Sep 21, 2016
In this episode we have a fellow podcaster from Kansas City who is now living as an expat in Belize on the island of Caye Caulker. A person of action, Robert Harper, explains how he has changed his philosophy about life and managed to arrange a lifestyle that allows him to work remotely and experience living abroad with his extended family which includes two wonderful young grandchildren. Robert shares why he feels supplying his grandchildren with supplementary remote educational resources will help them develop a more overall competitive educational advantage.
He also explains what he doesn't miss about life in the U.S. and why he doesn't think he will own land to live on again. This maybe because of how his nomadic lifestyle suits the life he and his family have chosen to enjoy.
He also points out, that as an expat, it is important to get out and learn about the surroundings and it's people. Listen to what Robert learnt from a local Belizean businesswoman about the connection Belize once had with the slave trade in the U.S.. Most importantly, Robert also explains why people in his home nation have to stop being afraid and explore the outside world.
**Some of Robert's quotes**:
7:50 mins.
"There is a saying on Caye Caulker. You're on Belizean time. Mañana doesn't mean tomorrow. It could mean next week."
9:56 mins.
"I don't know if we'll ever again own a place in any country"
16:20 mins.
"After the Civil War in the US, a number of plantation owners moved to South Belize and stopped growing cotton and started growing sugarcane and transfer their slaves."
20:20 mins.
"Our experience is the first question asked by anybody in the State is: Aren't you afraid?"
21:10 mins.
"Yes, we are going to be safe but we're not going to be in a bubble."
23:35 mins.
"In today's world, you should live where you're treated well."
35:00 mins.
About thinking about living life abroad: "Take action. Stop thinking about doing this because no matter where you are in your life you'll never have as much money as you think you should (have) to be able to do this."
35:47 mins.
"Just because you (have) decided to do this doesn't mean you'll have to do this forever."
Click here for Robert's Belize hospital experience. Robert get's a lot of questions from family and friends back home. He is trying to get them to explore the world and see what it has to offer. He often gets asked questions like:
Another, and more serious, question Robert often gets is:
"What will you do if you get sick?"
Life abroad isn't always as cool as it looks like in the movies. Normal things happen while living abroad. Robert writes about what he went through to get medical care for his wife in Belize in a blog post. He notes that it's affordable to get sick in Belize. Medical care in the US can carry a heavy cost and place a burden on people and their families. Other countries have health care is just as good or better than the health care in the U.S. and that shouldn't be a surprise.
One mind blowing thing Robert said during the interview was that in Belize, AFTER seeking medical care, he is able to sit down and chat with his doctor for forty-five minutes just to talk about general things. What! Forty-five minutes on the doctors time! Unlike in the US where, if you're lucky, 15 minutes maximum is the norm.
MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
As mentioned, Robert is also a podcaster. Robert co-host the podcast Roaming Start Up. Roaming Start Up in the past focused on crowd funding. In the future, the show will refocus an cover digital nomadic lifestyles.
Robert's podcast Roaming Start Up can be found HERE!
Click here for Robert's Belize hospital experience.
Click here to learn about Belize's connection to the slave trade (Global Black History).
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