New members of the Puerto Rico forum, introduce yourself here

Things certainly are different here when it comes to treatment of animals.  Like Gregg said in an earlier post, I've seen people try and deliberately hit dogs and cats with their vehicle.  Where we live in Bayamón, it is not uncommon for boxes of puppies to be found abandoned in a construction area across from our housing unit.

In Old San Juan, the crown jewel of Puerto Rico, the stray cats are glamorized in all sorts of tourist curios and books.  Walking down the Paseo and throughout town, there are many cats in rough shape.  However, there's a great organization called Save-a-Gato that does what they can to help out (care, spay/neuter, feeding, etc.), but there's only so much that they can do.

Since living here, we've traveled a little bit throughout the Caribbean.  It's much the same in St Thomas, St John, St Croix, St Kitts, Dominica, Antigua, and Barbados.

Like others have said, people's attitudes towards animals are different here.  After all, cockfighting is still legal here.

We try to help out in any way that we can.  We regularly donate money and supplies to different rescue organizations.

Couldn't have said it better myself. Then the people from PR move here to Orlando , leave their old dog behind to fend for itself and get a new one when they get here. It seems there are trends. Everybody has to get a certain type of dog. Once the trend fades you see all those dogs out on the street and a new popular breed has taken it's place. These are the same people who let their dogs shit all over the place and don't pick up after them. We have pet stations all over our neighborhood with bags and a refuse receptacle. We have signs all over that say "Please clean up after your pet" and in front of every sign you'll find many piles of dog crap. I have a theory. Puerto Ricans are made up of essentially 3  types of people. Taino, African and Spaniards.I would expect that the Taino may not have had any dealings with dogs. Africans, well that one is too big to digest, being a continent and not a country. Spaniards on the other hand have a reputation for being very unkind and quite frankly, brutal to animals. And that hasn't changed. I personally believe that's where the modern Puerto Rican derives their attitude toward animals. I'm not trying to be racist. I'm just analyzing the situation and it makes sense to me. But like I said, it's only a theory. I used to get laughed at and ridiculed too Gary for taking care of or showing any kindness to the dogs in my neighborhood.

Hi! My husband, 18 month old daughter and I just moved to Dorado. We are looking to meet other families.

We have specific questions like best Pediatrician locally and in SJ metro area.

Is Costco better than SAMs club here?

Thanks for starting this thread! I'm excited.

We are currently enrolled in Spanish classes.

Thanks,

Jill

Hi and welcome to the forum, JillGPeters!  I don't live there yet but hopefully, soon Maybe you would like to start a new post about your family's transition to PR life.  There are many, like myself, looking for information on anything you'd like to share.  Congrats on your move to the island!

Hi Jill and welcome to Puerto Rico and Expat-Blog!

JillGPeters wrote:

Is Costco better than SAMs club here?

Depends for which articles. I'd say that Costco is better for fresh meat and fish. They also have a bigger choice in the non-food depts. I have the impression that Sam's is cheaper though.

Can't help you with pediatricians -- our kids are grown up.

Thanks Gary!

Hi Jill,

Welcome to PR. You're in a vibrant part of the island with lots of services and a good selection of both PR and US food. As far as Costco and Sams go we prefer Sams for food shopping. Both stores carry mainly US products at elevated prices mainly due to the cost of shipping to the island. I am unable to help with pediatricians, we have no children. Our experience with health care on the Island has been dismal, hopefully you will fare better.

Skip

Thanks for your advice!

Hello everyone!

We moved to PR almost 3 months ago from Miami. Lived in Guaynabo for 2 months and finally settled in a beautiful home in Palmas Del Mar. Love it here!

The biggest thing I miss? ORGANIC FOOD! It's almost non-existent here in the form of fresh vegetables and fruit. I can find a few things at Costco and Walmart but from what I've heard (and read) organic milk is illegal to import and farmers here don't produce it. Also, fresh, local fish is really difficult to find. Most of what you see in stores is frozen and farm raised in Asia or Chile. Local seafood is exported. I'm getting to eating a lot of salt cod (bacalao)!

Btw, I agree that Costco is much better than Sam's

Welcome to PR. We are right up the road from you in Naguabo. Palmas is a great place to live and will shield you from some of the rougher sides of PR. As far as fresh organic fruits go, we grow most of ours but have a lot of luck at road side stands. Fish is a problem. Even the local fish markets only sell a frozen product. I guess If you got there when the boat came in you might be able to get fresh but we have never timed it right. Fish prices here are government controlled and very high. If you can have a garden in Palmas then you should be able to do well with produce. If not, try the local markets, many of them buy locally. We've been picking limes, guava, avocado, tomatoes, peppers, lima beans, plantain, banana, breadfruit and are waiting on pineapple, water mellon and sour sop. Here's an eating tip, the Tokyo restaurant across the street from Walmart in Humacao has the best sushi in the area. If you go in the early afternoon you can get soup and sushi for two for twenty bucks, a great deal for great food, try the black dragon!
Cheers!
Skip

Skip,

Thanks for the tip! We will definitely check out the sushi restaurant. I just bought a large planter to grow some of my own fresh herbs, and plan to plant some papaya. I don't think they use pesticides on much of the local fruits as they aren't necessary. It's  the imported stuff I'm worried about like strawberries, apples and greens for my son. I don't think there's an organic strawberry on the whole island.

He'll just have to learn to like mangos!

As for seafood, I will be trying the local boats. We don't live very far from the wharf and I'm going to keep an eye out. It's amazing to be on an island and not find any local seafood!

Welcome to the forum, livinginpuertorico~  We are not expats yet but hoping to be in the near future   We are interested in the Rincon area but it sounds like your area is very nice, too!  Just may have to hop around in different rentals, lol.

Hello all! I am happy to find this forum!  My family of 5 moved from New Jersey  to Patillas, PR a little over a year ago. My husband is originally from Brazil and felt right at home immediately.   The kids and I experienced our share of culture shock for the first 6 months,  but I'd say we've adjusted nicely!  Looking forward to getting to know all of you and sharing stories. 

Welcome!!!  Glad to see new members.  Sounds like you and your family are adjusting.  I can't wait until my hubby and I are there for more long term periods. 

So how old are your children?? Did you put them in private school or regular town school? Are they fluent in Spanish? I am just curious since we moved here with our 18 year old grandson who does not speak Spanish. We wound up putting himin tthe town school and slowly he is learning Spanish. Only because he made some friends who are bilingual and help him.
We were told by the Director of the school that there would be some concessions made for him and a couple of his teachers help but not.many and basically he is own his own.

I am fluent being Puerto Rican born and raised in NY and can read and write also, so I translate for him at times nut it is not easy
They assured me at the school that they had had some students who did not speak Spanish and they did well and went onto graduate, so I have my fingers crossed that in the end be very thing will work out

Hi all --

I have been living in Puerto Rico for the past 30 years -- so I'm not an expat in traditional sense, I guess.  By now, I'm almost a local. But I've learned alot by living here and thought I could share it with other who were new to the island.  I have a blog -- accidentalboricua.com -- or you can follow me on twitter at @accidentboricua. I find interesting all the folks on this thread that are interested in moving here -- very encouraging!

Saludos--

Welcome to the forum, accidentalboriqu!  I look forward to reading more of your blog.

Thanks!

Hello all,
I just found this forum, and I think it is very helpful and informative.
My wife and I are retired, living in South Carolina, and we are planning to move to Puerto Rico before the end of this year (2014).

I wish you the best of luck Mr Res. Do your research well. I hope you find what you are looking for.

Welcome, Mr Res, so glad you joined!  A lot of good information on this forum.

Welcome , you will learn that this site has alot of very useful info for anyone moving here. It has helped me tremendously. Where are you planning on settling or haven't you decided yet?

We are in Quebradilla, on the northwest coast and it is a very beautiful nice little town. We are retired also and enjoy the good life here.

Hope that you find happiness here.

Nice to meet you Mr. Res -- let us know when you get here!

There are some public bilingual schools on the island.    We were happily surprised to discover that our town (Patillas) actually has two of them and lucky for us there was enrollment space when we arrived, so my 3 kids were accepted.   That has helped us immensely and has allowed the children to gradually ease into Spanish.  Math, Science and English are taught in English.  Social Studies, Phys Ed and Spanish are taught in Spanish.    My husband argues that they would learn Spanish faster if we did the "language immersion" thing and sent them to an all-Spanish school,  but when making the decision, my "mom" emotions kicked in and I felt it was more important to help them transition emotionally to the new culture, friends, and school environment and that  later the language would come.   Sometimes they will rely on English when they know certain friends or teachers will understand them,  but  I see them using Spanish too on the playground.  They are learning slowly but surely, and because of the bilingual environment I am VERY pleased that they were well accepted into the school and there are a lot of kids that either came from the USA or have family there, etc. and they have never had issues with bullying, etc. or other problems that a lot of people warned me about.

That is fantastic that your children are adjusting and learning Spanish!  I wish you and your family all the best 

Howdy! I'm a New Yorker currently living in Europe but considering making the shift to PR in the next few years.

That is fantastic that the kids are adjusting well. I would've put our grandson in a bilingual school in Aguadilla which had availability but without a car and no viable school transportation it was not feasible.

Thank goodness that he is getting into the Spanish a little bit at a time. Since he is 18, it is more difficult to learn a new language(even though he has heard me speak Spanish often) I guess he was not paying too much attention. Anyway it seems that it is easier for younger children to grasp the language but he is doing okay.  He also has some help from some of his teachers. The new friends that he has made also help him and he tries to speak some Spanish. So in the long run, he has to learn one way or another.

Is Patillas a nice town? We have a friend , who is planning to come visit in Dec. and she wants to buy some land or house near there and Salinas. So we will be possibly going with her to see some places.

Anyway enjoy your life here in Puerto Rico. Is this a permanent move or temporary?  We are here to stay.

Welcome to the forum, Snoots!  Is there a particular thing about PR that is drawing you?  There is a lot of good information here to be had if you are considering a relocation move.

Howdy folks,
This is my first ever blog post so please bear with me.
While I'm not an expat, I sure feel like one finding myself back here in PR again. I lived and worked in quite a few places all over America the beautiful and sure met a lot of fine folks that were very friendly and helpful to me along the way, they treated me as a friend back in the good ole days. I thought maybe I could do the same for someone. Welcome Home all.

Welcome, Herbert!  I've been to Cabo Rojo a few times and it is lovely at the lighthouse/beach area.  What ever you would like to share about your experiences there and transitioning back would be greatly appreciated!  Bless~

Thank you so much, I happen to love the old lighthouse and used to go hiking there all the time, I hear it's been remodeled and turned into a "museum" but if you like nature there's a lot more to see on the west coast and in Cabo Rojo.  I've been to many gorgeous places and even lived in them as a Park Ranger and Cabo Rojo has a few places right there, along with anything in Hawaii or any other place but here the locals insist on flinging trash out the window still in 2014. What a shame. If they only knew...

I like SAMs club better but having recently discovered Amazon I'd suggest you' check them out, much better deal if you're on a tight budget like myself and can't walk for long distances either😉

I apologize, was trying to respond to another thread, wound up here, whoa

Yes, it is a shame about the trash   I'm glad you are aboard and contributing!

I'm pleasantly surprised at how much you know about my little Island, thanks for loving it. Could I get get you guys to please bring me a couple Italian beefs when you fly down? Or how about something from Charcoal Delights on w Foster st. in Downtown? Yum! How do I remember you ask? Cause I kept a cup and the beefiest memories...always wondered, are those cubanelle peppers on top of the Italian beefs? Again, yum!

Hello,
My husband and I are originally from Chicago, IL. Recently we moved to Puerto Rico near Fajardo. We love Puerto Rico and hope to make it our life long home. Does anyone have any tips or advice on anything? 😀

Hi,

We live just south of you outside Naguabo. You've picked a very nice part of the Island. There are so many things that come into play when you live here. I would go over the x-pat site and just read. If you do not have to work to suport yourselves you will be much better off. Pay attention to the locals, they have figured out how to live here on almost nothing. If you're working outside, do it around the sun's schedule and avoid the heat of the day. I've never had heat stroke in my life but I get it in PR. Went and bought me a big floppy wide brimmed hat that I wear when I go out. Invest in a hand held sprayer and use a good insect spray that kills mosquitoes. I use Permethrin 36% available from Amazon and mailed direct to PR. Permethrin gets the mosquitoes, tarantulas, beetles and just about everything else. We have some very serious mosquito borne illnesses here. I happen to hate spiders and kill 7 to 10 tarantulas a week along with huntsman spiders. Both of these are venomous but not deadly. Keep your screens in good order and make sure your generator is full of gasoline and in good working order. If you don't have one, get a pressure washer, you'll need one, we use ours every week. Sams sells both generators and pressure washers. Their Blackmax brand use honda engines and are a good mid range choice. Make sure your water supply is good. Learn how to fix and repair everything. Anyone you hire will most likely be expensive and inept. I really can't stress the water issue enough. We are on a 100 family well and have a constant flow, many do not. Feel free to use me as a reference source if you need anything. Have fun!

Welcome to the board, ChangelsGood!  We are from the Rockford area, almost neighbors.  We are expats yet but hopefully, soon  

Alot of good advice, Dolt!

Hello All,

I am considering purchasing land and living in Cayey.  I am wanting to raise my children in a different way from shopping mall Arizona.  I actually work from home and make $40K/year.  Does anyone know much about the area of Cayey.  The land I am looking at is in Barrio Toita.  I am also looking at property in Lajas and Mayaguez; however, the land I found in Cayey is very inexpensive (unless the post is wrong.  I am researching this).

Also - I speak a little Spanish, but my children do not.  They are ages 12 and 10.  Can anyone tell me about schooling in Cayey....or just anything!  Luckily, I won't have to go anywhere to work, but for the children, I will need to commute some as well.

Thanks!

Liz

Hello Liz and welcome! We have been to Cayey briefly. As far as schools, I'm not sure if they even HAVE and English-speaking private school there. It will probably be a big culture shock for your kids if they don't speak Spanish fluently. It's very different than Arizona, in every way

I would suggest a visit as some areas in PR can be very scary to newcomers. Hopefully there are some people here who live in Cayey or nearby who can give you more advice. Good luck!

Thank you! We will definitely keep this in mind yes...we need different than Arizona, but I don't want to overwhelm them either.  My boyfriend is from Mayaguez, but we are trying to look at land all over, to get options.  And, I want the best experience for the kids.