the bigger question is,,,,,,,,,,,,,what are you leaving behind?,,,,,,,,and what is plan B in case plan A doesn't work out?,,,,,,,,,,,,,,you say, you don't speak spanish perfectly, 400$, food and lodging can be considered good pay for a lot of Dominicans that speak english and spanish. even though you may speak to a lot of tourists in english, you must communicate with other staff in an effective manner to address the needs of visitors. will you be on the phone dealing with travel agents, negotiating packages for groups of tourists all day? there could be money in that, or are you going to be organizing volleyball games at the pool wearing a bikini? staff at dominican hotels put in tons of hours, i doubt it's a 40 hour week. the hotel may be nice, but you may be staying in a dump. i wouldn't burn any bridges up north. if it is any type of decent job you should at least in be touch with someone of importance, manager, not head pool boy, via E-mail on a regular basis and you should be familiar with more than just 1 person at this hotel. it could turn out to be the best thing that ever happened to you. i say, if your not giving up a promising career as the assistant head cashier at bob's tractor supply, go for it. make sure you come with a roundtrip ticket and cash. do not bring much, 500 would be about what you would need if forced to leave quickly and find other accomodations, hide the money, be prepared to walk away from the place and head for the nearest taxi. make a few friends on this board that live in this area that you can contact in an emergency. have someone at home up north that can wire money. i wish you all the best. coming to the DR, alone, without knowing anyone, for me has been the greatest blessing and i wish only joy for those that come here,,,,,,,,,,,,,,but, be prepared to leave.....