Your year 2022

Okay, I'll jump in!

2022 has been an extremely stressful year for me, but also contained some highlights!

Pros:

• We moved into our dream home in June (only 5 months late)
• We've adopted 3 dogs this year. If you had told me a year ago that I'd be completely comfortable prying open and reaching into the mouth of a 65-pound Rottweiler, I would have died laughing! Also, we adopted a cat, but the cat hates dogs and will only come inside our property in the wee hours of the night. We feed it just outside the gate, so two free-loader cats are also getting full bellies every day now!
• We've made some great friends and grown friendships made over our first two years here.
• My Spanish is improving!
• I discovered I could learn I needed to make an emergency trip to the US at 9:00 AM and be in Atlanta twelve hours later
• We survived Hurricane Fiona! We were in the direct path, and although our house took a beating, the structure proved to be quite sound.
• I've rediscovered that "small town" vibe I grew up with. The community here in LT is mostly a positive, supportive one, and someone will always try to help you out - whether you need a ride, need help finding something, or need recommendations for services.

Cons:

• Our house was not completed until this month (even though we moved in back in June!). We are pretty happy with the builder, even if he was slow to get things done!
• I had to make two emergency trips back to the US in July (a funeral) and September (my father was in the hospital). There were a few other times I would have gone to help my folks with things if I had still been in the US, but I couldn't justify the travel and had to depend on my siblings back home to handle things. Those are the times when being so far from home bothers me.
• We've been ripped off to some degree by three different people/companies. One was fairly minor (a local craftsman making stone sinks for us), but two were pretty significant with established companies owned by expats! We've found that, in general, people here don't really care about integrity or their reputations.
• Last January, we lost the dog that we brought with us from the US. We learned that there are definite limits to the veterinary care and diagnostics available here in Las Terrenas.
• While I wouldn't trade our 360° views for anything, we learned that being in the open on top of a hill means there is no windbreak! When Fiona passed right over us, she slammed us from every direction! We were fortunate to only lose one complete sliding glass door and one panel from another.

I second what DDMcGhee above says, since I am married to her.  :0)

And on a personal note....

• So I got a bit more comfortable here in 2022. The culture here still bothers me to some extent. Some things I have adapted to. Some things I have not and probably never will. I have to remind myself that to some extent the culture in the USA is a primary reason we are not there. Getting away from the intense consumerism and all the current negativity is a big plus for us.
• I finally need lower back surgery. This will be done in January but we did determine this in 2022, so it counts. I was astounded by the price tag charged here by a very good spinal surgeon. The same surgery in the US would probably be 20 times the cost, with no exaggeration.
• The stock markets everywhere sucked. Fortunately we have been out of the markets, mostly, this past year. Although It doesn't help in retirement when you are not making money on your money.
• Adopting three wonderful dogs has been a lot of work and frustrating at times, but we love them and they have a great home here. Not to mention the endless entertainment provided from these three furry goofballs!
• We lost our dog George, which was very painful for us.
• I would never again choose to build a house here. We were braced for the experience but it was still much more aggravating than we anticipated. I will not elaborate further.
  
• I do believe Las Terrenas is a safe place; however, crime did touch many of those around us in 2022. I believe that is the case in many areas of the world though.
• Fire destroyed the Pueble De Pescadores in LT. (Yeah in late 2021, but I'm still thinking about it)  ;0)
  
• Made some new friends, some others moved on.

-David

@Mickael I should be coming to Punta Cana some time this year to live out my retirement in DR, I had spent some time last year during which time I have made several evaluation and observations..one in particular is the crazy way person operates their vehicles on the road..Coming from the US I wish to state that much work is needed concerning road safety. If my services are required I would be delighted to assist the Hwy Safety Dept in DR to develop comprehensive safety training for their operators..I have several natives in DR who were originally living in NYS...open for any suggestions..

Welcome to the forums. I think every person living here will agree with you.

Sadly there seems little movement in the actual direction of road safety.

@giloconnor4044

good morning and welcome to the forums. 

While I appreciate your offer, I think you need to need to understand a few basic things about the DR and it’s people.

While I love the country and it’s peoples,

the people here walk, talk and from all accounts have relationships the same way that they drive: with reckless disregard for their or anyone else.  They’ll pass you on the wrong side at 100 mph just to pull over a hundred yards down the road.

I first noticed this on our first DR visit when we stayed at an all inclusive.  While navigating the hallways or dining rooms you had to have your head on a swivel to avoid  being mowed down by maids and waiters with carts. 

while your offer is sensible, I doubt that the powers that be are any more interested in truly improving safe driving than they are cleaning up the roadsides and waterways of plastics and trash.  It would take a cultural sea change  to make this happen.