Raising kids the local way in Ecuador

Cheryl Moderator

16293POSTS

last month

Hello everyone,

Raising children as an expat in Ecuador means discovering new parenting habits. School routines, discipline, food habits, independence, social life鈥� many things may work differently in Ecuador compared to your home country.
In order to help fellow expats and soon-to-be expats to adapt, we invite you to share your insights:

What has surprised you most about raising kids in Ecuador?

How would you describe the local daily routine for kids?

Have you adopted local habits, or do you mix them with your own culture?

How do your kids navigate growing up between cultures? Do they feel local, expat, or both?

Do you face any challenges, or want to share any funny moments, or cultural misunderstandings?

Share your story, your tips, or your doubts to help expat parents and soon-to-be parents in raising kids in Ecuador, the local way.

Thank you for your contribution.

Cheryl
大咖福利影院 Team

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lassipensikkala New member

7POSTS

3 weeks ago

@Cheryl

Hello Cheryl,

I have lived in Ecuador since 2009. What do I think about raising kids in Ecuador? First of all, expat parents should learn Spanish. I have friends from the USA and the UK who still don鈥檛 speak the local language, and it makes daily life and integration more complicated 鈥� not only for the parents, but also for their children. You need to understand what鈥檚 happening in your children鈥檚 school and in society around you. So, learn Spanish.

There are excellent schools in Ecuador. Most of them are private and quite expensive, but as we all know, education is one of the best investments you can make for your children. Besides academic learning, children also build networks and friendships that can become very important later in life.

I am from Finland 鈥� 鈥渢he happiest country in the world鈥� and a PISA winner for many years. Compared to Finland, my two daughters are actually receiving an even better education in Ecuador than they would in many schools back home, because the PISA level in Finland is more evenly distributed across the country. Unfortunately, public schools in Ecuador are generally not as strong, but many private schools here can compete with 鈥� or even surpass 鈥� the level of European public schools.

Finally, one small story about Finnish people and languages. Nobody else in the world speaks Finnish except Finns. When we travel abroad, we do not expect others to understand us. That is why we usually learn several languages at school. In my case, I learned Finnish, Swedish, and German. After school, I first moved to Stockholm, and later to Cologne, Frankfurt am Main, and Hamburg, where I studied and lived for 27 years. I became fluent in those languages. English I learned, like many others, through work, business, and media. Finally, I learned Spanish here in Ecuador.

The first thing I did was create vocabulary lists, take a language course at UEES University, and simply start talking like a parrot without being afraid of mistakes. That is how languages are learned.

Lassi Pensikkala