Life can turn upside down in a heartbeat -- or in a lack of a heartbeat. Last year I told you about my father's passing after a long, difficult illness. At the time I wrote, "My father’s death has reminded me — viciously and viscerally — just how short life is. If you delay your plans, hopes and dreams too long, you may never experience their reality." Today I am trying to cope with the loss of my mother, who went suddenly. One day she seemed healthy, the next she was on medication for heart …
Higher Standard of Living. . .Same Budget
Interest in living overseas is exploding. How do I know this? Not from any government study. . . In the past few days, Live and Invest Overseas has announced their new conference schedule for the upcoming year, and to say it's jam-packed is an understatement. After promoting the spring conference as their only Panama event this year, they've added another in August and another in January. In September they're holding their Emergency Offshore Summit, and in October they're coming to Orlando …
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At What Time Washes the Door?
In my recent scouting trip to Panama, my Spanish language skills were tested to the max. Now, I'll be the first to admit it's not a high hurdle. I figure my Spanish is at about the level of a bright two-year old's. All my verbs are present tense and my vocabulary is severely limited. Think, "See Spot run" and you'll have a good idea what my skill level is. Armed with a pocket Spanish-English dictionary and lots of brazen self confidence, I figured I could manage. On the whole, I did pretty …
“I’ll Take ‘Panama’ for $1,000, Alex. . .”
Earlier today, a reader asked me "So, how was your scouting trip to Panama? Could you see yourself living there?" Our recent trip to Panama was supposed to answer two questions for us: Can we see ourselves living in Panama? If yes, do we prefer the David or Las Tablas areas? I think we've been able to answer both questions in this game show called Life: Category, "Panama." #1. Can We See Ourselves Living in ______? This is the first and most important question to ask yourself when …
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“That’s Unpatriotic — Moving to Panama”
My MIL (mother-in-law) has struck again. Last month I told you about my attempts to get my in-laws -- my well educated, well traveled in-laws -- to discuss our plan to move abroad. It's become the elephant in the room. I told you that I'd decided to write a letter describing the dreaded elephant from our point of view and inviting them to begin a dialog, and that I'd let you know how it turned out. The letter was written (by me) and sent as an email (by my husband) about 10 days before …
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Why You Should NEVER Attend an Expat Conference
Recently I paid some serious money to sit in a room for three days in a foreign city. Over the course of the three days, I: listened to more than 36 speakers on as many subjects attended two cocktail parties met dozens of people from all over the US and Canada, as well as Cyprus and Britain heard stories from a half dozen expats living in the country I was in Panama City, Panama at the Live & Invest in Panama Conference put on by Kathleen Peddicord's Live and Invest Overseas …
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