Lots going on here on La Isla... My Feature was published on Tuesday, I'm super-excited to have such a big project in my portfolio! They didn't use my Ex-Pat Interview (yet) which is a bummer for the couple I interviewed - it will push out in a future issue. It will be delightful to be paid for that assignment in a few weeks! Income! Tuesday night we ventured down to The Alibi in its new lo ...

Friday I took my laptop and a patio chair cushion to SAGA Humane Society to hang out with their cats. SAGA can always use help walking the dogs they care for, or socializing the cats - they have around 30 cats currently, in two rooms. The new shelter is so nice! Concrete, air-conditioned...and they own it. The previous location was wood (hard to sterilize!), no A/C, and rented. Most of the ca ...

Tuesday morning I awoke to a WhatsApp from Oscar - he built us 4 teak pool chairs this time last year at a great price. We moved down a 22" Blackstone flat-top grill I had won at work, but we didn't have anywhere to set it. I asked Oscar if he took custom orders, and he did - so I sent my chicken-scratch rendering over. Two months later, our table arrived! It's perfect. But our grill is alrea ...

We have long wanted to visit the Belize Zoo - all of their animals are native to Belize, and are there essentially as rescues - whether orphaned, injured, or due to becoming a "problem" with ranchers or locals. Having the long weekend and FINALLY good weather, we booked an overnight stay at the Tropical Education Center (TEC) across the street from the zoo. It's rustic but exceptionally well ...

I've had a very busy week so I'm overdue to catch up! A few readers have asked about our beach house, so here's an update on it: Our architect, Alex, has dialed back the living space to a more agreeable size, and I've gone from having two living floors to 1. My original plan had two master bedrooms stacked on top of each other. In the U.S., it's cheaper per square foot to build up a story t ...

Last week was a whirlwind of trying to finish my large Feature Project for Live & Invest Overseas. My copy was mostly complete but due to Tropical Storms and/or generally rainy conditions, I didn't have the photos and videos I wanted. I repeatedly kicked myself for not taking more photos in general; I have taken for granted where we live and also didn't anticipate landing such a large assignm ...

We have weathered our second Tropical Storm in as many months. TS Sara stalled out offshore and delivered a deluge of rain; at least 15" as of mid-day Saturday and it rained most of that night, as well. People who have lived here for years have said they don't recall ever getting so much rain. The original forecast had the storm rolling through late Friday/early Saturday, but Sara decided t ...

Today marks our 100th day living in Belize, and not in the U.S. How is it REALLY going...? And do we regret moving...? Neither of the above questions have easy answers, and even the answers I give today may change tomorrow - or even by this afternoon. It's complicated. We have had a lot of struggles - from being gouged by companies, to battling the elements, to trying to assimilate to our ...

Nothing like a polarizing election to boost blog readership! If you are new here, welcome! My name is Sharon, and I'll be your tour guide on how to escape the U.S., regardless of your motivation. Politics and division were strong factors in our decision to expatriate.  Increased website activity wasn't on my radar Wednesday morning until a dear friend texted me: I'm sensing your expat blog ...

My apologies for the long delay in posts; life has been hectic. I was set to fly to Arizona on October 28th; the week leading up to then was a bit of a blur, trying to find an appropriate dress in my packed clothing, shoes, a jacket...make sure Nathan and the cats had everything they would need while I was gone.  We renewed our passports early just in case something went sideways with my tr ...