Relocating to Belize to the Cayo district

Hello little canadian family.

Welcome to Expat.com!

For more interaction, a new thread has been created from your message on the Belize forum.

Thank you,
Aurélie

Hi little canadian family,

There are schools in San Ignacio. There is also a very good private school in Belmopan. The Belize Christian Academy.

What you should bring really depends on your needs and wants.
You can get pretty much anything here. Prices depend on quality and if items are imported.

We bought all our furniture, appliances, most kitchen supplies here. I still bring sheets, although Mirab's sells some good quality ones now.

Books are expensive and choices are not very extensive. Kindles would be a great investment.

Unless you are being transferred due to work/business, and really don't have a choice in location and when to move, my advice would be to spend the summer holidays in Belize.
That would give you at least a little time to explore the country, visit schools, check out shopping/markets, clinics and if your family agreed with the summer heat/humidity and rain.

Happy planning and good luck with your adventure!
Brigitte

Thank You very much Brigitte for answering my questions.
We are very excited about our adventure. We are hoping for forever but if we only make a year and have a lovey family adventure thats ok too. We are looking at the Cayo district because it seems to be the best of both worlds there. Close enough that you can visit the beach for the day if you so desire. We personally would like to come with as little as needed. Well I guess thats all for now Thanks for everything Melanie (little canadian family)

I have a question about banking.... We have an account with the scotiabank here in Canada will be be able to use our bank cards for that account in Belize. I know San Ignacio has a scotiabank in town.... Thanks for the answer to my silly questions!

You can use any debit card issued by your Canadian bank to withdraw funds from your account, as long as the debit card has the "PLUS', "Interac", "VISA" symbols on it.
Same goes with a credit card, as long as it is linked to your account.
Unfortunately Canadian Scotia Bank accounts cannot be linked with Belize Scotia Bank accounts.

hmmmm thats interesting.. Thanks I didn't realize that they couldn't be linked together.... Thanks for answering that for me!

Do you know about the schooling in San Ignacio... I have heard the school is Sacred Heart. Can you tell me how much it will cost to send my kids to school. Books, tuition, uniforms ect....

Don't have kids in school so don't have details. Sacred Heart College has a website though, with contact info.
http://shc.edu.bz
Also check out
http://www.belizechristianacademy.com/

Thanks

I don't know about the schools in San Ignacio, but overall, the church and government run schools are not going to be consistent with your grade level experience. (Which is the nicest way I can put it.) I would suggest you find out if there is a Mennonite School in Spanish Lookout and if they would accept your children. (This provides a social experience and that is a benefit. However, the Mennonite Community is very tight and I am not sure they accept children from outside the community.) Our son attended a Mennonite school in Maya Beach, but it was open to all children.

The other, and perhaps more convenient option would be to find a reasonable online school and home school your children. If you plan to have your children attend college outside of Belize, the Belize educational experience may not prepare them appropriately.  There are so many good online schools that this is not a big problem.  It does have the drawback of limiting their social interaction.  Perhaps participation in church and community would overcome that.  For the most part, the ex pat community is much older and will not always provide enough interaction for the kids.

Let's see. We moved here, August 1, 2012. We moved to the Cayo district, specifically. We fell in love with Belize, a year before, when we spent ONE day, at Xunantunich Mayan ruins. We made up our minds & as soon as we were accepted into the Qualified Retired Persons program, we packed & got a place to live, airline tickets, & were on our way. It's been 9 months, now & we are still learning all sorts of new things. We live near San Jose Succotz, Succotz for short. We ride the "chicken" bus, everywhere we go. We have a post office box in San Ignacio, Cayo for short, & we go to town twice a week, just to get supplies, check mail, eat breakfast at Pop's. Say hello to all of our newfound friends. Locals are VERY friendly. Sometimes, you need to make the first move for conversation, but it's ALL worth it. We've met doctors, physisists, teachers, professors, archetectures, gardeners, designers, you can go on & on. We've met them all. It's awesome, having breakfast, sharing a table, with a person & find out he/she is a doctor. Fascinating!!! You will love Cayo!! There ARE schools here. EVERYwhere. We have a neighbor, that teaches at the Sacret Heart College. Just go to a Belize site & Cayo, then, type schools. You will find out there are just as many colleges as there are grade schools. It's awesome!! The teenagers, we've met are all polite & will strike up a conversation, at a drop of a hat. All are intellegent. I don't know if you'll look to purchase or rent. We have a 3 bedroom, 2 bath, washer/dryer, screened porch, furnished, for $750 BZ. The biggest problem, that NO one says anything about, is water. Drinking water is all done in 5 gallon bottles. It's cheap enough, but if you don't have a vehicle, it's nice to have a neighbor, such as ours, that gets it for us, when she gets hers. We fill 2/3 at a time. every other week or so. The other water, for bathing, ect, comes from the river, & pumped into large water trucks, trucked to your home & pumped into large tanks. We have 2 now, so we don't have to get water, so often. When it rains, it's great to have it fill up the tanks. ha It's only $150 BZ, for 3,000 gallons. Everything here is done in dollars. Belize dollars, are 2/1 US. I'm not sure how it is in CA, now, used to be the same. Anyway, just get a bank account & change all your money to BZ dollars. You'll think you're a billionare!! ha Of course, 1/2 is really the worth. ha You can use any of the realtors online. We used RE/MAX, John Acott. He's British, but has lived here 30 years or so. Most people have been here for at least 20 years. You WILL enjoy Belize, if you live as Belizeans. Eat rice n beans, boiled chicken, ect. If you think, there's got to be a better way, then, you don't need to be here. NOTHING will ever change here. It's backwards in a lot of ways. Other ways, it's wonderful to just sit back & watch the world go by. Your kids will do just fine. There ARE drugs here. Gangs here. Just have to not go to those places, especially at night. There are a lot of drunk drivers here. Most people drive like they are drunk, anyway, so you'll probably never know the difference. There are NO stop lights in Belize. Only speed bumps. & lots of stops signs that no one ever stops for. ha ha You'll figure it out. Are you driving or flying & shipping? You can get anything you rent, furnished. We did. It's not the best, but hey, we don't spend a lot of time at home, anyway. Too much to see & do. BE sure to go to Guatemala, Flores, Peten area & Tikal. Spend some days there, not just a day. You'll all do fine. Do research online. It helps!! Take care!

We have been but like you say some things are hard to find out. Somethings no one say anything about. We are prepared and realistically hope things are not the same as here or moving would be pointless. Thanks for all your helpful information. Now to drop the bomb on my daughter that her 20 min showers will come to a end when we move. ;)We are sooo excited and looking forward to our new adventure!!

here is a on-line curriculum for kids created by Dr Ron Paul in US:


Ron Paul has launched an online curriculum for homeschoolers!
naturalnews.com/039906_Ron_Paul_home_schooling_curriculum.html

i hope it is useful..

I have a different issue: i have a 22 year old with learning disability.. who needs close to one to one.. most likely computer related studies.. i wonder if or how to find her help in Belize?? anyone? We are also planning to go to Cayo.
thank you, Olga

With respect to one on one help for your daughter, the cost of "labor" in Belize is very low compared to the US.  There is nothing in the "public" schools for children with learning challenges.  It depends on how much help she needs.  The public school are generally lagging so far behind US/Canadian schools, that if she has been mainstreamed in your current schools, she may be fine. If that is not the case, then you will need some kind of paced learning, like A Beka (Christian program that is OK, not great), but good enough.  You could probably find a tutor a few days a week and it would not be a budget buster.  Being so close to Spanish Lookout, you might be able to get one of the Mennonites to help.  For the most part, the "teachers" are high school graduates.  So you will not find that the tutors are necessarily college grads with teaching certificates.  Not saying you won't, just have to be flexible.  Our son's teacher was a HS grad, very sharp, and did a great job.

Thank you, Carolyn!
Spanish outlook is a great idea.. i have been there.. it is just like shopping in Lancaster PA )

Olga

Hello 'Little Canadian Family'..... just highlighting that the water issue is because it seems as though that particular family didn't have running water in Succotz.  Generally, most populated areas have running water supplied by Belize Water Services Limited.  This is metered water which is billed on a monthly basis. If the house you're renting was plumb for running water your dauther can have 30 minute showers if you allow her; if the house has a heater you'll can enjoy hot and cold also.  Hope you have a great time in Belize!