Introduce yourself HERE!

Hello!! While I'm trying to get through some of these forum posts, I thought I'd introduce myself.
My name is Jill, I'm a redhead AND a Texan. I know, I know... sounds like pure trouble, right?
I assure you, I'm pretty harmless, only armed with a wicked sense of humor. :-)
My husband is Belgian and we are working on getting his (dual) US Citizenship.
As soon as that.....pain of a process is done, we plan to head to the DR.
We want to relocate our business ...and ourselves, within two years.
You know, the typical Gringo dream..growing our own veggies/fruit and just slowing things down a bit.

I've read as many books on the DR as I could find but, of course, nothing can 100% prepare you for moving to another country other than....actually doing it. I experienced that when I moved to a small village in Belgium for two years with my hubby. No Wal-Marts, no Burger Kings, everything closes at 8PM,  kissing strangers on the cheeks, language barrier .....total culture shock!  But, it was good. I didn't understand the customs at first and was repelled by some but, if you get to know the people and the reason for things, you adapt.  You have to be open though and not afraid to have your beliefs challenged. 
Even so, I'm trying to arm myself with as much information as possible about moving to the DR. We're both taking Spanish and doing as much research as we can.
From what I've read, the biggest ....adjustments....will be the electricity and water.  Seems like a good back up generator, solar panels, and a big water cistern can fix those, right?  I hope you guys do not mind that I have TONS of questions!!  I'll try to find the right place on the site to post them. 

Looking forward to getting to know the members here!!

Jill welcome to the forum. You will find lots of folks here with information for you.

Moving here is a BIG no make that a HUGE step and not for everyone.  Before making the move do come down and explore the country for a month or two.  It is a big country with lots of different areas to consider.  Most folks "fall in love" with the DR after coming on a vacation and staying at one of the magnificent resorts.  Life is much different here and not for everyone.  There is lots more to adjust to than the lack of reliable electricity and water.  There is the totally different culture, lack of laws that are followed,  huge problem with corruption,  crime in certain areas, work ethic, and on and on.  You need to read, talk to those of us who have made the move, and visit before you relocate. 

Also working here is hard to do and wages are very low.  AVerage wage for a Dominican is $200-400 a MONTH!  You will also need your residency (Green card) to live here legally and your Cedula (National ID card) to work here legally.  This can be an expensive and lengthy process and needs to be started in your home country and the DR consulate or embassy where you are currently a resident.

My wife and I "retired" here on the north coast between Sosua and Cabarete 8 years ago.  it was an adjustment for sure but we have not looked back for a second.

So again welcome and ask away!

Bob K

Welcome Jill,  sounds like you will be better prepared then average as you have done it once already!   Bob is right, come down and visit. Spend time to make sure this works for you; AND make sure you have offshore work or specific skills in order to get a job here!

yes electricity is a major issue. BUT water is pretty much handled - cisternas and tinacos fill the bill quite nicely!! And a water pump of course....LOL

Welcome!
If you are really into fruits & veggies, they grow
best above 2000', I believe.
But by all means, come & spend 2-6 weeks here
& keep asking questions!
Good luck!

Thank you for the warm welcomes!! I'm happy to meet you all and appreciate the info. Trying to soak up as much as possible!

We'll be there for a month in fall, renting in the Northern area.  It will be our first "test" run. I have a gut feeling that I'm going to be one of those people who falls in love with the DR. I'm a D-I-Y kind of girl and the DR sounds like a D-I-Y country!  lol 

We run our own biz from home, just me and the hubby. As long as we have internet, we can work from
anywhere. Why not do it with a great view, cheaper living, a little tax relief, and banana trees?! 
I'm hearing the warnings (and appreciate them) and have read about some of them in Ilana and Ginnie's books. (They give a very good, non romanticized version of living in the DR. )
No rose colored glasses here, just an enthusiastic "can-do" attitude!
Thank you all for volunteering your experiences and advice. You could be doing a million other things but, instead find time to help others.  ^five!

Jill you are welcome.  Please feel free to ask away and keep us posted on your progress

Bob K

Hi - just a note to Jill - have you read the memoir "What About Your Saucepans?" by another expat, Lindsay de Feliz?
She has a blog:  http://yoursaucepans.blogspot.com/  you might enjoy.  I grew up in the DR and spent almost 20 years there, but it was several decades ago and things were a lot different, so my experience is probably not as relevant as hers is, since she still lives there.

Hello Rita!! Nice to meet you!
You're a peach! I ordered it (and about 5 others) from Amazon and just realized that is one that I haven't received yet.
Most shipped separately and I need to check the status of that one!  Thank you so much!!

Oh my gosh.  How to start.  Feb 2010, stop the world..., frequent flier miles, 17 days off, Puerto Plata.  Rented a room in Los Rios area, working class neighborhood guy from Maryland and Dom esposa rented out a room.  Fell in love.  With the DR and a specific Latina.  Left w/ no contact info after 5 adults crying at the lunch table last day.  Now married 3+ years.  (Not female sanky situation, she ran opposite direction w/o asking for anything, made no effort to contact me again.)  Nevertheless w/o details probably not going to work.  2nd marriage, 1st was... a long time to a PACU nurse.  Went to the symphony last Sat and talked to the OB/GYN she broke of doing ring tubals right after he came to our town.  She convinced him he was wrong, they did hurt, and he's been cauterizing ever since.  I got to explain to him the Prokofiev music of the evening was from a ballet (Romeo and Juliet).  He's more of a Pink Floyd kinda guy.

But, I am thinking of a bus in Punta Cana aimed mainly at Americans.  I'm entrepreneurial, owned a couple small bus (small), but have a good grasp on a wide group of skills.  Working class guy, currently own a 4-plex, live in one and manage other 3.  Kinda just wanted to say hi for know, and note how kind Bob and Planner are to share advice.  Indeed Bob, what a waste when you are right there and the RD stops you from cutting a swath of help through Dominicanas on the north coast in desperate need of medical advice and help.  Planner, you obviously are kind and helpful over and over in this forum.

Puerto Plata by taxi all around, Ocean World show twice, Costumbar, Sosua, weekend at Ed's mother-in-law's in Maizal (little town in Cibao Valley), 2 times week at Bayahibe resort, Santo Domingo (El Conde, Zona Colonial, wife's 1st 3D movie-training a dragon in Espanol?, saw a pix of LBJ & Lady Bird from 1961 on a hallway wall in the Ambassador Hotel, etc.), and my wife's home town of Tamayo twice.  Only gringo on the guaguas back and forth Bayahibe to La Romana.  (I think everyone in the US immigration debate should have to go through the cattle call at the US consulate in Santo Domingo 3 or 4 times like I did just for an education.)  The Dom Rep is absolutely gorgeous, corrupt, is full of people you fall in love with (and I mean Dominicans), and is dangerous all at the same time.  I was at a breathtaking waterfall in Yosemite 2 weeks ago and read the VA hospital scandal headlines today.  Nobody's perfect.  C'est la vie, n'est pa?

Like the few who are of the stripe, I'm sure I could live there and be happy, just how to scratch out a living in a "middle-class" Latin American country?  Got what could be a good idea, but enough for now.

It's Karl in the US after my German great uncle.  (The family secret though is the maternal grandparents were Jesus and Carmen.  Es posible tener gusto latinos estaba en mi sangre desde el principio.)

Carlos/Karl  welcome to the forum.  That is quite a story (a bit hard to follow at times).  It sounds like you have adapted quite well to the DR when you are here.  How much  time a year do you spend here?
Am I correct you are married to a Dominican  girl here?
Anyway welcome and we look forward to your contributions to the forum

Bob K

Hey There All:  I am DallasT.  I currently live in Louisville Ky.  My Dominican wife lives in Santo Domingo.  We are looking for a place to live together.  A friend recommended that we check out Puerto Plata. I will be there 5-28 through 6-3-14.   We have a daughter 15 and a son 5 1/2.  Any information about living there would be most helpful. 
Peace and Hugs, DallasT

Dallas welcome to the forum. My wife and I moved to the PP area 8 years ago. Actually a bit east of PP to the Sosua/Cabarete area.  Still in the Puerto Plata province and actually the POP airport is in Sosua.

There is a large expat community here as well as lots of expats married to Dominican women. We love living in the area.  Please feel free to ask any questions you may have.

Again welcome

Bob K

Hey Bob K:   One of my main concerns is good internet service.  My business in an internet business and need a good strong signal.  Is this possible?  Thanks, Dallas

Yes internet is very easy here in most places.  We have a high speed system and have no real complaints.  Many folks here work remotely using the internet.

Bob K

Hello Folks
I just stumbled upon this great forum by pure luck - there is so much valuable information here.
After years on the road i have decided to retire myself by the end of 2014 and I'm now looking for a place to retire. Thailand was at the top of my list but the political situation is too unstable at the moment so I have started to look for alternatives. I have only been to the DR two times before but really liked it. So my new plan is to check out the DR for a few months and then decide if it is for me.

Jan

Welcome to the forum. Glad you like it both the forums and the DR. Read read read and ask questions, we are here to help.

Jan welcome to the forum.  Lots of good information here you just have to ask.  You are going about it the right way in planning to spend a few months here checking the country out.  It is not for everyone but if it is right for you it is a great place.
We "retired" here to the north coast (Sosua/Cabarete area) 8 years ago and have not looked back for a second.
Again welcome

Bob K

Awesome Bob!  Thank you for the reply.  The internet is the most important thing i need in order to even consider m y move as I have an internet business.   I will be there the 29th through the 2nd.  Staying at Hotel Barcelo.  Would you be interested in having a coffee?  Would love to meet you and start some friendships there.   Are you married?   If so, is she Dominican?  Just curious.   Dallas thomas
(number removed)

Dallas,
First off remove your phone number from the forum. You NEVER want to post you phone number of email on a public forum.
Second if you are coming out to the Sosua area let me know and we can meet for coffee, I rarely go into the Puerto plata area.
Yes married for almost 20 years to a terrific Gringa.  She actually was the "girl next door"

Bob K

I've asked the moderator to remove the phone number boys....LOL

Thanks

Bob K

Sorry Ya'll .didn't know the drill.  Now I doOoops.Dallas

No problem it is for your protection

Bob K

Hello I just retired and my wife is Dominican so we decided that it would be good to retire here. I did research and wish I had done the residency thing earlier when you could get residency in DR. Just a little extra work but done. Have followed this blog as a visitor as was unsure if we were going to make the move and did get some good advice so thanks to all.  We decided that the north coast was for us, the Cabrera/Rio San Juan area. Did not like capital at all. Traffic is horrible. Bavaro/Punta Cana was nice but looked a lot like Fla to me.  Cabrera/Rip San Juan area is quite and just a short drive to Cabrete. I would like to keep my Dish satellite service if anyone knows the name and number of an installer in that area. I already have a U S address to use for billing. Hoping I will be able to add my experiences to the site.

Welcome to the forums, thanks for your nice comments. Glad you like it here and found the place that works for you!!!!

Bob is the guy who may know an installer! He will be here later I am sure!

Welcome to the forum.  We have DISH but had to sign up for a new contract through a Florida company.  Our old Colorado contract was no good here.
I am not sure if he goes that far out (based in Sosua) but try contacting Sosua Satellite at Sosuasatellite@hotmail .com

BObK

Thanks Bob. I will contact them, i hope they will travel here and I do not have to change contracts, but that is just a small thing to overcome compared to some of the things here.

Let me know how it works out

Bob K

Hola todos,

I'm Steph, and will be relocating from South Carolina to Santo Domingo in two weeks. I have a BA in Spanish but was never able to study abroad so this is my living abroad experience. I've been thinking and researching about moving there for almost two years now so I am extremely excited. I am hoping to make some acquaintances as I embark on this new adventure in my life. My job, residency and living situation has been taken care of, so now is the fun part, meeting new people lol. Have a great day!!

Welcome to the forums! You must be excited. I am in Santo Domingo and happy to help you meet some people, get to know SD.....

Welcome to the forum.  It sounds like you have it all planned out.  Planner is a great resource for you in Santo Domingo.

If you ever venture out to the north coast, and I hope you do explore this part of the country some, let me know as we have lived here for the last 8 years. 

Again welcome

Bob K

Thank you! I will take you up on that as soon as I get settled. And I plan on venturing out to see all of the country so when I come to the northern part I will let you know as well. Thanks for being so friendly and welcoming

You are welcome and enjoy the adventure!

Bob K

Alguien de Jarabacoa, Contanza , o en las cercanias de las montanas.Esos sitios estan en mia planes de retiro Gracias

xochiti

This is an "English speaking" forum. Could please post in English.

Thanks.

Bob K

Bob you got it....LOL

Not sure this really belongs here???

Bob K

Me either  Bob,  I will ask a moderator.  But good info either way.

Thanks

Bob K

Siempre!!!