Anonymous
09/30/2025 19:59
Subject: Help us choose a south or Central American town for a 1 year sabbatical with a kid
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:It's in North America, but since you mentioned Mexico, look at San Miguel de Allende. There's a big expat community and it's beautiful.
No. Full of old American expats. I vote Merida! Or even Valladolid (in Mexico).
I'm telling you. When it comes to Latin America outside of the major capital cities there are only two types of American expats: (1) old and weird retirees with no money, most of whom are Trump supporters; and (2) younger and weird misfits who also have no money.
Anonymous
09/30/2025 19:55
Subject: Help us choose a south or Central American town for a 1 year sabbatical with a kid
Anonymous wrote:It's in North America, but since you mentioned Mexico, look at San Miguel de Allende. There's a big expat community and it's beautiful.
No. Full of old American expats. I vote Merida! Or even Valladolid (in Mexico).
Anonymous
09/30/2025 19:27
Subject: Help us choose a south or Central American town for a 1 year sabbatical with a kid
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote: The last place you want to go to find what you're looking for is DCUM. To them Latin America is a big theme park.
Latin America is Costa Rica. Get it straight, buster.
Ha ha ha exactly. I mean how many times has CR already come up on this very thread?
OP, this is the TRAVEL forum on a largely UMC white people website. It's where unimaginative people go for advice on which beaten path is the best vacation spot. It's not a forum for a families wishes to live abroad.
Anonymous
09/30/2025 17:12
Subject: Help us choose a south or Central American town for a 1 year sabbatical with a kid
Anonymous wrote: The last place you want to go to find what you're looking for is DCUM. To them Latin America is a big theme park.
Latin America is Costa Rica. Get it straight, buster.
Anonymous
09/30/2025 16:43
Subject: Help us choose a south or Central American town for a 1 year sabbatical with a kid
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Antigua is the obvious answer
Another theme park suggestion.
NP. Omg you are SO annoying. Unless you have suggestions, move on
Anonymous
09/30/2025 15:57
Subject: Help us choose a south or Central American town for a 1 year sabbatical with a kid
Anonymous wrote:Antigua is the obvious answer
Another theme park suggestion.
Anonymous
09/30/2025 15:56
Subject: Help us choose a south or Central American town for a 1 year sabbatical with a kid
Anonymous wrote:I have a friend who lives in Tamarindo, Costa Rica. That could fit the vibe.
They call it TamaGRINGO. There's nothing authentic about it.
Anonymous
09/30/2025 15:55
Subject: Help us choose a south or Central American town for a 1 year sabbatical with a kid
Anonymous wrote:How about Cuenca in Ecuador? Very pretty, up in the mountains with a large American ex-pat population.
Ha ha ha and they're all over 60, ignore the locals, don't speak the language, have driven prices up, and have ruined the city. You might as well not even be in Ecuador.
Anonymous
09/30/2025 15:53
Subject: Help us choose a south or Central American town for a 1 year sabbatical with a kid
OP you're looking for a needle in a haystack that likely doesn't even exist. Or, if it does exist, it's in a bubble and is totally inauthentic.
Most ex pats from the USA living in small towns far removed from the big cities are either retirees without a lot of money or weirdos (also without money). Most can't be bothered to learn the language and don't mix with the local community. And most, like you appear to be contemplating, choose to send their kids to schools largely with other non-locals and not primarily in Spanish and avoid true immersion. The resulting segregation defeats the whole purpose of living there in the first place.
Virtually all of the places being recommended here are touristy/ex pat havens that are pushing locals out and raising prices up. Bocas del Toro is overrun by gringos, for example. So is San Miguel.
The last place you want to go to find what you're looking for is DCUM. To them Latin America is a big theme park.
If your young son is in an immersion program here, why do you have to go private there and with a bunch of expats? Just put him in a local school already. THAT'S how you immerse, and it opens up all kinds of options for you for where to live.
It doesn't sound to me that you want to truly immerse at all. You just want to play around.
Most ex pats from the USA living in small towns far removed from the big cities are either retirees without a lot of money or weirdos (also without money). Most can't be bothered to learn the language and don't mix with the local community. And most, like you appear to be contemplating, choose to send their kids to schools largely with other non-locals and not primarily in Spanish and avoid true immersion. The resulting segregation defeats the whole purpose of living there in the first place.
Virtually all of the places being recommended here are touristy/ex pat havens that are pushing locals out and raising prices up. Bocas del Toro is overrun by gringos, for example. So is San Miguel.
The last place you want to go to find what you're looking for is DCUM. To them Latin America is a big theme park.
If your young son is in an immersion program here, why do you have to go private there and with a bunch of expats? Just put him in a local school already. THAT'S how you immerse, and it opens up all kinds of options for you for where to live.
It doesn't sound to me that you want to truly immerse at all. You just want to play around.
Anonymous
09/30/2025 15:24
Subject: Re:Help us choose a south or Central American town for a 1 year sabbatical with a kid
Padasi / Playa Venao in Panama. You can go to the Manglares Discovery School very affordable.
Anonymous
09/30/2025 13:30
Subject: Help us choose a south or Central American town for a 1 year sabbatical with a kid
How about Cuenca in Ecuador? Very pretty, up in the mountains with a large American ex-pat population.
Anonymous
09/30/2025 09:48
Subject: Help us choose a south or Central American town for a 1 year sabbatical with a kid
Where in Peru were you?
Anonymous
09/30/2025 09:48
Subject: Help us choose a south or Central American town for a 1 year sabbatical with a kid
What about Vieques (I'm thinking of your example of the roosters) or mainland Puerto Rico? Obviously American but you may be able to slot right into local schools and community easily. PR is such a beautiful island with mountains, beaches, rainforests.
Anonymous
09/30/2025 09:42
Subject: Help us choose a south or Central American town for a 1 year sabbatical with a kid
Merida, Mexico- it is a small city, but plenty of single family homes. It is very safe and beautiful but the big drawback I imagine would be the climate (tropical).
Anonymous
09/30/2025 09:27
Subject: Help us choose a south or Central American town for a 1 year sabbatical with a kid
I have a friend who lives in Tamarindo, Costa Rica. That could fit the vibe.