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Moving with English speaking only teenage daughter

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Lemontree99
  6/27/2016 15:04 EST

Hi There

I have a divided camp. I am Nici and my husband is Belize.
We are moving in August 2016 with our 13 year old English speaking only teenager.
After posting questions about schools on the Belize platform, I was very quickly shot down as this being a bad idea to bring a British teenager to Belize.
I guess what I am asking is this:
We will initially be coming in on a tourist visa as I work online. I assume we would need to put English speaking only, child into one of the private schools? What are your thoughts and advice on the best place for her and any experiences of people with teenagers is very welcome, as I have read a lot about people with younger kids, not so many with teenagers.
I am up to my eyes in blogs and have loved reading every one of them many times over.
Best wishes to you.

elduendegrande
  6/28/2016 00:25 EST

if you have her tend your cattle and keep quite, she need not go to school at all!
But, I degress. There is no reason she can;t learn Spanish. There are schools, online programs, and self study.
You can home school her online in english or send her to a bilingual school. Most f the schools would be in Managua.
She will have some hoops to jump through, but no reason she can't adapt.
The last time I was in Belize it was still British Honduras, but I imagine even Nic. is more modern and sophisticated. Panama is another option, I have a friend there who claims everybody speaks English and he is losing the Spanish he learned in Nic.

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Lemontree99
  6/28/2016 07:22 EST

Hello

Thank you for your reply.
Yes of course, very keen for her to learn Spanish, having lived in Barcelona myself, 14 years ago, I had to basically "get on with it" as no one really bothered back then to speak English to me. So massive advocate of her developing a second language etc.
I looked at Panama, considered it more of a place to visit rather than live but I can't judge that as never been there before.
I wanted to know also are there british citizens in Nici doing the visa run every 90 days with their teenage kids

iguanalover
  6/28/2016 09:47 EST

It also depends on where you live. There are lots of bilingual schools in Managua, a couple in Granada and a school in San Juan del Sur that people really like. Other places, we have seen schools, but we don't know about them.

Keep in mind that the teen-age culture is very different here. Teen-agers are more sexually active. We are watching expat friends with teen agers deal with that. There are expat teen-agers around. We have also seen a lovely young expat lady grow up here. She wants a university education but is having a difficult time trying to get into a Nica university, they aren't really set up for foreigner students, but she can't go back to her parents country since her high school diploma is from another country. She did get a good job in Granada and moved out on her own. Her job pays under $300 a month but since she grew up here she knows how to live in the local community. She and her brothers went to a local private Catholic high school. She managed not to get pregnant, but I don't think her younger brother, who is movie star handsome, will be so lucky.

mate31658649
  6/28/2016 09:56 EST

I wouldn't be too concerned about your daughter learning Spanish. Teenagers pick up a second language quickly. My wife was born in Nicaragua and when she brought her sisters and their children to the US, the children learned English quickly. Today, they are fluent in 2 languages. The move will be a positive experience for your daughter.

Lemontree99
  6/28/2016 18:29 EST

Oh god! Iguanalover.
Exactly what I am trying to take her away from. An extremly unhealthy addiction to boys. It almost consumes her, like a drug addict. The nice girl who grew up and works in Grenada does not sound anything other than my ideal, I am deeply afraid, it will not be my reality if I kept her in the UK chasing boys like a crack head.
I really wanted to redirect her focus, I guess we truly carry ourselves with us wherever we go!

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Mtvsolis
  6/28/2016 18:38 EST

Oh yes! A second language builds brain cells like no other activity!
Your daughter will not only make new friends, she will be smarter
And have extra opportunities for her future!
Good for you to give her this gift!

glockdiver69
  6/28/2016 19:42 EST

Unless you move to an island by your self or to the moon, she will always search out boys. You cannot stop that adicktion!

Teach her right and try to instill values. Also, don't judge Panama much until you give it a try. PC is way different than the interior. Try Coronado area. Good schools, expats and locals and it is less rainy.

elduendegrande
  6/28/2016 22:31 EST

The 2 Brits I know here have Nica wives, kids, and legal residency and try to do the best they can with the local culture. They spend a lot of time and energy with their kids to try to instill a culture of success and seem to being doing it.

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