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Hi
I live in ny im 38 and ive been thinking of moving out from
A fast paced life where i live in a box i work lke an animal for smeone else
And cant spend time with friends and gfriend because they have no time.
Have you moved out from us or any other "first world" contry to live somewhere
Else?
May i ask financially if you were able to find an occupation there? Buy a house?
Did you plan to live off your pension,passive income?
Im more interested in the economic aspect of the move rathen than social.
Moved to the Philippines, been here 2 years. It is difficult to earn enough here to live comfortably. I tried 3 businesses, and the only one working out is the bakery, where I do everything myself, because I really can't/don't want to teach filipino's my trade secrets. The problem is competing with the locals, they can survive on dried fish and rice, living in a nipa hut, where as I require a little more. It makes it very difficult. We are flying back to the states so I can go back to work again, without a pension or salary from the US, it can be hard to make it in a place like this. I wouldn't trade this experience for anything, and with a beautiful wife and son to return back to America with, I feel like the luckiest man alive.
Yes, I lived and worked in NYC and finally realized that at the pace I was going, I was headed straight to a heart attack at age 40. I dropped everything, sold everything, and moved to Costa Rica.
The country allows perpetual tourism, meaning that you can stay for three months, go on vacation for a day, and are allowed to stay another three months. You can do so indefinitely. You are not considered an immigrant, though - and you cannot legally hold a job.
I didn't have to look for work - my work in NYC was financially very rewarding and I figured I didn't have to work ever again.
Life in a developing nation is not necessarily easy - you'll have to learn to let a lot of things go that you are used to. I'd say that about 95% of foreigners coming to Costa Rica in pursuit of paradise, fail to accomplish their goals. Most pack up after two years to go back home. Sometimes only disillusioned, sometimes broke, and sometimes broken. It always struck me that people love to move with their demons in tow - and those demons always seemed to catch up to them once they realized that life in Costa Rica required no responsibility from them.
If you are truly happy with who you are, don't have any vices, have money, and are a stable person, you'll have a good shot. If you lie to yourself about any of it, you'll try for a while and then move back, at best after having learned several very valuable lessons for your future.
BTW, after over a decade, my wife and I got so bored with our life in paradise that we moved back to the US... We just couldn't take the lack of stimulation any longer - let alone convenience or reliability of anything or anyone. By then, we were legal residents and could have stayed forever - we still can - but we no longer have the interest to do so.
You can find out about expat life in Malaysia under the Malaysia-My-Second-Home forum: http://www.my2home.info/
I am ~16 years in Malaysia and have been "successful" in most aspects.
Bought a house.
Worked for 15 years straight, earning a local-level wage.
Saved up money for retirement.
Fluent in the national language (Malay) to the point that I teach technical subjects in it.
Once retired, I have enough money to live a decent lifestyle, if allowed to.
But, I am still an outsider. Soon, I will not be able to work where I want to work because of government rules. The organisation still wants me to work there, but the government says "Move on."
Even though I have enough money to retire, I still may not be able to since the government says that expats need a certain, high, level of "government-approved pension" income. They love cookie-cutter templates; one standard fits all cases. And they use the most expensive cities as the template.
So, no matter how long you live in an overseas location, you will always be an outsider and subject to the government's whims and fancies.
Vamos...That is some of the best information I've read on becoming an expat. I'm a little curious as to your comments on the "demons in tow"...could you elaborate?
Vamos...That is some of the best information I've read on becoming an expat. I'm a little curious as to your comments on the "demons in tow"...could you elaborate?
I think he means people that have personal problems in their home country, think that moving to a new (often tropical or subtropical) country will magically make their problems go away.
Hi
I live in ny im 38 and ive been thinking of moving out from
A fast paced life where i live in a box i work lke an animal for smeone else
And cant spend time with friends and gfriend because they have no time.
Have you moved out from us or any other "first world" contry to live somewhere
Else?
May i ask financially if you were able to find an occupation there? Buy a house?
Did you plan to live off your pension,passive income?
Im more interested in the economic aspect of the move rathen than social.
Thank you so much.
Rob
Hi Rob,
Are you considering a move to a developing country to retire (now, at 38) or work?
...Life in a developing nation is not necessarily easy - you'll have to learn to let a lot of things go that you are used to. I'd say that about 95% of foreigners coming to Costa Rica in pursuit of paradise, fail to accomplish their goals. Most pack up after two years to go back home. Sometimes only disillusioned, sometimes broke, and sometimes broken. It always struck me that people love to move with their demons in tow - and those demons always seemed to catch up to them once they realized that life in Costa Rica required no responsibility from them.
If you are truly happy with who you are, don't have any vices, have money, and are a stable person, you'll have a good shot. If you lie to yourself about any of it, you'll try for a while and then move back, at best after having learned several very valuable lessons for your future...
Boy! I think you really have hit the nail on the head...and this probably applies not only to a "developing nation," but any one that by and large requires serious reorientation in how things are done, even if it is a country where a modern lifestyle is pervasive.
If Impatience is one of your demons, truly moving out of the U.S. will not be anything but a trip into hell....I see it with some tourists who are only here for a week, or less.
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