- Thread starter young seniors
- Start date
Why Expats leaving Dominican Republic??
I've had a few weeks of not liking it so much, I am sure I will get back to loving it again!
I have spent the week away at a hotel to try to recharge my batteries. I have to do this every other week as this place drains me so much. I have been speaking to others in the hotel who are asking me why this place is not so as attractive as they once remembered it 15 years ago. I have to tell them the truth, the generational step litterally has changed the culture of this country. It is not what it was and nor will it ever be as the generation of respectful, considerate, caring natives has been overthrown and lost in the toilet of intollerable, uncaring, inconsiderate, lying, robbing, hardcore haters and wannabe somethings and professional freeloaders that is of this new generation. I built a life here, I would not do so again. I wouldn?t recommend people visit, I don?t even recommend family come to visit me because I am embarrassed of what surrounds me and how on earth I manage to live amongst it all. I am seasoned, I adjusted, I have become bombproof, I myself have changed for the worse because of my surroundings.
I genuinely feel for those who bought here over recent years, have become seasoned and now know the truth and can see this country under its skin, and know they wish they had not followed their hearts, and instead followed what they were reading here, right infront of them from those of us who have changed, changed to accommodate the sh1t we live in.
It aint bad, but I know my time and money could be spent elsewhere in a much more rich and enjoyable lifestyle. Why should I need to take a vacation every other week from the vacation lifestyle I moved here for so I would not need to evacuate reality so often. It?s not bad, we all know that, but it sure as hell aint good, far from good.
I genuinely feel for those who bought here over recent years, have become seasoned and now know the truth and can see this country under its skin, and know they wish they had not followed their hearts, and instead followed what they were reading here, right infront of them from those of us who have changed, changed to accommodate the sh1t we live in.
It aint bad, but I know my time and money could be spent elsewhere in a much more rich and enjoyable lifestyle. Why should I need to take a vacation every other week from the vacation lifestyle I moved here for so I would not need to evacuate reality so often. It?s not bad, we all know that, but it sure as hell aint good, far from good.
You moved to a country that has an unemployment rate above 20% , then topped it off by moving to an area with high sex trade business and all the associated parasitic people that get attracted to that lifestyle choice and you complain about those desperately poor people trying to scratch and hustle for a little from apparently rich gringos. I know there are some on this board that swear lying and stealing is part of Dominican DNA but it isn't so.
There must be some attraction other than the weather. Having said all that there are some locations in Mexico that I would gladly live in.
The areas I hang out mostly don't have putas everywhere, don't know that I could handle that all the time! (We live 30 min from Sosua)
Yes I am privileged white person who is complaining about very poor people trying to be able to feed their kids by any means possible and I know I sound like an assh8le but i can only take so much of people ripping us off or trying to pull one over of us bc of our skin color. I just needed to vent.
I am now off to CMC where they will try and guess again at what is wrong with my wife!
Living in DR is not that bad if you have a stable source of income outside the DR. Dominicans steal from you only if you let them do that... I know expats who have their phones/ipads/money/etc. stolen on weekly (if not daily) basis. I had a mirror glass stolen from my truck once. Only one case for 8.5 years here. I had a few traffic accidents, one serious, no problems at all. Usually I just leave the scene right after the accident, can I do it in any other country? I never paid any money to police, they stop me sometimes, but I know how to talk to them. You can't live by the book in DR, but you can live the "master of disaster" and "not giving a f#ck" style of life.
Harley, even though this might not mean a hill of beans, i think you have done admirably to adjust to your situation, and you are entitled to episodic exasperation. if anyone can get back on the horse, my bet is that you are that person.
have a safe and pleasant weekend.
Heading to Third Avenue 149th today for some pal bonding. Johnny Walker ready!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Draining..... that's a good word. The fantasy of living on a Caribbean island, and the realities of that life, can be sobering.
We're both SO ready to go home to NJ next week, after only 4 months, for exactly your reasons. Part of me wonders if we lived somewhere else on the island if we'd feel the same, and I'm afraid I know the answer.
I find that the expats who live in Sosua to be more hardened and some of that are just bitter comparing to the expats living in other regions. I stay in Sosua as my Forwards Base of Operations but the true beauty is when you move around the island.
Hope your better half is feeling better! She didn't look good at all in the pic.
I have been to Brazil, Argentina, Costa Rica, Panama and Colombia. There are good things and bad things about each. Direct flights to any place would be nice.
Panama- I do not like Panama City that much. Maybe if I knew more people there or learned more about the city I would like it more. Great thing about Panama City is that you can fly easily to anywhere in North or South America. Boquete is a nice place closer to Costa Rica. Panama has some advantages. They are on the dollar, no property taxes for 20 years if you buy a place, discounts for retired people. Besides Panama City pretty laid back to drive around. Panama is probably the best places in Latin America to import stuff. No hefty taxes. Most people in Boquete do not have heat or AC so your electric bill would be cheap. Boquete is nice but not a lot of activity.
Colombia- Medellin might be the best places to live there. Bogota is nice but really crowded and bad traffic. Cali is a fun city. Caratagena is nice but I am not sure about living there but a great place to visit. Unless they have gone down car rentals are very expensive there. I drove all of Colombia. It has some nice country side and I never had any problems.
Costa Rica- I don't like San Jose too much. There are a lot of nice beach areas and mountain areas. You can easily drive to Panama or Nicaragua. Actually with Nicaragua you switch cars at the border but can use the same company. Lots of people have retired and also visit Costa Rica.
Brazil- I have been to Rio a lot and like it. It is a farther trip then most of the other places and can be more expensive to travel. I also think Rio has gotten a lot more expensive.
Argentina- Buenos Aires is nice. I don't think the people of Argentina are as friendly as Colombia or Brazil. I did not see much else in Argentina.
Dominican Republic-
There is a lot I like and don't like about DR. I would suggest renting before buying. It would give you more time to figure out where you want to live. I like that you can drive to many different places and beaches. I am in Puerto Plata when I am here. I can easily go to Cofresi, Playa dorado, Sosua, Cabarete, etc. It isn't too expensive to rent a car here. You can find nice vacation rentals here. The weather here is great.
A lot would depends on your activities now or what you want to do later. Surfing, Kite Surfing, Stand Up Paddle, Fishing, Golfing, off road (dirt bikes, atv, 4x4) , street motorcycles, bicycling, mountain bikes,etc.
There electricity and gas is expensive. People do drive pretty crazy. Sometimes you can't stop guys washing your car windows with dirty water. Customer service isn't always the best. If certain things really bother you then DR might not be the place for you. If you can live with the bad stuff and enjoy the good stuff it should work out. A lot of things there is the real price and the gringo price.
Each place is pretty different in DR. Depends a lot where you live and what you want to do with your time. Cabarete is a lot different from Sosua and Puerto Plata.
ahh, 149 and 3RD. if you hang out late enough, you can waltz over to the Rincoena. is it still there?
Actually right now that encouragement helps a lot, I feel like a bit of a disaster here at the moment so thank you very much
Actually right now that encouragement helps a lot, I feel like a bit of a disaster here at the moment so thank you very much
i wish you well, and my hopes are for a speedy correction of your wife's ailment. hang in there; i have faith in you.
There is good and bad in everything. And it doesn't matter if you are in Sosua, the campo, Santo Domingo, New York City, Siberia, or down under. Ultimately, we all call the shots in our life. If you want to be happy and are not, then do something for yourself to change your circumstances. That can be as simple as looking at the glass as half full, rather than half empty. It can mean changing jobs or getting a divorce. It can be altering your lifestyle. Making amends with friends. Or moving.
The choice is up to you.
The choice is up to you.
It is true that some people are always not happy while others are happy. But deciding to retire or spend a lot of time in another country you need to decide what bothers you and what doesn't. Do the pros outweigh the cons? I would think most people come to the DR for better weather, laid back lifestyle and cheaper living.
DR is kind of lawless. If that is something that bothers a person then it might not be for them. You have to be an easy going and open minded person. I had a friend that lived here and the way people drove really drove him crazy. He just decided to drive as aggressive or more aggressive then the locals. The windshield washer in Puerto Plata also really drove him crazy. My dominican friend who lives in Santiago doesn't let any of that bother him at all. To be happy you just have to accept it and not let it bother you. It was night and day between these two guys who are good friends.
I missed this threat the first time around. Getting a chance to read it a few years later (and adding in the context of the last two years) is really interesting.
There are very few options offering a tropical island experience at this price point within a two hour flight of the continental US. Although the DR is no longer the ultra bargain it once was, try replicating your experience with the same budget in Grand Cayman or on Maui.
DR is one of the few caribbean spots where people on a pensioner-level income (between 1.5-2.5k USD/month) can enjoy a reasonable quality of life. Yes, there are shady folks in the spots heavily frequented by tourists, but what else is new? I mean, if you spend all your time around strip clubs and sports books in Vegas, what sorts of folks would you expect to encounter?
I really do love DR, but I don't get all bent out of shape when it fails to live up to my expectations. Instead, I accept it for what it is (and isn't), and focus on being happy.
There are very few options offering a tropical island experience at this price point within a two hour flight of the continental US. Although the DR is no longer the ultra bargain it once was, try replicating your experience with the same budget in Grand Cayman or on Maui.
DR is one of the few caribbean spots where people on a pensioner-level income (between 1.5-2.5k USD/month) can enjoy a reasonable quality of life. Yes, there are shady folks in the spots heavily frequented by tourists, but what else is new? I mean, if you spend all your time around strip clubs and sports books in Vegas, what sorts of folks would you expect to encounter?
I really do love DR, but I don't get all bent out of shape when it fails to live up to my expectations. Instead, I accept it for what it is (and isn't), and focus on being happy.