Welcome to the website of Ginnie Bedggood, first time author, British expatriate and unabashed Dominicanaphile. Here you will find information about the book Quisqueya: Mad Dogs and English Couple as well as articles published by the same author.

You may have happened upon this site whilst surfing the web from snowy Saskatchewan, rainy Rochester or freezing Felixstowe. And you may be asking ‘What am I doing here?’ Well, if you want to know what I am doing here in the Dominican Republic, read on.

Rest assured that there have been times when, despite living on a tropical island, I have asked the same question. Expat life is not for everyone and expat life in a developing country takes a certain laidback attitude while you sit and wait for it to………develop.

If you are accustomed to first world efficiency then life in the DR (as it is more commonly known) will be a little different. The word ‘mañana’ is one you will often hear. And whoever told you it means tomorrow? Sometimes the experience is akin to pulling teeth. Without anaesthetic.

The purpose of this website is thus to tell it like it is, from my perspective. Warts and all. You will find advice for aspiring relocators to the DR. What you will not find are enticing, alluring invitations to buy your place in the sun. The web is replete with those, urging you to invest ‘before the price goes up’.

Of course, the wish to save money is universal. But far more important in the long term is the relocators’ sense of well being and happiness in a country which is the right one for them. Discovering whether the DR is the right one for you takes time, effort and preparation.

I found the right one for me fifteen years ago. For me it isn’t the weather which makes the DR my home, it’s the people. Let me introduce you to them.