According to an article in the US News and World Report, "By some estimates 3 million citizens become expatriates a year, but most not for political reasons" (Tolson, J., A growing trend of leaving America, 2008, p.1). Count us in the mass exodus. Barbie: An Economic Refugee will demonstrate my point.
Simplifying my lifestyle has been a journey through the process of letting go. In 2004, my husband and I sold our cars, quit our professional jobs, gave away all of our winter clothes, and began the mystifying experience of living abroad. We jumped into the unknown, each with two suitcases, anticipating a simple lifestyle.
We left our son in charge of our house and our aging pets. When he asked, "When will you be coming back home?" we simply responded, "Maybe in a year, maybe never. We'll let you know."
My gypsytoes blog now has several articles. I am posting my Nica News articles under Life on Ometepe Island. Be sure to read, "You Know You're a Gringo When...." for a gringa's perspective on life on a primitive island.
Last Updated ( Monday, 30 June 2008 19:41 )
The Concept of 'Pretirement'
Monday, 09 June 2008 19:00
The concept of pretirement is worthy of more investigation. I coined the term 'pretirement' to explain our experiment with pre-retiring abroad. Because I am an obsessive planner, I had to discover all of the pros and cons of retiring abroad before we took the final plunge into the retirement pool.
Our pretirement year abroad prepared us for many of the obstacles we would encounter in living abroad permanently. Recently, I asked my expat friend, Bobby, "What should I do with all of the stuff I've collected?" His response was, "Sell it all! When I moved, I shipped over 1500 pounds of household items that I thought I couldn't live without. Now, they are either rotten (because of the high humidity in the tropics), ruined, or they have been stolen." Living in a tropical, third world country for a year, I understood exactly what he was saying.
After browsing through my treasures, what do you do when you find something you would like to purchase? Go to Contact Us in the top menu for more information. Presently, mygypsytoes.com only serves customers in the local area. "Ahh, but what do I do if I'm not local?", you ask. Email me and we'll work out a payment and shipping plan.
