At eighteen I left Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates where my parents worked at the Embassy of the Dominican Republic. That summer I arrived in London to attend the University of London's graduation ceremony (I was a student through their International Programmes) and from there I travelled to a few European countries I was interested in visiting. After a few weeks, I enlisted in the French Foreign Legion but after three weeks they gave me my rejection letter.
With an absolute lack of options I turned to whatever bit of game I had at the time and moved to the Shakespeare & Company book-store for a week. While there I realised hippie girls with European citizenship are not interested in marrying would-be immigrants.
The time I could legally spend in the EU was running out so I made a border-run to Kosovo; Serbian authorities wouldn't like it but that wasn't my priority at the time. I stayed there for eighty-eight days and then left for France once again.
Having no possibilities of success in France I moved on to Barcelona where I had been born. Alas, Spain is not America and the sons of foreigners don't typically get citizenship; they only get facilitated naturalisation if they somehow manage to stay in Spain. Fortunately, in Barcelona I managed to find a desperate Nordic girl approaching thirty; nothing more than a six in looks (face was a seven which had possibly been an eight in her prime but her body was as flat and squared as a fridge) but her passport did the job.
By that time, my father had mailed over all the necessary documents to prove I was unmarried. It took me about seven weeks to get through all the bureaucratic process but in the end I managed to get it done. After sending documents to her country we managed to get it registered there.
Once again, I had to leave the Schengen Area and went to Croatia, Montenegro and finally Kosovo largely-due to their lax visa requirements. Upon my return to Spain I received a letter from the Office of Foreigners ordering me to go to the police station. Five weeks later I was a Spanish resident.
All this time I had lived-off my income from micro-niches and subsidies from my parents but once I moved permanently to Spain I managed to obtain an internship and then a permanent position in the financial sector. [I don't wish to get overly specific]
A year after getting my residency card I applied for citizenship which was granted after about nine months (which is decent as far as Spanish bureaucracy goes) and then I moved to the UK since the pay was better and my job was not safe amidst the economic turmoil.
About three years ago, I realised a country from which a direct ancestor of mine came from had enacted a lenient nationality law which allowed me to claim citizenship. Needless to say, I did and I currently hold citizenship in three countries; two EU member-states and the Dominican Republic. [PM me if you want more information]
Many of us want to escape the west for a happier life abroad, but what was it about your chosen destination that convinced you to set out for a new life there?
My legal status in the UAE depended on that of parents and I was already eighteen. Unless I managed to find a job there I would've been forced to return to the DR. Sure, I like spending a few weeks there but it gets tiresome. I chose Spain because of the language and the fact that I would be able to get citizenship after a short while.
Do you have any regrets? Do you ever see yourself returning back to your homeland?
I do have some regrets. I should have gone to Spain immediately without wasting my time in France but I go it done in the end. Furthermore, I arrived in Europe without a plan; anyone seeking to move abroad should have a plan. Yes, things won't work-out exactly as planned but it does give one tranquillity and it tells you more or less which path to follow.
No, I don't think I'll ever move to the Dominican Republic permanently; I might spend the winter there in the future but I don't see myself outside of Europe for the time being.
What was the integration process like? How long did it take you to/ How far along are you to learn the language?
Integration was very easy for me at least. In the UK it was a bit harder since my country's culture is heavily-influenced by Spanish culture but not at all by the British one. I already spoke Spanish but my Catalan reached a reasonable level. However, now that I don't speak it very often it has descended into Cataloñol. As for the UK, I already spoke English too.
Have you made friends with locals or do you mainly chill with other expats?
In both Spain and the UK my friends have mostly been natives which I met at work. I have a few Dominican friends in Barcelona but overall I don't sympathise with the majority of Dominican expats in the world; many have given us a bad reputation around the globe.
Have you just fucked around and acquired notches or have you gotten into an LTR or perhaps married to a lady in your new country? What was this process like and how is this going for you now? Children? Maybe you've even purchased a home for yourself or your family.
During my visa runs I did acquire various flags (but not the Croatian, Kosovan (or Serbian depending on your opinion) or Montenegrin) but in Spain I mostly concentrated on the financial part of my life.
I married but out of convenience and I am currently in an LTR but not with a Briton. It's certainly easier than in the UAE although I haven't tried my luck in the DR; I'll have to check-out how that goes one of these days. No, I don't have any children nor have I purchased a home.
Have you settled into a career or found a way to make a good living? Have you created a location independent or passive stream of revenue to live on or maybe you're struggling to make ends meet?
I got a job in the financial sector after going acquiring my residency card. I've had a location-independent mini-business since I was sixteen (chiefly micro-niches) and the revenue from that combined with my investments allows me to live a comfortable life. Yes, London is expensive but I quite like it here, I'm in a beneficial LTR, et cetera.
Do you enjoy the local cuisine or do you miss food from home? How is your health and fitness holding up? Dentistry, Optometry, minor surgeries, etc., is healthcare expensive or more reasonable than home?
I adore Spanish cuisine and British cuisine is acceptable. Yes, I do miss my country's food and I particularly enjoy my mum's cooking but I can cook a bastardised version of it without too much difficulty.
I'm reasonably-fit; my health and fitness hasn't changed much over the years. As for healthcare, I pay for it through my taxes; quite a reasonable system if you ask me.
For someone like myself and where I'm at in the process (less than a year away now): what did you initially take with you? What did you ship to your new destination in addition to your luggage? How much $$$ did you save before leaving?
I took whatever the airline's baggage allowance would allow! Mostly clothes, my computer, and important documents. After settling permanently in Spain I visited my parents and brought back most of my clothes; I had no furniture or household items of my own so there was nothing to ship or sell before leaving. I saved €8,000 but in the end I spent around €17,000 due to unplanned travel costs, fees and in general the lack of a plan.
With an absolute lack of options I turned to whatever bit of game I had at the time and moved to the Shakespeare & Company book-store for a week. While there I realised hippie girls with European citizenship are not interested in marrying would-be immigrants.
The time I could legally spend in the EU was running out so I made a border-run to Kosovo; Serbian authorities wouldn't like it but that wasn't my priority at the time. I stayed there for eighty-eight days and then left for France once again.
Having no possibilities of success in France I moved on to Barcelona where I had been born. Alas, Spain is not America and the sons of foreigners don't typically get citizenship; they only get facilitated naturalisation if they somehow manage to stay in Spain. Fortunately, in Barcelona I managed to find a desperate Nordic girl approaching thirty; nothing more than a six in looks (face was a seven which had possibly been an eight in her prime but her body was as flat and squared as a fridge) but her passport did the job.
By that time, my father had mailed over all the necessary documents to prove I was unmarried. It took me about seven weeks to get through all the bureaucratic process but in the end I managed to get it done. After sending documents to her country we managed to get it registered there.
Once again, I had to leave the Schengen Area and went to Croatia, Montenegro and finally Kosovo largely-due to their lax visa requirements. Upon my return to Spain I received a letter from the Office of Foreigners ordering me to go to the police station. Five weeks later I was a Spanish resident.
All this time I had lived-off my income from micro-niches and subsidies from my parents but once I moved permanently to Spain I managed to obtain an internship and then a permanent position in the financial sector. [I don't wish to get overly specific]
A year after getting my residency card I applied for citizenship which was granted after about nine months (which is decent as far as Spanish bureaucracy goes) and then I moved to the UK since the pay was better and my job was not safe amidst the economic turmoil.
About three years ago, I realised a country from which a direct ancestor of mine came from had enacted a lenient nationality law which allowed me to claim citizenship. Needless to say, I did and I currently hold citizenship in three countries; two EU member-states and the Dominican Republic. [PM me if you want more information]
Many of us want to escape the west for a happier life abroad, but what was it about your chosen destination that convinced you to set out for a new life there?
My legal status in the UAE depended on that of parents and I was already eighteen. Unless I managed to find a job there I would've been forced to return to the DR. Sure, I like spending a few weeks there but it gets tiresome. I chose Spain because of the language and the fact that I would be able to get citizenship after a short while.
Do you have any regrets? Do you ever see yourself returning back to your homeland?
I do have some regrets. I should have gone to Spain immediately without wasting my time in France but I go it done in the end. Furthermore, I arrived in Europe without a plan; anyone seeking to move abroad should have a plan. Yes, things won't work-out exactly as planned but it does give one tranquillity and it tells you more or less which path to follow.
No, I don't think I'll ever move to the Dominican Republic permanently; I might spend the winter there in the future but I don't see myself outside of Europe for the time being.
What was the integration process like? How long did it take you to/ How far along are you to learn the language?
Integration was very easy for me at least. In the UK it was a bit harder since my country's culture is heavily-influenced by Spanish culture but not at all by the British one. I already spoke Spanish but my Catalan reached a reasonable level. However, now that I don't speak it very often it has descended into Cataloñol. As for the UK, I already spoke English too.
Have you made friends with locals or do you mainly chill with other expats?
In both Spain and the UK my friends have mostly been natives which I met at work. I have a few Dominican friends in Barcelona but overall I don't sympathise with the majority of Dominican expats in the world; many have given us a bad reputation around the globe.
Have you just fucked around and acquired notches or have you gotten into an LTR or perhaps married to a lady in your new country? What was this process like and how is this going for you now? Children? Maybe you've even purchased a home for yourself or your family.
During my visa runs I did acquire various flags (but not the Croatian, Kosovan (or Serbian depending on your opinion) or Montenegrin) but in Spain I mostly concentrated on the financial part of my life.
I married but out of convenience and I am currently in an LTR but not with a Briton. It's certainly easier than in the UAE although I haven't tried my luck in the DR; I'll have to check-out how that goes one of these days. No, I don't have any children nor have I purchased a home.
Have you settled into a career or found a way to make a good living? Have you created a location independent or passive stream of revenue to live on or maybe you're struggling to make ends meet?
I got a job in the financial sector after going acquiring my residency card. I've had a location-independent mini-business since I was sixteen (chiefly micro-niches) and the revenue from that combined with my investments allows me to live a comfortable life. Yes, London is expensive but I quite like it here, I'm in a beneficial LTR, et cetera.
Do you enjoy the local cuisine or do you miss food from home? How is your health and fitness holding up? Dentistry, Optometry, minor surgeries, etc., is healthcare expensive or more reasonable than home?
I adore Spanish cuisine and British cuisine is acceptable. Yes, I do miss my country's food and I particularly enjoy my mum's cooking but I can cook a bastardised version of it without too much difficulty.
I'm reasonably-fit; my health and fitness hasn't changed much over the years. As for healthcare, I pay for it through my taxes; quite a reasonable system if you ask me.
For someone like myself and where I'm at in the process (less than a year away now): what did you initially take with you? What did you ship to your new destination in addition to your luggage? How much $$$ did you save before leaving?
I took whatever the airline's baggage allowance would allow! Mostly clothes, my computer, and important documents. After settling permanently in Spain I visited my parents and brought back most of my clothes; I had no furniture or household items of my own so there was nothing to ship or sell before leaving. I saved €8,000 but in the end I spent around €17,000 due to unplanned travel costs, fees and in general the lack of a plan.
Oh yes, I'm so privileged you literally can't even.
Interested in joining the FFL? I tried (and failed).
Interested in joining the FFL? I tried (and failed).