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Raising a family in Uruguay or Argentina
| Raising a family in Uruguay or Argentina With a business that is potentially portable, we have discussed for years the idea of living overseas for a time.We have 4 children and feel it would be an excellent experience for us all, even if it was just for a year or two. It was the best thing my parents did for me growing up; it opened my eyes to the fact that we live in a culture here just as much as any other place. Also, the opportunity to be immersed in a foreign language is another benefit, which we are already preparing for. We are in the research stage right now and it is very difficult to find information on raising children in Uruguay or Argentina, almost everything is based on retiring. I am looking specifically for information on: Quality of schools Opportunities for youth Cultural issues we would face among the youth Safety - crime/pedophile statistics Other questions I have: Are the people friendly to larger families? Are the children accepting of American children? What areas of Uruguay are considered best for raising a family and why? My daughter loves horses so another consideration for us would be an area good for raising horses/cattle away from flooding. We would plan on going down for a vacation to visit before making any permanent decisions. If you have information or experience regarding these issues or know of a site that covers any of these topics, I would greatly appreciate your comments or leads. |
| ""Jenny, Jenny, where are you?""
Not sure why nobody responded to this for the past TWO YEARS, but I think it was because of the shear quantity of questions and the potential complexity of their answers. So, here goes. I hope Jenny isn't living in Outer Mongolia now. Or, if she is, that she likes it there.Maybe you've already visited, found out what a great place this is and are currently my neighbor. My wife is Uruguayan, we have 3 kids and 3 grand kids here. We also have cousins, aunts, uncles, the vis abuelos, various in laws of in laws, etc. As near as I can tell, the schools here are excellent, both public and private. I've nephews and a niece who've graduated from the public system, and grand children in the private system. Opportunity is what one creates on this tiny little planet. That philos being said, Uruguay has good education in the middle of MercoSur. This is a market of hundreds of millions of people. They have demand and supply, therefore exchange happens. Youth culture is easy due to the ubiquitous nature of the internet. Rock and Roll is everywhere. As is MySpace, Facebook, etc. I do notice here that the schools stress Physical Education and the Arts & Humanities much more than in the U.S. where those things have been dropped in favor of paying for large Administrations and a number of other contentious things. Yesterday I say a young man of about 18 reading poetry on a bus, he saw me looking and shared. Told me to enjoy it until he had to get off as he could read it later. Yes, I'd say that kids do well here. Safety is better than most U.S. cities and worse than U.S. small towns in Montevideo. In the Interior, which is what we call any place not Montevideo, :) security is better than most places in the States. But drug and alcohol abuse are everywhere just like in the states. On pedophiles, I'm at a loss, I don't watch TV much, hardly at all, but I haven't heard of anything. Nelda just reminded me about a North American who came here many years ago and was caught setting up a porn movie business using young girls from here. I think he's still in jail, but I don't know. Really, have never seen any indication myself. Maybe someone else knows about this? Friendly and accepting? Yes, very. Much more so in the States, but an intro is needed in Urban areas. Places for raising children and a horse requirement. Probably in or around Carrasco, just east of Montevideo would be best due to the Polo Club. However, in the interior there are some of the best 'horse' people in the world, you know. It is the home of the descendent's of the Gauchos where they are still alive and well, Gracias a Dios. Many different kinds of horses are bred and raised here. There are horse Expos in El Prado, right in the heart of Montevideo. There was one there this past month and we went. People come from all over the world to view and buy horses. Gauchos from Uruguay, Argentina, and even Brazil show off their training capability as well as the horses. Its a beautiful thing. Hope you had a good visit to Uruguay, and wherever you ended up I hope life is well for you. Anyone care to add more for families wishing to come live here? |
| "if you still are looking for info...."
I'd be happy to provide some. Just post if you're still researching. |
| "We're back...."
This was kind of funny to run across this again...Jenny is mi esposa, and wants to know everything, which balances me out...ready, fire, aim!We researched moving to Uruguay in 2008, but went broke and bankrupt due to the real estate collapse. We've recovered somewhat, and now with the US Govt. getting more and more corrupt and in business with Wall Street and destroying the US as I knew it and my Dad & Mom knew it (I'm 50), we are back in the research phase...only this time we have the means to do it with our internet business reviving from the 2008 crash. Peter and Joan, if you're still there, we didn't move to Outer Mongolia...we're still on the East side of the People's Republic of Washington State. I spoke with an expat in Punta del Diablo this morning...she's enamored, still, with UY after 3 years, which means she's past the honeymoon stage. First, Peter, thanks for spending the time to write this...as I said, our company and lives crashed in 2009, but we came through it stronger than we went in, and now our website is recovering (best January we've EVER had!) due to some expert SEO work on our part, and due to my good friend and SEO PhD, Craig, in Hawaii. I am wondering, do you still find Uruguay almost heaven on earth, or is the honeymoon over and life goes on? We are better researchers than we were 4 years ago...we've zeroed in on taxes, schools, land costs, etc....but you know more too...if you have anything to add, we'd love to hear it. Right now we are down to 2 destinations...Guatemala or UY. It's kind of like do I feel I have enough energy left to go to the wild wild west (Guate) or am I too old for that and need to head for the more peaceful Uruguay? Guatemala is closer to home in case we don't like it, or halfway to Uruguay if we want to try it too. More crime and opportunity in Guate...5 times as many people, so a bit more crowded, but still lots of room. It shakes, rattles, and rolls a lot from volcanoes and earthquakes and violent revolutions, but none recently since the USSR disappeared from the West. We have targeted February 1 as decision day. First we decide if we're going...somewhere. That's about 99% for us at this point. Currently UY holds the lead over GU, 61.7% to 39.3% (hypothetically speaking). If biz continues to improve, UY gains traction as it's more expensive but safer (my wife's big thing). Any additional info is welcome, from Peter, Joan, or anyone else who can tell us how things are. Melanie, of course, you've got our phone number, so feel free to call us (after 7am Pacific time :) if you frequent this blog. Vaya con Dios! |
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