Forums

Hi guys! Thanks for replying :)  Roxana, I'm preuvian too, and I went to school in Lima, so I know what you mean about public education… sadly…

I don't think I'm staying with family, I would rather have my own place, and I don't want to impose on them for such a long time, but I'm not ruling it out either.

I would love to hear from someone who has done it before. Like you, I don't know what the rules are about only having them in the school for 2 months (or really 6 weeks, I had forgotten that vacation starts in the middle of July! I was thinking they wouldn't be off until closer to the 28…)

Beth, we are VERY excited! And at the same time it seems like there's so much to find out!

Thanks in advance for anything you guys can find out for me, and I will definitely keep you updated on our little "Adventure" :)

Abrazos,

Monica

I just realized I didn't answer many of your questions… so here it goes…

My kids are elementary school age. Alex is almost 8, and Grace is 6. Right now they're in 2nd and 1st grade and doing great. They speak mostly in English, but understand Spanish pretty well, they just refuse to use it. My husband is American, so it has been very difficult to only speak Spanish to them… I normally flip flop between the two languages. I have started to teach them to read in Spanish though… so I know they grasp more of the language than they want to admit.

My goal in taking them to Lima and enrolling them in school is that they are immersed in Spanish, and that they're forced to communicate in it. We have been to Peru, Lima specifically, twice already, first in 2005 and again in 2008. They love being there because we're on vacation and because every one in the family spoils them! And they love the food! They are both pretty flexible, adaptable kids (more Alex than Grace) and they love adventures, so that's how I am describing it to them. It's our little Adventure! And they get to come back and go back to their old school, and their academic success over there doesn't really count towards their grades (this worried my second grader at first). It really helps that my husband is on board with the idea. He thinks it's very cool, even though he won't get to be with us for the full two months … he has to work :(

Thanks again for any input you guys may have! I'll keep you posted.

Monica

Hi Ladies, Currently, my two kids( 2 years old and 7 years old) and I are in Taiwan   around two months for the Chinese language immersion experience. We live in

the US and I am Taiwanese.  My 7-year-old gilr currently goes to a local school.  My mom simply went to visit an elementary teacher to see whether my girl can enroll at her school for around a month or so. The teacher went to ask the principal's permission, then it's done.  My girl also learns French, Italian and a bit of Spanish. In the future, I would also like to enroll my girl at a local school in France or Italy. NOw, I've been collecting info about how to do it. I am not sure my experience in Taiwan helps this subject/discussion or not. Deep down, it's pretty much the same, that is enrolling kids at an overseas  local school. Chumei P.S. I was told by my daughter's Chinese teacher, my daughter started to talk to her Taiwanese classmates exclusively in Chinese on the 3rd of school. I was quite happy about it. Back home in the US, I talk to my kids 85% in Chinese and 15% in English.

Hi guys! I think I've narrowed down the area where I'm going to stay, to Surco (a suburb of Lima), but I still don't have any solid leads on an furnished apartment for rent or the school. I have a few names, but I need to contact them and see what they say. Thanks for all the ideas and I'll keep you posted as I get more information :)

Monica

Hi Roxana,

Having read your response, I must say that you have obtained a lot of information from your family members in Peru, how wonderful,  I must admit that I no longer feel that sending the children to a bilingual school, as such, would defeat the object of immersing the children in the Spanish language.  Had you asked me a year ago, I would have agreed with you but seeing how my girls, 7 and 9 are using Spanish less and less each year, my fear of putting them in a Spanish only school may put them off entirely and the whole idea would back fire on me.  I think that if they are in a school that also offers English would allow them to feel comfortable and confident that they can participate easily in class, whereas in the Spanish only speaking classes, it would be the opposite (initially anyway) but at least that would give them a balance.  Also, all they would hear around them would be Spanish, they would only be able to communicate with friends, family, shopkeepers, etc. in Spanish and all of that would be completely beneficial.  In comparing what we offer them here, regardless of whether the school does give some classes in English, they would most definitely come back with better fluency of the language and want to go back the following year.

Having said that, I am still researching both bilingual and Spanish only schools.

Hi guys! I'm back with more info too :)

Roxana, first of all a huge thanks to you! It's great to know that Carmelitas will take them for a couple of months. Was the monthly tuition in US dollars or soles?.

Melissa, what you mentioned in your post is something I have been thinking of too, but since my kids are still young and tend to make friends quickly, I have decided for the "sink or swim" approach. I think that if they were able to learn in English while there, they would tend to not try to speak in Spanish at all. I think it will be a little rough in the beginning, but they still have each other to talk to so they won't feel too frustrated.

My son is actually looking forward to it, my daughter is aprehensive since she tends to depend on her older brother to translate when she doesn't understand something. Her main concern (or so she says) is that we won't be here to celebrate the 4th of July. I have told them that we will be celebrating the 28th of July (Peruvian Independe Day), but I will also try to have a small celebration on the 4th, even if it's just the 3 of us eating smores and lighting fireworks :)

I'm trying to find a school where most of the classes are taught in Spanish, but I'm also looking into the general size of the school. If I can find something that has less classes per grade and/or less students per class, that would be optimal for me, as I think my kids would feel more comfortable in a smaller environment. I have my family doing research for me (isn't family great!), and I will let you guys know what we school we choose when we make a final decision.

I have found a furnished apartment to rent in Surco, I'm still finalizing the details (like the internet connection so I can work!). So the plan is coming along, slowly but surely.

Thanks again to everyone for their opinions and information.

I will keep you guys posted :)