Bill - any type of advice you are able to give me would be great. There is a strong possibly I will be moving to Haiti with my husband(who is originally from haiti- but who hasn't lived their since he was a young child about 16 years ago) I only know what i can research on the internet. I am white, which seems a little frightening after reading online. However i have traveled many times to Jamaica, Turks, Bahamas, etc. My biggest concerns are the right places to live and where to send my 3 children to school, etc. i have looked into the Union School, but that is very costly and still not sure where I will work once I am there. Thanks

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To lovemyhaitian

I assume you are considering Port-au-Prince as you have already checked the Union School. I shall list below, all the international schools that I am aware of/found in internet search myself. I do not have children, so this is not an issue for me personally, but I do have several freinds that do. The Union school is of course somewhat subsudised by the US Embassy and is the school of choice for all Embassy expats with children. I realize the price seems high...but I offer...how much do you currently pay for school taxes in your city usa? You might be suprised.
Being "white" in Haiti is not as scary as it may seem from media reports. I am "white", current opinions by Haitians are that all of us white expats are supremely intelligent and filthy rich (which comapred to the very poor here, we probably are). Generally I am treated with respect, though you must always be aware of being targeted for overcharging on prices (some Haitians believe since we have so much money, we can afford to pay more). One must always be aware of your surroundings and personal security, whether in Haiti or Houston, Texas. There ar places in Houston I would not go after dark....and some I avoid even in the day. Haiti is not much different than any US city in that regard, I am sure you have a "bad" side of town where you live now...most do.
Petion-ville, is the little city on the hill, overlooking Port-au-Prince. This is where most expats and Haitians of middle to upper-class currenlty live in this area (there are mansions of the very wealthy a little further up the hill). The Union school and I believe, the other international schools are all located in Petion-ville. Most of all shopping, dining, entertianment is also in Petion-ville....about seven miles up the hill from the airport...but takes an hour or more to drive that distance most days....some times you get lucky and can drive it in 30-40 minutes if traffic is light with no wreck, break down, etc.
Concerning the school for the children, you will have to drive them to school and pick them up in the afternoon, or have a driver that does so for you...some parents trade doing the carpool thing with thier children, where one mother/father picks up several children after school and keeps them until the other parents return from work. Most persons of middle class reside in Petion-ville, Port-au-Prince proper is mostly government, business, slums, and poorer living areas. Petion-ville has more police presence, UN, and most expats live here, unless they are stationed elsewhere in the country. Good housing with US style functions can be expensive. Cars are about 30% more to purchase here due to import duties. Food is also in that range...30 to 50% more than you might pay in USA. Electricty is about double what you pay...and you only have it a few hours per day, unless you have diesel generator at your home (many do). Fuel is around $3.30 right now...last year it was up to $6.00.
Example; My current lodging is an apartment (one room with kitchenette, full bathroom), I have generator power from 6AM to 9AM and again from 6PM to 12PM each day, provided by the complex (note this is the only times I can run Air-con). We run on batteries and inverters the rest of that time (which allows lights, tv, fan, computer, and refridg). I do have maid service six days per week and laundry service is availble for additional payment of such. The grounds are nice, we have a gated complex with armed security 24/7. For this, I pay $1,200.00 per month. I pay an additional $200.00 per month for my own satellite dish and dedicated internet service.

Below are the international schools that I am aware of. I hope this info is of some help. Haiti is different....but not as dangerous as media portays. It is a hard place to live, not much in entertaiment as in US, but can be enjoyable at times...it is stressful to live here compared to US....do not think it is a simple life, therfore less stressful....it is a tough place to live.

Bill Vastine

Schools;
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS IN HAITI

Ecole Flamboyant
Deschapelles,
Haiti
Tel: +509 381141
Fax: +509 381142

Lycee Alexandre Dumas
Rue Marcadieu,
Bourdon,
PO Box 2213,
Port-au-Prince,
Haiti
Tel: +509 245 6139
Fax: +509 245 6342

The Caribbean-American School
56 Rue Lambert,
Petion-Ville,
Haiti
Tel: +509 257 7961

The Campus of the Haitian Academy providing education: pre-k - 12 grade, University majors, sports, and fully accredited
(509) 510-4620
Route Nationale #1, 25km, PO BOX 1633
Port-au-Prince, Haiti

America English School And Enspanac
An English And Spanish School
(509) 510-4237
1er Avenue Du Travail #5 ,delmas 35# 2
Port-au-prince, Haiti


Union School
PO Box 1175,
Port-au-Prince,
Haiti
Tel: 509 257 6565
Email: unionschooldirect@hughes.net
Website: www.unionschoolhaiti.net

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Bill, THANK YPU SO MUCH----this is great information-super useful for myself and anyone else reading. These are the details that i was looking for, as you can't find the specifics like this elsewhere unless you actually talk to someone there. $1200 us dollars seems very high per month though, is this the average price, as i must admit was expecting a lot less?

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Hello Bill,

I am soon to be working for a telecom ops in Haiti and am going to be living in Petion-Ville.

My only concern is for my wife and baby (2 months old) and am hoping that you could give me some basic advice to ensure I am making the right judgement for my family.

1. While I would be workng , my wife would be at home with my baby. However is it like House imprisonment for the family- or within petion-ville, they can get out for small walks within he vicinity of the house?

2. Medicare that expats with children use? Are there some good recommendations of pedeatricians that you could advice me on?

Thanks,
Aakash Gumbeer.

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