Moving with family to Colombia

Peter (Moderator) says on Oct 4, 2006, 17:28:

I'd love to hear about this too :) I think a lot depends on the age of the kids..

Poor but snappy

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dagui says on Oct 4, 2006, 20:09:

Yes Pete My kids are 5 and 10 bilingual of course and they love there cousins and aunts and uncles. They could easily adopt but since we live here in the US the propaganda overwhelms us. I would like if any for them to go to high school/colegio aya.My daughter totally object when we talk about one day living there. It will take alot of coaxing.chao

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utopiacowboy says on Oct 4, 2006, 21:25:

Good luck with that. My stepchildren spent their entire lives in Colombia until they moved here three years ago. Now it's almost impossible to persuade them to even go back and visit.

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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dagui says on Oct 4, 2006, 22:06:

senor cowboy What reasons do they give or why do they feel that way? Are they diggin the schools here and the cheerleaders :)

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wcarmack says on Oct 5, 2006, 05:04:

Moving Children to Colombia Well.............. My wife and I are going to retire in Colombia. we have four children. Three girls and one son who is the youngest.

After living in Canada most of their lives, well, they basically think we are crazy. The oldest was born in Colombia.

We want to make the move shortly. At this stage only perhaps the 15 year old son will be coming. We expect at least one more to follow, perhaps.

Who knows? We are keeping a log book of events in this matter. Stay tuned. Because no matter what they think we are returning.

But they are not amused at this stage.
One has Colombian Citizenship, is a Jehovah's Witness and thinks we are out of our minds.

One is just graduating with degrees in International Relations and Political Science. We are attempting to offer her graduate school in Colombia. No far no luck.

One has bailed and gone into banking.

The 15 year old is in his second year of Spanish.

And no matter what, Papa and mama are coming - and soon.

woody

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Desideria (Moderator) says on Oct 5, 2006, 10:08:

you're luckier than I woody, I can't get my kids even visit Colombia...not since they've turned old enough to pay for the trip themselves.

Cheers,
Desi

«Sé que los seres humanos y los peces podrán coexistir en paz». ( George W. Bush, Saginaw 29-09-00)

"I have opinions of my own, strong opinions, but I don't always agree with them."-President George W. Bush

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kat1 (Moderator) says on Oct 5, 2006, 10:32:

My older child 16 he said he wants to do his gap year in Colombia, he likes Colombia a lot but prefer to live here I think because he has his most closest friends. but he doesn't mind going after he finish college.

My daughteris 14 she loves Colombia too and she doesn't mind if we go or stay, she said that at the end of the day as soon as she finish college she is heading to Japan for her gap year.

engage brain before opening mouth

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utopiacowboy says on Oct 11, 2006, 21:15:

I guess they are living like typical US kids which means a fairly pampered life full of social activities, sports, video gaming etc. They manage to squeeze in a little school here and there. Their father's death and their grandfather's death in Colombia probably color things a little too.

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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adrimm says on Oct 11, 2006, 21:37:

Thoughts I think that the transition for a 15 yo will be challenging. I know that at that age I would have sooner died than have left my friends to move to a foreign country. Maybe you can frame it as a temporary move (ie until post-secondary) and offer up trips home to visit over school break?

Set up good technology connections, highspeed internet, webcams so your teen doesn't have to lose contact with friends. That's one thing that wasn't available then and I have to say that it might make it easier for your teen to handle the change when he or she can just sit down and talk to friends from home to share their experiences.


Anyhow these are just my thoughts and opinions, everyone is different..

I spent over 6 mos in Colombia as a kid.. I was home schooled with books from Canada (becuase we knew I would return home), but did Math at a Colombian level - they run about 1- 2 years ahead in math there, I returned home 2 grade levels ahead of my peers. I was about 8, so younger than yours, and already spoke Spanish.

No problems.. the only thing that you will find is that younger kids won't bat an eye about pointing out things they disagree with or find strange - often at untactful times.

My home community (in Canada) at the time was a idyllic smallish community. I had never seen street animals, street people, or shantytowns, or people with no shoes. I recall pointing these out very loudly and asking pointed questions about why they were there. I never got any good answers, and now that my own community faces increasing social struggles am still asking the same questions.

It's a very eye-opening experience, one that will influence how your child sees the world... give them a better persepective of the mindblowing varieties that exist, and much more realistic idea (vs hollywood) of other places. I don't want to sound jaded but it's really strange when someone I know now (in their 20s and 30s) tells me wide-eyed of seeing poverty, extreme contrasts or unexpected levels of development in their travels.... it's old news to me, and sits in the back of my mind as I go about living my life at home.

I value my childhood experiences in Colombia immensely, and if I have children hope to expose them at a young age to developing parts.

Socially, Colombians seem to tend to spoil kids these days. I know 7 years olds in Colombia with cell phones (that only get used within the house). I also recall constantly being driven mad by kids running (literally) rampant in the house, and being unable to converse over the noise becuase the parent won't ask them to hush or send them to play in other rooms.

If you wish your child to continue studies in English, there are lots of bilingual and immersion schools in the larger cities, - but I'd take advantage of the skill younger people have with langugae and encourage your kids to learn Spanish. In a globalising world, it can only be a benefit to have more languages - and it opens so much up to one.

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