How Living Abroad Can Reduce Your Stress

[NewsLady]

Has moving to Boquete reduced your stress?

 

Here’s some data and reasons on how moving abroad (including to Panama) is a good way to do exactly that.

 

See if you agree.

 

https://bestplacesintheworldtoretire.com/stories/story/how-living-abroad-can-reduce-your-stress    

 

 

Chuck Bolotin

Vice President, Business Development

The Site That Potential Expats Trust

BestPlacesInTheWorldToRetire.com

Chuck.Bolotin@BestPlacesInTheWorldToRetire.com

Cell: U.S. (520) 940-0481 
Skype: Chuck.Bolotin

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[Bud]

Or raise your stress levels!

Electric power is again a problem in our area. 82 volts at most this morning. Running on the generator right now to protect appliances and be able to get something productive done. Hopefully Gas Natural will be here soon.

[Keith Woolford]

Does anyone really swallow this guy's hype?

[Gordon Bakke]

Yes, yes I swallow. Hmm..that just didn't sound right....NOT!

"The site that potential expats trust" C'mon Chuckie.....

[Bud]

3 hours ago, Bud said:

Or raise your stress levels!

Electric power is again a problem in our area. 82 volts at most this morning. Running on the generator right now to protect appliances and be able to get something productive done. Hopefully Gas Natural will be here soon.

Was able to shut down the generator about 15 minutes ago. About five hours of outage. Glad that we are percolating again.

And no, I don't believe a word of the hucksters pushing their wares on the various countries. I just ignore them.

[Brundageba]

My husband and I were happy as clams the day we moved here 10 years ago.  That said, I can say that stress occurred.   I can't imagine no stress with a life change such as this.  To hype that stress is reduced ?  ...no way.  Hey we are still happy as clams here.  I can say though that the stress level steadily has decreased for us over time.  We have grown to go with the flow here...just as Bud has with his generator .  I'm sure there is a tad-O-stress that goes along with it however .  Sorta like the days when the electricity goes out  for a day or so when we go to the coast,and man, it's HOT there !  

Gradual acclimation and stress reduction is NOT the case for many expats who eventually leave and return to their home country at an enormous cost in every regard.  That kind of stress has to be huge. 

Alison 

[Bonnie]

8 hours ago, Keith Woolford said:

Does anyone really swallow this guy's hype?

I don't swallow his hype. And I resent News Boquete posting this. It is not news. Can we now expect that News Boquete will receive and disseminate information from every huckster promoting Panama? If so, the realtors can't be far behind.

Edited May 14, 2017 by Bonnie

[Jim and Judi]

4 hours ago, Bonnie said:

 I resent News Boquete posting this. It is not news. Can we now expect that News Boquete will receive and disseminate information from every huckster promoting Panama? If so, the realtors can't be far behind.

Oh dear Bonnie. I walked this road last year and was lambasted for daring to criticize some of the content of Boquete News.

[Bonnie]

The Newslady is one of my closest friends, and she does a super job with all the stuff she receives. But I really don't think she wants to go down this road because, as I wrote earlier, it's not news but business promotion. (Mr. Bolotin has an email list of his own, which is how his stuff should be disseminated.) I posted here in an effort to determine if others also feel that it's inappropriate or whether it's just me.

[Pederhaney]

I've blocked him and his rose-colored shinola.

[NewsLady]

11 hours ago, Jim and Judi said:

Oh dear Bonnie. I walked this road last year and was lambasted for daring to criticize some of the content of Boquete News.

News.Boquete and Boquete News are not the same thing and are run by two very different people. Boquete News is a facebook site and the newslady is quite sure it was the owner of that site who lambasted you. The newslady usually remembers those she lambastes.

[Jim and Judi]

22 minutes ago, NewsLady said:

News.Boquete and Boquete News are not the same thing and are run by two very different people. Boquete News is a facebook site and the newslady is quite sure it was the owner of that site who lambasted you. The newslady usually remembers those she lambastes.

I misspoke, and it wasn't the newslady herself who gave me a verbal thrashing for opining about news.boquete, but rather her fans. And to avoid rehashing that moment, let me say that I enjoy the majority of the content ?

[Dottie Atwater]

23 hours ago, Brundageba said:

My husband and I were happy as clams the day we moved here 10 years ago.  That said, I can say that stress occurred.   I can't imagine no stress with a life change such as this.  To hype that stress is reduced ?  ...no way.  Hey we are still happy as clams here.  I can say though that the stress level steadily has decreased for us over time.  We have grown to go with the flow here...just as Bud has with his generator .  I'm sure there is a tad-O-stress that goes along with it however .  Sorta like the days when the electricity goes out  for a day or so when we go to the coast,and man, it's HOT there !  

Gradual acclimation and stress reduction is NOT the case for many expats who eventually leave and return to their home country at an enormous cost in every regard.  That kind of stress has to be huge. 

Alison 

Very well said. And life is not stress free even in one's country of origin. People who thrive after a move "abroad" are those who adapt quickly to change and view the move as an adventure and opportunity to learn. Others? Well, the stress is too much and they return to their country of origin at an enormous cost, as Brundageba said.

When I moved to Volcan 13 years ago and began the enlarging and extensive remodeling of an old Panamanian house, I had never lived in such "primitive" conditions in my life. The work took at least two years. And the growth  of Volcan and conveniences that exist today did not back then. Yes, there were some stressful times (still are), but it was an adventure (still is) and I never regretted moving here. I'm still very grateful for my life here in Volcan. And a learning experience? One thing I've developed here is a LOT of patience!

I have a wonderful employee and although I pay him very well, no way could I pay someone in the US to do what all he does. Then there is my beloved family of 18 dogs (okay, okay, sometimes they are stressful) and my work with the spay/neuter clinics. With the clinics and the rescue of dogs, I have found my true purpose in life. I would never have found that in the US. I have learned so much about care and treatment of dogs through the years that I and my employee often help people with injuries and illnesses of their own dogs.

Right now is the best time in my life, ever.

Too bad that some people swallow the rose-colored claims by the hucksters. One size indeed does not fit all.

[JimAndNena]

Chuck Bolotin and his wife, Jet Metier are living in a van while traveling through Central America.  They are not "settled" anywhere so all the hype they publish could best be described as tourism.

Living somewhere for possibly the remainder of one's life is far different than experiencing paradise for a 2 or 3 week trip. Many folks can't see past the first month and by the time the reality sets in, the return to their place of origin is indeed stressful.  Our yearly visits to Panama are a departure from a very comfortable, stress-free life in the U.S. The pace in Panama is slower but being retired in the USA means we can set our own schedule.  Seeing the Panamanians' ability to adjust to power outages, and lack of infrastructure makes us aware of just how good we have it.  Even the cultures between Panama City and Chiriqui are remarkable.  Many older locals in Boquete remember hauling water and kerosene lamps so no power or water is not a big event in their daily lives.  The same outages in Panama City ARE a big discomfort as it would be in any large urban area.

Not having same day delivery from Amazon is our stress point!

 

jim

[Brundageba]

Thank you Jim and Nena for a background on Chuck Bolotin.  What you said is spot-on. 

...and Nena, I have one package that contains a single tube of lipstick hung up in customs for now well over a month.  The form letter sent to me asked me to verify that I was not a commercial dealer.   It took an hour or so in MBE to get all the forms signed and E-Cedula copied. It's a total pain for MBE and as well their customers.  In time it will arrive.  It is what it is.  I'm surviving.  Stress?.....nah, kinda humorous and it gives us something to do.  Many of our friends ask us "What do you do there in Panama?"...OK, there's an example.

[JimAndNena]

24 minutes ago, Brundageba said:

Thank you Jim and Nena for a background on Chuck Bolotin.  What you said is spot-on. 

...and Nena, I have one package that contains a single tube of lipstick hung up in customs for now well over a month.  The form letter sent to me asked me to verify that I was not a commercial dealer.   It took an hour or so in MBE to get all the forms signed and E-Cedula copied. It's a total pain for MBE and as well their customers.  In time it will arrive.  It is what it is.  I'm surviving.  Stress?.....nah, kinda humorous and it gives us something to do.  Many of our friends ask us "What do you do there in Panama?"...OK, there's an example.

Yikes!  Any government that would mess with a gal and her cosmetics is doomed!  I would be in a rubber room without my Amazon. When my last printer died, I went on line to surf a replacement, found one at a local WalMart 2 miles away. Checked Amazon, found the same printer, same price, no shipping (with Prime), and same day delivery!  And no standing in line at the checkout!

I won't even go into the problems I would have with no Lowes/Home Depot nearby.  I can't move to Panama until my retirement ToDo list is complete.

jim

[Dottie Atwater]

ToDo lists are never complete!

[Brundageba]

That's why I have a "honey-do" list...decreases my stress living here in Panama (smile)

[Marcelyn]

10 hours ago, Dottie Atwater said:

Very well said. And life is not stress free even in one's country of origin. People who thrive after a move "abroad" are those who adapt quickly to change and view the move as an adventure and opportunity to learn. Others? Well, the stress is too much and they return to their country of origin at an enormous cost, as Brundageba said.

When I moved to Volcan 13 years ago and began the enlarging and extensive remodeling of an old Panamanian house, I had never lived in such "primitive" conditions in my life. The work took at least two years. And the growth  of Volcan and conveniences that exist today did not back then. Yes, there were some stressful times (still are), but it was an adventure (still is) and I never regretted moving here. I'm still very grateful for my life here in Volcan. And a learning experience? One thing I've developed here is a LOT of patience!

I have a wonderful employee and although I pay him very well, no way could I pay someone in the US to do what all he does. Then there is my beloved family of 18 dogs (okay, okay, sometimes they are stressful) and my work with the spay/neuter clinics. With the clinics and the rescue of dogs, I have found my true purpose in life. I would never have found that in the US. I have learned so much about care and treatment of dogs through the years that I and my employee often help people with injuries and illnesses of their own dogs.

Right now is the best time in my life, ever.

Too bad that some people swallow the rose-colored claims by the hucksters. One size indeed does not fit all.

Dottie:  what a great lady you are with a wonderful attitude ?. IMO the world needs more people like you.

Our very best wishes to you....and your 18 dogs.

Marcelyn & Bud here at CL

[Dottie Atwater]

What a sweet response, Marcelyn and Bud. Thank you!

[Penny]

Personally, I enjoy the articles sent out by Chuck Bolotin. They're both entertaining and occasionally informative.

[Bonnie]

2 hours ago, Penny said:

Personally, I enjoy the articles sent out by Chuck Bolotin. They're both entertaining and occasionally informative.

"Occasionally" is the operative word here. Some good questions are posed, but the vast majority of responders are realtors or other persons with business interests that benefit from the arrival of expats. Many of the responses are at best misleading and at worst downright untruthful. I know it's not possible to protect people from themselves, but valuable sites like NB and CL should not be promoting this kind of misinformation by publishing it, IMO.

[JimAndNena]

2 hours ago, Penny said:

Personally, I enjoy the articles sent out by Chuck Bolotin. They're both entertaining and occasionally informative.

I read all of his articles.  Not right away but whenever I remember to check my spam folder I always read the latest post.

He cites surveys in every article, never posts the data or the methodology, just the positive results.  His latest "less stress" article actually supported the " mañana " culture as being a good thing. He promoted the culture of not being on time as a good thing.  These are unimportant issues if one is RV-ing his way across Central America but very important issues if one is trying to get electrical power, internet, water, telephone, garbage pickup, or any other service working.  Retirement being stress-free is not having to worry about when one of these services will be missing or what the back up plan is if they fail.

Entertaining? Yes if you know the true about what he is offering.

Informative?  I would have to call it borderline fraud.

jim

[Bonnie]

On 5/16/2017 at 9:35 AM, Bonnie said:

"Occasionally" is the operative word here. Some good questions are posed, but the vast majority of responders are realtors or other persons with business interests that benefit from the arrival of expats. Many of the responses are at best misleading and at worst downright untruthful. I know it's not possible to protect people from themselves, but valuable sites like NB and CL should not be promoting this kind of misinformation by publishing it, IMO.

I just received the latest Best Places in the World to Retire newsletter. To underscore my objections cited above, I note that the lead question posed is about what it's like to raise children in Panama, which naturally raises the issue of education here. There are eight replies. Seven of those replies come from realtors, six of whom praise the Panamanian education system to one degree or another, while the seventh home schools. A couple of the six emphasize private schools, but they never mention how expensive they can be. The one respondent who does not appear to be affiliated with real estate or have other business interests tells it like it is--in a very reasonable, supported way. He sees advantages to his children being here, but of the education system he writes:

"The school system here in Panama isn't the greatest at all.  The public schools have very little as far as supplies and I do find that many of the teachers in these school are really not at a level education-wise to be teaching anything. The private school I find to be better but they are not cheap.  Some in the city are very high end schools that charge you a ton of money. I feel that home schooling is the best route to take. For the price of a private school I could hire a young college person to teach my girls and they would be far ahead of everyone else when college time gets here.  Now I'm talking about a college kid from the US, not here.
 
"I have a lady that works for me who is in her third year of college who still can't do basic math. I find their college level is below our high school level."

People with children who are considering a move to Panama need to know unequivocally that the public school system is terrible and that private schools are expensive. The last respondent--the non-realtor--is the only one who fully and honestly answers the question. One of the realtor respondents even goes so far as to say, "The schools are excellent; both the private and the non-private. There’s a lot of help. The teachers are well-trained and some are brought from the United States to teach or from other countries." I consider such a response to be not only misleading but shamelessly dishonest.

The full discussion is here: https://bestplacesintheworldtoretire.com/questions-and-answers?view=answers&task=view&id=2455&sort=created

[Dottie Atwater]

Granted I didn't spend a lot of time but I couldn't find the message you copied. I wouldn't be surprised it it was deleted.