Hi, my name is Shariff Al. I would like to introduce myself to the to the DR1 members. I am new to the island here. I am now living in Sosua, and now a member of this web-site. I have been on the island for three months now. My first two months I was down in Juan Dolio on the south end of the island. I had a very nice apartment there, and it just cost me $250.00 a month, and I was just one block from the beach. I said to myself that this was the best deal in the Caribbean. I was so happy until I found out that everyone else in my building was just paying $100.00 a month. Then I really knew I have found the right island. Anyway there was no one that I could relate to in Juan Dolio. I am a singer, and I play the keyboard. I was playing in restaurants there. However, I was still unhappy. There was no one for me to talk to and the English speaking station on cable would go out every other day for a few days at a time. Then someone told me about Sosua. I was told that this is the place I should be. They said that all of the tourism was up in Sosua. I am now living here in Sosua, and I am telling people back home that it do not get any nicer then this. I am staying at one Ocean place right now, but I am looking at an apartment on the hill over looking the beach that just cost 3,500 pesos. What more can I say. Most of the people speak English, and there are 76 stations on cable. I must look at beautiful girls all of the time, but I will do my best to handle that. I am an artist that paints oil paintings. I have been looking for an island where I could sit back be happy and work on my next collection of paintings. This is it and I plan to be here for the next 3-5 years and more if God bless me to be. I also sing soul, R&B, and oldies music. I am now singing at the Sun & the Moon restaurant at the comer of Dr. Alejo Martinez and Proyecto Street 5 nights a week. I was introduced to this web-site and I think that this is great. A web-site where people can relate and talk to each other here in the Dominican Republic. An English speaking web-site. I am not alone. What more can a person ask. My first question to the members is this. Is it my imagination or do the power go out here 3 to 5 times a day, or is it just that my apartment management just want to turn the power off now and then to make sure no one left there TV on. However, no problem I can handle that too just to be here in Sosua the best place on Earth.