- Thread starter Fred
- Start date
Why do people live in the DR
Fred said:
Is medical attention in the DR worse than in the United States??? I've never been to the DR but I can't imagine worse medical attention than what I've received in the United States.
After going to an American dentist who refused to clean my teeth because he only did the "expensive" jobs (though I had clearly made an appointment for a cleaning!!), going to optometrists that always ordered the wrong contact lens from the labs, experiencing waits, administrative errors, extremely rude doctors as well as some idiots to whom I had to teach them one or two things that they didn't know about medicine, and so MANY bad experiences with doctors and their poor performance in the United States, though most of them had local prestige, I learned that American doctors are only interested in the money they can get from you and they don't really care about your health.
The typical doctor in the United States has no ethics and most of them are excellent businessmen but poor doctors. Now I go to Mexico for medical care and it surprises me how professional, respectful, caring, patient Mexican doctors are. There is absolutely no match in the United States for Mexican medical care. Even though American hospitals and doctors may have more resources, they don't know or don't want to use them for the benefit of the patient. Again, they usually just want your money and will tell you that you need surgery when you don't or that you need this expensive treatment, etc.
I'm sure Dominican doctors are as caring and professional as those in Mexico and I wouldn't be afraid to go see one of them. It's always a good idea to ask around for a doctor that others consider good though.
This is a great thread to resurrect.
The weather: temperature in the 80's F (high 20's C and above) almost every day of the year. I have the option of going to the beach all year long. I wear shorts, sandals and a T-Shirt every day of the year.
That is a blessing for someone who endured years of New England winters. I laugh when Dominican friends tell me they love cold. I tell them "I can show you cold. Spend a winter in Boston with me." Then I tell them about snow removal, slush, sleet, ice storms, northeast storms and rain that will give you 'gripe' faster than you can say 'Co?o'. The grass is always greaner....
The food: Since I moved here I cook a lot and the variety of fresh produce makes for some great adventures in eating.
Active lifestyle: I keep busy here without going to a gym.
Learning Spanish: I love living in a place where I have to function in a language other than my first language.
The people and culture: The charming aspects of the culture here include an openness and friendliness that is delightful. I don't miss the rat race.
The beer and rum: cold beer and Cuba Libres
The Music: The variety and creativity of the music here is astounding.
The weather: temperature in the 80's F (high 20's C and above) almost every day of the year. I have the option of going to the beach all year long. I wear shorts, sandals and a T-Shirt every day of the year.
That is a blessing for someone who endured years of New England winters. I laugh when Dominican friends tell me they love cold. I tell them "I can show you cold. Spend a winter in Boston with me." Then I tell them about snow removal, slush, sleet, ice storms, northeast storms and rain that will give you 'gripe' faster than you can say 'Co?o'. The grass is always greaner....
The food: Since I moved here I cook a lot and the variety of fresh produce makes for some great adventures in eating.
Active lifestyle: I keep busy here without going to a gym.
Learning Spanish: I love living in a place where I have to function in a language other than my first language.
The people and culture: The charming aspects of the culture here include an openness and friendliness that is delightful. I don't miss the rat race.
The beer and rum: cold beer and Cuba Libres
The Music: The variety and creativity of the music here is astounding.
Last edited:
daddy1, I'm not sure what you mean by "changing my sorry story." If anything, I feel even stronger about my opinion 2 1/2 years later. I truly believe that many people who have been to the DR on a vacation at an AI think that moving here to live would be the same thing, only longer.
I prefer chaos here over regimentation and laws for 'everything'. I favor the strong over the weak. I don't need anyone else to fight my battles. Most Americans are exactly opposite, and when they arrive in the DR, they want to start changing things in the DR to match the way it is in the US.
No matter what all of the talking heads say, they aren't talking about "Globalization". They are talking about 'AMERICANIZATION". They think the whole world should be, would like to be, or is better off if it were just like the U.S. Tain't so, my brother.
It wasn't easy coming to the DR and learning how to live here without losing it because so many things do not work the same way as they do in other countries (and not just the US). I think that if you were to ask any other north americans who came alone, "how long did it take you to adjust?" most or all would say "5 years".
5 years, before you quit grinding your teeth, or blowing your cool, or going crazy with the guy standing in front of you at the moment, because you didn't know what was going to happen next in most situations, and can't laugh about it.
In order to continue living what most would consider a 'normal' life in a new country, one must first learn the rules used in the new ballpark they are now playing in (the DR).
It took me 5 years to learn the rules for most of the different games played here in the DR, and I have only touched the surface. Electricity. The street. Water. Traffic. Cops. Insurance. Telephone companies. dominicanas. Doctors and hospitals. Emergency problems. Legal documents and how to go about getting them. The US Consulate and getting visas for your dominican family members. Dominican driving and their maneuvers in traffic. Maids. Hot water.Watchymen. Taxis and publicos. Strange food.
Employees and Labor law. Weird holidays and traffic patterns. Banking. Dominicans typical behavior. Car accidents. The differences between chopos and serious dominicans. Good places and really scary places in Santo Domingo. Plumbers and Electricians. Renting property, both residencial and commercial. Free Zones. Schools.
I came to the DR with a spanish vocabulary of about 40 words. I took some friends' good advice and slept with my dictionary. She is now my wife.
But, even though you may be fluent in Spanish, you will still find that every activity here, whatever it is, has its own peculiar sub-vocabulary to learn, in order for you to be able to navigate that activity smoothly. I now can speak "Hardware", "colmado", "pharmacy", "medical", "banking and finance", "newspaper", "supermarket", "streets", "cop talk", "lumber yard", "school", and "legal". I also talk "Bocina in the street" and can get taxi drivers to shoot me a dirty look, just with the way I beep at him.
I still need to learn "church" spanish. (sorry mom). I have progressed past using coarse street spanish to using 'prettier" language so I don't make as much of an ass of myself. But I still know how to defend myself with the street spanish if I need to use it in a particular situation.
The single BEST thing I did to learn about most of these things has been to read things here on DR1. I now wish I had read it for a couple of years before I came here, but I switched gears and moved here pretty quickly.
Thank you Hillbilly, even though you prefer Santiago over the capital. Thank you Rocky, even though you love Sosua and I detest it. Thank you too, Golo, and I still miss your informative posts which shed some light on dark dominican history, the nuances of dominican politics, and current events. Chiri, Mirador, Francis, mondongo, O & C, Escott, Dolores, pib and others too. Thank you.
A lot of what I have learned too, has been the hard way. I have paid the price for a lot of things I try to avoid now.
daddy1, if you think that coming to live in the DR isn't that tough, either you have a ton of money to pay someone to do it all for you, or you are wrong. The DR is a lot tougher to adjust to than most other places. I am not going to b.s. anyone to come on down and live here, it's not that easy.
It will take your body about 2 years to adjust to the food and the environment. With even great care, a newby is going to be spending a lot of time either in the bathroom or in bed, sick with one thing or another. 2 years.
The truth is that most people couldn't come and live here, but only visit for a week or two, and then they would want to leave. This board's postings are usually close to the facts, so if you want to construe that as 'negative' information, maybe that is telling you in particular that you shouldn't live in the DR. Stay happy, and live vicariously in the DR by reading the board from wherever you are right now.
Just please don't try to change the rules of the Dominican Ball Park. The fact that the rules are different is what we truly love about the DR.
Good luck.
I prefer chaos here over regimentation and laws for 'everything'. I favor the strong over the weak. I don't need anyone else to fight my battles. Most Americans are exactly opposite, and when they arrive in the DR, they want to start changing things in the DR to match the way it is in the US.
No matter what all of the talking heads say, they aren't talking about "Globalization". They are talking about 'AMERICANIZATION". They think the whole world should be, would like to be, or is better off if it were just like the U.S. Tain't so, my brother.
It wasn't easy coming to the DR and learning how to live here without losing it because so many things do not work the same way as they do in other countries (and not just the US). I think that if you were to ask any other north americans who came alone, "how long did it take you to adjust?" most or all would say "5 years".
5 years, before you quit grinding your teeth, or blowing your cool, or going crazy with the guy standing in front of you at the moment, because you didn't know what was going to happen next in most situations, and can't laugh about it.
In order to continue living what most would consider a 'normal' life in a new country, one must first learn the rules used in the new ballpark they are now playing in (the DR).
It took me 5 years to learn the rules for most of the different games played here in the DR, and I have only touched the surface. Electricity. The street. Water. Traffic. Cops. Insurance. Telephone companies. dominicanas. Doctors and hospitals. Emergency problems. Legal documents and how to go about getting them. The US Consulate and getting visas for your dominican family members. Dominican driving and their maneuvers in traffic. Maids. Hot water.Watchymen. Taxis and publicos. Strange food.
Employees and Labor law. Weird holidays and traffic patterns. Banking. Dominicans typical behavior. Car accidents. The differences between chopos and serious dominicans. Good places and really scary places in Santo Domingo. Plumbers and Electricians. Renting property, both residencial and commercial. Free Zones. Schools.
I came to the DR with a spanish vocabulary of about 40 words. I took some friends' good advice and slept with my dictionary. She is now my wife.
But, even though you may be fluent in Spanish, you will still find that every activity here, whatever it is, has its own peculiar sub-vocabulary to learn, in order for you to be able to navigate that activity smoothly. I now can speak "Hardware", "colmado", "pharmacy", "medical", "banking and finance", "newspaper", "supermarket", "streets", "cop talk", "lumber yard", "school", and "legal". I also talk "Bocina in the street" and can get taxi drivers to shoot me a dirty look, just with the way I beep at him.
I still need to learn "church" spanish. (sorry mom). I have progressed past using coarse street spanish to using 'prettier" language so I don't make as much of an ass of myself. But I still know how to defend myself with the street spanish if I need to use it in a particular situation.
The single BEST thing I did to learn about most of these things has been to read things here on DR1. I now wish I had read it for a couple of years before I came here, but I switched gears and moved here pretty quickly.
Thank you Hillbilly, even though you prefer Santiago over the capital. Thank you Rocky, even though you love Sosua and I detest it. Thank you too, Golo, and I still miss your informative posts which shed some light on dark dominican history, the nuances of dominican politics, and current events. Chiri, Mirador, Francis, mondongo, O & C, Escott, Dolores, pib and others too. Thank you.
A lot of what I have learned too, has been the hard way. I have paid the price for a lot of things I try to avoid now.
daddy1, if you think that coming to live in the DR isn't that tough, either you have a ton of money to pay someone to do it all for you, or you are wrong. The DR is a lot tougher to adjust to than most other places. I am not going to b.s. anyone to come on down and live here, it's not that easy.
It will take your body about 2 years to adjust to the food and the environment. With even great care, a newby is going to be spending a lot of time either in the bathroom or in bed, sick with one thing or another. 2 years.
The truth is that most people couldn't come and live here, but only visit for a week or two, and then they would want to leave. This board's postings are usually close to the facts, so if you want to construe that as 'negative' information, maybe that is telling you in particular that you shouldn't live in the DR. Stay happy, and live vicariously in the DR by reading the board from wherever you are right now.
Just please don't try to change the rules of the Dominican Ball Park. The fact that the rules are different is what we truly love about the DR.
Good luck.
Last edited:
know the feeling
I was hospitalized a few months ago, kidney stone, total bill after 2 hours in the ER, MRI, 1 shot of morphine and get the hell out of here you are not dying attitude, my bill is a whopping 2700 dollars, with the money how many presidentes I would have gotten, a year's worth? More? DAM
amigomexicano said:
I was hospitalized a few months ago, kidney stone, total bill after 2 hours in the ER, MRI, 1 shot of morphine and get the hell out of here you are not dying attitude, my bill is a whopping 2700 dollars, with the money how many presidentes I would have gotten, a year's worth? More? DAM