Perhaps you could send her to school and see how she gets on. It is the easiest and quickest way for her to learn French. After a couple of years at Catholic school our boy went into the special ed class at the public school, and he wasn't the only kid who was severely dyslexic and bilingual. In fact I know several and we live in a small village. Being dyslexic doesn't preclude learning another language. He now reads in both languages. His spelling and grammar are creative, but he isn't afraid to speak. he has also started to learn Latin and has picked up some Dutch and German from friends. our friends daughter who came to France when she was twelve now speaks seven languages, she is also dyslexic. Give her a chance to shine, it will boost her confidence in language and may help her with her dyslexia. I am not an advocate of sending expat kids to any of the Home based schools, like the American school. It won't hurt their education to go to a local school, and will help them when they return to the US. I think they miss out on the opportunity to learn other cultures? I hope it all works out for you whatever you decide. yes our daughter is dysexic too so I am not sure throwing another language on top of the one she struggles with already would be nice:) we have three others who we will send to school. i am just wondering if it would be worth it to live closer to paris and have the kids go to the american international school.

I'm not sure if I understand your question or not, but if you want to have them study before you go, we found a ton of great material at our public library in the US.

SOOOO appreciate all you do Betsy. I am retiring to Italy this year and know nothing about what to expect! Im trying to find other retirees who might like to be part of a group of us from America or Australia [wherever]. Surely making the move within a group would be easier in dealing with the obvious culture shock to be expected! Thank you for the article. I'm considering Portugal and France, and have noted the areas you mention.

I have a GMI rate sheet as well, but don't think I can attach it. Email me at cyclops2020atyahoo.com and I will forward it if you like. chris Mond-Assur seems to be quite reasonable. Has a web site.

I have lived in South America for 13 years in three countries, Chile, Argentina and now Quito. Equador. I know Chile and love it.. Cannot afford it anymore so I visit my friends there. And many aspects of CHile have changed dramatically in the past 13 years! What is this' nearly Fourth World' characterization of Ecuador in this KP article? EC. certainly is a very tough place to immigrate, and the govt. bureaucracy , banking and other systems are not easy. But the truth is immigrating for each of us involves a huge desire to take risks, doing all of your homework, learning the local language and resiliency and PATIENCE above all with yourself as well as others. As a Chilean artist friend told me " es muy alta, muy bajo' -- I am a woman, psychologist and teacher and it has not been easy here for me. I have been cheated by Ecuadorians ( owed me money for agreed-upon professional services), struggled for 10 months and spent way too much to get my immigration visa, I am practicing language skills daily etc etc.. Lots to learn in the 14 months I have been here. K. P. is a bit of a fraud, IMO -- she used to sell EC as a good, 'cheap' place to immigrate , seems her tune has changed -- "less stable" than what?? and what is "less accessible" about this little country? There is a lot of money to be made by IL types on people's dissatisfaction living wherever they are in the world... Prices are going up here, this is not a "cheap "place to live, only comparatively , it is a developing country and people everywhere in the world want to live like the First World - prices go up, rarely I have seen them go down. If you are willing to immigrate you gotta accept that life is DYNAMIC and change is constant... there ain't no free lunch and no paradise (except in the movie in your mind) The key is wherever you go, there YOU are... if you are happy within, you will have a better chance of adjusting well anywhere you go (even if you repatriate to wherever you came from)-- so open your mind and keep learning! Hi, excellent listing of retirement alternatives. I know most of them, and find the pro's and con's being very accurate. Though, it is difficult to publish a list in 'fit for all' manner. It depends very much on the individual budget and your life style. As I go for tropical climate only, Ecuador, Uruguay, and France aren't any option for me. For example Cuenca, Ecuador, can be a very cold place at times. The slogan of "everlasting spring in Cuenca" is misleading. One thing is sure, it is not an easy decision where to spend your retirement. Vern

I am an expat living in Nice (blog: 24/7 in France) and find the city offers a wide range of activities for everyone! You don't really need a car, as public transportation is easy and accessible. It just takes making an effort to find what you like! Bienvenue! Hello, I am new to Nice. I have been here for about a year. I am originally from New York. I worked in Paris for three years before I started working in Nice. Both New York and Paris are exceptioal cities in that it is very easy to find interesting and exciting events, readily available, often for very little money --- if you know where to go. Nice is a bit more daunting in that respect. You need to look for events and as always, it con be difficult to make new contacts. You also need a car! That can be a struggle, if you were used to public transportation, as I was in New York and Paris.