Overall everyone is doing awesome! We really love it here. We love all of the people that we’ve met and the friends that we’ve made and, of course the beautiful weather.
Our Spanish is coming along slowly but surely. I thought for sure, we’d be fluent by now. Haha! A lot of people speak English here so when they hear our broken Spanish they often turn to English or find someone who can speak to us in English. The one place that we get a lot of Spanish is at church. We’re starting to understand more and more and can get by now with the Spanish we do know. It’s definitely getting easier. The kids are learning fast too. The other day Dylan corrected my pronunciation. I was amazed.
We’re all starting to feel at home here. We, of course, still miss our family and friends in Utah.My parents just left and we already miss them. We’re looking forward to more visits from family and friends coming up in the next few months.Jordan and Ashley still see their Utah friends on FaceTime quite often, We’ve have made a lot of friends at church and a few outside of church. The kids here have all been very accepting and loving towards our kids. I love that they’re getting a new perspective on how people live life.
Jordan’s picked up guitar and loves the beach when we get there but hates being sticky afterward. He’s been awesome to his younger siblings. He plays Xbox with his friends from afar. I think he’s even introduced some of them to his Puerto Rican friends, over the internet. We’re so blessed to have the technology we have. I know it’s not super cool to be with your family all the time, at this age, but he’s been awesome. He’s grown a lot here, in character and in size.
Ashley couldn’t live without her sewing machine so she got a new one for Christmas. She just loves it. She’s getting so old! She’s sewing and writing a cookbook. I can’t believe how fast time has flown by! She just entered the Young Women’s program in our church. She has a couple of good friends here. She misses family a lot, all of you but especially the babies. It makes her day when she gets to see them on FaceTime. She does love Puerto Rico. I saw a, “I LOVE PUERTO RICO” wallpaper on her IPod and was so glad because I really want her to enjoy her time here. I know it’s going to go by so fast
John and Dylan have a ton of fun at the beach and the pool. There isn’t a day that they don’t want to go to the pool. You should see these guys in the waves! John’s grown a ton in his learning. I’ve been amazed at his progress this year. He’s been a great leader with his friends here. Dylan seems so little and yet so old. He’s doing great. The only thing is that he will not let me leave him in the Primary on Sunday. I have to be sitting right by him or he breaks out in tears. On Wednesday nights we go to the church for the youth activities and he’s totally fine then, he goes to play with the other kids and couldn’t care less which room I’m in but, when it comes to Sunday meetings, it’s a whole other story. I’m not sure why. We really haven’t pushed it. I hope he gets up the courage to go alone soon. He’s not even alone, he’d be with John half the time. Anyway, we’re going to have to work on it. Otherwise, he’s doing awesome! I love watching him play with kids that don’t speak English and they get along just fine. I guess playing doesn’t have a language. 🙂
Ryan’s business is doing well. He’s getting into body boarding which is super cool. Homeschooling’s going awesome. We went whale watching today and saw a splash but no whale. There are 2 things I really want to see here; a whale and a sea turtle. Tomorrow we’re heading out for more whale watching. I’ll let you know how it goes. It’s fun to experience these new things.
The world looks bright from here. We are so grateful for this experience. We are learning and growing so much. We’re learning how to serve in different ways and meeting people from all over the world. This is quite the experience. I wouldn’t trade it for anything. We feel extremely blessed.
Thank you all for your love and support!
Loved the update and love you guys!!!
Thanks for the update. We are so happy that you are having such a great experience. One of our sons just moved his family to Costa Rica and they are beginning to have the same experiences. I love your positive attitude.
Hi there! Welcome to Puerto Rico. We moved to Rincón from Northern Colorado about a year and a half ago and love it! (We also have been blogging about it at LifeTransPlanet.com).
If you go snorkeling often, you WILL see a sea turtle. I have reached out and touched them; they are so friendly.
Glad to see you are enjoying your new life here.
Cassie
Hi Cassie! Thanks for the welcome.
I’ve actually been to your blog and love it! Thanks for Sharing your adventures with us. It’s fun to hear from other people who have moved here too.
I haven’t seen that turtle yet but I’m working on it (if you can call that working). Now, I’m hoping to see a whale. We’ve heard they’re all over, near you, in Rincon!
Jenny
so glad to read your blog. my family is considering a move to the western part of PR. we’ve visited before and remained in touch with people. our friend teaches at escuela micheal in aguadilla. would love to hear details about how you found a place to rent and live. also, did you ship your vehicle? feel free to email me! thanks!
Hi Stacy!
I’m excited to hear about your potential move! We’re so glad we made the decision to come here. We just love it!
We didn’t ship our vehicle because the taxes would have been terribly expensive. We found a car, at a dealership, here. One thing to keep in mind is that the humidity and salt here are hard on cars. (Something we found out when our van had unexpected electrical issues.) Even with that, I feel like we made the right decision by not shipping our car.
As far as finding a place to rent, we used clasificadosonline.com to look before we came but ultimately ended up using a realtor. It was easier for us because we didn’t know anyone here, don’t speak Spanish and had never even visited PR before. 🙂 I would recommend getting at least a 1 month rental when you first arrive but to start looking for housing right away. You’ll probably need the time.
Good luck in your search and move! Keep me posted!
Jenny
Great to see that the transition has gone so well. My wife and I are looking to purchasing a second home near the El Yunque rainforest and are looking for any tips or advise you may have. We currently reside in Wisconsin. Keep up the good work on spanish as i will be following in your footsteps learning it also. Have a great day!!
Hi Ken!
El Yunque is so beautiful! You’ll have to keep us posted. That’s exciting!
We’ve been really happy with an app called, Duo Lingo, to help us learn more Spanish. It’s free on the App Store. You may want to check it out.
Jenny
Hi Jenny,
I just wanted to thank you for all the great info. you gave me when we met at Crash Boat, We got back to FL last night, but the kids could not stop talking about their trip. Now it is time for my husband and I to make some decisions about the move, and see how we can make it happen. After visiting I feel more comfortable with the lay of the land, and am excited for the possible adventure. It is nice to know their are plenty of other families like yours that are enjoying their time. I will be in contact and keep you posted. If you could forward me the names of any of the good private schools near Isabella and Aguidilla I would appreciate it! Talk soon!-Katie
Katie,
It was good to meet you too! I can’t wait to hear what you decide. Definitely keep in touch! Let me ask around and I’ll send you some names and #’s. Good luck!