Three HARD Lessons Learned Moving to DR 🤦‍♂️

I get asked often what the biggest adjustments were in moving to the Dominican Republic.

Honestly, from a living perspective, there weren’t many.

At least no more than if you moved from one town or state to another.

Language was different for me, but my wife’s first language is Spanish, so no biggie.

But really it was what you’d adjust to normally

• New schools

• New friends

• Where is the gym

• Which grocery store is best

• Who can we meet

And so on

That said, I’ve reflected and come up with THREE thing that DEFINITELY caught us off guard.

The third one is the most frustrating.

Not because of what it is .. but because it’s infuriating that people that DON’T live here, and DON’T know what they’re talking about fight me on it.

And if people choose to believe those telling me I’m wrong, they’re going to feel some pain unfortunately!

Let’s dig in…

#1: I GOTTA GET MINE!

Dominican culture is incredible! I love the spirit of the people and the shared values and respect for one another that exists.

But there’s also an element of the culture that’s used to a different past.

Many have experienced that if you don’t go out and get what you want, someone else will take it.

They feel the need to beat you to the punch.

Again, it’s a dated mindset OR it’s a mindset that exists in communities that people reading this newsletter wouldn’t move to.

But it exists nonetheless.

It manifests in a lack of consideration for others.

Some quick examples:

• A driver parks wherever they want blocking the entrance to a road or driveway

• People park IN your driveway when they get to your house before you - forcing you to park on the street

• You’re standing in line and others cut to the front - if you call them out, they go back, but you HAVE to call them out .. otherwise, they’ll shamelessly go to the front!

• At a water park in Higuey, I watched kids grab tubes other kids were waiting in line for .. and even saw a kid telling mine to give him the tube my kid had in his hand (I yelled and the kid stopped!)

• Driving in general .. the danger is everyone believes where they need to go is more important than the lives of others

Again, this isn’t the culture .. it’s a relic of the culture that is not ‘intentional’ (meaning these folks aren’t saying ‘I want to be inconsiderate’) but it exists.

The point of this newsletter is not to call out DR, to diminish the people or to even say it’s frustrating or a deal breaker for living here.

Quite the contrary.

It’s just an adjustment from American culture

#2: YOU HAVE TO ASK!!!

We took our little dog to the vet recently with a rash.

The vet did some tests and determined it was a bacterial issue.

The fix was a specific bath along with this medicated shampoo and process to kill off the bacteria and rash.

The vet scheduled my wife to come back once a week (30-40 minutes each way) to wash the dog.

The dog had to be left for 2 hours as well.

My wife would do it, vent a bit to the vet about the drive and wait just as a friend, not to say the vet did anything wrong .. and the vet would empathise.

Finally after a few weeks, my wife said ‘is there any other way to do this so I don’t have to come EVERY week’.

The vet said ‘oh, you can just do this at home’

🤬🤬🤬🤬

Did the vet want us to come so we keep paying?

Was she just aloof and not thinking?

Who knows .. but that is just ONE example of not being EXTREMELY specific with questions and instructions to ensure you get what you need.

A simple second example .. the doctor told us to get a pill for one of our kids when he was sick.

Over the counter!

The pharmacist looked at it and said ‘we don’t have that’.

We were about to leave when we saw a liquid version.

The pharmacist said ‘yes … that’s the same stuff but liquid’

Ay Dios MIO!!!!!!!

Again, don’t think she was being rude or mean .. but if you don’t ask what you THINK you don’t need to .. you don’t get what you need!

An adjustment

#3: THE COST OF ELECTRIC

Whenever I post about electricity it goes something like this…

‘Electricity is $500/month’

And then I get:

• You’re getting ripped off - gringo prices!

• That’s only because it’s Punta Cana

• That’s too high .. you’re running the AC all day

• You should just get solar

• My grandma’s electric is $40/month

When I moved here, we had the SAME thoughts when we got our first bill.

But here’s the thing:

• the bill doesn’t have my grigo image on it

• Punta Cana is high . but it’s not the ONLY place that’s high .. I know PLENTY of people in Santiago, Santo Domingo, Bani that pay the same (good electric costs!!)

• we have only ever run bedroom AC at night only — we didn’t even HAVE a common area AC!

• Solar is a great idea .. if your HOA allows it (CEPM can afford to kick back some cash to the head of the HOA if needed 😉)

• Your Grandma lives someplace where there are power outages .. period!

Again, I speak to people (mostly) interested in moving here an living an abundant life, not roughing it in el campo!!

If someone moves here assuming that a number of comments refuting my electric must be right, and I’m wrong .. I hope you have a buffer in your budget because you’re in for a rude awakening!

I’m traveling this week, tired, and maybe a little pissy haha.

But I’ll just say trust who you want .. just PLEASE don’t act surprised when you get a $700 bill.

Believe me, I say $500 publicly to give you a best case month .. to avoid total shock and awe in the comments.

But for all of you who take the time to read this .. electric is a lot in good places.

Period!

(breathe Jamie … BREATHE!!)

These are all lessons learned, adjustments made, and thankfully costs we could absorb.

And there are more .. but I’ll start with these.

Which one resonates most with you?

Or are you just wanting to reply saying ‘your electric bill is too high .. you’re running the AC all day .. living like a king .. that’s rich people stuff who don’t care about their bill'? 

I get it .. I’d be tempted to too!! lol