Living in BA with kids... Is it possible?

[stan414]

Dear BA Expat community,

My wife and I are planning to possibly move to BA for an early retirement in a few years. However, our biggest concern is that our kids will be 6 and 12 years old then, and we are not sure if BA would be a good environment for them, (schools, language, friends, etc.). If we decide to do it, they would probably go to Lincoln school. I would greatly appreciate any advice or suggestions from folks who reside in BA with kids. Do you think it's a good move?

Thank you,

Stan

 

[Delfina]

Hi Stan!

This blog will help you: http://www.micheleandtom.com/

 

[mini]

i suggest you read a bit about Maya Frost & her family.
http://sexyspanishclub.blogspot.com/
http://www.mayafrost.com/

you can hear her & her husband on a radio interviewed for On Point radio program. It's about her book which is more or less about her children's education outside the US (and how you too can be a global student. I'm not good at book summaries so have a look for yourself.
http://www.onpointradio.org/2009/06/the-new-global-student

 

[bgarcia]

we also took early retirement... and moved here 3 years ago when our kids were then 8 and 13.. best thing we ever did. Yes it can work and Lincoln School is a fabulous place.

 

[Recoleta Carolina]

Dear BA Expat community,

My wife and I are planning to possibly move to BA for an early retirement in a few years. However, our biggest concern is that our kids will be 6 and 12 years old then, and we are not sure if BA would be a good environment for them, (schools, language, friends, etc.). If we decide to do it, they would probably go to Lincoln school. I would greatly appreciate any advice or suggestions from folks who reside in BA with kids. Do you think it's a good move?

Thank you,

Stan

Lincoln school has a great reputation. The problem is that Buenos Aires in general is experiencing rising crime/poverty, and other things. In that case, it does not matter where your children attend school. A prudent parent would live temporarily in some location of choice and then decide after spending a period of time in that location.

 

[katti]

We have moved to BA with our kids 16 and 13. They both love it here.

Lincoln has a good reputation, but it is full of Americans and other expats who only stay for 2 or 4 years, and a minority of Argentines. If you only stay for a short time this might be the best school as this is the only school that follows the norhtern hemispehre schoolyear (sept to june). So it depends on what you want. We send our kids to st George's which is an English college but 98% is Argentine.

The place you live has no importance to the school you choose, as they all have "combis" that pick your child up at your front door and bring them back in the evening.
A good reason to chose a school out of the center is the availability of many sports. The ones in the center don't have meny posibilities or no posibility at all.

Having kids in schools with a majority of Argentines makes it easy to integrate. My kids are considered "exotic" and are asked to go our form the 1 st week we arrived!
My kids are having the time of their lives...

 

[fred mertz]

The Lincoln School is in La Lucila, which is a suburb of Buenos Aires. You´d probably have to live in that area. If you lived in the city and your kids went to that school, you´d have to bring them and take them home daily. Also, it would be very difficult for them to have friends in their BA neighborhood, because the Lincoln School is on the U.S. calandar year; students go to school in the BA summer and are off in the BA winter. I knew a couple who were here for about a year with 2 kids (12 and 14)who were home schooled. The kids were very unhappy, socially, and the family left.

 

[katti]

The Lincoln School is in La Lucila, which is a suburb of Buenos Aires. You´d probably have to live in that area. If you lived in the city and your kids went to that school, you´d have to bring them and take them home daily. Also, it would be very difficult for them to have friends in their BA neighborhood, because the Lincoln School is on the U.S. calandar year; students go to school in the BA summer and are off in the BA winter. I knew a couple who were here for about a year with 2 kids (12 and 14)who were home schooled. The kids were very unhappy, socially, and the family left.

As I said before, distance is not an issue. Kids are picked up at your door in the morning and dropped off in the evening. As this is an 'upscale' school, most of those kids live in 'upscale' neighboorhoods. My kids school is in Quilmes! they are picked up at 7.30 in the morming, school starts at 8. Many friends live very close, 1 or 2 blocks even!

Fred is probably right and sending your kids to a school like Lincoln will be like putting them on an island. It is up to you to decide what you think is most important ; if you want them to get integrated in Argentine society or if you want them to stay in the expat world. If you want them to have holidays together with the argentines or with the Americans back home, It all has his pros and cons. The best would be to chose a school or 3, visit them, and then see what suits you best, and what school your kids like the most.

 

[stan414]

Dear Katti,

Thank you very much for your suggestions. I greatly appreciate it. My wife and I will visiting Buenos Aires for 5 days from October 16th to October 21st. We would love to meet you to learn about your BA experience over a lunch, drinks or coffee at your convenience in your area. Please let me know if you might be available.

If you cant, thanks again for your feedback.

Stan and Kristina

 

[katti]

You can PM me, I am sure I can find some free time