vkbudd
American expat in Puerto Rico
Forum posts
25
Contacts
1
About me
American
Lives in Guaynabo
Registration: 27 December 2010
Activity
Volunteering in Puerto Rico by Maximilien
Hi, While living abroad, some expats wish to get involved in the local community life. What organizations expats can turn to if they want to volunteer in Puerto Rico? How to join a charitable institution, what are the steps? Which ...
Hi Suzanne, The San Juan Community Library, which is in (or right on the border of) Guaynabo, is always looking for volunteers, young, old and in-between. The library and staff are bilingual so your teenagers could definitely help out there. (As a ... Read More
Emergency Medical Evacuation by victorlglass
I am going to Guatemala for a month of Spanish immersion this November, and then I am flying to PR for six months (I rent an apartment in Rincon year round and split my time between NJ and PR). While researching travel insurance for Guatemala it ...
I haven't had any experience with any emergency evacuation from PR, but I did run into a slight problem when trying to get emergency evac insurance for a trip to Europe. The tour company I used recommended several companies, and none of them ... Read More
English speaking gynecologist by renee88red
My daughter needs to find an English speaking gynecologist near San Juan or Bayamon. She has Triple S insurance through Blue Cross. Also, an English speaking dentist in the same area. Thanks for your help.
The Instituto Ginecologo is a practice of most, if not all, women gynecologists/obstetricians who are bilingual. (http://www.institutomujeres.com/) I have friends who especially like Dr. Zweig at this practice, and my daughter and another friend ... Read More
Catholic Church by Jbjbisme
We just moved to San Juan and I'm looking for a Catholic Church with masses in English. Can anyone help? My daughter will need to take religion classes...hopefully in English...for her First Communion this year.
There is also an English-speaking community at the San Ignacio church in Rio Piedras. Mass in English is every Sunday at 9:30. Religious Ed classes are held immediately after Mass and will start up again in late August/early September, including ... Read More
3 Weeks in Puerto Rico, this is what I have learned... by hct408
Okay, so we have been in Puerto Rico for three weeks now, and there are a number of things I have learned. These may be helpful for people who are on their way here in the future. In no particular order: 1) It is true, drivers here are ...
Hi Tyler, About your comment about the Target company here: I've heard it's true that there have been negotiations between the Target stores from the mainland and the company here, but I don't think the PR Target stole the name or sign. ... Read More
Looking to meet people for outings... by BearNVa
Hello Ex Pats... A gay married couple here, just moved to PR about a month ago... we are looking to meet open minded friends for outings. We were thinking of just actually going down the puerto rico day trips list and seeing how much of it we can ...
Register your Autoexpreso sticker before Jun 19 2015! by Gary
Registration of your Autoexpreso sticker is now obligatory and has to be done before Jan. 18 2015. [EDIT] the deadline was extended to June 19, 2015. You can do it online at www.autoexpreso.com or in person at one of the DTOP/CESCO ...
When I go on the Autoexpreso website, and click on "Mi Cuenta", there's a button at the top (about 4 from the left) that says "recarga cuenta". That brings me to a page where I can enter payment info for my account. I already ... Read More
Moving to Puerto Rico from Ireland by Siobhan_Nolan
Hi all, My husband works for a medical device company and we have just found out that he will be moving to Puerto Rico for two years. I need all the information and advice that we can get. We have a six month old baby and don't speak Spanish. I ...
Hi Siobhan, Dorado Beach East is a very nice urbanization, as we call them here (gated community/neighborhood). There are many young families, including ex-pats, who live in the area. The Jane Stern Dorado Community Library is a very active, ... Read More
Register your Autoexpreso sticker before Jun 19 2015! by Gary
Registration of your Autoexpreso sticker is now obligatory and has to be done before Jan. 18 2015. [EDIT] the deadline was extended to June 19, 2015. You can do it online at www.autoexpreso.com or in person at one of the DTOP/CESCO ...
The powers that be (DTOP) have extended this autoexpreso registration requirement deadline to June 19th. Only 120,000 of the million+ account holders have registered so far. (Jan 7 print edition of San Juan Daily Star, p.5; ... Read More
Driving Rules of Puerto Rico: A Lighthearted Look by trekrider520
Now that we're coming up on living in PR for 1 ½ years, I thought I might share some general observations about driving here (San Juan area). I grew up and learned how to drive in the NYC Metro area, so I thought I've seen my fair ...
I can agree with all the stories posted under this topic so far, having seen the same things or experienced them. Here's my theory on how the natives operate: As long as you do not make eye contact with the other drivers, you can do whatever you ... Read More
Owning Vacation Rental Advice by dafa
My husband and I are in the process of buying a house in Rincon with an apartment that we plan to use for vacation rentals. We'd appreciate any advice on the necessary steps for either the town or Commonwealth to make the apartment official, ...
I can't tell you anything about the legalities of vacation rentals, but my family frequently rents in the Rincon area. Sometimes we just use vrbo.com or another owner website like that. Other times we've gone through Island West Properties - ... Read More
seeking a coastal retirement location on the east side of the island by just limin
Wow! What a wonderful, impressive website. I dove right into reading forum threads and blogs. Thanks everyone for sharing experiences. You've opened my eyes wide to what a treasure the island of Puerto Rico is. Our story in brief ...
There is a condo complex in Luquillo called Playa Azul which is steps from the ocean. I know many retired "snowbirds" who own or rent condos there each year (from 3-7 months) and seem to love it. It has a condo/community association with ... Read More
Alaskan family of five moves to Puerto Rico. by williamusps
For pictures and more information check our blog site at *** Day One: Well, we are here, it was a really long day. We arrived at 2:00 am and rented a mini van. That was fun putting everything in it. Kids were great. We drove around all night going ...
Hi, I'm not sure from your posts if you'd be OK with your grandson getting his GED, but there is a GED administrator in Puerto Rico. (I've never had anything to do with GEDs, but I found this online.) Since it's from the US, they may ... Read More
One year in PR - my experiences by trekrider520
Hi all: This is my first post here Ive been living in Puerto Rico (San Juan metro area) for the past year. My wife is active duty military, so were 1 year into our 3-year tour here. Ive been following this site for the past year and received ...
Good description of life in the San Juan area! I agree that living here is not the same as vacationing here. tonie0750, when you are preparing for your driving test, keep in mind that some of the questions will be about the specific amount of the ... Read More
Seeking translator help. by Devsco
I have inherited a property in Aguadilla and am looking to head down there in a couple of months to work on the property to get ready to sell. I am looking for some help in navigating the process of turning on the electricity and water. They have ...
Hi Devsco, I can't help with getting you through the process, but I have an online account with AEE/PREPA (the electric company) that I see in English. Try this link: http://prepa.com/servicios_eng.asp It has a summary of what you need to do as a ... Read More