Pamama anyone?

[mtw]

My husband has a job offer and we are considering a move with 3 kids - 9,3 & 4 from the US. Can anyone tell me more about this place? Schools? Safety? Nice areas to live? General living standard? Lots of expats? Thank you for any guidance and advice...

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I live in Panama. I've just read your PM also - didn't reply before as I've been away.

It's a pretty good place to live. I presume the job is in Panama City? There you have a few schools to choose from, all of which follow the US system. A British school is due to open next year. Schools are hard to get places in though due to lots of demand.

There are a mix of expats, mainly from the US and Canada. Most of the people I know live in an area called Clayton, which a nice green suburb on the outskirts of the city. This is where the schools are located also.

You can find just about everything you want. Good supermarkets etc - expensive of course for imported stuff, but most things available. They use the US$ as their currency.

In Panama City you can get by with limited Spanish, but it's useful if you speak some.

Panama is really pushing tourism and it's a beautiful country once you get out of the city, so lots of places to visit and nice beaches etc.

Hi, thank you so much for your reply.
We are looking at ISP - is that in Clayton? Where would one live if the kids went to ISP in terms of a close distance to the school?
Do you know if it's a good school?
Is it safe?
How is the expat community? IS it a good place to bring up kids?
Sorry for all the questions and thanks again!

ISP is probably the only school that's not in Clayton. You could drive there on the highway and I guess it would take 20 - 30 mins. I don't know anyone who goes there. I 'think' most of the children there are Panamanian so even though the lessons will be in English, most will have Spanish as their first language and be sent there by their parents to have an education in English.

Compared to many places, like HK, Singapore, the UAE etc, the expat community is small and there isn't a great deal going on. However if you have children in school you will soon meet other people through that.

Panama City is generally safe. If course like all big cities there are places you will want to avoid, but on the whole we feel safe.

Is it a good place to bring up children? Ithink so. We will only be there for another 6 months to a year and our DD is still a toddler, so it's not something I've really given much thought to as long term we knew we wouldn't be staying as once the project DH works on, we'll move. Good place for your children to learn Spanish (if they don't already speak it) at least!

Oh, thank you again.
I see that the ISP is very far from Clayton. I know you mentioned you had a toddler so not really looking at Elementary schools right now, but do you know in the Clayton area the schools that the expats use? Or - the area that people would live in if their kids went to ISP? WHat are the other main expat areas?
My kids don't speak spanish - and i dont either!!
What kind of housing for expats is available - are the houses easy to rent? We will be there 2-3 years.
I hate to say this - but is it a bit "boring"?
I am English - husband is America, been here 10 yrs now and would really like a change.
Thanks again for any help and I appreciate your time in replying to my questions!.

Yes, everyone I know uses schools in Clayton and they live in that area or an area next to it called Albrook. Most are at Balboa Acadamy. One of my friends has a son (3 yr old) at Metropolitan School (they have a nursery also) and she's very happy with it. I think this is where we would look if we end up staying in Panama.

Lots of housing available. Some in compounds where you have lots of facilities, but of course you pay the price for these ones. Google the following and I'm sure you'll find some info: Embassy Club, Albrook Gardens, Embassy Villas. There are also plenty if stand alone houses in that area, mainly ones built by the Amercians when they were in control on the Panama Canal. You won't have any problem finding something. I know 3 bed apts in the Embassy Club are from about US$2,500 and the villas there are about US$6,000 a month.

Is it boring? I think it depends on you a little. It's a case of sometimes throwing yourself into stuff just because it's on offer rather than it being something you really want to do. Plenty of pilates and exercise classes, lots of people play tennis. A group of my friends do a ceramics class once a week. Book club etc. that kind of thing.

Oh, thank you - having searched ,we didn't even see Balboa Academy - so that is a huge help....I wonder why the expats don't use ISP? Thanks again.