A couple weeks back, a fellow speaker at America’s Property Expo in Chicago wondered where I live.
The benign getting-acquainted question got me thinking.
The answer’s not straightforward.
Lief and I spend our time between the Old World and the New, back and forth between Paris and Panama, slipping in and out of life in these very different places.
In Panama City, we live in a high-rise tower with a view of the Pacific Ocean. From our balcony I watch the never-ending line of ships awaiting their turn for passage through the Panama Canal.
“Bonjour! Comment ca va?” my neighbors call to each other cheerfully in passing. The French are nothing if not polite.
In Paris, I rely on my own two feet to get me most everywhere I go day-to-day. When they give out, I hop on the Metro. A bundle of 10 tickets to load onto your Navigo Easy Pass costs €17.35.
In Panama I shop for groceries at Riba Smith, filling my cart with many things I’d buy if I were doing my weekly shop in the States. Sometimes the import surcharge means I pay more than I would Stateside for the same item. I’m ok with that… and, when I’m not, I abstain.
In Paris, grocery shopping isn’t a chore but an anticipated part of my daily routine. Each afternoon I make time for a leisurely walk down rue de Verneuil then rue Universite, past the Solferino Metro stop to the Square Samuel-Rousseau and the Basilica of Sainte-Clotilde. My destination is the Franprix opposite the church, but I delay going in. The courtyard in front is a gathering spot for local children. They run and jump and kick a soccer ball back and forth. Their joy holds me.
Finally inside Franprix, I choose fresh produce, meats cut by the butcher, cheese, and wine, because those are the things on offer. You’ll find little pre-prepared foods on grocers’ shelves in Paris. This forces me to continue to work to improve my kitchen skills.
My Paris wardrobe includes clothes for four seasons. Storing it all within the 112 square meters of our apartment is a challenge.
In Panama the most important wardrobe question is whether or not to grab an umbrella on the way out the door. April through November, the answer is always yes.
In Panama we run our air conditioning whenever we’re at home. That makes for a sometimes significant monthly electric bill. Neither Lief nor I like the big expense, but we like the high humidity less.
It might be possible to fit out our centuries-old Paris apartment with air conditioning, but we’ve avoided that engineering challenge. Instead, come July and August, we close the shutters against the midday sun.
All things considered, I prefer day-to-day life in Paris over that in Panama City, but I didn’t become a resident of Panama for the lifestyle. I chose it because it’s the best place in the world to base the kind of business I run.
Lief and I arrived in Panama as investors then a funny thing happened. We got to know a hidden corner of this country that’s a world apart from boomtown Panama City.
At Los Islotes, on Panama’s unsung Veraguas coast, we embrace yet a third lifestyle… one that is a sharp contrast to both our life in Paris and our day-to-day in Panama’s capital… and that we’ve grown to treasure.
At Los Islotes, we luxuriate in Nature and extraordinary privacy.
Dramatic Pacific Ocean views tempt from every window. Approaching dawn is heralded by monkey calls and birdsong. I’m up before the sun and happy to be. I can’t wait to get outside to see what the new day holds in store.
Our gardens deliver tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers, watermelons, avocados, and mangoes in abundance. We fish from rocky outcroppings and catch crabs in the estuary. With not much more effort, we could be self-sufficient.
We ride horseback on the beach. We hike and swim, kayak and paddle. We go days without leaving the property.
At Los Islotes we exist in a bubble, isolated from the worries and troubles of our age. We appreciate this more every day.
Lief and I didn’t set out to live in three places at once. The lifestyle isn’t without challenges, but we wouldn’t trade it. Which piece would we eliminate—the romance of Paris… the business upside of Panama City… the serenity of Veraguas?
Nah.
The good news is that we don’t have to choose. As we move among our three home bases, ever-improving tech makes it easier all the time to stay in touch with both our Live And Invest Overseas team and family and friends all across the globe.
As long as we can board a plane, this lifestyle suits us just fine.
Until next time,
Kathleen Peddicord,
Founding Publisher, Overseas Opportunity Letter
