I have researched many topics. Government, legalities, visas, work visas, housing, groceries- the list goes on. One thing no one tells you is how to get up and go. It seems like it all depends on what affairs you have to get in order. In our case...very few affairs. First we have too much stuff to take with us -
Phase 1: Get rid of stuff. I plan to go through all our stuff and categorize 4 ways - Keep, Sell, Donate & Trash. Then we will have a yard sale. Next, everything makes rounds at second-hand/exchange shops and finally it's on to Goodwill. Difficult things to unload will be my 1976 MG Midget...if anyone out there is looking to buy shoot me a comment! .....Ummm maybe that is the only difficult thing. Woot! Moving on...
We are unsure when we will have health insurance again. (Okay I know, scary, but medical facilities are available and after one year we will be eligible for low cost health care.) Bringing about -Phase 2: Everyone gets well checks, shots and dental work.
Next none of us have passports - Phase 3: Acquire passports. This is pretty self explanatory. Visas have to be obtained within the country- the requirements were easily found online with a quick Google search.
Last but not least we put in all notices, acquire & relocate funds and leave. We plan to drive through Mexico with our current vehicle, two children and dog. My husband is quite concerned about this part of the plan. He says Mexico is "of concern" and "not safe"...I can only assume this means he imagines us being attacked by murdering thieves. Maybe I'm silly to think we likely will not. Insight on a route to take or cautions other than "bring bribe money" would be much appreciated from anyone who may have made the same trip recently.
Once we arrive safely in Belize we plan to make our way no further south than Placencia. If we find a place we simply fall in love with before we get that far then we will rent short term and decide from there wether or not to stay. We are set up to allow ourselves time to travel through and decide where to live in a leisurely manner. Once we are content we will rent long term with hopes of one day owning a home…much as we do currently. At that point I will begin to build my client list and work massaging for our income. (Scary!!) If that step goes off without blowing up in my face we are set. Set I tell you!
After a year we can apply to become citizens and no longer have to worry about visas or work permits. We wish to live in Belize and be a part of the culture. We don't want to spend the rest of our days consuming. We don't think we are above or better than anyone who wants to consume and work and work and consume. Live and let live man, live and let live (I have always been the "dirty hippy" in the family and this would be a time I would be reminded of that by my sister or brother-in-law). I dream of living sustainably and teaching my children to do the same. I know it's far away, I know it's uncertain…and yeah, we are scared. Scared is good I think…excited and scared. I just don't want to fail. C says we won't. He says we will make it and it will be alright. It just got brighter and I can see the fog lifting.
I want to make clear for those members of my family (or anyone else really) that may or may not think that this is a desperate attempt to escape a bad situation…. if that were the case we would all be headed up to North Pole. This was a calculated plan to consciously take back control, look at ALL options and better our lives. Better is different to everyone. Everyone has a different vision of ideal.
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
When do we start living?
Hello! Also, welcome! I have never had a blog before. I have also never planned to move out of the country...so I guess there is a first time for everything. This will be an informal blog intended to keep record and inform friends and family of mine and my families move from Chandler, Az to Belize. It might seem a little crazy but that's the kind of thing we like. Our kind of crazy.
So, there are five of us. Myself, husband, son, daughter and our dog. Our children are 2 and 10 months respectively. They mean the world to us and we will do anything for them- and no Birdie, we will not be making them live in a tent. So please don't question our having their best interests in mind. We do now and always will, end of story.
Currently, we live in Arizona (it's totally fine...it's a dry heat!). If you are unfamiliar there are two seasons in AZ- Hot and Hotter. The lakes are mostly man made, the "rivers" are dry ditches, the sun sometimes feels like it might actually cook your flesh to the bone and all the plants hurt you when you touch them. I'm sure there are those that would argue how magical Arizona is and that I haven't given it a chance...yada yada, but to you I say - good riddance to us then, right? Right. Moving on.
Happiness: What is happiness? Why am I unhappy? These are questions that have plagued me for awhile now. I have a wonderful husband, two beautiful, healthy children, a place to live and food in my belly. Yet my husband and I (hereafter referred to as C) work 3 jobs between the two of us and spend most and sometimes all of our money on rent, food and transportation to and from work. What's the point? Where's the substance? Why work so much if we can't even get a day off together with enough money to go to the park and not have the freaking car catch fire? Yes, that happened. We hate the rat race. I'm sure we aren't alone and most would say "well... get an education!" (We are both professionals and make well over minimum wage) or "That's life!" Well f- that! It took 10 minutes of watching "Happy" on Netflix to decide we needed a change. A big one. I don't remember who came up with it or even what led to it other than the documentary and it probably started as a bit of a joke... but C and I decided we wanted to live simply in the South Pacific. As soon as possible, for real.
Research: How do we do this? Where do we go? The search begins. I researched, read and researched some more. The destination changed from Fiji to Vanuatu to Puerto Rico to Thailand and landed squarely on Belize (more on that later). I needed to know that one or both of us could work legally in our new home and that we could live a simple and inexpensive life. Oh yeah, the climate has to be kick ass and C insisted on avoiding political unrest and extreme violence (pfffft- husbands). Upon looking into leaving the country I learned the term "expat" and began to familiarize myself with this community. It seemed to be made up of two types- Persons working with a specific skill set (doctors, nurses, engineers etc.) and retirees. I am a Licensed Massage Therapist and my husband works for a local law enforcement agency. We do not fit into one of these groups. It also seems this community is bent on seizing the opportunity to make a "quick buck" or living out their days cheaply in a beautiful environment whilst not working. We do not fit within one of these groups. Our goals are different and for some, hard to understand.
Our goal is to live simply (I'm talking running water and electricity but no car, no TV and very possibly no internet in our home) and be happy. Belize fits the bill. I can be self employed right away (there are many regulations on working in a country you aren't a citizen of), it's inexpensive (if you don't try to live like an American) and you are living on the beach at the edge of a rain forest....so it doesn't get a lot more kick ass in our opinion. I'm a little worried about mosquitoes. Tips and tricks would be appreciated by anyone who knows anything on this subject.
I'm a bit worried about my ability to find and keep my own client list as I have never attempted to do so. I am highly confident in my massage skills and I know my husband will be able to work legally in one year if necessary. I worry about being able to build some sort of retirement money...if we make it that far- haha only kidding Bird. I think sometimes you just need to start over. We are young. We have children, they will be well looked after...they are of the utmost importance. Otherwise who will take care of us when we are old and be smarter, healthier and more aware than we were when we were their age? Only joking C, they don't have to take care of us. I totally agree. ...but you know, if they want to that's cool ;)
I reference The Bird from time to time, as she is my mother. When I mentioned this plan to her on the phone she was a bit confused, among other things. The entire time I was telling her of the plan and she was responding- she was thinking of Dubai. It's sort of a long story as to why but just go with me here. Anyhow she comes up with "So your just going to cash out C's retirement and buy plane tickets and make your kids live in a tent?"
"No." I reply "We were actually thinking about driving. We will probably live in a house."
This is the moment she informed me "You can't drive to Belize...it's and island!".
"No, it's in Central America."
"Yeah, you can't drive. it's an Island."
She's still thinking about Dubai.
So, there are five of us. Myself, husband, son, daughter and our dog. Our children are 2 and 10 months respectively. They mean the world to us and we will do anything for them- and no Birdie, we will not be making them live in a tent. So please don't question our having their best interests in mind. We do now and always will, end of story.
Currently, we live in Arizona (it's totally fine...it's a dry heat!). If you are unfamiliar there are two seasons in AZ- Hot and Hotter. The lakes are mostly man made, the "rivers" are dry ditches, the sun sometimes feels like it might actually cook your flesh to the bone and all the plants hurt you when you touch them. I'm sure there are those that would argue how magical Arizona is and that I haven't given it a chance...yada yada, but to you I say - good riddance to us then, right? Right. Moving on.
Happiness: What is happiness? Why am I unhappy? These are questions that have plagued me for awhile now. I have a wonderful husband, two beautiful, healthy children, a place to live and food in my belly. Yet my husband and I (hereafter referred to as C) work 3 jobs between the two of us and spend most and sometimes all of our money on rent, food and transportation to and from work. What's the point? Where's the substance? Why work so much if we can't even get a day off together with enough money to go to the park and not have the freaking car catch fire? Yes, that happened. We hate the rat race. I'm sure we aren't alone and most would say "well... get an education!" (We are both professionals and make well over minimum wage) or "That's life!" Well f- that! It took 10 minutes of watching "Happy" on Netflix to decide we needed a change. A big one. I don't remember who came up with it or even what led to it other than the documentary and it probably started as a bit of a joke... but C and I decided we wanted to live simply in the South Pacific. As soon as possible, for real.
Research: How do we do this? Where do we go? The search begins. I researched, read and researched some more. The destination changed from Fiji to Vanuatu to Puerto Rico to Thailand and landed squarely on Belize (more on that later). I needed to know that one or both of us could work legally in our new home and that we could live a simple and inexpensive life. Oh yeah, the climate has to be kick ass and C insisted on avoiding political unrest and extreme violence (pfffft- husbands). Upon looking into leaving the country I learned the term "expat" and began to familiarize myself with this community. It seemed to be made up of two types- Persons working with a specific skill set (doctors, nurses, engineers etc.) and retirees. I am a Licensed Massage Therapist and my husband works for a local law enforcement agency. We do not fit into one of these groups. It also seems this community is bent on seizing the opportunity to make a "quick buck" or living out their days cheaply in a beautiful environment whilst not working. We do not fit within one of these groups. Our goals are different and for some, hard to understand.
Our goal is to live simply (I'm talking running water and electricity but no car, no TV and very possibly no internet in our home) and be happy. Belize fits the bill. I can be self employed right away (there are many regulations on working in a country you aren't a citizen of), it's inexpensive (if you don't try to live like an American) and you are living on the beach at the edge of a rain forest....so it doesn't get a lot more kick ass in our opinion. I'm a little worried about mosquitoes. Tips and tricks would be appreciated by anyone who knows anything on this subject.
I'm a bit worried about my ability to find and keep my own client list as I have never attempted to do so. I am highly confident in my massage skills and I know my husband will be able to work legally in one year if necessary. I worry about being able to build some sort of retirement money...if we make it that far- haha only kidding Bird. I think sometimes you just need to start over. We are young. We have children, they will be well looked after...they are of the utmost importance. Otherwise who will take care of us when we are old and be smarter, healthier and more aware than we were when we were their age? Only joking C, they don't have to take care of us. I totally agree. ...but you know, if they want to that's cool ;)
I reference The Bird from time to time, as she is my mother. When I mentioned this plan to her on the phone she was a bit confused, among other things. The entire time I was telling her of the plan and she was responding- she was thinking of Dubai. It's sort of a long story as to why but just go with me here. Anyhow she comes up with "So your just going to cash out C's retirement and buy plane tickets and make your kids live in a tent?"
"No." I reply "We were actually thinking about driving. We will probably live in a house."
This is the moment she informed me "You can't drive to Belize...it's and island!".
"No, it's in Central America."
"Yeah, you can't drive. it's an Island."
She's still thinking about Dubai.
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