Trading Mortgages for Freedom (Sort of)
We have some news! And, no, I’m not pregnant. As a recently married 20-something, almost 30-something, I realize that caveat is necessary.
My husband and I are buying one-way tickets to Panama. It’s the scariest and most exciting thing we’ve ever done. Although we are really pumped and steadfast in this decision, I still feel a little weird about saying, “We’re moving to Panama!” It sounds so much more final than: “…buying one-way tickets.” Welp, whatever gets us on the plane!
Why? Why not? We both grew up in the DC-metro area and have spent the better half of our relationship talking about how we’d love to live abroad, even if only for a moment. Leaving one’s home country and spending time in another really helps you reexamine the goals and expectations you’ve set for yourself and those you’ve let society set for you. We can easily conceive of waking up in 20 years and regretting the decision not to go whereas saying, “Hey I really wish we hadn’t moved to Latin America to explore another culture and way of life,” just seems impossible.
I remember watching a viral video where a chalkboard was set up in the middle of New York City and passersby were encouraged to write regrets on the board. The common thread was that no one seemed to regret things they had done, only things they had not. It seems a part of human nature to be able to recover and adjust relatively well. Generally speaking, the choices we make become part of the fabric of who we are, making those choices difficult to regret. We have a tendency to focus on the unknown and for that reason we’re always very willing to regret action not taken. If we were wired to excel at regretting the known, we’d all probably go a bit mad. With this fresh in my mind, I am thrilled to make this somewhat risky and adventurous decision with my hubs.
Gus and I tend to chart our lives out in 1-year increments. After watching 4 years of life fly by in our academic careers we realized that 365 days really go by in a flash. So when we make plans and weigh the possible outcomes, knowing we are capable of doing anything for a year really helps. At the end of the day, our biggest fear is waking up in 20 years saddled with a humongous mortgage, working jobs we hate to pay down that mortgage, and spending our free time on upkeep for this monstrous house.
By no means are we passing judgment on those living a life like that, we all find happiness in our own ways. As a matter of fact, it’s really similar to how my parents lived not too long ago before they moved to Germany. But my parents also came from really different upbringings. My dad was raised in the South Side of Chicago in the proverbial “hood” on welfare and the like, while my mom came from an impoverished existence in rural Panama, sharing a 2-room home with 3 brothers and her mom. They aspired to and then claimed their American dream, which was that monstrous (but oh so lovely) house in the suburbs. Then, after a while, they came to terms with the fact that they had created the life they’d always wanted but it was time for a new dream. With all of the kids out of the house, leaving suburbia behind and moving abroad was a welcome change.
For Gus and I — both coming from fairly privileged upbringings — our American dream looks decidedly different and we just don’t want to feel trapped by things or conventional notions. Maybe that life in suburbia still awaits us or maybe we’ll be perpetual nomads! Either way, right now we want to live life outside of the mold and challenge ourselves to be and do more. So here we are, moving to another country.
We’ve visited Panama on countless occasions for vacation, visiting (my) family, and even our recent honeymoon. Every time we are down there we fall back in love with the weather, the culture, and the people. With our lease coming to an end at the end of September, it seemed the stars were finally aligning to make this the least scary time to make our move.
Gus and I have both been building our respective businesses in addition to full time jobs and 6 months ago I quit my conventional job to fully focus on my business. Given the cheaper cost of living and the bits of business we have been able to secure, we planned to just get up and go. When a job opportunity in Panama surfaced for me, I jumped on it and am happy to say I have accepted the offer. I’ll start with the company mid-October, but not before we have a chance to head out to Germany to visit with my parents, brother, sister-in-law and niece. While my business plans will take a bit of a backseat as I reengage with a conventional workplace, I’ve learned and accomplished so much in the past 6 months that I’m confident that I can make strides forwards in the evenings and weekends. And I’m excited that we have a chance to reverse roles, so Gus can have his chance to build.
We’ll start out in the city and see where it all takes us! Needless to say, if you’re in Panama in the near future, look us up!
