14 replies to this topic

[kristashawn]

Hi all! Wow, I have just discovered this blog and am so excited to explore. It looks like there is a wealth of information accumulated here . I live in San Diego with my husband and 2.5-year-old, and we are seriously thinking of making the move to TJ. We have applied for Sentri passes and are starting to get very excited about the possibility! I would be commuting to San Diego for work twice per week, and my husband three times (both of us working from home the rest of the week). We are still in the research phase and have a lot more to learn. At this point, we would be interested in any advice you all have, especially anything relevant to living in TJ with a young child. One of the the potential benefits that we are most excited about is the opportunity to send our son to a Spanish-language or bilingual preschool. We have gotten a couple of school recommendations so far, but are definitely interested in getting more. We are thinking of living in Playas, but have two cars and are willing to drive a bit for the right school.

[Zoe J.]

Hi all! Wow, I have just discovered this blog and am so excited to explore. It looks like there is a wealth of information accumulated here . I live in San Diego with my husband and 2.5-year-old, and we are seriously thinking of making the move to TJ. We have applied for Sentri passes and are starting to get very excited about the possibility! I would be commuting to San Diego for work twice per week, and my husband three times (both of us working from home the rest of the week). We are still in the research phase and have a lot more to learn. At this point, we would be interested in any advice you all have, especially anything relevant to living in TJ with a young child. One of the the potential benefits that we are most excited about is the opportunity to send our son to a Spanish-language or bilingual preschool. We have gotten a couple of school recommendations so far, but are definitely interested in getting more. We are thinking of living in Playas, but have two cars and are willing to drive a bit for the right school.

You are very smart to apply for the Sentri before making the move. That long wait in line could sour you very quickly on all the other joys of living in Mexico and there are so many. You will live so much better with so much less money and be within a country that values children and family. Best of luck to you and your decision.

[tijuanahopeful]

Yes, that's smart. I'm applying for mine this coming week, and have had a passport card since they first came out. I hope to be moving sometime in June.

[Miggiesmallz- TEXMEX]

How exciting and good for you for planning and seeking advice well ahead of time.

When I first came to San Diego in 2003 I used to come to Tijuana for the sole purpose of partying .

Then after a few years of coming down here to party and just hang out I decided to move to Playas in 2006 and commuted 5 days a week to Mission Valley for 3 and a half years.

When my son was born in 2009 I moved back to San Diego and got married.

Now I go to Tijuana on weekends for a completely different reason, to visit friends and to take my two year old daughter and four year old son to Tijuana for Sunday School at Church. By going to church once a week and being surrounded by mono-lingual Spanish speaking Mexican children in his class, my son has learned so much of the Spanish language and of course about God/Church which is also important to me personally. I highly recommend your move down South if one of your goals is for you child to be fully Bi-Lingual, it definitely will pay HUGE dividends and is absolutely safe as far as I am concerend.

People you know in California may want to talk you out of it based on their own personal fears created by watching the news and never actually visiting down here, but this is a city of 1.5 million people , I would say 90% of them hard working and with good intentions, so do what you feel is best for you and your family. I cant give you advice on where to send your kids to school 5 days a week in TJ, but i can definitely give you advice on fun things to do with children in TJ and can definitely tell you that just coming down with kids even if its just on the weekends is well worth it.

Check out my vids of me and my kids in TJ. We certainly have a blast and feel 100% safe and at home here.

Visit My Website

Visit My Website

Visit My Website

[Buen Amigo]

Cool/fun videos. I took my son to el trompo about 2 years ago. watched a dinasour movie in 3D. They didn't have much to do 2 years ago. But looking at your videos, it seems like the place is awesome. Now my son is 4 years old And I have an 18 month old. Looks like we will be visiting el trompo again soon.

[Miggiesmallz- TEXMEX]

Yeah, the thing with TJ is that they open up places prematurely or I should say in phases… I guess the funding runs out or something to that effect. When we first went a few years back there was only two or three sections of the museum open with little to do and the rest was all closed because it was a work in progress. Now the children’s museum is open in its entirety with much more to do... the futbol Caliente Stadium is another example of venues opening up in phases.

We did Mundo Divertido yesterday, my 4 year old son loves the rides there…especially the little go-carts. I don’t know of any place in CA that would let a 4 year old ride a go kart be he can there and he is good at it too.


kristashaw, the CECUT also has a children's reading room where they do a bebeteca (story time) on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. We went a couple of times and it was fun for the kids... kinda awkward for me but i got through it.

[C-Lo]

Hello,

I wanted to reply to your question about a preschool in TJ. I work at a great school. Everything is taught in English, and once the children get to 3rd grade kindergarten (there are 2 required years of kindergarten, then there are also maternal and 1st grade kinder available) and Elementary they have 1.5 hours of Spanish a day. My oldest son goes to school where I work and is doing great. My youngest is at a all Spanish preschool and is speaking better Spanish then my oldest. In his defense, he lived in the US until he was 4 and the youngest has never lived in the US I can tell you that the curriculum and teachers at the school where I work are great. If you want more information feel free to PM me and we can chat. Good luck!

[kristashawn]

Yeah, the thing with TJ is that they open up places prematurely or I should say in phases… I guess the funding runs out or something to that effect. When we first went a few years back there was only two or three sections of the museum open with little to do and the rest was all closed because it was a work in progress. Now the children’s museum is open in its entirety with much more to do... the futbol Caliente Stadium is another example of venues opening up in phases.

We did Mundo Divertido yesterday, my 4 year old son loves the rides there…especially the little go-carts. I don’t know of any place in CA that would let a 4 year old ride a go kart be he can there and he is good at it too.


kristashaw, the CECUT also has a children's reading room where they do a bebeteca (story time) on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. We went a couple of times and it was fun for the kids... kinda awkward for me but i got through it.

Thank you so much for the tips of fund things to do! I will check them out .

[kristashawn]

Thanks for all the replies! We got our Sentri passes in the mail yesterday, so now we can start visiting schools and neighborhoods. We are hoping to move in June. Any neighborhood recommendations or leads on houses to rent would also be appreciated! We are looking for a 3 bdrm/2ba in a kid-friendly area.

[kristashawn]

Adorable kids!!

How exciting and good for you for planning and seeking advice well ahead of time.

When I first came to San Diego in 2003 I used to come to Tijuana for the sole purpose of partying .

Then after a few years of coming down here to party and just hang out I decided to move to Playas in 2006 and commuted 5 days a week to Mission Valley for 3 and a half years.

When my son was born in 2009 I moved back to San Diego and got married.

Now I go to Tijuana on weekends for a completely different reason, to visit friends and to take my two year old daughter and four year old son to Tijuana for Sunday School at Church. By going to church once a week and being surrounded by mono-lingual Spanish speaking Mexican children in his class, my son has learned so much of the Spanish language and of course about God/Church which is also important to me personally. I highly recommend your move down South if one of your goals is for you child to be fully Bi-Lingual, it definitely will pay HUGE dividends and is absolutely safe as far as I am concerend.

People you know in California may want to talk you out of it based on their own personal fears created by watching the news and never actually visiting down here, but this is a city of 1.5 million people , I would say 90% of them hard working and with good intentions, so do what you feel is best for you and your family. I cant give you advice on where to send your kids to school 5 days a week in TJ, but i can definitely give you advice on fun things to do with children in TJ and can definitely tell you that just coming down with kids even if its just on the weekends is well worth it.

Check out my vids of me and my kids in TJ. We certainly have a blast and feel 100% safe and at home here.

Visit My Website

Visit My Website

Visit My Website

[kristashawn]

Can anyone tell me: what is the latest info re average wait times with a Sentri pass for San Ysidro and Otay crossings? Looking online right now, I am seeing a wait time of 2 hours at San Ysidro and 1 hour at Otay--with Sentri! I was undert he impression that typical wait times would be much less with the Sentri pass. Can anyone put this in context for me? How often does one have to deal with 1 hour+ wait times when using a Sentri pass? And where can I get the most accurate online estimates of current wait times?

[Buen Amigo]

Well I cross everyday at around 5-5:30 am.  And the wait time is about 5-10 mins.  I have crossed at later times like 10am.  and that is usually 20-30 mins.

 

I have never crossed at rush hour, say 7-8am.  So I don't know what it's like at those times...

[HK70]

At SY corssing in Sentri car lane during rush 7-8am it can be 45 minutes to 1 hour. Even with Sentri since they started the construction on the border last year it has been difficult to guage time. What also has suffered greatly is crossing on foot with Sentri. What used to take me 1 minute standing in line has now turned to 10 or 15 minutes due to the amount of non sentri people clogging up the line.

[linda04]

Can any one give me information on good bilingual schools including private schools for a 7 year old and 5 year old? Thanks

[kristashawn]

Ok, thank you for the info! Luckily we work odd hours and will not have to be crossing at rush hour.