How do you spend the weekend?

Where are you located? 

My weekends are work, shopping, relaxing, meeting friends, dancing, pool or beach, walking, more dancing.

Where are you located? 

My weekends are work, shopping, relaxing, meeting friends, dancing, pool or beach, walking, more dancing.

Wow I envy you.
My weekends are watching tv channel 2, channel 3,,,,,channel 1600.

I live in Naco of Santo Domingo.

Well honey now you know someone in Santo Domingo. I will message you!

Bless you both!  Now I don't have bore you with my daily regimen. I'm retired & involved in consulting & helping folks find what they may need or looking for. I make & sell several kinds of hot sauce & salsas, BBQ rubs ETC.  Bars, beach & cooking with & for friends is now on the wane caused by failing eyesight. Get out & meet people, locals will respect you attemps at speaking Spanish. Keep plugging away & you will enjoy this amazing island.  Planner is a super solid contact. A valuable friend to have.

The key is to get out and meet people in doing so.

For starters why not go and see a movie or two at one of the many cinemas in Santo Domingo which do show many of the films in English language with Spanish sub titles. They are generally in the Malls which are good places to sense the vibe of the city.

You say you heave been here 3 months, so I wonder if you have found time during your weekends to explore those sightseeing points of interest in the city described in visitors guides? Zona Colonial and a coffee people watching on Conde? The Malecon? Faro a Colon? The Botanical Gardens.

Right now is also a good time to take in baseball.

Try a few different restaurants and persevere with your Spanish. You must have English speaking colleagues at your work place so why not go and have a few drinks after work?

The other thing you should do is get out and explore this beautiful country at weekends and there are plenty of tours available form Santo Domingo. you will meet people this way and realize you are in a special place. https://www.colonialtours.com/EnglishExcursions.htmhttps://www.urbanadventures.com/country … ountry=534

This is a great website which will give you ideas of upcoming events and such things as eco tours http://www.godominicanrepublic.com/

Thank you for kindness.
I will try to do something.
Thanks..

You will"try to do something"? Don't try, DO IT!!  The only cost is the   loss of this island & its' people. Start slow & soon you will be a bon vivant.  I know that my spelling sucks,but, not my advice.

Many expats find Santo Domingo challenging to visit yet alone live here.

I can fully understand that you may feel trapped in the centre of town in Naco, hemmed in by incessant traffic and without your full confidence in the ability to communicate in Spanish. Perhaps without a car to make you mobile? I worked previously in nearby Piantini and my Spanish at that time was rudimentary but I drove in daily from between Villa Altagracia and Bonao (so could escape the city every day and that is how I thought of it!). But by being independent I got to understand the city and my way around and the places to go and it grew on me.

I now live here with my Dominican wife and feel comfortable and at ease, but make a point of getting away from the city at least twice a month to enjoy everything that surrounds us.

But the city does have it's benefits once you know your way around, and surprisingly few expats visit all that is interesting in the city.

One idea to consider is improve your Spanish and so increase your confidence to get out and about, and so join a Spanish language class and meet other like expats here.

Please do not hesitate to ask more. You are welcome and take 'tinkers' advice.

Here's a short promotional video found on the link I posted previously about the city:

https://youtu.be/9BgciZWSu2M

Thanks.
I can understand your meaning.
When I went to Zona Colonial, frankly I couldn't feel anything. Because I didn't know the history & culture. I think, I need to know about it.
Haha but I don't know still. Too lazy.

***

I don't think that is fair.

It is one thing living in Sosua Municipality with a total population of about 90,000 and many English speaking expats and many locals too, but living in a city where the population of Greater Santo Domingo is about one third of the population of the country near 3 million where few speak English is another matter. I can relate to his challenge.

His mention of  laziness was in respect of finding out the history and culture of Zona Colonial, and frankly few expats have read up on this.

He is here asking advice from fellow expats and I am more than happy to offer advice and hopes Jason keeps posting.

Tinker that was mean and I removed it!

Lennox your posts are helpful and encouraging!

The capital can be intimidating even to those who speak Spanish.  And for some getting out there can be hard. I have some good friends who are introverts who really struggle.

Tinker why not invite Jason to come visit Sosua one weekend and see the North Coast!

Catch the last Carib Tours or Metro from Santo Domingo and have a couple of nights with plenty of English speaking expats and locals?

Of course ,I will
I hope that someday I will be able to help foreigners who are here for the first time. As if I had been helped.

Excellent Ideas. I must say that my sense of humor had to be out of line for Planner to castigate my thoughts. I never thought that jason was an extrovert! He is the one who used the LAZY word. Being the sort that I am, I tend to take people literally.  My fault of course.  So then,  Jason, I extend an invitation to visit for a couple of days. I can arrange a place to stay at less than normal rates. Walking down the streets here you are most likely to here as much English as German, Italian, Russion or what the Canadians call French.  (Quebec). Sorry if the thought of bedsores offends anyone.   Creating responses & even controversy has been the hallmark of Sosphisian education for a milliaumn.   I would much rather piss people off than put them to sleep.  Jason, wade through all the impending crap & take a bus ride.  Take Metro, it stops in the middle of Sosua.  PM  me if you want more info.  The farting Tuba lets out a big one to the deserving ones!  OH, YES, typos are the fault of my vision, not yours'.

May I suggest you find time to go and look at Faro a Colon to see what I think is a quite remarkable piece of architecture designed by a Scottish Architect.

I pass it regularly when coming back from Las Americas airport and it never ceases to amaze me and provokes thought. I am in the building industry by the way.

I think that in someways it defines the Dominicano. Big, bizarre, fascinating, unique, function less and a waste of money but full of bravado. A big statement that took many years to realize fruition.

https://youtu.be/SykQ8Wiglq8

The wonders of Scotch drinking perhaps?