New members of the Puerto Rico forum, introduce yourselves here - 2023

Hello to my future friends)))

I am going move soon and live in PR 5-6 months. Will be nice meet a beautiful creative people explore the island and have a social circle.

I am originally from Ukraine . Live in US 6 months and 6 months total traveling around the globe !

My passion is art, fashion and a precious stones and I was fortunate enough have a businesses in those directions.

i workout 4-5 days in a week , practice yoga and self awareness.Going start take salsa and no chats classes in PR .

My favourite poet Rumi wrote in 12 century “ What are you seek is seeking you “

Hope to meet you soon my new friends lol

Welcome on board Natalinaukraine ^^

Feel free to start your own thread on the Puerto Rico forum to interact with members.

All the very best

Bhavna

Welcome! Where on the island do you plan on staying?  We are currently in Minnesota but are building a house in Cabo Rojo (west side). Hoping to be there at the end of March for a visit.

-Susanna and Ilya

@natalinaukraine Привіт ! Hello Natalia ! I am from Ukraine too and moved to the island in May 2022 . I would love to meet you and practice some yoga together! Do you have a social media where we can chat more ? ☀️

Hello and Welcome!

I'm new too. Originally from PA, lived in NYC and LA but now back in my home town. My boyfriend and I will be moving to west PR in July. I've worked with a lot of Ukrainians btw, good peeps! I too worked in art, fashion, photography but last 20 years I've owned a New Age Company. It would definitely be great to find some like minded people to hang out with.

Hello all! We are new as well. Just bought some land in Isabela and will start building as soon as we can. We are currently in Seattle.

@Deogee

My husband and I are also PA natives, lived in NY and Colorado (among other places) but now own a house in Cabo Rojo, where we live during the winter months (Vermont in summer). We are leaving the island in early May but will be back later in the year! Check out our travel blog, messysuitcase.com. Our house is down the street from the one Susanna and Ilya are building (see earlier in thread).

Welcome to the island!

Lisa

@natalinaukraine

Hello all my name is Elizabeth. We just moved here about 6 months ago. Are renting in Carolina Isla Verde but looking for a place to settle. I am semi retired. Do yoga and Spiritual works uplifting hearts and souls. Looking for the right community. I may have just found it.

Hello all!

New to posting on this forum. . .but I've been reading posts for awhile before our move.

My husband and I moved to PR about 6 months ago from Northern CA. Living in Luquillo with family. . .love the beach & artsy vibe of Luquillo. Such a great community and wonderful people. Hoping to share our experiences and recommendations. Nice to meet you all!

@Julien Greetings! My name is Bree, my husband has been visiting PR for many years while he was playing in golf tournaments. We signed up to volunteer with All Hands and Hearts after María. We stayed after our volunteer obligations and visited the West Island. Fell in love with Rincon, Puntas, Aquada, Aquadilla, Moca, etc.  we have some properties now, met great people, met some really not great people, bought a 20yr old Tacoma which we love, generally just stayed and lived. We are from KY so going back and forth. Experienced renovations PR style, lawyers, real estate agents, natives, semi natives, tourists, etc. We have some real world experience with PR. Good and bad.

@Official Isabela Owners

hello. My husband and I have been here going on 5 years. Have renovated condos in Rincon    I need to stress to you when the plumbers are installing pipe make sure it is US rated. The diameter, the strength, etc. They older pipes here are NOT adequate as to what we from the US are familiar. Also, buildings are made of primarily concrete. Have to, hurricanes, bugs, mold, humidity, etc. HOWEVER, they embed the wires, pipes, etc in the concrete. If anything goes wrong you have to chisel (sooo loud!) through concrete to get to problem. I did exposed conduit on our condo because I refuse to go to those lengths. Not very pretty, but accessible. So. Lots of stuff but we have had to learn the very hard way.

Greetings Friends!

I live in Southern California, currently making preparations for my husband's upcoming retirement to live in Puerto Rico.  We have been to the island a few times now, staying as long as we can before we have to return.  Six weeks has been our longest stint yet.  We really enjoy the beaches, salsa dancing in Santurce, savoring the yummy food offerings along Lechon highway, hiking in Fajardo, the vibe in Luquillo and look forward to exploring the rest of the island.   We are hoping for a small property that we can buy and fixup to our taste and stay awhile, before deciding where to build the permanent residence.

I would appreciate any helpful advice with the construction/remodel of cement block housing, tips on kitchen and bath upgrades, any real estate do's and dont's in Puerto Rico, fun places to check out, etc...

Hello everyone, (@garciahanner, @bmccarney, @Miss.Imarie, @Litehrough and Lisa and everyone else)

Welcome on board !

I hope that you will find all the resources and information  you are looking for to make your expatriation project a success.

Should you have any questions, feel free to open your own topics on the Puerto Rico forum so that active members already there can help you.

You may also read our articles of the Living in Puerto Rico guide for expats for a good start.

All the best

Bhavna

@Julien

Hello, My name is Eric Jean, I live in Florida now but plan to move to Puerto Rico in the next 6 to 12 months. I am retired, been on this beautiful earth for almost 66 years. Have a wonderful 8 year old dog named Kie who is moving with me. She is an inside dog with excellent maners. Quiet girl only barks when playing or to alert me if someone is coming to the house. Our lives revolve around each other, walking and playing.  I also love to snorkle and scuba dive. Friendly games of poker are also one of my pleasures. Really don't know what else to say except I am looking forward to meeting new friends in Puerto Rico.

Hello and Welcome Eric Jean !

Thank you for taking the time to introduce yourself. Have you set your mind on whether you'll live in a town or village/rural area ?

All the best

Bhavna

@Julien i am living in Ponce moved here from Reading, PA. My parents passed away and inherited this house. I have alot of questions, hope I can get help.

@ialmodovar70 maybe I can help as far as inheritance.  I also inherited a house once my mother passed away.  Feel free to reach out if you have any questions.

@ialmodovar70 hello and welcome !

Indeed as said above, feel free to ask your questions. Don't hesitate to open a topic of your own on the Puerto Rico forum to seek advice.

All the best

Bhavna

@Julien

Saludos!

When I was 36, I found out that my bio mom is Puerto Rican so I made a trip here in 2008. I spent a month in Carolina and knew PR would be my home one day. In 2020, my ex and I bought a fixer upper multifamily commercial property. We remodeled all the units and started a business from scratch. We did fairly well and just sold it. My grown daughter and I moved to Humacao. I bought almost 13 cuerdas in Bo. Mariana where my grown daughter and I will be starting a nonprofit agroecology farm project. There are no structures on the finca, so I also bought a HUD property in Humacao. It has a 3/1 downstairs and a 2/1 upstairs. It was vacant for years and we've been trying to get lights on for almost two months. In the meantime, we've been doing painting, roofing, and plumbing. I was a Reading Specialist/Interventionist teacher in the states, so I'm hoping to offer part-time English tutoring at some point. I also taught EFL last year in PR. I miss the kids, but I don't plan to teach full-time again.

Also, I'm looking for an English speaking church. I visited Palmas Community Church, but I'm not sure yet. I fit in more with the working class group haha.

@fincanuevacreacion

welcome aboard a pleasure

Hi there! I'm on the west side of the island (Cabo Rojo/San Germán) and not adverse to lending an ear or a hand when needed. Oh, and my birthday is a year-long celebration interrupted every once in a while to acknowledge those of other folks

@fincanuevacreacion Love your story!  Glad you are enjoying your home!  Can't wait to get back there......we will be building in Cabo Rojo and came here looking to get insight on the process. 

Saludos!!

@Noel Cruz Main Thank you!

@GCSchmidt12 I'll definitely keep you on my contact list for that offer of help. We're a 501(3)(c) so we can accept volunteers. We can also pay people for specific task work.

@Deedee40589 thank you, Deedee. I can see that this site has some very helpful people on it. I'm working hard on learning Spanish, but English will always be my L1, so it's nice to have a place to connect in English. I hope you share your building journey, too.

@fincanuevacreacion

Good to know! Thanks!

Hi all! My husband and I are closing on a house in Rincon on Thursday! Our first trip was in 2004 and we came yearly until 2016 when my second daughter was born. Life and work got in the way for me but my husband managed to sneak away here and there when the waves were good. We looked at properties casually through the years and with a stroke of good fortune, we were in the place to be able to afford to make a move. We have planned to move here for retirement since our first trip. We are in our early forties and our girls are six and nine right now, so we are going to stay in New Jersey and keep them in their current schools. My husband is self-employed and his business is here so we will be tethered for another 10-15  years or so. Since the pandemic, I've started doing telehealth and would love to be to practice as a psychiatric nurse practitioner from PR with my current patients on extended vacations and when we permanently relocate. in terms of activities, the girls are following my husband‘s footsteps and love riding the waves. Me, after years, I gave up and began diving, which is my zen. I've also been really into gardening over the past few years and love the path my our new house to Domes that is covered in huge pothos and syngonium! It's nice to meet everyone and I am learning so much from all of the tips on here!

@rachkarr

Hello and welcome on board !

Feel free to start your own thread on the Puerto Rico forum should you want to interact with members or to seek advice.

All the best

Bhavna

@rachkarr

hello and welcome! We have plans and approvals to start building our house in Rincon in a few months. We have been coming to Rincon for years and currently have the villa at Horned Dorcet . We are from Connecticut and I am the  nurse practitioner as well! Have my medical aesthetic practice in New York.

We will be in Rincon this coming up week and if you around would LOVE to meet you!

@Julien

I'm not sure if I was supposed to comment back to your post or if I was supposed to make my own post. Regardless...

My name is Jon Smothers. I am the owner of veteran Improvements LLC, a army combat veteran from Indianapolis with over 15 years of handyman experience. I relocated to the central region of Puerto Rico and and looking to find some clients and opportunities to grow my handyman business here on the island. I'm willing to travel for the right opportunities and I look forward to making this island my new home! I have a two-bedroom apartment in Barranquitas, and reliable transportation along with the few basic tools.  Windows, floors, electrical, plumbing, kitchen and bathroom renovations- Tell me what project you have, your budget, your timeline, and let's make some improvements!

Hi,

recently moved from the midwest and living in Aguada area. In the exploration stage and finding it more comfortable here than in the midwest,  especially in the coming winter.

I visit coffee shops all over the west side looking for the ones with the best view and brew on a Vespa and usually find the water before sunset.

If anyone has questions about west coast roads or towns feel free to inquire.

Hello 👋🏼 All

New to posting on forums I am a from NYC my parents where born and raised on the island we vacation threw the years as a adult I continued to vacation to pr at least one tine once a year but these past 4 or 5 years I started going 4 to 5 times a year I fell in love with the island felt at home now these bast year I have decided I would love to move here any info would help

@Mzhuertaz

Hello and welcome on board !

Feel free to read these few articles : Living in Puerto Rico guide for expatsand to reach out to members of the Puerto Rico forum by participating on existing threads or creating a new topic.

All the best

Bhavna

@Bhavna

Thank you so much for the warm welcome also for the advice on where to look

@shapeyoursuccess How is the building process going?  We are also building in Cabo Rojo in Miradero.  Any insight, tips, contractor suggestions are GREATLY APPRECIATED!  Havent been able to make any progress with finding someone to build the house as of yet.  We are visiting soon and hope to meet up with a couple of prospective builders.   

@Guest7835  Any updates on your building process?  We hope to start early next year.