Becoming a Future Expat
It starts with a feeling that morphs into a moving plan. Somewhere in the world has attracted your attention and now you'd like to call that place home.
The more you disconnect from what doesn't matter, the more you're going to connect with what's important. Change is not for everyone; some people get too worked up about change that the thought of it makes them uncomfortable. For myself, and others alike, we believe change is enviable and that it should be welcomed. Before I packed up and decided to live in Latin America, I asked 11 different people if they would leave North America and live abroad. and to my surprise all 11 said yes. The main questions they had were about family and how they would support themselves. It's a good thing that I was independently studying economies and lifestyle worldwide. With my interest in many cultures, I could give them a solid answer, even to those who overtime sounded as if they were talking themselves out of it. A short time later, for most of them living abroad sounded like a dream scenario that was unlikely going to happen in this lifetime. 10 years later out of the 11, none of them relocated outside of North America, but at the time it made good conversation though lol.
Becoming a future expat is a big decision, living abroad isn't the change for everyone. First off, nowhere is perfect, not your country or the country that you’d like to escape too. If you feel most comfortable where you are, and that there is nothing out there for you, then you should stay put or take a vacation at the most. On the other hand, if you feel something is calling you to make the move and live abroad, then don't hesitate to ask questions and make the inform decision. When it comes to wanting to live abroad, at first, we all face adversity such as lack of information, fear of the unknown. It either works against your decision or it motivates you. For myself, the challenge of walking into the unknown, learning and adapting to the new environment was the change that I set out for. In so many ways is Dominican Republic different from North America, it was the change that I was looking for.
When I look back at my journey on how I got here, I can see where others could be struggling on taking that leap. Every so often someone from North America reaches out to me about living in Dominican Republic or they are thinking about a few different options. I let them know that It's a decision that you have to make for yourself, don’t expect others (friends) to follow, it has to be something that you want. Meeting other expats, you become good friends quite easily. The friendships that are made here in the DR, make the transition of living in a different culture that much easier. I always stress the importance of having local friends also. I find that when expats seclude themselves only with other expats, they tend to miss out on what initially made them love here and want to live here in the first place, which is the Dominican culture. Living in a new country the learning never stops, you may even forget a few things, but then only to be reminded after. That’s what makes it fun, never dull and a continuous adventure.
Now I'm here living in Dominican Republic, and the simple life does it for me. There's so many foreigners spread around throughout the Island. Everyone seems to have found their peace. Some have given up high paying jobs for the simple life here in Dominican Republic. Some just came on a modest North American salary to live here in the DR. To be honest, you couldn't tell the difference between the two. In Dominican culture the rich folks don't hide away from the people, they mingle with everyone. Dominicans with moneys don't give off the impression that they are too good for the common people, so the foreigners that do come here and live adapt to way of living. One example I can give you is with the restaurants, if the food is good and the price is low. A rich Dominican or even foreigner at that isn't going to avoid eating there because it's not expensive enough. Good food is good food and for that the “pica pollo” restaurants attract all walks of lives, no matter the lower price. All in all, it's been easier than I can explain on becoming a future expat than I would have originally thought. Maybe I was more committed to living amongst palm trees and the Caribbean breeze. The Dominican people I must say have made this much easier too. They have given me and other expats a warm welcome. All the people here are always in good spirits, so every day really is a blessing.
This is what I love about your newsletter. I try and imagine what it will be like living in a different country.
I came across the opposite you did. I polled at least 20 friends and random people that I used to work with (some that came here to the US on work visas) and all said they wouldn't move to a foreign country, and those who came here wanted to stay, or go back home but wouldn't try another place.
Challenge and change drive me. Stale and little to no change sucks the life out of me. I want to be that person who follows through with my dream of living in a foreign country, even at 66. I'm married only 4 years, for the first time. I married a man who has never moved out of this area (we currently live in) except for a short time 40 years ago. I'm not certain how or if this will work out for us. But he's willing to keep an open mind, so that's a start... now executing the plan may pise a different problem... as you mentioned some people aren't driven by change. In the meanwhile I'm happy I found your newsletter and for now I'll be happy reading and living vicariously through you until a decision is made, one way or the other. You posed some great points on whether it can work or not, it's not for everybody. Great read. Thank you.
The challenge is what I live for, but I must admit at first without knowing I thought it would be difficult for me (being homesick). Before I knew it I was fully committed to living in Latin America, and now I couldn't imagine returning back to North America. Like they say, tip your toes in and when reading jump on in.
Thank you for reading, and as always I appreciate your feedback.