Too late to turn back now....

[Koreano]

Before I left US, my Jamaican friend told me that carribean life is going to get to your head and try to screw your mind.
And now that I lived here for eternity(it feels like), now I agree.

Try to think of it as an adventure.
Life experience you will get here, good or bad, will be memorable for your life.

 

[rfp]

so you are Dominican..

schools are not free my friend. Someone is paying for it via taxes.

Not like in DR where you pay taxes and still have to pay out of pocket for basic services.

 

[ju10prd]

Thanks for the warm wishes and cautionary notes - I will take them all. Chris, once I get PM access will definitely take you up on that beer, perhaps even my treat 🍺. The company has provided me with a third party company to assist with the Visa process, I estimate that I will be a full fledge citizen by mid July with the family following a few weeks after as school starts a little earlier down there. During our exploratory trip a couple of weeks ago the most shocking aspect of life there was the traffic. As a Canadian we have zero perspective on this level of aggressive driving as I was reminded today by the many friendly merge waves I both gave and received on the drive to work this morning. We certainly plan on making the most of our time there, colleagues have raved about the beaches is Las Terranes (sp?). I think we will also take advantage of our coordinates and try to visit some of the other islands of the Caribbean if for no other reason than to keep my wife's Facebook page interesting. It is funny how you take so many things for granted before being faced with this type of situation; for instance today's question that came up when I was shopping for a new washer and. Dryer was...."do Dryers in the Dominican take the same plug as here?" Maybe a first world problem as they say.....

I do hope your employer has found you a decent area to live your place of work avoids the worst of Santo Domingo traffic.

My past employer was located in the heart of Piantini and so getting to and from work (a short drive in reality) could take me as long as travelling from London to distant suburbia.

Learn to drive defensively and be 'tranquillo'......let it happen....all the misdemeanors that is.

Good luck.

 

[AlterEgo]

You might be interested in this article from Friday's DR1 News:

Spotlight on retirement in Santo Domingo

A South Carolina couple, Charles and Katherine Fritz who had frequently vacationed in Punta Cana decided to downsize by passing on most of their possessions to their children and chose to retire in the DR. But instead of opting for Punta Cana, they have rented an apartment with a view of the Caribbean Sea in Santo Domingo, the capital city. The couple teaches English and uses Santo Domingo's central location to make frequent trips to beach and tourism destinations around the country.

"Certainly it has not been a perfect transition," Charles told the US News reporter Kathleen Peddicord. "But any difficulties have been offset by the Caribbean breezes, the almost constant blue skies and the genuine warmth of the Dominican people."

Read their story at:

http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs...couples-retirement-adventure-in-the-caribbean