What's it *really* like in the DR?

[Aguaita29]

funny you mentioned that, Aguaita. i once took Caribe Tours to the capital, and asked a taxi driver to take me to the nearest inexpensive lodgings. he said he knew of one, and we rode around for a while, until he finally got to the joint. it seemed a little far away, so i did not make too much of a racket when he hit me up for 250 pesos.

next morning, i asked a guy where i could get a carrito or a bus back to Caribe tours. the guy asked me why i wanted to get the bus. he then took me outside, and showed me exactly where Caribe Tours is. but not for a slight curve, you can see it from the hotel. a few minutes walk, at best.

GRR! That happenned to me too once! I had to go to "El Huacal", which is an office building in Santo Domingo. I had to go once a week for 12 weeks. The first week, I took a taxi. A week later, I arrive in SD and ask a taxi driver outsite of the terminal how much it is to go to "El Huacal". He frowns and says "what?? it`s over there!" and points at the building.

 

[the gorgon]

GRR! That happenned to me too once! I had to go to "El Huacal", which is an office building in Santo Domingo. I had to go once a week for 12 weeks. The first week, I took a taxi. A week later, I arrive in SD and ask a taxi driver outsite of the terminal how much it is to go to "El Huacal". He frowns and says "what?? it`s over there!" and points at the building.

it sure burns you up that some guys will resort to such unimaginably low tactics.

 

[Criss Colon]

Nice to see that the "New Bees" know so MUCH about living here in "Paradise", and the Wonderful, Honest, friendly, hard working" "Dominicanos"!
How could I have missed all that in the last 26 years??????
Well, I ACTUALLY thought that way once myself!
THAT, was 27 years ago!
Took me about 1 year to see how wrong I WAS!
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[JMB773]

I'm still new and navigating around and I'm curious if the forum paints an accurate picture of daily life in DR. There are plenty of discussions on high crime, security, bad driving and roads, failing electricity, etc. But for the expats out there, there must have been a reason you moved to DR. And for citizens and long-time residents, I have yet to meet someone from the DR who wouldn't passionately and patriotically defend the greatness of his/her homeland.

I know there's a tendency for people to focus on the negative. But I'm genuinely curious about what it's like on a daily basis. Is the threat of crime a constant stress? Do you sit on your porch at the end of the day with a malt-based beverage and say, "I wouldn't do anything different"? For the expats, is it the same rat-race you left with different issues? Are the people you deal with regularly a source of headaches or inspiration?

Don't let people fool about life in DR. Would I live in Piantini over DUMBO Brooklyn HELL NO!!! The DR is a place you visited not a place you make your home. Saying life is difficult in DR does not begin to describe the real issue some parts of DR and Santo Domingo is just plain "hopeless" because of the DR overwhelming desire to remove all hope from some of its citizens. Crime is not the problem in DR, the LACK of the police enforcing the laws are the problem and picking a choosing which laws to enforce. People choose to live in DR for two reasons they love living around Dominicans with an "open door" policy unlike the Dominicans in the NYC area who have a "closed door" policy or they like having sex with Dominican people. All the take about weather and easy going lifestyle is BS because I can give anyone a list a mile long of plenty retirement communities all across the US with decent weather, I know many couples who keep their home up north and buy a place in AZ, FL, VA, AL, LA etc. People live in DR because DR has what they are looking for. Who lives in a place where Pizza Hut and KFC comes to you house quicker then the police and ambulance.

 

[the gorgon]

Nice to see that the "New Bees" know so MUCH about living here in "Paradise", and the Wonderful, Honest, friendly, hard working" "Dominicanos"!
How could I have missed all that in the last 26 years??????
Well, I ACTUALLY thought that way once myself!
THAT, was 27 years ago!
Took me about 1 year to see how wrong I WAS!
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you see, CC, the newbies have not yet had some of the friendly Dominicanos borrow money from them without intent to repay, or had their houses burglarized by their friends. all they see is the guys who are only too happy to be their buddies, as long as they are picking up the tabs for the beer.

 

[the gorgon]

Don't let people fool about life in DR. Would I live in Piantini over DUMBO Brooklyn HELL NO!!! The DR is a place you visited not a place you make your home. Saying life is difficult in DR does not begin to describe the real issue some parts of DR and Santo Domingo is just plain "hopeless" because of the DR overwhelming desire to remove all hope from some of its citizens. Crime is not the problem in DR, the LACK of the police enforcing the laws are the problem and picking a choosing which laws to enforce. People choose to live in DR for two reasons they love living around Dominicans with an "open door" policy unlike the Dominicans in the NYC area who have a "closed door" policy or they like having sex with Dominican people. All the take about weather and easy going lifestyle is BS because I can give anyone a list a mile long of plenty retirement communities all across the US with decent weather, I know many couples who keep their home up north and buy a place in AZ, FL, VA, AL, LA etc. People live in DR because DR has what they are looking for. Who lives in a place where Pizza Hut and KFC comes to you house quicker then the police and ambulance.

actually, JMB, people look for other things in life to simplify the existence. at this stage of my life, i would rather get a ticket from AMET, pay a buscon 100 pesos, and be done with it. i do not want 4 points on my license, plus a hefty surcharge on my insurance premium next year. i do not want to live any longer in a place where everything is a hassle. if i smack my rambunctious kid, i do not want some nanny state a**hole arresting me for child abuse, and having it be on my record, so that when i apply for a job some background check shows me to be a criminal. at least i can say hello to a nice Dominican girl, who will usually give me a smile. if i say hello to a 19 year old girl in Passaic, she will deem me to be a pervert, and bring the police down on my head. hey, i know i can get everything on earth in the mall, but you can have it all. later on, i will be meeting up with two lovely ladies for a few drinks. nobody is going to stare and make me feel like i had 3 heads, when, in reality, i only have two.

 

[cobraboy]

Who lives in a place where Pizza Hut and KFC comes to you house quicker then the police and ambulance.

Sounds like Chicago or Baltimore.

OOPS! My bad. There are places in both where even KFC or Pizza Hut won't go...nor the police and ambulance...

 

[charlise]

I know life here is different. I've been here for 20 months now and I adjusted fine.

For sure it's different than Qu?bec but that's what I love. I never got arrested or stopped by police, never been robbed, all the people around me are nice. For the first 14 months I lived in the campo in Munoz, now I live in Puerto Plata and I still love it.

I know that I've made some adjustments to my way of life. But that's why I came here. To live differently, with less rules and fu***ng laws. Here I love the lack of it. It's fun because it's different. I have not experienced a bad experience so far so I have nothing negative to say. For sure I had problems with Claro, but what can I say, they are not modern as in Qu?bec. But for the rest, all positive. Maybe it's because when I came here I didn't expect much so I knew what I was walking in to. And I'm not disapointed, since I didn't expect much, so far for me, all is good, if you know where to look.

That's the way you should think, don't expect much and then you'll be happy as I am.

 

[JMB773]

actually, JMB, people look for other things in life to simplify the existence. at this stage of my life, i would rather get a ticket from AMET, pay a buscon 100 pesos, and be done with it. i do not want 4 points on my license, plus a hefty surcharge on my insurance premium next year. i do not want to live any longer in a place where everything is a hassle. if i smack my rambunctious kid, i do not want some nanny state a**hole arresting me for child abuse, and having it be on my record, so that when i apply for a job some background check shows me to be a criminal. at least i can say hello to a nice Dominican girl, who will usually give me a smile. if i say hello to a 19 year old girl in Passaic, she will deem me to be a pervert, and bring the police down on my head. hey, i know i can get everything on earth in the mall, but you can have it all. later on, i will be meeting up with two lovely ladies for a few drinks. nobody is going to stare and make me feel like i had 3 heads, when, in reality, i only have two.

I agree the USA should look closely at changing some of their policies, but the DR is NOT the answer by any means. I would never use them term "nanny state" to describe the USA because there are a lot of people struggling all across the country. Every time I see on the news a family losing their home because of unfortunate circumstances I get sick to my stomach. Every place in the USA is not paved in gold like places like Detroit and the whole state of Arkansas. You can say many things about some of the actions the USA takes toward its citizens but you can NEVER say that they are "inhumane" toward its people. Many families in DR would have their kids removed if they were in the USA because of the living conditions and the fact they are "working" instead of attending school. I believe if parents are not doing everything the can to provide the basics for child growth then they should be removed and raise by the state. Slapping a child in the face because they asked for a bag of chips is abuse in my book. I can't tell how many children I see hit in DR when it did not warrant it. KIDS should NOT be working or beat they should be safe and do things kids should do. Also killing protesters in DR is not big thing in the USA if you kill a protester for protesting heads will roll and somebody will go to jail no matter what. I have a really good friend that receives 150,000USD a year because the Chicago Police Dept killed her brother unjustly and this is the GREAT part he was a "drug dealer" but who he was and what he did made no difference. Now if this happen in the streets of Santo Domingo could they have sued the police??? The DR may not be a "nanny state" as you say but it may be a elderly grandparent state too old to raise children, or a teen mom state to young to raise children. BTW I would rather the police come down on you head and apologize later they made a mistake then to look the other way and that young lady you said hello do come up missing. I AM not a fan of the police but I have witness what happens when the police are way too "laid back" and only care about their family and NOT the city they responsible to PROTECT and SERVE.

 

[JMB773]

Sounds like Chicago or Baltimore.

OOPS! My bad. There are places in both where even KFC or Pizza Hut won't go...nor the police and ambulance...

Are you comparing Chicago with Baltimore???????? Chicago has one of the BEST fire depts in the country and Chicago Police Dept. are a$$holes but they do police. Example come to Chicago and disrespect them the way some of you disrespect PN, Politur , and Amet and I promise you it will be the BIGGEST mistake you ever make in you life. I would LOVE to see you not stop when they "light you up" keep driving and see what happens, but you will NEVER do this because you are not crazy.

 

[DOC1727]

The US has been in a steady decline in quality of life for a very long time now, and it's is even worst nowadays. The DR has a lot of cons and pros, but you have to decide if the pros are greater and in many ways living abroad does have it's advantages. The DR has an undisputable advantage over the US, when it comes to "FREEDOM." Whatever the US has been doing over the past years has now reflected in it's declining society and economical state.

 

[the gorgon]

I know life here is different. I've been here for 20 months now and I adjusted fine.

For sure it's different than Qu?bec but that's what I love. I never got arrested or stopped by police, never been robbed, all the people around me are nice. For the first 14 months I lived in the campo in Munoz, now I live in Puerto Plata and I still love it.

I know that I've made some adjustments to my way of life. But that's why I came here. To live differently, with less rules and fu***ng laws. Here I love the lack of it. It's fun because it's different. I have not experienced a bad experience so far so I have nothing negative to say. For sure I had problems with Claro, but what can I say, they are not modern as in Qu?bec. But for the rest, all positive. Maybe it's because when I came here I didn't expect much so I knew what I was walking in to. And I'm not disapointed, since I didn't expect much, so far for me, all is good, if you know where to look.

That's the way you should think, don't expect much and then you'll be happy as I am.

expecting much will never be my problem. i have been familiar with the ins and outs of this republic since 1989.

 

[the gorgon]

The US has been in a steady decline in quality of life for a very long time now, and it's is even worst nowadays. The DR has a lot of cons and pros, but you have to decide if the pros are greater and in many things living abroad does have it's advantages. The DR has an undisputable advantage over the US, when it comes to "FREEDOM." Whatever the US has been doing over the past years has now reflected in it's declining society and economical state.

you will get no argument from me there. if i ever decided to leave the DR, the US is a country that is on my short list of places i would not go to live.

 

[Curacaoleno]

Why us Dominicans stay in the D.R?

Many stay because they can`t find a way to leave. They can`t get a visa, but they would leave in a heart beat and never look back if they could.

Others stay because they really like the DR and make enough to live a decent life and enjoy certain "luxuries". This may be a surprise to some of you, but many Dominicans don`t really like living abroad. They don`t like the cold, the system, how many things work abroad. I know many people for whom the U.S. only means $$$, and perhaps the opportunity to come back home in the future to retire with a U.S. pension. That explains why you can hear Dominicans who don`t live in the DR but still talk passionately about the country.

A lot of people critizice locals for leaving and not staying and working hard here. The fact is that there are many jobs that pay almost nothing here that abroad can make you earn enough to make a decent living .......and send money home. For example I know someone who had a college degree here, went to the U.S. and took a home aide course, now takes care of old people and is making more in a week that they used to make in a month here.


There`s also people who lived abroad briefly legally, didn`t like it and came back. I know a couple of people with U.S. residencies who came back to the D.R and never went back to the U.S. Of course, these are fewer cases.

It may depend on the person.. One Dominican friend here prefers it here because here she works 40 hours 5 day in a week.. off in the evening and weekend and still can send money home to the DR and is saving money here. In the DR she was working 6 days a week 10-12 hours a day and barely survived on that.

But a friend in the DR is also doing a 6 days a week 10-12 hours a day.. just makes enough money to have a decent living but does not want to leave the DR (and this person could move to the US if he wants) however he prefers the DR because his family lives there, his life, his organisation he volunteers, his friends etc. He may not be rich and works hard but he is someone in his town.. in the US he would be a nobody.. a nobody with no close family and friends..

 

[JMB773]

The US has been in a steady decline in quality of life for a very long time now, and it's is even worst nowadays. The DR has a lot of cons and pros, but you have to decide if the pros are greater and in many things living abroad does have it's advantages. The DR has an undisputable advantage over the US, when it comes to "FREEDOM." Whatever the US has been doing over the past years has now reflected in it's declining society and economical state.

Having to provide you own electricity and water are not my ideas of "freedom" I will give you 4 cities I have lived in. Chicago, Silver Springs MD, Atlanta, and Santo Domingo guess which city out of the four is where I experienced the lack of freedom the most??? Guess which city I had to ALWAYS check my bag when I enter a store??? Guess which city I had to ALWAYS show a sale receipt when exiting the store with my bags of food????? Guess which city a guy I knew was arrested just for walking in the Colonial Zone even though he was NOT breaking any laws at the time but in this place the police can arrest anyone and there is nobody to stop them. Guess which city at this very moment can bring military into barrios to police civilians???? Guess which city you are more likely to be ripped off in a real estate deal just for the hell of it???? Guess which city EVERY BODY is a "lawyer" and they can help save money LOL????? Guess which city you are more likely to get your black Cincinnati Reds baseball cap stolen at a restaurant because you went to the bathroom for 2 DAMN!!! minutes??? Who steals a baseball cap that someone has been using??? I can leave my laptop, phone, and workbag at any Starbucks and go to the bathroom and my stuff is never bothered, but if I left it in the city that begins with a S and down the street from Haiti everything will be "GONE IN 60 SECONDS" like the movie. BTW You know that LONGGGG!!!! line outside of the US Consulate in Santo Domingo that is a line of Dominicans trying to apply for FREEDOM!!!! BTW You know that ONE guy standing outside the Dominican Consulate in the US don't worry he is not applying to live in the DR he is just a man trying to figure out what is for dinner tonight. Paying 90,000USD for a car that is 50,000USD in the USA some FREEDOM!!!

 

[the gorgon]

It may depend on the person.. One Dominican friend here prefers it here because here she works 40 hours 5 day in a week.. off in the evening and weekend and still can send money home to the DR and is saving money here. In the DR she was working 6 days a week 10-12 hours a day and barely survived on that.

But a friend in the DR is also doing a 6 days a week 10-12 hours a day.. just makes enough money to have a decent living but does not want to leave the DR (and this person could move to the US if he wants) however he prefers the DR because his family lives there, his life, his organisation he volunteers, his friends etc. He may not be rich and works hard but he is someone in his town.. in the US he would be a nobody.. a nobody with no close family and friends..

and a nobody who would starve to death if he lost his job. at least in the DR, people would share a crust with him.

 

[the gorgon]

Having to provide you own electricity and water are not my ideas of "freedom" I will give you 4 cities I have lived in. Chicago, Silver Springs MD, Atlanta, and Santo Domingo guess which city out of the four is where I experienced the lack of freedom the most??? Guess which city I had to ALWAYS check my bag when I enter a store??? Guess which city I had to ALWAYS show a sale receipt when exiting the store with my bags of food????? Guess which city a guy I knew was arrested just for walking in the Colonial Zone even though he was NOT breaking any laws at the time but in this place the police can arrest anyone and there is nobody to stop them. Guess which city at this very moment can bring military into barrios to police civilians???? Guess which city you are more likely to be ripped off in a real estate deal just for the hell of it???? Guess which city EVERY BODY is a "lawyer" and they can help save money LOL????? Guess which city you are more likely to get your black Cincinnati Reds baseball cap stolen at a restaurant because you went to the bathroom for 2 DAMN!!! minutes??? Who steals a baseball cap that someone has been using??? I can leave my laptop, phone, and workbag at any Starbucks and go to the bathroom and my stuff is never bothered, but if I left it in the city that begins with a S and down the street from Haiti everything will be "GONE IN 60 SECONDS" like the movie. BTW You know that LONGGGG!!!! line outside of the US Consulate in Santo Domingo that is a line of Dominicans trying to apply for FREEDOM!!!! BTW You know that ONE guy standing outside the Dominican Consulate in the US don't worry he is not applying to live in the DR he is just a man trying to figure out what is for dinner tonight. Paying 90,000USD for a car that is 50,000USD in the USA some FREEDOM!!!

i worked in NYC most of my life, and i had 3 laptops stolen from my SUV, all in broad daylight, in a crowded mall parking lot, with hundreds of people milling around. call Progressive Insurance Company and ask them how many laptops they go through per year. they have their lettering on their vehicles, so every thief knows that there is valuable communications equipment inside..gone in thirty seconds.

 

[Wishing you well]

I'm heppy I don't have any "Moral Issues" to inter fear with my "FUN" here in the DR!
When I pay for sex with a pretty "Dominicana" I am not looking for anything more than "Sport Sex".
It's my "Hobby", "Nada Mas, Ni Nada Menos".
As in life, most people don't like to hear the negative side of anything regarding the, "How, or Where" they chose to live.
Sadly, not hearing about "Bad Things" won't make the go away, or be any less, "BAD"!
Some here have "Agendas", because of their personal beliefs, or business interests, and they just "Love Everything" about the DR, AND Dominicans!
Are there any "Good Things" about the DR?
SURE, LOTS of them!
Are there "Bad Things" about the DR?
SURE, LOTS of them!
Peoples opinions, and "tastes", about "Which Is Which", are often not the same.
I tend to let the "Good Stuff" speak for it's self, as long as it isn't "Agenda Based Bull$HIT"!
I point to what I, and many others who actually live here, consider the "Bad Stuff".
I have told MANY expats, that until you actually live here, like in the DR, is your HOME, live here, you can never know what the DR is really like!
Living as a retiree in a gated North Shore community, does not really expose one the the "Nitty Gritty" of what it's like working, and/or raising a family here.
It's a good lifestyle, but not really a "Dominican Lifestyle".
I like to acknowledge the "Land Mines" that are everywhere in the DR, so you can possibly evade some of them.
The most frustrating thing about living here for 18 plus years is knowing that the DR, COULD" be a real Paradise!
It has geography, climate, mineral resources, unbelievable Bio Diversity, people who actually could work for a better life,but yet it is not allowing all that to make a difference to the vast majority of Dominicanos.
It partly due to the culture, lack of opportunities, and now "DRUGS", but it mostly due to the most wealthy Dominicans, and the politicians,(Often Both at the same time!) who care absolutely nothing about the Dominican Republic, or it's people!
They are shameless thieves.
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I must admit and give it to you on this one, for once you wrote a very truthful telling post w/o bigotry. Hope you keep the trend.

 

[Wishing you well]

actually, JMB, people look for other things in life to simplify the existence. at this stage of my life, i would rather get a ticket from AMET, pay a buscon 100 pesos, and be done with it. i do not want 4 points on my license, plus a hefty surcharge on my insurance premium next year. i do not want to live any longer in a place where everything is a hassle. if i smack my rambunctious kid, i do not want some nanny state a**hole arresting me for child abuse, and having it be on my record, so that when i apply for a job some background check shows me to be a criminal. at least i can say hello to a nice Dominican girl, who will usually give me a smile. if i say hello to a 19 year old girl in Passaic, she will deem me to be a pervert, and bring the police down on my head. hey, i know i can get everything on earth in the mall, but you can have it all. later on, i will be meeting up with two lovely ladies for a few drinks. nobody is going to stare and make me feel like i had 3 heads, when, in reality, i only have two.

LOL...excellent. Best way to paraphrase "Can't have your cake and eat it too." Well done.

 

[DRob]

I guess it comes down to what you want, and what you're willing to give up to get it.

JMB, you make some good points, but the truth is I would have have to have the business opportunity of a lifetime AND true love to even consider moving to any part of NYC that is not regularly profiled on "Sex in the City." Even then, I would - almost immediately - start figuring out how to get away as much as possible.

As I said previously, DR has its flaws. But why are you comparing relative poverty in a third world country to making six figures in the US? Obviously, there will be some significant differences in lifestyle.

The truth is, it costs about the same to live a comparable life in Atlantic City as it does in Santo Domingo. Yes, cars cost more in DR, but cabs cost far less. It pretty much evens out.

Then, it comes to lifestyle. Do you want easy access to Best Buy, or would you rather bachata with a 22 year old? Do you like being around people who like being around people? In which city would you rather spend winter?

The answer to those questions depends on you and your outlook. After all, "wherever you go, there you are," meaning you have to be careful in what sort of mental and/or emotional baggage you carry around.

Like CB said, if you feel like your life is without purpose, you may be right. So get up, and do something about it. There's no shortage of opportunities to make your home a better place, wherever you are.