Balanced Melting Pot

You’re moving where?

Posted by Deborah on November 9, 2009

So, every time I tell people that I’m moving to Caracas, I tend to get the same list of questions. Sensing a reoccurring theme with these inquiries, I have decided to post them with the answers below.

Q. Is this a good thing?

A. Yes, it’s a very good thing. My husband has received a great promotion – one for which he has worked hard.

Q. Do you speak Spanish?

A. No, but my husband does and he makes a great tour guide ;-) .

Q. Why Venezuela?

A. That’s where hubby wanted to go and it’s not so far fetched - there are strong historical ties with Haiti.

Q. What are you going to do there?

A. Learn Spanish, help the kids get adapted, learn the culture, eventually find a position with an NGO, and of course – write on this blog :-D .

Q. For how long will you be there?

A. Not sure. We are planning on five years, but I have learned to be flexible with our plans because ya never know.

Q. Are the kids excited?

A. Well, my two year-old has no clue. But my daughter (7 years-old) is very happy about the opportunity to learn Spanish.

That’s all I got for now. Let me know if you have one that’s not listed and I will gladly answer.

Posted in Caracas, Expat, Parenting, Questions, Thoughts, Update | Tagged: , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Schools of Thought

Posted by Deborah on November 2, 2009

One of my first concerns with moving to Caracas was the school choices for the kids. I wasn’t sure in which language I wanted them to be taught, but I definitely wanted the school to be accredited by an internationally recognized entity. This isn’t too much of an issue in the primary years, but I have seen too many children have to play serious catch up because certain courses did not translate correctly.

So, my choices for Caracas were two American schools and one French school. I knew the children would be exposed to Spanish regardless and since they are both in English only schools now, I considered not disrupting this in the transition. However, the American schools were insanely expensive 8-O and the French school’s program is very similar to my daughter’s previous school and I think my son would easily adapt at his age.

So, after examining our choices, I am opting to place them in the French program. I had the opportunity to visit the campus while I was in Caracas a few weeks ago and it looks promising. My only concern now is that they might not get as much exposure to Spanish since we will mainly speak English and Haitian Creole with them at home. Hopefully, they will make friends outside of school, as well which will give them an opportunity to speak Spanish uniquely.

Would you have made the same decision if you were in my shoes? If you had to pick 3 languages for you or your child(ren) to know, which would they be?

Subscribe in a reader

Subscribe to Balanced Melting Pot by Email

free hit counters

Posted in Caracas, Cultural Expectations, Education, Expat, Parenting, Questions | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

May I have your attention please…

Posted by Deborah on October 28, 2009

I would like to finally announce that my family and I are moving abroad! Where to, you ask?


View Larger Map
*Caracas, Venezuela*

After a few years of debating whether or not this would be the best move for the family, I gave my husband the green light and he obtained a transfer – as well as a promotion. Go hubby :-) !

In the meantime, I have been thinking about what this means for this blog as I discuss raising my children in yet another culture. Well, I am hoping to expand our conversations to also include my transition into daily life in Caracas.

So there you have it. I know this may seem like it’s coming out of left field, but it’s actually something that we’ve given A LOT of thought and we feel very comfortable with our decision. I hope you will continue on this next leg of my journey with me and I look forward to hearing your stories, questions and comments.

Hasta pronto :-P

Subscribe in a reader

Subscribe to Balanced Melting Pot by Email

free hit counters

Posted in Caracas, Culture, Ex-pat, Update | Tagged: , , , , | 2 Comments »