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.
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