Moving to Puerto Rico from Ireland

I bet that was quite a surprise finding out that your husband's company is sending him to Puerto Rico for two  years. There is a wealth of information here. Please don't take this a facetious, if you haven't already, try the search feature to find stuff, also check the blog history of active members.

Hi, Siobhan.

I did the move in the other direction, from PR to Ireland. I have dual US-Irish citizenship and my wife is Puerto Rican.

What do you need to ship? Large items? I ask because if not, I found shipping essentials in large plastic containers via post to be most cost effective. Shipping to PR should cost the same as shipping to anywhere else in the US. Will your husband's work pay for that?

By far the best site for finding accommodation is clasificadosonline.com but it is in Spanish. Google Chrome browser has a translation tool but I'm unsure as to its usability for such a site. An option is to google San Juan-area realtors and just start calling them up. Most of them will speak English - many will speak English just as well as you or I.

Private healthcare for your baby will be fine. They have a good children's hospital in Condado called Ashford Presbyterian http://www.presbypr.com/. It's main portion is for adults but the kids have their own emergency room, etc. My kids have been there and my wife was born there. It's widely acknowledged as the best medical facility in PR (excluding the Veterans Affairs hospital). I find that medical care in general is superior in PR than in Ireland.

It's not absolutely necessary that you speak Spanish in PR but it does help a great deal. Many Puerto Ricans are perfectly bilingual. Many know more English than they will use but that's not because they are deliberately trying to be unhelpful. Rather, it's because they are self-conscious when their English is imperfect. Some people don't speak English at all.

So you live in Wexford? I imagine your husband works there as well or does he commute to Dublin? I ask because you both may have a bit of culture shock when you move to PR. After my wife and I had lived in the continental US for several years, even my wife had some culture shock when we moved back to PR (and she was born and raised there).

PR does have the most conveniences of all the Caribbean islands and it is the most developed. Ask any questions that you have. There are several helpful contributors in this PR forum and of course I am glad to help as much as I can as well. Likewise, as Victor suggested, check the top contributors' post history.

PS You will need a car in PR! If you have questions about how to go about getting one, there are loads of posts on here. But ask if anything is unclear.

Hi Siobahn:

When my wife and I moved here, we initially lived in Old San Juan.  We used a realtor to help us find a rental apartment, and that was very helpful.  The metro San Juan area is tricky to navigate until you get used to it, and she was able to take us around and show us a bunch of different places.  It would have been very difficult to do this on our own.  She ultimately found us a place in the exact building we wanted.  Like NomadLawyer stated, many realtors speak English. 

Best of luck with your transfer!   Many of my wife's co-workers live in Dorado, and they enjoy the area.

Thanks so much. That's really helpful to know. We will need to buy 1 if not 2 cars when we get there.

I won't be working but I work in events and Public Relations here. I've been told I'll find it difficult to work without Spanish and that the wages wouldn't pay me to put our son in childcare if I did change my mind?

My husbands company will ship our stuff over but we don't know what to send. Will our electronics over there work? Should we send our furniture or buy over there? I'm from Wexford but we are actually living in Clonmel now after being in Cork for the past five years. I'm sure it will be a culture shock but hopefully not a bad one!

Is there many irish there?

I haven't met any Irish in PR so I would not say there are many. You will find Puerto Ricans with Irish surnames, particularly located in the city of Guaynabo, where many Irish settled long ago. But at this point there isn't a connection to Ireland other than the surnames and some local names for shopping malls (e.g. San Patricio), street names, etc.

Electronics will work with the US adaptor. I have noticed on occasion that cheaper electronics will overheat or just act strange when using adaptors - either US-to-Ireland/UK adapters or vice versa (e.g. electric shavers, etc.). I haven't had any trouble with laptops, printers or scanners though.

Will your husband's employer pay for buying new furniture in PR? If so, I'd go that route so you don't need to wait for your furniture to arrive from Ireland. Also, you may want furniture that is more suitable for a really hot climate than what you have now in Ireland. Not sure.

Sorry to say this but your chances of finding a job are slim to none. (Although maybe your husband can get you a job at his company.)  "El que tiene padrino, se bautiza." is a Puerto Rican expression meaning you have to have a close connection to someone in order to get hired. It literally means "He who has a godfather gets baptised."

try www.clasificadosonline.com There you can find rentals, buy a car, furniture, and more! If you use the Google browser, it translates Spanish to English.

If you are Irish, make sure you stock up on plenty of sunscreen (seriously). The caribbean sun is harsher than the mainland. You can read some of my past comments to get an idea where my thoughts and opinions lie. So at this point all I will say is best of luck, I wish you all well and that your stay in Puerto Rico is wonderful. One other thing you need to bring with you is a huge amount of patience. You will need every bit you can muster whenever you try to get anything done once you are there. Keep us updated.

GreggK wrote:

If you are Irish, make sure you stock up on plenty of sunscreen (seriously). The caribbean sun is harsher than the mainland. You can read some of my past comments to get an idea where my thoughts and opinions lie. So at this point all I will say is best of luck, I wish you all well and that your stay in Puerto Rico is wonderful. One other thing you need to bring with you is a huge amount of patience. You will need every bit you can muster whenever you try to get anything done once you are there. Keep us updated.

Oh yes! I first came to PR during the thanksgiving holidays, and I went to the beach on an overcast day... 4hrs later, I was blistered!!! I'm Scottish, so I can relate.

Hi again Siobhan:

Will your husband have some sort of local sponsor when he arrives here?  When we arrived, one of my wife's co-workers (who is from PR) was assigned as her sponsor to help get settled in.  He was VERY helpful dealing with the Hacienda, utility companies, movers, etc. 

When we got our utilities hooked up, it involved going down to the office in person, and waiting - often for several hours.  He was able to make sure that everything went smoothly.  It would have been very difficult to do these things with my elementary Spanish.  Gregg K hit the nail on the head - lots of patience is a must here.  You can read some of my earlier posts on day-to-day life here - I'm sure many people have experienced similar things.

Hi Everyone,

Thanks so much for your replies. I'll make sure and stock up on the sun cream. Especially with a small baby!

We are trying to do as much research as we can. Are we absolutely crazy to be making this move with a baby? I know it's only for two years. Ireland is a great little country and we both have good jobs here - but because of childcare etc and the high cost of licking we both have to work. In PR with my husbands salary and his company covering our rent we will have more money at the end of the month than both of us working in Ireland. So financially we thought we could save for a couple of years. We were hoping to acquire a house for rent in Dorado for approx 3-4k with a pool in a gated community. This seems possible from what I can see online?

In terms of shipping we were going to ship all our electronics, TV and appliances etc. also my sons cot and nursery furniture - it seems we might be better to buy these now over there?

Great suggestion in finding a sponsor - I don't think the company will provide one of these but is there a company that you can employ to help you in these situations? Especially as neither of us have a word of Spanish.

I'm trying to be as practical about it all as we can as I know it's not going to be a holiday. I lived in Italy for a little while and I was frustrated at how slow things were there so from the sounds of things this will be a similar experience.

I'm a bit worried about giving up my career for a few years so I was thinking of perhaps studying there in some kind of advanced marketing sector. Would this be possible while not speaking Spanish?

Man are you in for a lot of surprises. Strap yourself in and hold on to your butt because it's going to be a big ride. Personally for studying I'd do it online if possible. We put our daughter through third grade that way and it was a breeze. I don't speak Spanish either but fortunately my wife does because she is Puerto Rican. I do have a bit of an advantage over you in that I was aware to a certain degree of the culture, the people and the way things are done there. I got along just fine not speaking Spanish. It was a little trying at times but not too bad. but there are some circumstances where it is imperative to have someone with you that speaks Spanish. If you lived in Italy then you know about bad drivers.  They are crazy in PR. But you learn to deal with it.  Read the back posts on the forum and pay attention to both the good and the bad that people have to say about PR, because they both exist. It's not the same for everyone though. Who knows, it might be the best adventure you will ever have.

For a sponsor, perhaps your husband can make some phone calls and ask around at the company to see if there's anyone willing to help out.  It doesn't really need to be anything official, just someone that can help you out.  It was so helpful for us.

Regarding education - I'm in the same situation as you.  My wife is here on a three-year assignment (we're just over half-way through now) and I've been concerned about my career.  I'm a strength and conditioning coach, and over the past year I have been taking some distance-learning continuing education courses to keep up with the field.  I also have been volunteering several times per week teaching physical education classes to adults and kids. 

Hope this helps!

Siobhan_Nolan wrote:

We were hoping to acquire a house for rent in Dorado for approx 3-4k with a pool in a gated community. This seems possible from what I can see online?

$3-4K/mo is a lot to spend here, but in a gated community in Dorado you may be able to do it! We rent a very large apartment in a very nice (i.e., safe) area of San Juan, and we are spending half that. That said, I have zero experience with Dorado. Where is your husband's work? Dorado might be a challenging commute if his office is in the metro area.

Siobhan_Nolan wrote:

In terms of shipping we were going to ship all our electronics, TV and appliances etc. also my sons cot and nursery furniture - it seems we might be better to buy these now over there?

Prices are similar to the States, so I'm guessing cheaper than Ireland. You'll find a wide variety of all of those things here. There are, for instance, several Walmart & Best Buy stores around the metropolitan San Juan area.

Siobhan_Nolan wrote:

I'm trying to be as practical about it all as we can as I know it's not going to be a holiday. I lived in Italy for a little while and I was frustrated at how slow things were there so from the sounds of things this will be a similar experience.

I have an Italian friend who has lived here for about 5 years now & he says Italy prepared him fairly well.

Siobhan_Nolan wrote:

I'm a bit worried about giving up my career for a few years so I was thinking of perhaps studying there in some kind of advanced marketing sector. Would this be possible while not speaking Spanish?

In many of the graduate programs at UPR-Río Piedras (the main campus) instruction is in English. You can easily check. Be forewarned that although most or all of the professors speak English, if you were to just call up a department office there is a good chance the secretaries do not! Better to email the faculty head of the graduate program you are interested in and ask.

Thanks gregg and trekrider for the replies.

I'll research as much as I can and be aware of all the cons too. Spent hours reading these forums and blogs last night. It's definitely eye opening!

Trekrider, is there a market for personal training over there? I had one in Ireland here before I had my baby and it was fantastic. Haven't had time since I've had him but was hoping to maybe do it when relocated in PR as I need the extra push. How expensive is it over there? It was about €50 an hour over here!

The cost of living over there is pretty high isn't it?

Thank you. That's really helpful.

He will be working in barceloneta? I think his colleague recommended living in Dorado Beach East?

Siobhan_Nolan wrote:

The cost of living over there is pretty high isn't it?

The cost of living actually *low* compared to the States, but *high* compared to what most Puerto Ricans earn (supposedly about 1/2 the state with the lowest median income) - so it depends a bit on your perspective. In real dollars (rather than relative to income) some things are more expensive than in the States (electricity, water, most groceries), some things are about the same (electronics, clothes), other things are cheaper (labor, rent, real estate, private school).

Siobhan_Nolan wrote:

He will be working in barceloneta? I think his colleague recommended living in Dorado Beach East?

It is not super close by, but it is a 'reverse commute' (i.e., driving opposite to the majority of traffic if he will commute normal hours) so that would seem pretty reasonable.

Hi Siobhan:

Most likely you'll have no problem finding a personal trainer - from what I have seen, people are very active in the San Juan area.  There's lots of people out-and-about jogging, cycling (although I am very careful when I am on the roads), surfing, paddle boarding, kite surfing, etc.  The San Juan metro area is host to a number of triathlons and cycling/running events. 

I haven't been to many health clubs, so I'm not sure about cost.

I think I'll need to adjust to the heat before I consider jogging over there! I was hoping that one of the gated communities would have a gym there as I've one at home here in the house in Ireland. Great for the rainy days here!

From what I've read Dorado is a nice place to live but perhaps slightly more expensive with a big expat community.

Hi Siobhan,
Dorado Beach East is a very nice urbanization, as we call them here (gated community/neighborhood). There are many young families, including ex-pats, who live in the area. The Jane Stern Dorado Community Library is a very active, community-minded organization in the center of town with all sorts of programs from yoga to computer classes to preschool reading time, both in English and Spanish. The library also hosts Spanish classes. I don't know what the charge is, but they've been very popular. The library's website is jsdcl.org.

I know a young woman from the UK who is here with her husband for his work. She has a young baby, too (4 months?). I'm sure she'd be happy to give you some tips as to what to bring and how to survive here. She's also more connected to other young mothers in the San Juan area than I am. (I'm at the grandmother end!) I could ask her to get in touch with you if you want to send me your email address. (moderated: email address removed) (I don't know of a way to pass that kind of info privately on this forum.)

The only drawback to living in Dorado is the traffic when you want/need to go to San Juan, but even that isn't so bad if you can pick the right time of day. Many of my acquaintances in Dorado find that they have everything they need in their city: movie theater, stores, library, beach, golf courses, doctors, dentists, schools, etc. Dorado has grown a lot over the last several years.

Good luck with your move!
Ginny

vkbudd wrote:

you can contact me at [email protected]. (I don't know of a way to pass that kind of info privately on this forum.)

You can send other members a private message. Posting an email address on a public forum is no good plan..
I'll report your previous post to the team so they can remove your email address.

click on the user's name, I believe it brings you to the user's profile, then click the tab to "send user private message".

There are several Irish families living in Dorado Beach East doing the same thing you are doing - working for medical device companies.  I will send you a message and I will put you in touch with DBE with Pippa. She is from Tipperary - I know I didn't spell that right. She has a strong mom's group established there with lots of moms with young kids. Their family has been there about 3 years. It is going to be a big adjustment, but we will get you hooked up with an incredible support network of other moms. We just left PR after being there for 3 years. I had lots of friends in Dorado. Many are still there. And you can find a furnished house in DBE. Talk to Pippa. That is what she did. You can do this! There is a great community in Dorado to help and welcome you.
Morgan

Couple of other things - I saw you were wondering about a job or advanced study, a job will be about impossible. Advanced study - maybe. There are several smaller universities in the San Juan area along with UPR. But for two years, I might suggest getting involved in the community and focus on learning Spanish. There are several groups in the area that do language lessons in the area. And a good friend when she was there used her marketing skills working and volunteering with the Dorado Library. As a new mom used to working, you might have to get creative on how you use your work skills because unfortunately the job opportunities are slim. And I know the smaller universities are in Spanish and maybe some English. UPR is probably a mix too.

I think you will find your exercise choices quite varied. I know there were several moms who taught yoga and did classes in the Dorado area. Another who went to crossfit classes and another who went to a gym in the area plus the running group I told you about in the private message.

And not to scare you but medical care will be your toughest challenge. We can get you hooked up with some good doctors in Dorado and San Juan but avoid hospitals as much as you can.  even the private ones are not what you will expect. Medical care was our toughest challenge. We had some crazy situations, and it is doable. But it will be one of the harder parts with kids.

Costco is not far and is a lifesaver. And right near the Costco is a point store for IKEA which is helpful. It will be easier to find a furnished house in Dorado. I wouldn't bring any furniture except maybe a few baby things.

The first 6 months will be the toughest, but I loved PR. It was worth living there for several years despite the challenges. Embrace the adventure and the beach life. You can definitely do it for two years.

hi - i am Pippa. DBE is nice but very hard to get into - Sabinera is also very good neighbourhood and worth checking out. When are you coming.  My husband is with Abbott.

Everyone here posting in this thread have been fantastically helpful!  I know when we finally make our move that we'll get the best advice here.   Blessings to everyone!

you will need two cars for sure. Childcare is ok here - you have a few options and i can put you in touch with those if you want to check it out. no your electrical items wont work here so a chuck of you relo payment will be on buying those things.  Kettles and toasters are not easy to find - this is a coffee nation - not tea and toast!  Bring Barrys tea with you as the tea here is AWFUL.

Thanks so much for the replies everyone. Pippa - I have sent you a message if you check your email?

try and rent a house furnished - it can be pricy here. the import pretty much everything here so its expensive - food especially.