US Family Moving to PR

Hi musicallypink!

Welcome to Expat.com

Armand

There are expats all over the island. In the Hormigueros area you will probably find the highest concentration in Cabo Rojo and Rincon. Home schooling is very easy. We did it with our 9 year old daughter for the entire 3rd grade. In fact as a former expat myself who lived on the island for awhile, It's my opinion that would be the best way to go with your daughter.

Have you ever been to the island? If so how much time did you spend there? Do you know anything about life in PR for the average person? Do you speak any Spanish? Do you know the cost and reliability of utilities, especially electricity? Are you aware of the cost of groceries and what kinds of foods are available? Do you have any knowledge of the culture? Are you aware of the crime rate? Are you aware of the dog situation? Do you have a job to go to?

I'm from a town not too far from you. Just don't expect ANYTHING to be like you are used to. Small town PA and Puerto Rico are a universe apart. Do your homework and seriously visit the island. Do all you can to make a well informed decision. Do not base your decision in any way on idealism. Practical thinking rules the day in this situation.Because this could go one of two ways. You could end up loving the place or it could turn out to be your worst nightmare. Either way, make sure you have plenty of reserve cash stashed away in the off chance that you need to leave. Let me tell you that there isn't much worse than being stuck in Puerto Rico with a family and having no source of income. Good luck in whatever you decide to do.

Gregg

HI, i thought Greg's comments were very good and worth considering. We live in El Duce near Naguabo on the eastern side of the island in a very rural, quiet area. I think you should consider where you would like to live. Do you like gated communities and the security they give or are you a city dweller? Probably you don't know because PR is so very different from the states We gave the island a trial run and rented a house on the beach where we thought we wanted to live. It was the best thing we ever did because it showed us that even though we love the coast in the states, here in PR it is not for us. There is a reason the Spanish lived in the mountains! The more diversity you can expose yourself to the better off you will be. Like you we did not bring our car or our furniture. We found good furniture hard to locate and after seven years are thinking of importing descent furniture. We are retired without children and do not have the added challenges of finding good schooling or having to work. My bottom line best advise to you would be to put in a lot of up front planning time mixed with short term trips to the island. It's not for everybody but you can stack the deck in your favor by exposing yourself to the culture as much as you can before you move.

Good Luck!

Skip

Greg,
I would be very interested in your views about life in PR for the average person?

What is the cost of living and reliability of utilities, especially electricity?

What is the cost of groceries and what kinds of foods are available?

How would you characterize the culture?

What is the situation for crime?

What is the dog situation?

What is the situation with access to high quality medical care?

Hi Dandawes and welcome,

I'd recommend that you read some posts in this forum. Most topics you mention  have been discussed lately.

My wife Jennifer and I will be relocating to Cabo Rico in late June. I will be the new Postmaster of that city. I speak very little spanish. We have three children (Berkley 18, Madison 16 and Liam 13). We are very excited but also very nervous. Would you be willing to provide us with some advice or insight into what we can expect? Is it better to rent or buy a home? Private schools? Cars? Pets?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Boy are you in for a big change. How did you get to be assigned a Postmaster job in PR without speaking Spanish very well? First I would suggest that you go back through past threads on this forum.Go back a year or two and you'll find many of your questions will be answered. I wouldn't recommend public school. You would do your children a disservice by putting them in public school because I'm assuming since you don't speak much Spanish then they don't either. Public schools in PR for the most part aren't doing too well these days. There is a pretty good private school in Mayaguez called Masis but I understand it's fairly expensive.I recommend home schooling. I did it for a year with my 9 year old and it worked out very well. Personally I would look for a home to rent. I wouldn't want to buy a house in PR and then get stuck trying to sell it when or if I had to leave. Expect very high electric bills. From what I hear electric and water just went up again. Food is high because most things have to be shipped in. Don't expect to have power and water all the time. It doesn't usually work that way. Some areas it goes out frequently. Try to get a place near a hospital or a vital municipal building and you'll be less likely to lose utilities. You'll have to make a big adjustment in your diet. It's difficult at best to find decent veggies. But, Cabo Rojo is a very nice pueblo. There are some beautiful areas and there is a high concentration of Americans there. As for pets. If you have one, contact The USDA in PR to find out what you need to bring them into the country. If you don't have one, I'd suggest adopting a street dog(they are called Satos). They are all over the place down there. If you are an animal lover it's difficult to see their plight on a daily basis. Save at least one if you can. You'll have to get used to the fact that there will probably be a lot noisier in PR than in Arkansas. Get to know the Alcalade(mayor). He's part Gringo on his Mother's side. In fact her last name is Kurtz, the same as mine. At work, find someone that speaks fluent Spanish that you can trust and be your right hand. It's got it's good points and bad points. If you and your family are understanding and adaptable you should be OK. I could go on and on but I tend to offend some people on the forum when I do. There are a few people here that are very wise and will give you straight and useful information. Good luck.

I mistakenly told you that the private school "Masis" is in Mayaguez. It's actually in Anasco. "Seso" is the one in Mayaguez.