Hello all I heard yesterday that I was accepted to the University of PR medical science campus near Centro Medico for the graduate program of my choice. I am very excited! I believe I start school on August 13th and have many questions about what to do from here. I am married and my husband will be traveling back and forth between Seattle, WA and PR to work (Seattle) and be with me (PR).
1. Finding housing: due to the fact that I will be alone about half the time, while my husband is in WA working, what are some safe neighborhoods to consider? I am in my mid-twenties and am, truthfully, a bit nervous about being alone. I was thinking Condado, Ocean Park, and Isla Verde. These are both close to the ocean and close to my campus. (We figure- if we are moving to PR, we want to 'live it up' and be near the ocean). I have been told these areas may have some safe spots for me.
We do have a dog that I will have with me- she is small but will obviously require walks, even in the dark- for this reason, I would like a apt/condo complex that is completely fenced in and secure.
I have looked at clasificadosonline.com but it is difficult to tell which places allow dogs. Unless they say "no dogs," is it safe to assume that they do?
Are there many rentals available as furnished? Again, I have looked but many units do not specify.
If anybody has any ideas for how to search or even knows of any rentals meeting these criteria, please feel free to let me know.
2. How much time will I need there prior to starting school to set everything up? Obviously, we are looking for a furnished apt so that we don't need to buy everything once arriving. How long will it take to set up utilities, and everything else necessary? What is the best option for internet (speedy, good customer service, and reasonably priced).
3. Are there car leases available? None of the dealerships advertise that on their websites, for example the Jeep dealerships. My program is about 2.5 years, so a 3 year car lease would be perfect for us. That way we can just turn it in, and don't have to worry about selling it once I am done with school.
4. Are there any nurses out there that know the process of transferring a nursing license to practice in PR? I believe I heard you need to take a licensure exam and that it is only offered during certain times- but that there is a provisional license I can apply for in person? Does anybody have any information about this process and how long it will take?
5. Health insurance! What is the best way to go about setting this up? And bonus points for anybody that knows whether my husband will need health insurance from the mainland and from PR to be fully covered at all times. He will be spending about 2 weeks in WA, then 2 weeks in PR at a time.
6. We use a credit union in Seattle. Are there any local credit unions in PR or is Banco Popular (?) the best option?
7. Anybody have ideas for the best Airline credit card to get to accrue miles for the frequent trips my husband will take and hopefully get him some extra upgrades to first class?
Thank you SO, so much. This is all of a sudden seeming very overwhelming for me, so if nothing else it was helpful for me to be able to type out all my needs to just be able to see what I am facing. Any helpful info from you guys will be so appreciated.