We did our home work, now what?

 Once we returned home from our research trip it was time to decide whether we really wanted to move to a new country. We considered many factors; How would we support ourselves; Keep in touch with our family; Where would we live; How would our quality of life change; What should we take with us; Should we ship our stuff, and if so what should we ship? If we chose not to ship a container, then what would we do with the belongings that have sentimental value (family photos & heirlooms)? Where did we want to live in Ecuador? Etc., etc., etc.

I believe the answer to these questions are personal to each of us, but here is how we answered them for ourselves.

Since we aren't old enough to retire we have no monthly income. So we decided that a combination of freelance work and English teaching/tutoring would provide enough income to cover our basic financial needs. We have a small nest egg to cover us until we have "boots on the ground" to research other business opportunities.

As I mentioned in my previous post, we are using Skype to keep in contact with the family. We are also using a newly discovered chat feature in Google. This chat feature allows us to text with our kids, which is essential since the younger generation relies so heavily on text and social networking as their primary forms of communication. Starting this blog is another way for us to keep in touch with our family and friends, and if it gives others like us a bit of useful information along the way maybe it will add some good karma to our spiritual account.

As you have probably already figured out, based on my blog background and profile pics, we decided to live on the coast of Ecuador. We chose Manta, Manabi, Ecuador for several reasons. We love the ocean. Manta is the fastest growing city in Ecuador partly due to Hyundai and Nissan building plants there and also because the Ecuadorian government is investing money to improve the infrastructure and enlarge the port. For us this meant there would be more business opportunities, hence more ways for us to support ourselves in the lifestyle we would like to become accustomed to.

On the question of to ship or not to ship a container...we decided to ship. Our decision is based on several factors, including that I am obsessively attached to my kitchen stuff and we are both extremely attached to our bed. It took us what seemed to be FOREVER to sort through years of accumulated belongings. We sold and/or donated the majority and, as I've read on other Expat blogs, it was liberating but it also made us a bit sad to see it all go.

Downsizing our life (or right sizing as they now put it in the corporate world) took us the better part of a year.

Our decision was made, our stuff was packed and stored (a nightmare I won't bore you with). We were moving to Manta, Ecuador!

Hasta luego, P.