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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To move to the Falkland Islands?

40 replies

PortiaFinis · 01/09/2016 21:38

I'm sorry, I'm mainly posting in AIBU for traffic as there doesn't seem to be much on Falkland Islands living on the ex-pat forums.

Does anyone have experience of living there with children?

DH would be working with the government, we have three children, 8,6 and 3. It would be for 2 years, we have a dog - I've heard that's difficult.

We're comfortable here but have itchy feet - FI just seems slightly extreme but it is exciting. DH reckons we'd have great quality time with the children, I like penguins. But I know it's not a win-win....

OP posts:

Original poster

PortiaFinis · 02/09/2016 07:02

Thanks PenguinPoo and Lamprey!

How long have you been there PenguinPoo? Have your children settled in quickly? I saw that there were lots of afternoon clubs and things available at the school which sounds great!

We have been ex-pats before on small (but warmer) islands. So I'm not too worried about island fever or anything.

Is everyone fairly friendly? One place we lived in was very resentful of 'non-Belongers. I have so many questions, is it okay if PM you?

OP posts:

hidingwithwine · 02/09/2016 07:29

My DH went there with work and found it okay, apart from the isolation from family, but wouldn't consider moving us all there. 4 months at a stretch, knowing he was leaving again, was about as much as he could deal with.

SpaghettiMeatballs · 02/09/2016 07:33

A friend went for two years with the Air Force. I don't know him well enough to visit but his posts on Facebook made it sound as though they loved it. They had two pre-schoolers at the time.

Their posts have made me really want to visit!

LittleLionMansMummy · 02/09/2016 08:01

Dh was posted there for several months with the RAF. It's his life's ambition to return. He absolutely loved it there. I guess it depends on whether you're the type to appreciate solitude (it's very bleak but beautiful) or thrive better in populated places.

ZippyNeedsFeeding · 02/09/2016 08:17

I'm going to be spending my morning off googling jobs in the Falklands now!

PenguinPoo4 · 02/09/2016 15:18

Hi! Didn't have to worry about my child settling in as I am a local :) I have lived in the UK though so have an idea of the main differences.
Yes you can PM me. At work now so cant chat long, will reply later (we are 4 hours behind you time wise so you may not see response till tomorrow). Let me know where your husband would be working and I can give you the low down on all his future colleagues!
Just to clarify for those who know people who have been here in the military - its a totally different experience. Coming down as a military spouse would be dire, as the base is ugly and has nothing to do, plus the road to Stanley is a dangerous 1 hour drive. Coming down as the spouse of someone working for government is infinitely better.
Locals are friendly, we have zero unemployment so there's none of this 'outsiders taking our jobs' crap as plenty of work for everyone. Be aware though that being a SAHM is rare, so the only other ones you are likely to meet will be other contractors wives, which would be a bit limiting.

PenguinPoo4 · 02/09/2016 15:26

For the sake of balance here is a list of stuff you might miss:

Shopping - you can get stuff online but it takes a few weeks to get here.
We have no McDonalds, KFC etc - but do have various cafes and 2 very good restaurants.
Your family - would cost you £1550 a pop to fly a friend/relative down for a visit. Most people are OK until something happens and they cant be there - funeral, wedding, new baby, whatever. *Free wifi and high speed internet - internet here is very expensive, which may be a good thing if you are a bit of an addict! *Sky TV and the like - we only have 5 channels, you can get a version of cable but it wont be as good as what you are used to and is expensive.

As you can imagine, kids here still 'play out', kids your oldest twos age (especially the 8 year old) would go to park or footie field after school and muck about on bikes without any parents there. This is normal and perfectly safe, any adults who happened to be in the vicinity would keep an eye on your kids and deal with any scraped knees or whatever, just as you would theirs.

pontificationcentral · 02/09/2016 15:38

Ha. I was just about to say that the military is frigging miles away at MPA, and the road is horrendous lol. There used to be a few military families in Stanley though - four or five married quarters from memory? I ended up in an empty one being propositioned by a guy who clearly hadn't seen his wife for far too long. Numpty.
Have all the mines been cleared now, poo?

oldlaundbooth · 02/09/2016 15:41

I'd totally do it, OP.

What an opportunity!

Albatross26 · 02/09/2016 15:50

Not lived there but have spent time there. It is a wonderful place, amazing wildlife and lovely people. If it's only for two years I would jump at the chance. Spending a day walking amongst hundreds of penguins and no people is a real treat :)

PenguinPoo4 · 02/09/2016 16:25

Ponti - yes the squaddies certainly seem to forget about their wives when they come here that's for sure. Lots of slipping the wedding rings in pockets when they go to the pub. 'What goes on tour stays on tour' apparently. Mines getting cleared now, they do an area each summer, so still a few years to go.

NetballHoop · 02/09/2016 16:39

Not sure how much help this will be but...

I was brought up as an expat child in the Middle East and South America upto the age of 10 when my parents decided that I needed a more stable education.

I loved it and have always learned languages easily as a result of it. My DF loved it as he had his job and was always busy. My DM found things a bit harder in some of the places we lived in as she didn't have a ready supplied job, colleagues etc and had to work harder to make new friends.

If it were me, I'd jump at the opportunity but I would want the children to be back in the UK at age 12 by the latest.

LuluJakey1 · 02/09/2016 18:09

What about your dog?

What if the Argentinians invade? They are pretty worked up about it.

applesandpears33 · 02/09/2016 18:42

I've got family out there. There seems to be lots of clubs for school age kids, more than enough to keep them happy. Food can be really expensive though if you want to eat lots of fresh fruit or veg. The shopping trips when the family come back to the UK are legendary as they tend to buy loads of clothes and shoes. They love it out there though and would not move back. They reckon they have a very good quality of life.

PenguinPoo4 · 03/09/2016 00:00

Lulu it's unlikely the argies would invade, they don't have the military strength to win and wouldn't want to embarrass themselves again.
Apple's you are right about the fruit n veg, I bought some bananas for £1 each the other day. But then I filled my car for 36p a litre so all balances out

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