New members of the Dominican Republic forum, introduce yourself here — 2nd quarter of 2015

Thanks for the new thread

Bob K

Awesome Julien.

Hello my friends,

I have been reading through the treads on here all day now and I feel like I already know some of you just from reading so many of your posts (namely bob and planner). My best friend and I are heading down to Cabarete in early June to help a friends dad with his Cacao farm and potential river raft/farm tour that he is wanting us to help him start. As for my best friend and I the DR has sparked our interest because we have been looking for a place to buy a little cheap piece of land to build a little self sustaining home and garden on and after talking to multiple people and doing many hours of research online the DR seems to be a common place for people (and sites) to point us to. My friend will be down for just a couple of months and then heading back to the states to tour with his band before coming back but I plan to stay and possibly apply for residency since I would like to make the DR my home, at least for a while. After a lot of reading through this blog I have gotten a ton of helpful information but at the same time feel a bit overwhelmed by the information, especially since a lot of it doesn't quite give a good perspective on my exact dreams and plans. Basically I'm curious what to expect if we do end up finding land that we want to buy this summer because that is my goal but I also want to stay as realistic as possible while planning out my adventures. I'm sure I'll have a million questions but for now there are my goals, just curious if I should make any changes to the plan before we fly over.

Happy to be on this path no matter what the outcome is,

Marot

Welcome to the forums!!!!   It sounds like you are going about this the right way.  Come down, spend some time then decide if this is for you!  Once you fall in love with the place, then focus on what you need and how to do it. You will have specific questions and you should add to a thread or start new ones as needed.  If we cannot help, we will steer you in the right direction to get help!

We also look forward to posts about your progress!!!!

I've actually got a secondary goal to get into sailing during my time in the DR. Do you guys know of any good areas to get into that kind of crowd?

No idea from me.  Sorry honey.

First welcome.  I am glad to see that you are coming down first to explore and that if you do decide that the DR is for you that you are considering getting your residency which you will need along with your cedula to start a business here.

As to the sailing I do know that there is a fair amount of sailin on the north coast and a very large lazar sailing group.

Please ask any specific questions you may have.

Bob K

Hello all,

Kind reminder!

This thread is for the presentation of new members, if you have any other inquiries or questions, please create a new thread in the Dominican Republic forum.

Thank you,
Marjorie

Marjorie, thanks but we are okay here.

Tom Spaulding, with my dog Oakley, moving to DR vis a sailboat.  Sailing there this May.  Should arrive by July.  Thinking of settling in and about Samana area.
Know a few people in DR.  Basically going to semi retired.  Have been to DR a lot over the past 10 years, and like it the best of the Places I have visited,
Looking forward to the move and meeting new people, exploring new places.

welcome to the forums Tom!!!!!  Let us know how we can be of assistance!!!

Tom welcome and good luck on the adventure.  Lots of good folks here with good information and ideas to share.  Feel free to ask away

Bob K

Hi there..for some time now I have thought about moving to the Dominican Republic. I have been to Puerta Plata and really loved it there. I am currently a corporate event planner. Wondering if there are similar jobs available there or elsewhere. Tired of the cold weather each winter and the fast pace of every day life here in Toronto. Looking forward to learning more of what life there would be like If I decided to make a move.
Marcia

Welcome Marcia, I really understand  wanting to leave the cold.  However,  some questions - do you speak Spanish?  How much do you know of the culture here? Are you connected?  Unless you have connections speak fluent spanish and understand the culture it will be very very hard to get this kind of job.

However, you could set yourself up as a liaison with event planners in NA looking to host events here. BUT that would take you some time to acquire the needed info here and set up those connections. 

As well Puerto Plata is not the place to be for that kind of work! Most corporate events held at resorts are in Punta Cana / Bavaro or at the big hotels in Santo Domingo.

Read the forums Marcia,  get a feel for things and come back with your questions!

Hello
We Are From Montreal,Canada
we have been to Dominicain Republic together 4 to 5 times and love it. I actually worked there for 9 months
My wife and I are looking to live 4 to 5 months out of the year in Dominicain Republic.we would also like to look at running a buisness there, the time we would be here. This is our long term goal.For now we are looking for a place to rent for a month say next January. The month thing would be to get the feel of the area and not rent somewhere we would regret, Once we have determined where it is where we want to be. Then we will look towards buisness. So that's it and great to be part of the forum

Welcome Zume,  great plan, great attitude!!!!

marciadee welcome.  Follow Planner excellent advice.

Making a living here with a new business is very hard and lots of road blocks.  Do your homework

Bob K

zume Welcome to the forum.

What part of the country are you looking to explore?

Bob K

Hello Bob
My personal choice is Cabarette, Sousua, area, I have been there a 2 or 3 times. Las Terrenas at least 10 to 15 times Punta Cana 5 or 6 times, Boca Cica area 3 or 4 times while I worked there, and another 4 to 5 times in Punta Cana with my wife. Annie my wife is a little concerned about staying there alone while i head back to Canada to work on a 14/7 schedule which will happen probably the first year until  i can get the equipment bought to send there for our buisiness.

Just a little back ground for you.

Cabarete Sosua area is a popular choice.   What are her concerns?  She should read the threads on safety,  you can start your own, ask the questions you need answers to and we will do our best to help!

thank you i will

She really should do fine.  We have lots of single women (many from Canada) that live here on their own full time. One friend's husband works the oil fields in the middle east and is gone 2-3 months at time. 

Yes do ask you questions and we will try to help.

Not sure I mentioned it or not but we are here full time and live between Sosua and Cabarete.

Bob K

Ola expats.

I recently visited the Dominican in February 2015 while on a missions trip that consisted of medical teams in both Santiago and Santo Domingo, carpentry work in an orphanage in Santiago, and the teaching of creation in the public schools in both Santiago and Santo Domingo.  I absolutely fell in LOVE with the Dominican.  Correct me if I am wrong, but it seemed as if they have SO MUCH more freedom than we in America have.

Anyhow, I am now very interest in moving to the DR and am trying to find out as much as possible.  I do have a Dominican friend who is from Santo Domingo and she says it is not as easy as I may think to just move there.  Unfortunately, we haven't been able to discuss this at much length, so I'm on here trying to gather as much info as possible.

I DO NOT want to live in a tourist area or be a part of any expat communities.  My goal is to live in the Dominican, among the Dominicans and to adopt much of their lifestyle.  I'm not afraid to make this move and am anxious to do so, but I do want to be smart about the move as it will be life altering for my entire family, not just me.  Obviously, I have lots of questions regarding what it will cost, where shall we live, what are the governmental requirements about moving there, how is their tax system set up, access to medical, just how trustworthy or corrupt the government is, and safety of course, although I never felt unsafe while I was there, but I could see how an unsuspecting person could get sucked in.  I'm also curious to hear what you all can tell me about the Dominican people as a whole.  If you were going to stereotype them, what would that look like?

Thanks so much.  Look forward to exchanging information with you all.

First welcome to the forums.   You need to read read read the various threads, a lot of this is covered. Then ask questions -  open a new thread, add to related threads .......

It will take a while to read some of this but its great info!

Let me add my welcome.  Like Planner said read ALL the information that is here on the forum.  It will take  you days to do so and then come back with specific questions about your plans, needs and wants.

Living here is not for everyone,  Work is hard to find, pay is lousy and you need to go through the residency process, which is time consuming and can get expensive especially if there are a number of you doing it.

Bob K

Hola everyone!

My family of 5 ( 24 yr old, 12 yr old, 9 yr old, myself and my husband) are seriously considering moving to the Dominican Republic. We are looking for information on career opportunities as well as business for sale. I am an executive assistant/ office manager  in the private sector with over 20 yrs as well in the hospitality industry inclusive of event planning and managing. My husband has over 25 yrs experience in the electrical trade from fully licensed electrician to project manager, electrical superintendent. My oldest daughter is a server/ bartender with a degree in politics and governance. I am confident that the DR has something to offer us as we move "off the grid". If anyone has some insight as to schools, or job opportunities or possible business opportunities feel free to contact me.

Teena

Welcome to the forums.  Please read  a lot of the threads as they are full of relevant information.

In terms of work -  do you speak Spanish? If not then the options are very different. I assume you will all get residency which makes you legal for working here.

Many jobs pay local pay rates.  Office manager / assistant is one of them. It is unlikely you will find a job paying more then  US 500 a month doing this!

Electrical -  construction does not pay well.  Your husband will do better finding a group of clients who are expats needing quality work done.

Welcome Planner has some very good points

Before you do anything come for an extended stay and see if the DR fits for you

Bob K

Hello everyone, we are looking to leave the rat race of NYC after 25 years and DR is very high on our list of places to live. We've been to Punta Cana, Sosua, Cabarete and Puerto Plata. I've been reading through the forums and there is a wealth of information here, I just finished reading the post -Top 5 tips to living in DR. it was funny and very helpful. Thanks for the "On the Ground" insight to living, working and retiring in the DR. As I have questions I'll post a new topic for discussion. 

Best
ns143

ns143 Welcome to the forum. Lots of good folks here so feel free to ask away

We moved to the Sosua/Cabarete area over 9 years ago and have not looked back for a second.  Funny I grew up in the north Jersey area and spent lot of time in NYC. If fact studied for 2 years at Columbia....small world

Bob K

Welcome NS,  I love your attitude.  Sounds like you would have no problem adjusting to life here.  Please continue reading and ask your questions!!!!

Thanks Bob K and Planner, I'm looking forward to getting some important questions answered. Bob K as a Jersey Boy my first and very important question to you is.... can I get all the Yankee games on cable down there ?

ns143

Short answer is NO.  However as a long time Mets fan you can get those ...only kidding.  Depending on your cable service you maybe able to get a special "package". Our DISH is mainly New York stuff so lots of Yankee games on however certainly not all.

Bob K

I should add even worse is the football. You can have a weekend game where Denver, Seattle, New England, and others will be playing but they will show the Jets game.  I mean talk about a joke.

Bob K

Well that IS a bummer...thanks Bob K, see I'm already learning useful information.

ns143

Hello Everyone!

My name is John and my wife's name is Holly. We live in Manchester NH and have decided that our plan is to eventually move to the DR. We travel there 2x per year and love the people and the beauty of the island. Looking forward to learning from those of you who have made the transition and hopefully will have the opportunity to meet some of you someday.

We are doing our research and trying to find out where we want to start our journey in the DR. The research and learning is an adventure in itself! My wife loves Punta Cana but we know there are many other places that we need to explore before we make our choice.

This seems like a great forum and I we are excited to have found it.

Cheers!

Why Punta Cana?   Not for the village or surrounding countryside.  It is a very expensive area because of the tourists being basically the only source of income for the locals.   If it is the hotels & beaches,  you could be on the Costa Del Sol, or anywhere in the world.  Hard to see the true Dominican life in such a place.  The island is quite large, from a snow capped mountain to semi desert to rain forest jungle.   Highlands to the seashore & everything in between.   Come & explore the real riches of the DR. Have fun, life ain't a dress rehearsal!

jjrodrigues welcome to the forum.  There are some great folks here with lots of information.  Do read the multiple threads and feel free to aks questions.

If Punta Cana is your exposure to the DR then you need to do some exploring.  There are lots areas to see.  PC is mostly for tourists and not much of the DR to experience there.  Here on the north coast is a huge expat community with  a good mix of locals, expats and tourists.

Again welcome

Bob K

Welcome John and Holly.  As you say you are just starting your research - good for you!!!!  Lots of great info on here and lots of opinions.  What matters is what is important to you!!!

Read lots,  ask questions and come explore!  By the way we can always be bribed with a cold one to give "secret" info.......LOL.