at least have the satisfaction of knowing you gave it a try.

Secondly, developing a plan is a must. I, too, intend to move some day. However, I am fortunate enough that I wll be able to either buy or build a home beforehand that will serve as a vacation home in the short term, and will allow me to have a "base of operation", if you will, upon which to establish a more solid and permanent foundation. My intentions at this point are to travel to the DR over the course of the next couple of years and thoroughly explore the area, make friends and, hopefully, develop some business opportunity. If after a couple of years I find that my expectations and hopes do not come to fruition, no problem. I have a vacation residence in an area that I'm sure I will continue to travel to anyway. Inasmuch as we might try to develop one, no perfect plan exists.

And, finally, do not be discouraged by some of the disparaging comments that you will occasionally encounter on this site. When I first joined as a member, I did so only because I was interested in acquiring as much information as I possibly could. If in the process I made a friend or two, great. I did not join it in hopes that people would tell me what I wanted to hear. I didn't know what it was I was supposed to hear to begin with. I admit that some of the comments I have read have been upsetting or, at the very least, somewhat disillusioning. I didn't expect that I would encounter people jumping down the throats of others simply because they asked a question that someone thought shouldn't have been asked. Don't worry about those people. There are some really great people on this site who have a wealth of knowledge, and who are sincere in their efforts to help others. Those are the people you want to focus on, and filter out the rest.

If you have a desire to move, then do it!! Keep in mind that there are several potential outcomes. I think if you have spent several years in the armed forces, there is a good likelihood that you have the strength, determination, and perseverance to see this through. Someone once told me several years ago to "hope for the best, but prepare for the worse". Anything short of that, and you'll be fine.

I wish you the best, and hope that we can meet some day on my many trips there. Tony

 

[sunshine_79]

If you go it alone you will need at least 10,000 dollars to put a life together here that is comfortable for you and your daughter...or can you do without A/C? Can you do without a fan on the hottest day of the year when the electricity goes out and you don't have an inverter? Are you okay when the lights go out at 6pm and stay out for the night?

Interesting words there. Yes, I can hack it. I'm from an almost non-existent town in the Ozark Mountains in southern Missouri. I didn't have the easiest life before I joined the Army. I'm definitely not high maintenance.

 

[KenoshaChris]

Gotta Be a Stupid Joke

I'm not going to read through all four pages of this but this inquiry has to be a posed picture. Really, would anybody be that stupid? I Don't think so. Somebody has to be pulling your collective leg here. Yeah, and I'd like to take my son with me and live in Madagascar, even though I've never been there but I heard its a nice place to live with a pleasant climate. I'm going out on a limb here but alot of people fell for this thread.

I've been wrong and will be wrong again but not very often. This girl doesn't even speak a word of Spanish. Hahaha, I laugh.

 

[sunshine_79]

I'm not going to read through all four pages of this but this inquiry has to be a posed picture. Really, would anybody be that stupid? I Don't think so. Somebody has to be pulling your collective leg here. Yeah, and I'd like to take my son with me and live in Madagascar, even though I've never been there but I heard its a nice place to live with a pleasant climate. I'm going out on a limb here but alot of people fell for this thread.

I've been wrong and will be wrong again but not very often. This girl doesn't even speak a word of Spanish. Hahaha, I laugh.

Come on now - WTF? That's rude and you damn well know it. Is it so hard to believe that someone doesn't want to (gasp!) do something out of the ordinary?
It must be hard being so narrow-minded. You remind me of all the people who told me I would never make it in the Army; I definitely had the last laugh.

You should really feel ashamed of yourself for being so mean to someone you don't even know. I'm a person too, just like you are. They're called feelings - remember???

 

[AnnaC]

I wish you the best but you haven't answered an important question. Do you speak Spanish?

It's easier but more expensive to live in the tourist areas. Outside the tourist areas it's very hard to servive with no Spanish.

Maybe I missed it but where are you planning on landing?

 

[amy2761]

Grow some extra skin

Come on now - WTF? That's rude and you damn well know it. Is it so hard to believe that someone doesn't want to (gasp!) do something out of the ordinary?
It must be hard being so narrow-minded. You remind me of all the people who told me I would never make it in the Army; I definitely had the last laugh.

You should really feel ashamed of yourself for being so mean to someone you don't even know. I'm a person too, just like you are. They're called feelings - remember???

if you want to stick around this board ...... and the DR for that matter.

Seriously - I've been wanting to post in this thread since it started but decided to bide my time a little.

Background - I moved here with not a cent to my name and a year old daughter to take care of. Granted I had the support of my parents, which didn't always feel like support if youk now what I mean. My daughter turned 4 years old a few months ago, going to one of the best schools in our area and I have a well-paying job in Dominican terms and we are living happily.

I think it boils down to a very basic question, which I now pose to you ..... how much patience do you have? For the most part living in the Dominican society is like living in a society filled with todlers ..... having to teach and educate about the simplest little details that are ingrained in your upbringing but non-existent here ...... it gets deeper, try dealing with a corporation run by todlers for instance um, a power company maybe?

I'm not joking .... ask around.

Now, imagine dealing with every little detail, getting the trash picked up, mailing letters, buying food ect.

That's is my question ..... how much patience do you have?

Stay well,
Amy

P.S I don't always get my point accross clearly in my written word but feel free to write/ask questions and I'll help with what I can.

 

[Snuffy]

Okay, enjoy your stay. 'It's A Wonderful Life'

If you go it alone you will need at least 10,000 dollars to put a life together here that is comfortable for you and your daughter...or can you do without A/C? Can you do without a fan on the hottest day of the year when the electricity goes out and you don't have an inverter? Are you okay when the lights go out at 6pm and stay out for the night?

Interesting words there. Yes, I can hack it. I'm from an almost non-existent town in the Ozark Mountains in southern Missouri. I didn't have the easiest life before I joined the Army. I'm definitely not high maintenance.

 

[amy2761]

Oh ... and

Come on now - WTF? That's rude and you damn well know it. Is it so hard to believe that someone doesn't want to (gasp!) do something out of the ordinary?
It must be hard being so narrow-minded. You remind me of all the people who told me I would never make it in the Army; I definitely had the last laugh.

You should really feel ashamed of yourself for being so mean to someone you don't even know. I'm a person too, just like you are. They're called feelings - remember???

The board may have thousands of members, but we're a very small community here in our DR1 paradise, everybody eats their words in turn. We get (just like in real life) snappy and b!tchy, hurtful and mean. I'm not excusing anybody's bad behaviour ...

Lesson # 1
Pick your fights wisely.

Stay well,
Amy

 

[eldorada]

moving to the DR

Just out of curiosity, how many persons posting on this board have actually lived for two years or more in the DR? I get the idea that many persons spend part of the year there. And, if life is so difficult there why are so many of you still there? Is it possible at all, to live a normal life there if you haven't got big bucks to be on a perpetual vacation?
You guys do scare the hell out of the devil, unintentionally!

 

[Snuffy]

No, you got it wrong. We live here and that is why we are scaring her...and it is intentionally. Let me put it this way. To use a line from my favorite movie. "I have money and it almost killed me". The process of putting a life together here is expensive and a lot of work. Let me give her another one. See if she is okay with this one. The power goes out and guess what happens....bam...you have no water. So you sit without freaking water until the power comes back on. Oh sure your inverter kicked on, if you have one, but your inverter does not run the water pump. Are you accustomed to hot showers. Get used to not having one because lots of these places have tiny hot water heaters or none at all. Then there is the dust. You can spend your whole day cleaning the dust out of your home...if you have the water. Of course some people can afford maids. I sent mine home a long time ago.

But she is hard as nails - she served in Iraq. Okay, fine. She can handle anything. Like I said. Enjoy The Stay. But please give us an update in a year. Let us know how it went. Because we have seen to many times people come here and after a few months suddenly disappear with no word. They ran for the hills.

bottom line. 95 percent of the time you need a lot of money to make it here.
Those other 5 percent...you gotta admire them. It is a fantasy to think this is a cheap country. It just is not so.