How to be happy as an expat in Dominican Republic

I love this forum, have been reading it for about two months. I will be applying a lot of insider information to my decision making. Some of the posts are phenomenal. The do's and don'ts that you just mentioned could be scary if they were overlooked. For example the issue of keeping a close eye on your drink. I have always used caution with that, however, the fact that it could truly be a legitimate concern makes me feel uneasy.
While I look forward to the adventure, I plan on keeping a low profile when I do my initial visits and afterwards. I think my #1 concern would be, if I detect a problem are the instigators easy to shoo away or are they persistent ? Certainly don't want to be a consistent target of harassment just to sit on the beach.
I tend to mind my own business.
Live and let live but, I'm not afraid to help someone if I can. Just sayin.
The good thing is, I'm not in a rush.

Take your time. Best advice ever.

Remember if you read it once then it's one person's experience or opinion.  If you read it over and over than it's a real issue!

I love my life here.  I am a dancer and used to go out dancing twice a week.  I have never had to sit and watch my drink. I have never had my drink tampered with.   In addition I do not recall ever seeing that as an issue in this country.  This is just one example of my statement above.

I too used/ use this forum as a guide and reference manual per say. One thing I read that always stuck with me. 

Upon first encounter,  don't just rudely brush people off. Now if they are obviously bad or dangerous sure. Get away. But, even though the culture here is very different,  people are the same. They want to be acknowledged and validated. Sounds all "woke" and such but it is really just human respect. When approached, say by a beach vendor, street vendor, beggar, or girl make eye contact. Smile. Be pleasant. You can still say no. And truthfully, you will have to say it more than once.  But you don't have to be mean or brusque. Just firmly and in a friendly manner,  say no. But I don't always say no.  Sometimes there are people you want to do business with. They may not be your best friend.  But they could be someone you could grow to work with and use their knowledge to find other things you might need or need to know about.

You do have to be cautious. But it doesn't mean everyone is out to screw you over.  Learning to be respectful of the culture you chose and not trying to change it makes your experience much more genuine.  Just my 2 cents. 

There is a LOT of good,  practical information in these forum posts.  And as anywhere,  some drama.  Enjoy the reading,  ask questions, weight the answers, and experience the adventure.

Oh, and driving here is a whole other plane of existence. Jejeje ??

Great post     

I don't mean to hog this forum but, now the questions are flooding my brain. The point/ counter point and the way writers articulate their view is exceptionall !
A big question I have is....
Will  proper Spanish get me through or does the dialect/ slang overpower the conversation. Years ago, a friend and I went to Quebec, he got straight A's in high school French and was laughing because, his textbook version was not very helpful.?
Since this is a topic of "happiness"
my philosophy is simple.
The secret to happiness, is....
"Low expectations"
I get disappointed right here, when I think someone will cooperate and they don't.
I have MANY questions and this is very helpful. Thanks.

I think it depends on where you are. In Santo Domingo the Spanish is a bit more "pure". In Las Terrenas, where we live, there is more local dialect (e.g. they drop thier S's - buenos dias become buen dia). And they use more slang. And they talk fast!  What surprised me, with the little Spanish I do know, is the accent is very important. I have said things that are correct but my accent development is poor so locals go "huh"?   In Las Terrenas locals are more tolerant since this is a tourist town, so they are used to Gringos stumbling over Spanish to order their paella, etc.   :0)

THAT, I can certainly identify with.
I moved from NY with my proper Brooklyn accent lol and moved to North Carolina. Both locations "allegedly" spoke English. I was CONSTANTLY asked things like "where'd you get that accent" or "you're not from around here are you" it was funny, but, it made me stick out like a sore thumb. When I get a grasp of Spanish, I don't think the natives would expect the Gringo to know the lingo. I'm guessing / hoping, it could be a fun challenge.
I'm ALMOST ready to pack a bag for a week and go, just to see what happens. I wonder if my cellphone works down there in case I have to message one of you guys for a rescue ???

Rocky is correct.  
My husband is American born,  Dominican.  When he was growing up in the US, all they spoke was Spanish. Dominican Spanish. It's a bit slangy, they take shortcuts, and they speak at lightening speed. Sometimes I have my sentence or reply all ready to go in my head.  Then someone speaks to me and it is so fast my brain freezes!

I have taken 9 week lessons 3 times.  I also do DuoLingo every day. The longer you are immersed in only Spanish,  the better you get.  And a lot of people at grocery stores etc speak some English. They are patient and helpful.

Funny story...my first trip about 8 Dominican relatives all in one car, picked us up at the airport. They were all talking at the same time. I knew next to no Spanish. Anyway they kept saying perro, perro...and I thought,  why do they keep talking about dogs? Why are dogs so important. Well... perro is dog. Pero means but. They kept saying pero, pero, pero cause they all wanted to talk at the same time. 

Good luck.  Every day is an adventure!

Buy an international plan...... for your visit

I'm picturing that type of scenario.
Hilarious !! ?.                                          I don't mind the challenge.
Whenever, I have observed tourists in NY, they always traveled in a group. Maybe one of them could understand some English, they all seemed to have an exciting time.
In this situation, I am solo.

I was wondering about an international plan.
Doesn't that put you on a bus and you see everything through the window. In 1985 I did that in the Bahamas, after an hour I jumped off the bus and relocated to a different hotel. Not sure if that's the same thing in the DR. I dealt with a travel agent back then. He wrecked the entire trip. I am glad to take all the suggestions and referrals you offer.

I think he meant an international plan for your cell phone.  We are with Sprint. When we go over we let them know and they flip on our international plan

Whatsapp is great no cost app for texting and works on any wifi.

Good, accurate message, but most gringos dont follow that advice.

After replying, I just reconsidered.
I would be crazy to travel independently on my very first trip with zero language skills. THAT would be a recipe for disaster.
Thank you, for bringing me to my senses.

donnyD, not a disaster, just not as easy. I've tried experiments on this. For example I went to places like Greece, Laos, Cambodia, Montenegro, and Iceland, yet didnt know any of those languages, yet was just fine.

LOL ...
Even with an international cell plan, who would I call ??
If I'm stuck, I'm stuck !!
I'm glad the suggestion rang a bell in my head. I was overreaching.
Would have been WAY over my head
I'm daring, but, I try to avoid stupid.

For cell phones you can just by a SIM chip for 100pesos, and if you dont want the burocrstic hassle of submitting your passport  you can just get a local to buy an extra one for you. No problem. Then just top up anywhere, like at the ban as on every corner.

donnyD,  have you EVER been to any other country?

Question...
If I travel solo, don't I end up looking like a sex tourist ?
That's not going to be helpful.

Short trips to Bahamas, Cancun,Canada and Japan.
All of them 3 days.
Only the Bahamas solo.

Oh.
I forgot a cruise to Belize.
Practically NOBODY went ashore.
Two of our friends did and got swindled on a phony snorkeling trip.
It only cost them $30 each. When they told us the story, we cracked up laughing. They were approached at the dock and we're told to wait for a half hour for the snorkel boat. Of course, they had to pay up front ?.
Guess what happened... NOTHING.

No, there are many other reasons to travel to the DR - photography, sightseeing, fantastic beaches, scuba, religious purposes.

That said, if you come off as a sex tourist you will be treated as such.

Zona Colonial is fantastic and I almost never was bothered there. Close to the Malecon and many of the historical sites in SD.

Plenty of legitimate tour guides (check for id) in the area and almost all speak English.

Sorry you all are way off topic.  Can we get back on track please.... Thanks. 

***

Sorry Planner,
I'm new at this and my thoughts are brewing rapidly. I will focus better in the future. ?  How many topics can we cover ?

Donny - thanks.  We try to stick to the topic of the thread. You can open threads on anything you want to discuss honey.  Keep it clean. Keep it respectful. And keep it about the DR.  Specific non DR topics will be reviewed.