Go Local?
Dec. 19, 2008
Panama City, Panama
PLUS:
- Are You Ready To Live Like A Local?...
- "But, Wait...In El Valle, You'd Have To Learn Spanish...And You'd Be
Among The Panamanians!"...
- "Would I Be Risking My Life Living In Guadalajara?"...
AND:
- More On Support Services For Veterans In The Philippines...And VA
Health Care In Mexico...
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Here's US$3,000 To Launch Your New Life In Panama...
And that's only the start of what we're prepared to do to help you realize
your dreams in the world's #1 retirement, lifestyle, investment, and
overseas haven!
This Special Offer
Expires Midnight Monday, Dec. 22.
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Dear Overseas Opportunity Letter Reader,
Last month, we named El Valle de Anton, Panama, the
World's Top Retirement Haven.
"There's nothing to do in El Valle," one reader has written since to remark.
"You'd have to learn Spanish if you were going to retire here," another has
pointed out. "And you'd be living among Panamanians..."
When we moved to Ireland a decade ago, a friend, who had recently relocated
his family from the U.S. to France, remarked, "You know, I think we're doing
this the hard way. Here in France, we're scrambling to learn French so we
can figure out what's going on, because we're always confused. We're trying
to make friends and to find a place for ourselves in a French country
community where families have known each other for generations. We don't
understand French cultural nuances yet, so we're committing one faux-pas
after another. And we don't have any other Americans around to commiserate
with...no one to show us the ropes. We've really jumped into the deep end of
this living overseas thing.
"And you have, too, in Ireland. You aren't struggling with a new language
[in fact, Lief and I would have argued that we were!], but you're on your
own in a foreign community. You're living and working and sending your
children to school among the Irish. You've plopped yourself down and are
trying to fit in among the local community.
"It'd be a very different experience, I think," my friend continued, "to
move as an expat into an 'expat community'...a place like Lake Chapala,
Mexico, for example, where you'd be surrounded by other people just like
you...other people who've already done what you're doing and who could offer
a word of advice when you needed one."
The truth is, Lief and I hadn't made a deliberate choice to go local. The
alternative had never appealed to us.
Lake Chapala and other organized, developed communities of expatriates
aren't for us. Why go to all the trouble of moving to a new country, we
figure, if the place you end up living looks and functions for all the world
like the place where you came from?
For us, a big part of the point of this effort is the opportunity to find
out how the Irish live, for example...what day-to-day life is like among the
French...and, right now, how the Panamanians do things. In Ireland, we had
not a single American friend. I guess there were other Americans living in
Waterford when we were there, but we didn't know them. We enjoyed the chance
to make some Irish friends.
In Paris, we had a few American friends, but our daily interactions were
among the Parisians. Which meant we had to learn a little French. And we had
to respect French traditions. Understand French manners and ways.
Here in Panama, our friends are Panamanians. In the grocery story last
weekend, I was surprised to hear English spoken with an American accent by a
fellow shopper. It'd been so long since I'd had that experience in this
country.
But that's us. And, as my friend pointed out more than 10 years ago when we
set out on this living abroad adventure, doing it the way we're doing it is
probably more challenging than it'd be to take up foreign residence in a
place like Ajijic, Mexico, or Boquete, Panama. In established expat
communities like these, the path has been cut. You slide into a way of life
that isn't dramatically different from the life you've just left. You don't
worry about learning the local language if you don't want to. You don't have
to work to make a place for yourself among the local community...because
this isn't a "local" community. It's a community where everyone is
non-local.
There's nothing wrong with that. Especially as a first step, an initial
adventure abroad, it can be comforting to know that you can wander into the
restaurant down the street anytime and find English-speaking companionship
or that a bridge game or golf outing, again, in English, is only a phone
call away.
And it sure can be nice sometimes to have someone to complain to--about the
bureaucracy at the immigration department or the challenges of studying to
take a driving test in another language.
After you've gained a little experience, maybe you begin to think about
moving further outside the comfort zone.
I've known a number of people who left the States and became foreign
resident retirees in Chapala, for example, because the idea of bridge clubs
and weekly socials with other foreign resident retirees also from the States
was irresistibly reassuring...only to find, after a few years, that they'd
developed an appetite for something a little more exotic. They moved on,
maybe elsewhere in Mexico...or maybe to another, more distant country, where
they embraced the challenge of learning a new language and of making the
effort to make a place for themselves among the locals.
This is what you'd do in El Valle de Anton, for example. You'd study
Spanish. You'd ride your bicycle to the market for fresh vegetables. You'd
hike in the mountains. You'd go on horseback to the waterfalls. You'd tend
your garden.
You'd make local friends who you'd meet for dinner at the local
restaurants...and, eventually, who you'd invite to come for dinner in your
home.
You'd go to the beach every now and then. You'd drive into Panama City when
you wanted an evening out.
Maybe a couple of hundred Americans are doing this already...getting to know
what local life is like in a sleepy Panamanian mountain town where family
and friends are important and crime is all but non-existent.
On the other hand, going local doesn't have to mean slowing down. We went
local in Paris.
The point is to recognize the choice...and then to be prepared for what
follows after you've made it.
Kathleen Peddicord
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----------
"I recently read a letter from another reader on the
VA and the Philippines. As I am currently planning to move to
the Philippines and have done my online research, I'd like to add the
following:
"The VA has a clinic in Manila. Plus, they also have contract agreements
with hospitals throughout the country (on Cebu Island, in Angeles City,
Baguio City, the Subic Bay area, and other places). We also have RAO's
(Retiree Affairs Offices) in the Philippines. These offer aid and assistance
on veteran's issues, Social Security, and tax matters, plus general advice
on the local area.
"We have USPS letter service, for official and unofficial mail (though no
package service). And HSBC and CitiBank have banks in this country.
"Panama does not have a VA clinic or hospital. The clinic exists in the
Philippines, because the veterans of the Philippines Scouts and Cavalry were
members of the U.S. Army and needed one after 1945.
"Best of luck to all and a very Merry Christmas."
-- A fellow reader from the United States
"Another reader raised the question I've been wondering about recently--to
do with VA health care outside the United States. Since VA
health care is apparently unavailable in Panama, I have started to
reconsider Guadalajara, Mexico. The advantage I see with
Guadalajara is that it isn't very far from San Diego, California, which I
believe has a VA hospital. Plus, I understand there a lot of Americans
living in Guadalajara.
"On the downside, according to recent news broadcasts, crime in Mexico is
worse than ever before, especially crime committed by gangs of drug dealers,
and it's been reported that kidnapping and murders are at an all-time high.
Should I assume I'd be risking my life on a daily basis if I lived there?"
-- Charlie L., United States
You're right on both first counts, dear reader. Guadalajara isn't far from
San Diego...and, indeed, as I mentioned above, there are already a lot of
Americans living in the area, especially around
Lake Chapala.
I wouldn't worry too much about crime in this area of Mexico, though.
Guadalajara is a big city and has its share of petty crime, but Chapala and
Ajijic, nearby, are safe places to call home.
"I sent you an e-mail earlier regarding your Live & Invest in Panama
Conference. However, it got sent before I could ask my questions
(2-year-olds love pushing buttons). So here are my questions:
"Where is the conference being held? How much does it cost? What topics will
be covered? Any information will be appreciated."
-- Michael S., United States
As we've been reporting, dates for our premier Live & Invest in Panama event
have been set: May 14-16, 2009. We're holding the conference at Panama
City's Bristol Hotel, centrally located in the banking region of this city.
We're continuing to finalize other details of the event, including price,
but attendees will pay as much as US$1,500 to join us over these three days.
We plan, though, to make available special discounts, so it will be possible
for you to attend for less if you register early, for example.
In addition, Panama Circle Members will be invited to
attend as our guests. (Free attendance at every Panama event we hold is one
of the benefits of Panama
Circle membership.)
What material will we cover? In short, everything you need to know to live,
retire, invest, or do business in this country. For example:
- How to open a bank account...and at which bank. Panama is
an international banking center, but, the truth is, it's harder and harder all
the time for a foreign resident to open a bank account, not only in Panama,
but anywhere in the world. You need advice, and you may even need a referral
and a personal introduction. That's what our Panama team can provide.
- Which of Panama's many foreign-residency visas is the
right one for you. Panama offers the would-be foreign resident many
options...which is great...but confusing, as well. Which visa choice is best
for you? Visa experts with many years experience helping foreigners wade
through the residency visa process will detail all the options...then help you
decide which is the best one for you.
- What kind of health insurance you should shop for. Again,
our experts have years of experience helping foreign residents, just like you,
consider all the options and find the best possible answer to this critically
important question.
- Whether or not to ship your personal belongings. When you
move to Panama, as a resident retiree or otherwise, should you bring your car?
Your pet? What import duties will you be liable for?
- Whether you should buy or rent. (Hint: Always rent first.)
- Plus everything the would-be retiree and foreign resident needs to know
about Internet, cable, telephone...household help, a gardener, a
driver...volunteer organizations, expat groups...business opportunities and
potential business partners...language lessons...getting a local driver's
license...bringing his Social Security payments with him...
We'll address all these issues and every other that you'll face as a foreign
resident or investor in this country. If Panama is on your radar, be you an
investor or a would-be retiree, I encourage you to be in the room with us
over these important three days.
Get your name on the list for special pre-registration and Early Bird
discounts here:
PanamaConference@Liveandinvestoverseas.com.
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