Belize is a little country…
That packs a double punch when it comes to lifestyle upside.
Belize is both quintessential Caribbean… and a frontier…
Making it the perfect choice for two very different types of people.
If you had the choice, would you rather hang out with Jimmy Buffett… or Indiana Jones?
Would you prefer life in old-school Key West… or Andy’s Mayberry?
No matter your answer… no matter which of those enticing lifestyle options is your picture of paradise… Belize could well be the place for you.
I’ve told you about the best-known face of this country—its white sand-fringed island known as Ambergris Caye… the place that Madonna dubbed “La Isla Bonita.”
Of course, island living isn’t for everyone…
Maybe, rather than
Caribbean shores, you long for wide-open spaces… a simple, sweet life in the country.
This was Tony Lauria’s dream.
“In my previous life in the States,” Tony says, “I worked for a big international company as a trainer, instructor, and later in corporate sales.
“I’m a New Yorker, born and bred… but I’ve dreamed my whole life of country living.
“For me, the best part of retirement was the chance to put my frenzied New York City lifestyle behind me.”
And that’s just what Tony has done.
Tony has found a place where the living is uncomplicated… back-to-basics… and super affordable.
“I was able to buy an adorable little turn-key cottage here for US$69,000… fully furnished, fully outfitted,” Tony explains.
“My life here is great…
“I ride my bicycle every day… I tend my gardens… I walk to the grocery store… once or twice a week I go into town…
“And every morning,” Tony adds with a big smile, “you’ll find me on my front porch.
“I start each day on my porch drinking my coffee and watching the sunrise…
“The sun comes up each morning right… there…” Tony says pointing from his porch to the horizon just ahead.
“This is a dream come true for me,” he continues. “This cottage… this community I’ve joined… the new friends I’ve made… the new neighbors I’ve found… it all means a lot to me… I mean really a lot…”
Give Belize A Chance, And She’ll Make All Your Dreams Come True… Even The Ones You Didn’t Know You Had
Like Tony, Cathy and David Thayer are living the retirement of their dreams in Cayo, Belize.
But, as Cathy explains, she didn’t take to the notion right away.
“When my husband David first got this idea of moving to another country into his head, I humored him. He’d start talking about moving to a new country, and I’d listen. To his face I’d say, ‘Ah, that’s interesting, dear.’
“To everyone else I was saying, ‘No way!’
“I’m pretty high-maintenance, I admit it,” Cathy continues.
“And I hadn’t traveled anywhere other than Paris in my life until David signed us up together, without telling me, to attend a Live and Invest in Belize Conference about six years ago. I didn’t know anything about Belize at the time, but I knew one thing. Central America is nothing like Paris.
“But I agreed to come along to the conference, and I have to admit that I found I liked two things about Belize right away.
“First, I could communicate with everyone, because English is the language here.
“Second, it was warm.
“At first I thought I wanted ocean. But after two days on Ambergris Caye, I knew the beach life wasn’t for me.
“Then we went to Cayo, which I had been resisting.
“I’m not a jungle girl. When I think of jungle, I think of snakes and bugs the size of your head. But I told David I’d go see Cayo with him… even though Cayo is jungle… if he agreed that, if we didn’t find a place to live that I was happy with within three weeks, he’d finally give up on the idea.
“So all I had to do was survive the jungle in Cayo for three weeks. Then I could tell David I hadn’t seen any place I’d have any interest in living… and this whole thing would be over.
“Our last day in Cayo before our return flight to the States, we walked into a house available for rent, and I said, ‘Take this. Rent this. I can see myself living here.’
“We’ve been living in Cayo ever since. It’s now more than six years.
“One of my favorite things about being in Belize is the other expats. We’re all a little quirky. We’re all different, a little off in our own ways, but we have one big, important thing in common. We all left home, left the States, to come somewhere completely new.
“It’s no small thing. It’s a pretty amazing and cool thing. And it definitely creates a bond.
“Back In The States, I Had No Idea How Much I Was Missing Out On”
“Back in the States, we lived in Idaho. We had a fine life but a small life. I had my work, my home. I had Target. I shopped for entertainment. I was happy, but I had no idea how much I was missing out on.
“Making this move has opened up the whole world to me. Now I see how small and fearful my perfectly fine life really was. I was afraid of moving outside my comfort zone, but I didn’t even realize it.
“I made this move for my husband, but I think I’m the one who has really benefited.
“Living as an expat these past five years I’ve learned that the most important thing in life is to remain open. And to be willing to change your mind.
“Our children didn’t get it at first. All our kids came around after visiting and seeing our life here in Belize… all except our oldest daughter. Finally, though, she understood, too.
“David sends our family an e-letter update each week, telling them what we’ve done that week.
“Finally, in response to one of these e-letters, our daughter wrote to say, ‘I’m so happy for you guys, for what you’ve found for yourselves. I hope that sometime in the not-too-distant future I can find something as great for my own life…’
“What more wonderful thing could a daughter write to her parents?
“I came to Belize with the idea that I would suffer through a year for my husband. It was his dream, so I agreed to give it a try. Now it’s my dream come true… a dream I didn’t even know I had.
“Our time in Belize has taught me that I can do anything I want.
“When we made the move, I didn’t feel that way. When I agreed we’d leave the States, I felt my life was over. I was quitting a job that I loved to sit at home.
“But Belize has changed everything. I’ve made new friends who are as close to me as family. Belize has given me a second chance… a whole new life.
“We have no intentions of returning to the States. We love it here.”
Sincerely,
Kathleen Peddicord
Founding Publisher, Overseas Opportunity Letter
