Hi All,
It looks very much like my husband's job is moving us to San Juan in a few months. He'll be working in Hato Rey, and I'll be going to medical school in San Juan, Bayamon, or Caguas (don't know which yet). We aren't fluent in Spanish, though I know enough to get around and get what I need, for the most part.
I have a lot of questions but my main one is about safety. We've heard a lot of negative things from people who are leaving the same job, though some of them are admittedly jaded and your typical self-entitled white Americans. Still, enough to frighten me a bit.
I will be traveling between home and medical school daily by myself, and I wonder about the safety of that. I'm a runner, is there a place in any of those areas for me to run safely, or am I looking at a close relationship with a treadmill for 5 years? And we have two German Shepherds, both purebred. Will they be a target for theft? Is it safe to walk them on the streets or will we get mobbed by packs of roaming dogs?
I've heard a lot and don't know what to believe, so advice from people living there now would be welcome.
Thanks!
Transferring to San Juan
El Natatorio in San Juan is where I see most people running, particularly at night. It's a nice place. It has a five mile running trail and a track, not to mention the park's grounds, which are expansive and largely forested. Here's the link (text in Spanish):
http://www.sanjuan.pr/deportes/natatorium.aspx
The natatorium itself is an excellent facility with many activities. To plug my favorite: A great guy named Eduardo Ortiz teaches Brazilian Jiu Jitsu there three times a week. He's a black belt in BJJ so his instruction is top-notch. If anyone is interested, I'd be glad to post his info.
Unfortunately, crime is simply very bad in the SJ area. You don't have to be North American-white and privileged to be affected by it. That said, you should be fine commuting.
The crime in PR is high but it's not like navigating through a third world ghetto. I'm not being sarcastic. I mean that the crime in PR is of a different nature than what you might expect commuting in Port-au-Prince, for example.
I've never heard of dogs being stolen because they're pure bred. If anything, criminals will stay away from your place because they'll notice it's guarded by two German Shepherds. ((If they really want to burglarize a house, a common tactic is to poison the dog(s) a few days beforehand first. That's unlikely though.)) Walking them will not be problem so long as you live in an area that is friendly to pedestrians.
NomadLawyer, thank you so much for answering honestly, and for the great link. The natatorium looks very impressive.
If anyone has any other input, please do share. Does anyone know of any parks I can take my dogs on a walk to, that are fairly safe? I don't know if we'll be able to find housing with a yard, so I might have to walk them at night before bed - the closer we live to an area where they can go, the better.
I'm certain I'll continue to be asking questions as time goes by. In a month or so, we'll get to visit Puerto Rico for 10 days, so we can get a feel for it and try to find a place to live. We'd like to know more from you folks before we visit!
Hi Rocke,
Im a real estate broker myself, and would say that the best areas for practicing what you'have described in your post are located in the Condado area of San Juan. Condado offers a blend of Hotels, parks and beaches that perfectly fit the type of activities you want. The area is one of safest in San Juan.
Other area I love in San Juan is El Escambron Beach Recreational area.
Hope this helps!
Bienvenida a Puerto Rico!
David
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