I have lived full-time in the DR since 2000 (not that long). In the process, I have gone from a vocabulary of maybe 20 words in Spanish to probably 85% fluency. (my fault because I have chosen to speak English at home, but to the benefit of my dominican family)
I have set up companies here. I have dealt a great deal with Migraci?n, Customs, trucking and shipping companies, freight brokers, insurance companies (can anyone else claim to have lost all of their coverage with the failures of both Segna AND BanInter?), security companies, banks, and with the police on a few occasions. I have fought with the telephone companies and AES and usually won. Due to my limited Spanish in the beginning, it was always a long process, but normally in the end, I got done what had to be done.
In the beginning, I spent some time at Boca Chica beach, and in El Conde. I met a wide variety of people there, but looking back, I had the same experiences that AZB had in the North Coast. Most foreigners I met there were either drunks, chasing hookers, or stuck here without a lifeline. I heard many sob stories, and it always ended up with the topic of money. I would just walk away and thanks to good advice from a few, never got taken for a ride.
When I first came here, my main source of information was the internet. Before I found DR1, I read many B:S websites about the DR, "from the experts". Even bought a couple of "Learn it All about the DR" books. What drivel. Written by folks who had probably lived here for a year, thought they knew it all, so they wrote a book and helped newbies arrive and settle in (for a big cut of course - they needed a way to make money fast after all).
I had the good fortune to meet a couple of gems in the beginning, who steered me away from trouble, and also taught me the ways of the DR. I also found DR1 about this time, and read the advice of many long-timers like Hillbilly here. These days, I have two friends who are Americans, a couple Europeans, and the rest dominicanos. I normally avoid tourists if possible.
I moved to a middle-class neighborhood in Santo Domingo that is almost entirely dominicans, close enough to the things I needed or wanted in my life, but without tourists being too close. I too lived in a building were the norm was loud music. I first moved to this area just before Christmas, and did not understand the concept of the 13th bonus checks, and everyone having a 3 week vacation and enough money to get plastered every night. I still had to go to work, after loud music lasting until the madrugada every night. After the first year, I moved to another apartment in a nearby area, which I later figured out was more truly a "middle-class" neighborhood where the neighbors respect and look out for each other.
I consider the DR to be my home and have burned all bridges from my birth country (with the exception of their passport for now). I love the campo, the beautiful sights, the mountains, etc.
Due to my job, I am temporarily working in Mexico, far away from Mexico City. In a lot of aspects, it has perhaps removed some of the glaze over my eyes which came from living in the DR every day. We still maintain our home in Santo Domingo, but when I return home for visits, the things that bug me are now readily apparent. Where do I start?
-the incredible amount of hassle required to do many simple things
-the stresses which most dominicans face every day - no money, expensive food, blackouts
-the argumentative and disrespectful nature of many dominicans in the streets
-the NOISE
-the air and garbage pollution in Santo Domingo
-the expenses -maintenance fees, taxis, food
-legal services in the DR STINK! (why is it that so many abogados here insist on being treated as a professional, and then turn around and act very Unprofessionally?) the blame always seems to lie in "our outdated set of law", hahahaha)
My child went to a "good" school in Santo Domingo. (Chiri knows which one) She now attends a school in MX. She came into the MX school at a level about 6 months behind her peers, so I guess that either the school or the school system in general is better in MX. I know, it's my fault, I was working too much to help more at home with schoolwork.
On the other hand, when I come back, the people I know seem to be happy to see me. The guys in the colmado are happy to see me, and catch up, and have a beer or two. The neighbors come and knock on the door if they know we are there. It's always great to take a spin out to el campo and see the sights, and breath the fresh air, and unwind. The few dealings I have had with either government or utility companies actually seem a bit easier too, and more organized. I really miss getting my mail through CPS. That's one impossibility here in MX.
I've tried to buy three different apartments in Santo Domingo. There were title problems with all three, and with the last one, my attorney told me to RUN, not walk, away from the deal. I have so far refused to buy an overpriced apartment that is wedged into a high-rise neighborhood in the Polygonal, when a better apartment is available in Zona Oriental or to the west for 60% of the price. I hate Arroyo Hondo.
Now, with the global $$ problems, I am waiting for the schitt to hit the fan in Santo Domingo. Maybe then, once the speculative prices have dropped, I will buy an apartment at a reasonable cost. For me, now, it's a fantasy world. Did I read correctly that with materials prices going up and up, and sales going down and down, that prices of apartments in Santo Domingo actually went UP 15% in either March or April? What loons!
Although I consider my home to be the DR, I am now unsure whether I will return to live there again on a permanent basis as long as I am working. I am not sure that I could create an equivalent job for myself there ( I want to work another 10 years before retiring). We will keep our home there, but I really don't know if I can again live in Santo Domingo full-time. Like they say, never go back, just keep the memories. If we do move back to live, it will not be in Santo Domingo, but probably farther out in El Campo, Rick Snyder-style, where life seems to be simpler.
As always, maybe I am too windy, but I always try to answer a question without leaving more questions. How did I do? (and why do I feel like my pants are down around my ankles at this moment??)
