When 1 Step Turns into Many Bounds

The first steps to living and working on the Caribbean.

Have you ever stopped to wonder how you arrived at the place in your life right now? I’ve been going down memory lane via my years of house sitting, coaching and content reviews. I thought that updating my social media accounts with current reviews would be laborious and tedious but it ended up being endearing. Sometimes I forget who my cheerleaders are and now I’m feeling the need to embrace them.

As I waded through mountains of messages, I found the first messages from the first expats that I’d ever met. I followed my gut when planning to live abroad and searched a few months for housing before meeting this cool couple online with the dreamy loft rental located between the Caribbean Sea and a blue lagoon.

My first office abroad.

I started my search in September 2014 when I freaked out at the thought that my penthouse pool membership was shutting down for the winter. I couldn’t bare the thought of sharing a 2br DC townhouse, that didn’t have insulation, with 7 people for the winter while I paid to sleep on the couch until someone moved out of a room. I was so done with that scene~

I dug into the internet like a fiend searching for prices on places to live in Belize. My only requirements for a new home was to be near blue water and white sand. I got some poor feedback on this idea from friends and even worse feedback from certain expat groups online, but I kept on looking for what I wanted within my budget. Then an angel named Michelle Lyons saw my request for an apt in one of the facebook expat groups and she messaged me about a new place that she and her husband were building. It was an unfinished warehouse at the time, so when I asked for photos, she sent me a blueprint of the property.

Hello Lisa, Michelle contacted me and wanted me to show you the Cadd Drawings of the upper floor apartments. I can have the one listed as Apartment 2 completed by the time you get here. The other master bedroom in the larger apartment will not be completed by then. I will focus all my energy into completing the Apartment 2. I’ll send pictures later as it progresses. Right now it is full of building material so a picture would be pointless. It is the apartment directly on the right as you come up the stairs. Regards, Scott Lyons, lyons@stingray.bz

So this blueprint would be considered a scary response, right? I took a deep breath and did an internet background check on Michelle and Scott. They have another cottage rental in Ladyville, Belize so I checked that out and did an FB search of their names as well as Gecko Bungalow to see if I pulled up any negative mentions or reviews. The feedback was all good.

Michelle had pictures of her family visible on facebook complete with 3 dogs and 1 cat. They seemed like an everyday all American family cashing in on the American Dream in Belize. I wanted in, so I sent them my deposit for the blueprint of my apartment. To be completely honest, the rest was history. These expats were my All American mentors. They literally taught me not only everything I needed to know about being an expat but how to embrace the expat lifestyle as a career.

Here I am 2 years later! Check out the article! The beginner’s guide to living as an expat, according to a woman who lives in Belize on $1,000 a month, Talia Lakritz, INSIDER, Oct. 28, 2016, 2:52 PM

I ended up house sitting for Scott and Michelle various times when I’ve traveled through Belize and managed their cottage while they traveled to visit family. They were the spark that ignited my fire for an upgraded life and supported my endeavours with Expat Real. We are thick as thieves now.

I guess the moral of the story is, my gut is gold and has never lead me astray. I’ve had fearful voices in my head, adverse advice from friends and fear or guilt laden comments from family, but my gut guided me to my purpose in life. So I got onboard with it and I never looked back.

Thank you Lisa May for stopping in Belize between your Mexico and Guatemala sits! We appreciated the break from house-n-hounds! ~Michelle Lyons

The author of this article, Expat Coach, Lisa May travels the world researching the best places for those wishing to live abroad. Her 14-country nomad experience upgraded her lifestyle in health, home and social culture, which compelled her to create the EXPAT PLANNING COURSE Expat Basics,that will help you make the best decisions on where to live (even if it’s only temporary), how to get there, what to do with all your stuff and how to find new friends in your new country. She helped others find the courage to break away from the rat race and plan new lives abroad that nourish their mind, body and spirit. Wondering if living abroad is even for you? Ask your questions at the upcoming EXPAT MASTERCLASS Nov. 20th at 2pm est. Get your free invite right here.