A DAY IN THE LIFE

Question: Anybody knows how long you can stay in Dominica on Tourist Visa. One month 5-6 mounts?  Su

30 days

Planner.....CONGRATS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sounds like a great opportunity for you.  Can't wait to hear more.  La Romana is so much nicer than SD in my humble opinion.

Bob K

I am very excited about it Bob, thanks!!!

wow.. Planner.. what a wonderful news ! Congratulation on your new job.. I think your are the queen of adaptability  !!Good thing you started packing days ago , it will make it much easier for Friday !
I wish you the very  best in your new adventure !!

Lucky Lady, Planner! On the job
as well as getting out of your lease!
Congrats! I hope they have dance clubs
for you in La Romana!

Thanks guys. AND yes they have lots of clubs for me to dance in............. In fact, one block in front of my house is a restaurant / pool /  weekend dance club..........got to LOVE THAT.............

Funny how it all just comes together..........

So last Friday I made the big move.  Some things went very right and some things.....well not so much....LOL BUT it all worked out fine. I had electricity so we were a HUGE step ahead of last time.

I have a large 3 bedroom apartment  4 minutes walk from the Caribbean Sea.  Its a fairly quiet area in the south west side of La Romana. Get this - I pay  8,000 RD a month, in todays dollars that is US 183.  I can handle that. 

lots and lots to do,  installed the air conditioner, the inverter and batters,  2 ceiling fans........... put my clothes in the closet only to have the rail collaps........ yup they forgot to attach the damn thing..........I laughed. i was too tired to do anything else but laugh.

Some curtains up, need to buy some new ones this week.  Kitchen is damn ugly but I can paint that.......and hide it....LOL

The rest I love. My home office is on a corner with windows facing east and north.  Nice breeze.  Main bedroom faces north so nice and cool and quiet.

I am partly settled just waiting for my cable TV to be installed. Today.....please my show is on tonight....

Work - waiting on corporate documents so we can rent the office space!!! Its the next thing on my list for tomorrow along with 400 other things...........

Wonderful Planner!
I can read all your excitement between the lines!
I'm very happy for you!
Can you tell us any more about your new career yet!
Tom.

Thanks for the update Planner ! I am astonished about the rent ! Good for you ! More $$ at the end of the month for outings and shopping ! you installed your ceiling fan yourself? if this is the case, kudos to you ! That's what I call an independent woman !

I cannot say much yet guys, sorry but as soon as I can.............

no I don't install ceiling fans. First I am vertically challenged,  need a big big ladder.  And it is just too inexpensive to get someone else to do all this! 

And there is an art to making that fan not make noise.....LOL

Good luck.  As Pat and I say all the time ...."the adventure continues"

Bob k

This week has been good so far.  Got my cable installed - using Wind here as they are the only ones in my area (relatively new) that have the American channels I need and want!!!  That got done.

Having a few issues with internet.  As I am on the bottom floor Wind will not install internet as they are pretty sure the service will suck. WELL I love the honesty. SO the owner of the company I work for has an apartment on the 3rd floor and has Wind internet. SO tomorrow i will buy CAT 5 cable and we will run a line from his to ME.  Problem solved. And he is not here 75% of the time so makes it easy. Yay. And cheaper.....gotta love that.

Today i drove to our offsite location where most of the "real" work will happen. Its about  an hour and 15 minutes away, beautiful country!!! WOW.  I was reminded again how stunning it is here. Did some business, checked  cell phone signals.......yup only one option Claro / Codetel up there. Damn, I just hate that company. Oh well.

So tomorrow I sign the office lease.... great deal i will share with you all when done.   then electricity for 2 locations, internet, land lines, furniture etc etc etc.  How fun is this???

Tomorrow I am off to the capital (Santo Domingo) to buy laptops and do a bunch of other things!  I have a list of about 12 stops and a longer list of things to buy. Such fun.

Wow! Your mystery new job (career?) has a lot of us
guessing, I would imagine. I am pretty sure you don't drive here
so it's a chore getting around. So far you sound very excited.
Again, good luck & I'm guessing it'a an agricultural thing?
Maybe a tourist related thing?
We'll wait & see!
Tom.

LOL  this is now a game.... I love it. As soon as I can I will let everyone know.  AND yes i do drive here. At the moment I don't own a vehicle as living in the capital I did not need one. SO I hire a driver and vehicle on a daily rate plus gas for days like today.

Soon we will be buying the "gerente" vehicles.  Yup I get a vehicle to drive around........ woooo hoooooo. Look out  Republica Dominicana.............

You rock! Love your adventurous spirit!

happy for you. does this mean you will have a 2 1/2 hour commute every day?   that sounds like a bummer to me.  especially  if you have to work late some nights.  if by bus, the schedules might add more time to the trip.  you sound so excited about ths opportunity that I'm happy for you.  being an intelligent, aggressive  organized woman, you will solve the obsticels  (sp)  quickly.   I'm sure all of us hope that your new career  won't curtail your involvement  with your posting here.   it would be like being de-masted in a squall. carry on captain, carry on.

Thanks!!! No commute for me, most of my work is in the office which will be 5 minutes from my apartment by car.

The Caribbean Sea is 4 minutes walk from  my apartment. Love this new life!!!

And I will continue to post here, no worries, I enjoy this too much!

now I'm content.  "taak",  (thanks)  I misunderstood when you said most of the work was 1 1/4 hours away.  sorry, stay well & happy.

Wow sounds like a huge change.  Change is a good thing. I wish you the best.

Bob K

Yes change is a good thing, or it can be, depending on our reaction to it.  For me it is welcome. I am waking up daily between 3:30 and 5:30 in the morning ready to conquer the world....LOL  By 8 pm  I am whupped but that is a good kinda tired. 

Really I need to go have a couple of drinks then dance until I drop!!!!   I just need to find some new  partners in crime here in La Romana......LOL

I am learning all kinds of new things in this position and will share my experiences along the way!

I wish you the best too and congratulations Planner, that’s a dream come true!  Will you need a bookkeeper with 16yrs experience and an intense dislike of Canadian winters? Haha...I had to ask!

Hahahaahahaha.....that was good.  And thanks!

Wonderful news ! Congratulations !

Gypsy you were looking for Tomas, well he is here on this post

Congrats planner, and how different is La Romana as compared to the Capital??? Will you have to drive back to the capital for your shopping needs? Fill us in when you are settled.

Really different here.  First the capital has well over 4 million people, lots of congestion etc.  La Romana somewhere around 300,000 people more or less. Its big enough to have pretty much everything but not overwhelming.  Everything is pretty close.

I will go to the capital often because of my new job so yes I will shop there when needed!!!

So far, after a whole week here....all is good!!!!

We arrive on January 1st for our 2 month stay. Would any stores in Luperon open on the holiday

thanks, made contact & are pm ing.

Planner it is like moving back to Puerto Plata but on an upscale situation.

Bob K

Amesei not sure but a good chance not. However on the way from the airport stop in la Sirena in Puerto Plata for enough supplies to get you started.

Bob K

Yes Bob, La Romana is much better organized then Puerto Plata, bigger as well.  So far I like it!!!! LOL but its only been 8 days....

Stores will be open until 1pm on New Years day, Bob is right stop in La Sirena, if anyone stays open later it will be them. Get what you need for a few days and then continue to Luperon.

Thanks Bob for the info

You are welcome and have a great trip

Bob K

Thanks planner...we are a little worried about food on the first day since they stopped feeding us n the flight

Restaurants will all be open and colmados as well...lol

Boy did we get rain overnight. My estimate is that we have had 8 inches rain overnight with lots of street flooding as well as our garage  

Still raining this morning but starting to slack off... What drought?????

Bob K

we had rain, thunder and lightening yesterday afternoon.  Some street flooding here too but not near me. And no issues at my house, although I was watching closely.....

No more drought is right Bob..........

Another update for  you all....... I found a fabulous handyman here in la Romana, excellent guy, can do almost anything and ACTUALLY do it well.   We have built some Ikea furniture, installed mirrored bathroom medicine cabinets,  installed a nice big electric hot water tank ( a gringo was selling it at an excellent price)  We have fixed,  organized,  changed locks,  new curtain rods etc etc.   What a great guy - comes with his own assistant too.

So most everything is almost done.

Today I sign the lease for the new office space - first place fell through - second one is a bit less expensive but quite stunning!   Now the real work starts - getting a flota of cell phones set up, electrical contract (yikes) landlines, internet etc etc.  Then  air conditioners,  furniture,  installing everything........... yup such fun.

Sooooon I will tell you all what is going on.  So far I quite like La Romana, making new friends but a bit too busy to do much of anything........but soon.