I don't know. I've been reading Ransom Reef's journal since it was posted on the AC message board and I have been (literally) dreaming about moving to AC. Funny enough, I haven't even been to AC yet!

I just graduated from graduate school and I might have the opportunity to get a job online through and American company. So I wouldn't need a job, per se, in San Pedro...And I can't help thinking that it might be wonderful to live there for a few years.

I've seen a lot of cautionary tales on these boards on REALLY preparing oneself for moving to Belize. I was hoping that some of you who have already done it might be willing to offer some practical advice to those of us who might be seriously interested in pursuing "living the dream"?

What exactly, if you are willing to share, are the logistics????

TIA,
Marsali

marsali....i am in the process of making my dream a reality...if you would like to chat with me on line, my e mail is [email protected] or you could do it thru this site.....i am moving down, and hopefully not returning, on may 23rd.....if i can help...let me know...

IMHO ---------

"Wherever you go, there you are."

The biggest issue related to a move to any "end of the rainbow" location is knowing yourself.
9 out of 10 people who move here from up north are "pulling a geographic". They are folks who think that living someplace fantastic will fix them and make them happy. Belize is pretty wonderful, but it's no substitute for therapy, AA, marriage counseling or Prozac. Ergo - 9 out of 10 are gone within a year, often leaving a string of financial and social disasters behind them.

When you move to Belize you pass from a transient (if you are annoying the locals put up with it and smile since you will be gone shortly) to a resident (if you are annoying you are now an ongoing problem).
That passage sets you in a temporary social limbo whilst locals and longer-term transplants determine several things ......
1. Are you running from the law
2. What portion of the stories you tell about yourself are true?
3. Are you going to disolve into booze and drugs and sleep with other people's spouses
4. Do you pay your bills (on time)
5. Are you going to spend a lot of time trying to "instruct" the rest of us on how things are done "up there" (we already know, which is why we are here, not there).

Be patient with the orientation process and get in touch with nature and yourself. Slow down, quiet down and develop personal discipline. Show an interest in other people rather than trying to establish your position in some social pecking order. When you learn to respect the country for what it is - a real country, with real issues, real people and real needs, then you can call it home. Don't be afraid to make a few mistakes - if you make a mistake, learn from it and make amends, that will be noticed and greatly appreciated.

I remember a comment made about moving to a small town in New England - "It's a place where you are a stranger for 5 minutes, and a newcomer for 30 years."

What a wonderfully coherent way to express this, Diane!

Diane, well thought out and written. So very TRUE.

Happiness comes from within.

Happiness may come from within, but the power of sunshine, waves, and sand shouldn't be underestimated.

Chris has a point - it can be difficult to commune with your inner happiness whilst dodging bullets from McDonald's employees who have gone postal, or trying to find a parking place in a 2am traffic jam at the local 24 hour gourmet grocery.

Still, wherever you go, there you are. It's about how you handle your conflicts in the first place. No, you can't dismiss the great feelings you have in the purple haze of a tropical island but if dissatisfaction leaves you unable to cope with home base, it will follow you to paradise.

ckocian said it for me, explaining what I meant, with "happiness comes from within". Paradise will not resolve your inner issues.