- Thread starter zephyr1957
- Start date
Living in Sosua on a low budget
HIRAM, I'm not going to shootbut there are a few comments I can't allow to go unchallenged. Low budget tourists may not spend much money but a foreigner living on a low budget might be doing it for all the right reasons i.e. to test himself out (as he did last year), to experience life the way the majority of Dominicans live it, to test how strong the relationship with his girlfriend is and whether she'll be prepared to follow him on his next adventure down the Amazon or wherever.
And just because zephyr1957 is living on a modest budget does NOT mean he is a cultural zombie. Sometimes people like him actually contribute more to the local community by working as volunteers than say a tourist does. He might be a trainee medic or a social anthropologist - who knows? Certainly given his intention of staying 4 months to a year I imagine he has a reason for being here. Most likely living on a modest budget for that length of time he will get to know many Dominicans a lot better than some holidaymakers would.
And to people who can't see the point in living like that, not everyone equates a lifestyle with the ease it offers. Zephyr could be a writer or artist who wants to immerse himself in the local way of life or he might be looking for spiritual and psychological development.
The 'higher socio-economic level of foreigners' does not necessarily mean they have style, class or couth. The OP might knock many richer foreigners into a cocked hat, as the saying goes.
deep but good points
HIRAM, I'm not going to shoot
And just because zephyr1957 is living on a modest budget does NOT mean he is a cultural zombie. Sometimes people like him actually contribute more to the local community by working as volunteers than say a tourist does. He might be a trainee medic or a social anthropologist - who knows? Certainly given his intention of staying 4 months to a year I imagine he has a reason for being here. Most likely living on a modest budget for that length of time he will get to know many Dominicans a lot better than some holidaymakers would.
And to people who can't see the point in living like that, not everyone equates a lifestyle with the ease it offers. Zephyr could be a writer or artist who wants to immerse himself in the local way of life or he might be looking for spiritual and psychological development.
The 'higher socio-economic level of foreigners' does not necessarily mean they have style, class or couth. The OP might knock many richer foreigners into a cocked hat, as the saying goes.
I totally agree, I was living in sosua for 4 months my appartement was 8000 pesos a month and due to the fact that i have a very confortable lifestyle back home in canada i wanted to try something different, I wanted to get something valuable out of my whole experience and I wanted to live like a regular dominican. My budget was about 13k to 14k pesos a month, and I did not eat out much, cooked for myself mostly bought local food at the supermarket, and I did just great! I came back home grown and have so much pride for what I did. Plus I wasnt working, as I was volonteering wich made my experience 100000 times better and worth it, I still had things to pay back home. Never ran out of $ and still had time and money to go out and party and enjoying it all. People have different reason for trying to have a low budget but its possible, some of my friends back home never thought I would survive (beeing they call me princess) but in the end I proved everybody wrong. Its all a matter of knowing how to budget right!