Q: How much will living at the apartment cost? A: The charge for staying in the apartment is $100/person/month.
Q: What does the apartment provide? A: The apartment has electricity (most of the time), a refrigerator, a gas stove, a washing machine with clothes lines for drying, (limited) hot water, an internet connection, sheets, towels, 2 bathrooms and 3 bedrooms.
Q: Will I be able to buy groceries, toiletries, etc. near the apartment? A: La Sirena, a large supermarket about a 10 minute walk away, is like a super walmart with groceries, toiletries, books, appliances, and clothes.
There is a small store with drinks and water about 1 block away (literally about a 2 minute walk). Another store is about 5 minutes away. Grocery costs are similar to the US.
Q: Where is the hospital? A: Cabral y Baez Hospital is about a 10 minute walk down Sabana Larga, one of the larger streets near the apartment. Don't worry, we'll be going as a group. It is a very short walk.
Q: How do I get cash? A: ATMs are the easiest way to obtain pesos. There is an ATM very close to the apartment that belongs to ScotiaBank. Apparently there are no fees for withdrawing from a Bank of America account, but I will have check before I can absolutely guarantee that this is still true.
There are also places called "casas de cambio" that will exchange dollars for pesos. Some large grocery store cashiers will exchange smaller amounts for you with no problem at all.
Q: What is the exchange rate? A: August 2010 the exchange rate was 1 dollar = 36.86 pesos (or something like that).
Questions unanswered?
This is a work in progress. I welcome any questions! Email them to me at [email protected] and I will try my best to answer them.