Hello!
I am going to be moving to Quito with my 1.5 year old son. I will be living with my mother-in-law but probably getting by mostly on my own. (The Ecuadorian father will be working in Galapagos and I don't know how long it will be until I see him or for sure whether I can go and live with him there - he's on a 2-year contract).
Coming from a very sheltered background in Canada, where I feel very confident to look after him, and going in to a whole new world I have some anxieties and want to be as prepared as I can!
I am most concerned about safety - is it safe to take a taxi with my son in the day time for grocery shopping, that sort of thing; if I want to take him to a park during the daytime is that safe to do on my own?
I may need daycare either regularly or occasionally depending on my work situation. I don't know if there are day care centres like there are in Canada - if they are numerous or few in number, how much they cost and if they are safe and reliable, or whether a sitter in a home is a better idea.
If I do end up working from home I am going to want to give my son some opportunities to get together with other children - are there play groups, or that sort of thing?
Basically, if there are any other expat parents of young children out there I would be very interested in making some contacts, perhaps chatting to learn from others experiences, or maybe even meeting up in Quito in the future.
I'm understandably a little concerned about preventing a situation where I feel totally isolated, but caring for my son is my first priority!
Thank you very much!