[ionitiesk]

The six reasons given above can all be summarized in one:

A gringo has little protection of the law in this country.

The offices of thousands of "lawyers" are concentrated where gringos preferably live and they pray that their prey falls into one of the many traps which are set by crooks of all sorts (not excluding fellow nationals, police, DA's, judges, government departments, lawyers, etc.), hoping to fleece the victims.

IMO, a place without legal security is not worth living in, however beautiful the place might be.

donP

Are you leaving the DR?

[RagonaCon]

I think that the bottem line is>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Fricken tired of BEING A TARGET AND BEING RIPPEDEF OFF.

that simple.

i'd leave in a second if I could.

[emupsMaispubs]

I spent many years in the D.R. in the east (puj/Bavaro). I loved, loved, loved so much about the country but I must admit at a certain point all that love turned a little sour...Maybe I stayed just a little too long, but I can't say I miss it. Clearly, I was ready to go when I finally did.
I couldn't even know where to begin.....nothing wrong with positive. About six p.m. on the beach, the tourists are all long gone for their happy hours. You're with some good people, there is very little wind, it's hot and you have the anejo and coke.
Negative... You're driving along a pot-holed highway, you're late for work, it's hot.. There is a gua-gua in front of you that is belching black diesel smoke and then suddenly some people on board let loose and pitch out the window all those stryofoam containers with grease and rice and chicken bones.
Ah yes.....we always have the memories..
By the way, I have had a lot of trouble logging in today, is there some special trick I should know about ?
Bye for now.

[cialviagra]

In other words, ex-pats are having difficulty adapting to our culture, no big suprise here... If you think Dominicans only try to rip off ex-pats and tourists you are in for a rude awakening.. Dominicans will try to rip off ANYONE that isn't respected, family, or has good connections.. It's the way of life here, make a few extra bucks wherever you can.. This is one of the reasons Dominicans don't move from town to town, you need to have a stable network and connections to be able to do business fairly.. If I was from Santiago and I moved to Jarabacoa to do business I wouldn't know anyone, and everyone would try to make a buck off of me..

The bottom line is : become respected, start adapting to the culture, and form some connections that will help you in the future.. your life here depends on it.

[RagonaCon]

I think that it is very important to point out a very large difference of opinions from ... short timers in hotel rooms... those that live in managed condo's, those in gated communities and those that live in their own homes.

HUGE difference concerning just about every point of view.

[emupsMaispubs]

Yes Ringo, you are right, everybody has their own experience.

[Kamendoriks]

gringos come here for various reasons from business to cheap juicy toto.

Juicy toto, dv8, you have me LMFAO with that one.

[Cabinanteerip]

Juicy toto, dv8, you have me LMFAO with that one.

I LMAO too! she sure has a way with words!

[v74ClzKY]

Are you leaving the DR?

On the day we can I shall announce it.

donP

[v74ClzKY]

Juicy toto, dv8, you have me LMFAO with that one.

No wonder, she is friends with la_barbie....


donP

[janeloveslifenow]

Sayanora I will play Devils advocate I agree with what you said but how about Domincans that move to other countries do they adapt? My landlord is a Dominican that lives in Boston that cant speak english look at Washington Heights its like a little Domincan Republic the difference is also in the USA you dont really have to worry about being a target as much as here in the DR. In my country if I saw an accident where people were hurt I would stop and help here I would never do that. One thing I have learned here is that generally expats have a harder time for sure Im an expat but get mistaken for Domincan most of the times and have it a bit easier as I can speak decent spanish. I do understand the frustrations of other expats though but at least speaking the language wouyld help out alot.

[cialviagra]

Sayanora I will play Devils advocate I agree with what you said but how about Domincans that move to other countries do they adapt? My landlord is a Dominican that lives in Boston that cant speak english look at Washington Heights its like a little Domincan Republic the difference is also in the USA you dont really have to worry about being a target as much as here in the DR. In my country if I saw an accident where people were hurt I would stop and help here I would never do that. One thing I have learned here is that generally expats have a harder time for sure Im an expat but get mistaken for Domincan most of the times and have it a bit easier as I can speak decent spanish. I do understand the frustrations of other expats though but at least speaking the language wouyld help out alot.

There was a joke at my high school about kids robbing the Guatemalans that lived in West Palm Beach. They thought it was funny that the Guatemalans were illegal so basically always carried cash on them and were walking atms. This sort of thing happens because people don't speak the language and don't associate with the right people. I will completely agree that an expat will have a harder time than a Dominican most of the time because of the language barrier. Also, by virtue of skin color and floral bermuda shorts, some expats shout "rip me off" at every corner.

[Suvuseh]

I think that it is very important to point out a very large difference of opinions from ... short timers in hotel rooms... those that live in managed condo's, those in gated communities and those that live in their own homes.

HUGE difference concerning just about every point of view.

Absolutely agree. But for me; 7 years, my own home, no gated community.

[popsicesHoupe]

Absolutely agree. But for me; 7 years, my own home, no gated community.

Have to agree, really depends on who it is....for me, I have family in DR, am Dominican born and own my own home, so its a lot easier for me than say, a US born person to come here and expect everything to work out like in the movies.

[ionitiesk]

. and floral bermuda shorts, some expats shout "rip me off" at every corner.

I agree. Shorts on a male, floral or otherwise,=tourist ripe for the picking in many minds.

[v74ClzKY]

Shorts on a male, floral or otherwise,=tourist ripe for the picking in many minds.

Isn't that very sad?

Oh wait, they say this happens everywhere...

Now, if it is a female would it change the spelling of ripe?
Not yet, I think.


donP

[VowJoyday]

There was a joke at my high school about kids robbing the Guatemalans that lived in West Palm Beach. They thought it was funny that the Guatemalans were illegal so basically always carried cash on them and were walking atms. This sort of thing happens because people don't speak the language and don't associate with the right people. I will completely agree that an expat will have a harder time than a Dominican most of the time because of the language barrier. Also, by virtue of skin color and floral bermuda shorts, some expats shout "rip me off" at every corner.

This sound like some sh*t that would happen in Flordia. Man you couldn't pay me to live in Flordia bunch of "cornballs"

[BeksTeene]

getting used to how things are in the DR is a difficult venture, because things are done backwards, as compared to a modern society. in the USA , the pedestrian is king. the worst vehicular accident you could ever want to have is a pedestrian knockdown. if a pedestrian is in a crosswalk, and a police officer sees a motorist entering it, the consequences are dire. in the DR, the pedestrian has to run for his life if a car is coming, because the motorist will never stop. it is the way the power structure is configured. the guy with the car trumps the guy on foot, by economic deduction. it is the same reason why the concept of customer service is unknown there. the guy who operates the business sees himself to be in a superior position to his customer, because he is the one with the money to start a business. in the USA, the customer is king, and most businesses bend over backwards to accomodate his wishes. a company like Claro would not last a week in the USA telecom market.

[Npbfamgt]

I can't comprehend living in a foreign country, by choice, without being 100% fluent in the language. Seems like it would make the day-to-day unnecessarily difficult and frustrating.

[cargo_brad]

My spanish was terrible when I moved to POP in 06. Pretty quick learning curve. Think about how hard it must have been before all these expat blogs and such were around. People had to buy books that were out of date and just learn on their own. CRAZY...