'Young Family moving to Punta Del Este' Expat

Young Family moving to Punta Del Este

How does one meet other families in PDE. Any suggestions or advice would be appreciated.

We have been in Argentina for a few weeks and are already missing our friends!

Thanks in advance.

Welcome to Uruguay :) What brings you here from Argentina? Do you guys already speak Spanish? because that will make a big difference integrating with locals...

Punta del Este is a very international community and during the summer it is filled with people from all over - wealthy Uruguayans, Argentines, Brazilians, Europeans, Americans, Canadians and more. There will be no shortage of people to speak English with. During the off season (ie. not November to February) it becomes a much quieter place. There is still an definite expat presence out that direction and Margarita is the fountain of all knowledge on the area. She keeps this blog:

Thanks for your reply. My husband knows a little spanish...the children and I do not!! We moved for a variety of reasons...My husband in is computer software development and wanted to explore opportunities out here, we wanted our children to experience a new country and language, and we are helping to build a new wellness center that is being created in PDE.

The kids will be going to a private international school in the fall, but we have lots of time this summer and want to meet some friends.

Thanks...Meredith

As I'm sure you're already noticing Punta del Este (and most of the east coast in fact) is a hotbed of activity during the summer. You will have no shortage of people to visit and things to do. Both locals and expats are very welcoming here, but just give yourself a little time...its takes a while to build up connections and friendships, but I have no doubt you'll get there.

I would strong suggest enrolling in Spanish classes. It will make a BIG difference in your daily life and will offer opportunities to meet different people. During the summer Punta del Este is overrun with people who can and want to speak English, but as I said, outside of the Nov-Feb season it is a much quieter place and Spanish will help you integrate with a more local community rather than transient travelers.

If you need anything don't be afraid to ask, I have found both locals and expats here to be incredibly supportive.

My two Daughters (American born) for different reasons at age 7 and 8, they couldn't speak English.

I just married Florence and they came to visit from Uruguay. We decided that for the time they would be in the States it would be a good idea to send then to learn English and why not to School.

We started looking for a Bilingual School in New York, we called the Board of Education and spoke with a Counselor over the phone.

Her advice was to put the girls in regular School and forget about the Bilingual School.

We were never sorry for that decision. It wasn't easy in the beginning for them.

Teachers checked their Math skills and they were OK. But they could not understand the Teachers or the other Students.

In six months they were reading the New York Times articles, bringing home A's in English and a year later when we told the new Teacher that a year ago they couldn't speak English, she couldn't believe it.

Now they are both fluent in both Languages and my English is still broken.

It's amazing how much and how fast a Child can learn.

Also that would be, the best way to experience the Country and a new language.

Good luck and Bienvenidos al Uruguay.

A warm welcome to Uruguay also!

I would be interested to talk with your husband regarding his computer software development ideas in Uruguay as that is the industry that I am in also.

Kind regards

Fred

Expert Page: Quick Tips for Getting Settled in Uruguay

If there's something specific related to either areas let me know and we can explore a little more..

Best

Fred

Expert Page: Quick Tips for Getting Settled in Uruguay

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