how can i get the hell out of here!!

Why did you come here in the first place?

If you are a Dominican then get your visa and get out.

Bob K

All that may ver we'll be true, but ur main problem could be your mom.  And if it only a teacher, no way u can afford the way overpriced 'cueros' and 'chapeadoras' here.

Sounds like you need to appeal to friends and family to help you get "home" wherever that is.

I am sorry  that you are not enjoying this experience, but we always say it is not for everyone.  Good luck to you.

First, move away from your mother, second  from Puerto Plata...you may find there's a whole great world waiting for you out there! Enjoy it, the Dominican republic is no worse than any other place, it depends what you are looking for and knowing where to find it on the island.

Good advice..my Husband and I lived with my Mom a few times when building homes and I LOVE my Mom but she drove me nuts! Just this morning I went to the DMV because I needed to get my Mississippi drivers lic (because we have been living here since October) I got there at 8am and was fist in line and didn't leave until 2.5 hrs later because the camera was broke (I swear I didn't break it) 😖 and 3 guys working couldn't fix it... So there are frustrating things that happen here too on a daily basis that you need to be patient with, and the summers here are unbarable with NO breeze! Mississippi is helping prepare me for DR 😎

thanx dear iknow, im used to london which is a huge city and i would probably enjoy living in santo domingo and away from my mum...ive been waiting for this cedula for 4 months now im so fed up, i spoke to some call centres and they told i could work there once i get this cedula..anyway if anyone is interested in a massage table im selling it for 7000 pesos brand new as im not gonna be a massage therapist in this country ..not worthy at all

i kind of went through a period where i felt the way you do about this country.  but now my brain has adjusted somewhat and the things you mention just don't bother me as much as they once did.  also, the reason i came here in the first place (from the united states) is that my own country was making me ill in so many ways.  i think, in the end, it's a matter of whether there is anything about living here that you enjoy and whether that enjoyment is enough to outweigh any disadvantages.

Hi ellieengle,

The question hanging in the air that begs to be asked is... Exactly how do you plan on getting along on your own if you manage to get back to London?

From the fact that you moved to the Dominican Republic with your mother in the first place sounds like you have lived with her all along, or at the very least have been tied to her and not really used to being out on your own anyway. If that's the case it's going to be a lot less costly, and less risky too if you try striking out on your own somewhere in the DR, rather than going back to London with all the expense that's going to involve.

If you've never really lived on your own in the past you're not going to find it easy either way, but back in London you're not going to have mom to fall back on if things don't go well. Who is going to be your safety net back in London?

Your priorities should be to first find a job that's going to allow you to support yourself and only then move out.

I agree with the other members who've suggested moving away from mom, but don't burn your bridges. Even if you choose to move back to London to make it on your own, you're still going to need her, if only for moral support.

Sounds like you really don't handle change very well, so don't go into this thinking it's going to be easy, or that it's going to cure all your problems.

Cheers,
James
expat.com Experts Team

I might be interested in that table. Can you contact me at ***
Would you happen to have a picture of it?

terwill57,



You are reminded that posting of personal contact information is not permitted on our open forums for obvious reasons of personal security.

Cheers,
James
expat.com Experts Team

Oops my bad🍻👍🏿

No worries it's removed. Remember you can try to private message with your info if needed.

I agree  hard too trust anyone .  It is hard at times too get things done at the end of the day u feel frustrated and anger .it is hot and not like other warm places but hang on have faith that God brought u there for a reason . 
Listen I have a home in SPM. And and ex husband who was truly no good but if u feel anger and upset just text me I will walk u through your frustration peace /salaam

Welcome to the forums Linda,   how about going to our new members thread and introducing yourself!  Thanks and we look forward to your involvement

And who would want to go back to London anyway, if you cant manage here you think London will be easier?
Central London is now a ghetto for rich people Many people cant afford to live there any more. Even social security refuse to pay housing benefit now, up to a certain capped amount, so thousands have lost their homes and families are being shipped out to cities like Liverpool, Birmingham etc up North.
Kind of economic ethnic cleansing I guess.
Yeah I get  annoyed here many times too, but then think of how bad it could be elsewhere.
For what I pay here in rent I would not get a garden shed for in London!
So yeah DR is no paradise thats for sure but if you accept the hassles,.. crime, water electric, etc  its not so bad once you get used to it.
Eventually will probably leave, although definitely not UK, the old England is done and gone!
As I speak German fluent probably Germany. Spent some time in Dresden a while back, very pleasant city and Germans are very polite and helpful and Hey... everything works :-)
Well works perfectly in fact, being German. Being un-efficient or un-punctuai is "Verboten" :-)

Are you an American citizen? If so you can go to the American Embassy in Santo Domingo and they will help you get back home if that is what you need to do for your own reasons. I know of one who did, and also a Canadian. I have known Latin Americans who arrove in the USA and felt the same way there. As in why did I ever come here and how do I get back.  Sorry you didn't fit in here,and i hope for the best for you.

Oops, I hadn't read the intervening posts before replying to the original.  But I would think that the UK would have the same aid to their travelers stranded outside their boundaries.  Are you teaching and getting paid for it?  I'll take over your student, if that will free you up to leave. I am here in Puerto Plata also.

As a Londoner, with respect, your comments are just not accurate.

With equal respect I beg to differ!
Mmmh not accurate? really?
Aahh in that case the BBC and other UK news outlets are obviously living in Fairyland then, when they print headlines like
---------
>Sky-high London rents prompt calls for new controls on landlords
>With many Londoners paying at least half their salary in rent, politicians say urgent measures are needed >to prevent a ghettoisation of the capital
----------

And key workers now can not afford to live there, in fact have a friend a fireman, who had to move outside London because he could not find a place to live near his fire station, that was even near affordable, now faced with long commute every day.

This from an NHS worker.
----
>NHS worker Janey Galloway said her rent covers 90% of her salary. “I don’t earn enough to get a mortgage >and I can’t afford to move, and social housing waiting lists are approximately four years. I’m basically >trapped,” she said.
----------------------
>An increasing number of Londoners are being forced to share rooms with strangers as they cannot afford rent in the capital.
-------------------

And recently its total madness, Garden shed offered for 1000 pounds a month in Hackney   and most extreme case, a "room" offered was actually a bed under the stairs with curtain blocking it off from rest of house-   Greed gone mad!

As the potential renter posted on-line later:
"I have just been shown literally a bed under the stairs for 500 pounds plus bills!  F*** you London! "

Matt Hutchinson, director of flat and houseshare website SpareRoom.co.uk, said the advert was a sign of the pressure on London's housing market.

"Average room rents in Clapham Junction are now £784 per month, so you can see why someone would be tempted by a £500 bargain, but this ad certainly isn't offering a room," he said.

"We've seen mattresses in kitchens, mattresses in sheds, in living rooms, and now we're seeing mattresses under the stairs. I dread to think what's next."
-------------------------------------------
Yeah .. Whats next?  How about this:
BBC London has been given access to a number of properties deemed unsuitable to live in.
One property in Lambeth, which had a tree growing through a bedroom, was rented out for £100 a week.
Local authorities say a growing number of people are now paying for substandard properties.
--------------

Mmh yeah London sure sounds like paradise on earth..  cant wait to move back there -NOT !

London is infested with greedy landlords who screw everyone they can by as much as they can, it least in other civilised countries like Germany, they have rent controls to stop such abuses!

But of course its still a great city with amazing history, just a shame greed is destroying it, so visit yes, living there? No thanks! Unless youre rich then youll do just fine!
Prefer spending my money on decent living, not lining the pockets of greedy landlords.

Headlines don't always tell the truth.  Outside of the US, the UK is the fastest growing economy in the world and the lowest unemployment in Europe.  Please look at the real issues and not headlines.  You might discover the real truth.  Anyway I don't live in DR and have no wish to do so, although went we first came it was out intention.  Instead we come 4 month of the year, have a great time and get back to Europe as Summer approaches.

Headlines look pretty accurate to me.
BBC is not an organisation known for making things up
As for the wonderful UK economy ...well like your aforementioned Headlines not being always accurate, similar comments could be said about that, sure its growing in theory but at a high cost for many people...built on zero hour contracts, no job security, low wages,etc 
Christ never thought UK citizens would have to resort to food banks to get food, which is now a reality for many thousands   and perhaps you fail to notice, pound is dropping like a stone at the moment.
So would not crow too much about "successful economy" , guess depends which side of the fence youre on 
Personally I think its a disaster in the making...people have short memories!  I still  recall the last housing crash when greed trumped over common sense.
With prices as crazy as now, I am only surprised it has not already happened!

Another thing I prefer here is not being watched and monitored round the clock .Small country like UK has 25% of the worlds CCTV and of course number plate recognition, soon as you hit the road ...and now the proposal from that control mad May woman for everyones phone calls, internet use,etc being recorded 24/7... its like a  virtual police state! All the soldiers who died in WWII  must be turning in their graves, to see whats happening now after they fought for freedom!

MMMh...Rumour has it all the old Gestapo agents are trying to get out of their graves, they heard of this surveillance paradise called UK! They are very impressed and jealous, even Hitler could not manage that.
If youre happy to live in a place like that , youre welcome to it!  I would not go back there if you paid me!
But each to their own as they say :-)
Anyway better call it a day on this or we will get our botties smacked for being off topic :-)

Okay lets get on TOPIC please.  No more of this.  The original poster is not happy here.

It doesn't matter why, OR, where she wants to go.  None of us get to sit in judgement of her.

true its so hard to live in London nowadays if u r not a millionaire ...its so frustrating..but i have a strong feeling i could be happy in most countries..even germany but i do not speak German..so any other  
even after 18 yrs living here, my mum is still considered a foreigner and a stranger...i really cant cope with being continuously looked upon as an outsider..the funny thing is they seem to think foreigners are always worse than Dominicans i mean its a shock for me..they are so intolerant, bad mannered gross rude ignorant, bitchy and gossipy...i have a plan now to leave but i think its too early to say in case it goes wrong...but fingers crossed..i was looking back at my own post and i think i should apologize, i might have offended some of u who love living here, we are all different for a reason and its good, i dont think u r seriously mad to live here lol    i was quite nervous and angered when i started this thread so..apologies to all Dominican republic lovers 

> Icant cope with being continuously looked upon as an outsider
>the funny thing is they seem to think foreigners are always worse than Dominicans

Mmh not sure that is correct, i never had that feeling here, maybe youre reading the locals wrong ! 
There are kind and nice people here too, but one can not deny also a large number of scum, who are utterly ruthless and will put a bullet through your head for a few bucks.

Another  thing here , they will take advantage of foreigners and no matter what, we are always at fault and have to pay!
Like for example  if a drunk, uninsured driver runs into the back of you, you are regarded as guilty and probably have your passport taken of you,... some people have been here for many months until matter was settled, which is a disaster of course, if you have a job or business to go home to!
So life will be ruined for sure
There is no justice here for Gringos, we are the cash cows of DR.

So way you feel about DR probably best to leave, there are many other countries with sunshine and beaches without such problems.
Even near Europe, ever thought of Malta? ...very civilised and of course ex British colony, so not much of a language problem usually....but can get a bit boring after a while, its a small Island....and probably expensive now, not been there for years.

Other places i could suggest, Cyprus and even some eastern European countries can be ok, although language can be a problem, but much lower cost of living, actually even cheaper than here -without all the hassle like the increasing DR crime rate, etc .., Crime is very low and unlike DR they can even manage magic things like water and electricity :-)   
For example like Bucharest or Belgrade. Small flats can be as low as  250 Euro a month, so less than 200 pounds.
Now that is a bargain these days!
Anyway, wherever you go there will always be problems, language, bureaucracy ,etc 

Nowhere is perfect, you just have to find the place thats best for you and adjust.
Unfortunately there are no easy answers.

thanx tp 3813..u have given me some valuable advice i do want to consider cyprus and eastern europe...yes language is a little barrier ..i do think u agree with me on most issues, but u dont realize it..i mean if they see foreigners as a walking wallet, and people to use for sex and money or to get married in order to leave the country, and if they have an accident and u happen to be involved the fault is always yours, and if after 10 yrs they call u gringo for example, etc dont u think that u r saying what im saying lol? they will never accept u as a local and if possible they will overcharge u knowing u r from abroad..u might get wiser yourself but they are not getting kinder to u..i have been to turkey many times and i almost never walked coz always offered a lift..here the only lift they offer u is by paying a rusty motorbike..i was left walking under heavy rain, t-shirt drenched with many cars passing by..they would let u die at the side of the road rather than help u

well really looks DR is not the place for you,  cant judge these places by US or Euro standards, as someone, said DR is not for everyone.

>i was left walking under heavy rain, t-shirt drenched with many cars passing by

Mmmh   yeah... really looks to me you do not have much experience in travel, you should probably be thankful no one offered you a lift, given what has happened to some foreigners here!

>they are so intolerant, bad mannered gross rude ignorant, bitchy and gossipy

Mmh that can apply to most countries ...actually, reminds me of some places in UK :-)
and have to say intolerant and rude, is not really how I would describe most Dominicans.

You want to experience intolerance, try some of the Arab countries, especially if youre a woman then you will know what intolerance -and sometimes pure evil -is!

Another place I would consider is Ireland... definitely no language problem there :-)
well only have experience of Northern Ireland years ago, was not to pleasant back  then locals seemed rather keen on shooting me :-)

But war is mostly over now and Southern Ireland apparently is beautiful and nice people...there's  a big world out there :-)

I agree with much that you express. I spent tree years trying to overcome the obstacles and difficulties. I went totally broke and did not have many options. Some Expats here may disagree with you but I think you state a few things perfectly. My good friend used frequent flier mileage to get me the hell out of Santo Domingo. Honestly I had traveled 30 times to other parts of the country. I thought I loved the people and the environment. I didn't know what I didn't know until I lived in Santo Domingo. The city is a filthy mess with dangerous traffic and dangerous crime conditions on the streets. I saw many times the garbage and trash on the wonderful Caribbean beaches and after a strong storm in Santo Domingo the streets turn into a flood of garbage streaming down the CALLE. Other parts of the country seemed to me much better but the level of poverty and ignorance is terrible. I was also an English teacher and was shocked with the high level of ignorance and lack of education. There are some good people but 1 out of 1,000 makes for terrible odds. The corruption of the government is a different story all together and limit any improvement to the Dominican community.

Well Steve, so sorry it wasn't for you.

that is funny! No political correctness in this letter. I know how you feel but there is two sides to every coin.
As far as leaving, buy an airline ticket and go. Its really easy. Good luck.

You  missed the part where she said she had no money...LOL  You are right, always two or sometimes three sides to the story.....

While I see the flaws and learn to adapt,  I love life here.

All those observations  about the dr may very we'll  be true, but don't forget all the good points like.....it's warmer her in winter  than most of our countries.  Then there's............well there is......, what about.......?  Shit, there must be at least one other good point!

hAHAHAHAHA   some like the sense of "freedom" here.  I love the opportunities,  I love most of the people, sense of community and family!

From long termets, it's mostly a matter of such 'rationalizations'. They've made so many commitments, whether investment wise, or with relationships, that they'll see everything with rose tinted glasses, and give any lame excuses.  It's best for new comers not to get involved with anything they can't just easily walk away from once they learn what it's really like in the dr.

>Shit, there must be at least one other good point!

MMh yeah,  think there might be one or two :-)   
for us Brits -well this one at least- its nice to be able to walk out without being tracked and monitored 24/7 walking or driving....and now there is talk of recording everyones Phone, internet, without court orders, so blanket surveiilance 24/7  Yeah, Really a virtual police state...Mmmh..Just trying to decide whether my military service was worth doing as we were supposed to be ...errm... defending "freedom" 
ahh such wasted youth :-)
At least the Doms have some freedom left...well perhaps a bit too much as no one much bothers obeying any laws, ie Traffic, noise, etc

mmh other points??  mmmh (thinks furiousy)  cant think of any right now but I am sure there must be another one somewhere  :-)

ahh yeah CPS Couriers just informed me my parcel has arrived, thats kind of a good point , as nothing else works in this place :-)
Now if the rest of DR was as efficient as CPS, it would be a different country!

So you're celebrating a private courier service here,  as a good point about this place, even though every place has private courier services?  How does that compute? 
And tracking you.........do you really think that if HCHQ, or MI6, or whatever , wanted to track you, they couldn't, or wouldn't, do it here? How naive is that?

Mmh, may have escaped your notice, certain amount  of humor was injected into some of the comments on these posts,
Hence the little :-) icon at the end of sentences
"does that compute" enough for you?

OK, back to square one.........the must be some good points, but so far nobody can think of any real ones.

Well, there used to be a very good one!
You could overstay  practically for years and no hassle, simply just pay a fine, which was quite reasonable considering how much it would cost leaving and coming back every few months, very convenient and saved loads of money!
There are virtually no places in the world where you could do that, most would put you in jail for overstaying that long!
But as I said above used to be good point, I do believe that situation has changed somewhat now, rules have been tightened, not sure of the in and outs, not looked into it proper yet.

If they have clamped own too much with the rules, doubt I will come back here again.
Well,  guess was bound to happen that supremely lax system could not last forever.

But way I see it, if  I want bureaucratic hassles I can get those in other countries, with less crime, working infrastructure, cheaper prices (like the crazy expensive and slow Internet here), etc

Then again guess bit premature to comment, as I have not checked the new system yet, maybe its still reasonable, shall have to look into it.

Yes there is a new system and likely to get rougher.