see here how everything, lead up to this day

   

4000 ISLANDS IN THE MEKONG RIVER, DON DET, LAO

 
     This past year, I have been doing research in preparation for my upcoming move abroad. Not much information exists, unless you are a wealthy American looking to live the American life in another country. This blog is a way to share what I have learned about moving to a foreign country, with the goal being to live like the locals. I have chosen to maintain an address, drivers license, and bank account, in America. This is not a requirement, this is my personal choice. I have a will, living will, durable power of attorney for healthcare, and cremation authorization, available if ever needed. I think these are a good idea for any traveler, especially for those looking to live someplace other than their homeland.

     Americans can live anywhere in the world as long as they want, without returning to America after a certain time. Unlike some countries, there is no requirement of periodically returning to America to maintain citizenship. Unless one was to renounce American citizenship and accept another countries passport, an American retains citizenship. I renewed my American passport and was able to get a 52-page passport, rather than the standard 26-page, both costing the same. This is excellent for travelers who fill pages quickly. My standard passport filled three years before expiring, and instead of getting extra pages put in it for 82$, I got a new larger one for 110$, expiring in ten years. This is the passport renewal fee, not the fee to get one’s first passport.

     When I reach American retirement age, I can apply for social security benefits online anywhere, and have monthly deposits put in any financial institution in the world. I do not have to live in America to receive benefits, and benefits do not have to be deposited into an American bank. Concerning the death of an American citizen abroad, this is a relatively straightforward process. The country where an American citizen dies, sends their passport and any remaining personal effects, to the nearest American embassy. The embassy sends a death notice to the personal contact on the deceased’s passport, and the standard death process ensues. This is much easier if one has registered with the nearest American embassy, a choice, not a requirement.

     I have learned what is needed to move abroad, and have purchased a one-way ticket for february 1, 2013. This will give me time to receive my tax forms and file my 2012 taxes before I leave. I have gotten rid of my material posessions, and will leave nothing in storage in America. With a small backpack, a small duffle bag, and my laptop, I am ready to go. A Nigerian folk saying I like is:

                     THE DAY ON WHICH ONE STARTS OUT, IS NOT THE TIME TO START ONE'S PREPARATION

VIEW OF HALONG BAY, VIETNAM, FROM CAT BA ISLAND

all the years combine, they melt into a dream

SEA OF CORTEZ, NEAR MULEGE, MEXICO

     My journey began almost ten years ago, on a beach near Mulege, Mexico. I had traveled abroad before, but that fortieth birthday celebration on Playa Santispac, opened my eyes to my travels in the future. At that time in my life, I was lacking in some direction, living paycheck to paycheck, moving here and there, going nowhere. On that warm and sunny beach on the Sea of Cortez, I met Lara, a woman my age, from Colorado. She told me how she had changed her own directionless life, into one full of accomplishing her dreams and goals. She spent some years working hard and was starting on her life's adventure, there, on Playa Santispac. Her words and her actions inspired me, and I started to dream of how my own life would change. And now, almost ten years later, I am ready to uproot and move to Lao. It is time to finish the first half of my life living in The West, and start the second half of my life living in The East. No more cold rain and snow. No more cold feet, dripping nose, or layers of clothing. I'm going where the climate suits my clothes!

OCHHEUTEAL BEACH, SIHANOUKVILLE, CAMBODIA

    Swinging in my hammock and watching the dolphins play in the bay of Playa Santispac, I dreamed of spending the birthdays of my forties in an equally warm and sunny place. Northwest America in February is a cold and dreary place, and celebrating my future birthdays in the sun, was my first goal. My next birthday was at a beach near La Paz, Mexico. While there, I realized I needed a change, the western world was too familiar, and I needed something different. And different is what I got, celebrating my next birthday on Ochheuteal Beach in Sihanoukville, Cambodia. That birthday and the six month adventure around it, led me to another goal, I wanted to live in Southeast Asia. My next birthday found me in Bagan, Myanmar, and the three month adventure around that birthday, opened my mind to many possible futures. But, I was still living paycheck to paycheck. I returned to America with a plan, find a better paying job, simplify my lifestyle, and save money. The next two birthdays I worked and saved, rather than traveled, and my dream came closer to reality. But, I missed spending my birthdays in the sun.


EDZNA RUINS, NEAR CAMPHECHE, MEXICO

     I remembered a childhood fascination with the Mayan world, and for my forty-sixth birthday, I explored the Mayan ruins on the northern Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. The next birthday found me back in Southeast Asia, in Lao. I enjoyed my time in the small riverside town of Champasak, a slow-paced, simple town, in the southern part of the country. There, the people are friendly and I felt welcomed and comfortable. My next birthday, I explored more Mayan ruins, this time in the southern Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico and northern Guatemala. I returned to Lao for birthday forty-nine, again spending time in Champasak. With eight out of ten birthdays in my forties, in a warm and sunny place, I feel I have accomplished one goal. I have worked hard, saved money, and planned for my future in Southeast Asia, and will celebrate my fiftieth birthday there, accomplishing another goal, of living in Southeast Asia. With my life contained in a backpack and small duffle bag, I will start the second half of my life in Champasak, Lao.
                                    DREAMS CAN COME TRUE AND I FIND IT BEST TO DREAM BIG!!!

MAIN STREET ALONG MEKONG RIVER, CHAMPASAK, LAO