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Ready For Life in a Foreign Country?
147 Plays2 years ago
Moving to a foreign country is a daunting undertaking, not one to be taken lightly. Do you speak the language? Are you ready for new customs and a new culture? Do you have a support system in place for when things get tough?
But it's not all doom & gloom - the opportunities to expand your knowledge of the world, to learn about life "somewhere else" ... that's an exciting draw for many.
The most important thing is to go into it with your eyes open. Be ready for things NOT to turn out as you planned; be ready to make changes as you go.
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Transcript
Exploring Meaning Beyond Retirement
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Retirement.
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That's what we're all aiming at, right?
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But exactly what does that mean?
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It conjures up visions of endless days of golf, drinks with little umbrellas in them on a tropical beach, feet up, reading a book.
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Is that what it's all about?
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I don't think so.
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Life would get pretty dull after a while without anything meaningful to do, don't you think?
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I'm Jackie Doucette, and I'm on a mission to discover exactly what life is like beyond retirement.
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Join me while I chat with people who've already done it, who've retired to something rather than from something.
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Let's find out together exactly what's waiting for us when we say goodbye to that nine to five.
Today's Elder Community Introduction
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I recently stumbled on a new website called Today's Elder, that's todayselder.ca, without the apostrophe in todays, and I wanted to give them a bit of a shout out.
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They've worked really hard to build a portal for people over 50 where we can go to chat with other people about anything from what we're reading to vacations we've taken, antique cars, recipes we love, or anything else you can think of.
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We can find out what's going on at home and around the world.
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We can learn about new things on their Old Dogs, New Tricks show.
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And we can delve into old TV shows that we might have forgotten.
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And cartoons and music.
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It's completely free to join.
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And you get access to all of this stuff and much more.
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While those of us over 50 don't necessarily consider ourselves elders, we do look at life a little bit differently than other age groups, and we've seen a lot of different things in our life.
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Some of us are really tech-savvy, but not all of us are, and today's elder acknowledges that, and they've built a community where we all fit in.
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We certainly aren't like the elders of generations before us.
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And this is a place that has something for everybody.
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This quick little radio commercial gives you a little taste of who it's for.
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We've been getting a lot of queries here lately from people wondering what the heck we're all about here at Today's Elder.
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So let's start with a little bit of history.
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You might have had a pixie cut or a ponytail.
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Or you might have had a twiggy cut.
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Or you just let it grow out with a headband.
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You also may have sported a shag cut or a farra cut.
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Now your date likely had a crew cut or a pompadour.
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Or he let his hair grow out to his shoulders that touched his tie-dye t-shirt.
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Or finally, he may have sported a full afro or a mullet.
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You may have worn a poodle skirt with your black knight saddle shoes.
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Or your parents were absolutely horrified by how you wore your bell bottoms.
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And you may have worn a tube top with clogs on your feet.
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And your date, he kept his bell bottoms, but he has now switched to disco shirts that are unbuttoned to the belly.
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Now, your favorite TV show may have been American Bandstands.
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Or you might have sat down to watch The Mod Squad or The Love Boat.
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Now, if all that brings back memories, then you need to join us here at Today's Elder.
00:03:15
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So go ahead, check it out.
00:03:16
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Todayselder.ca And now on to today's episode.
Benefits of Moving Overseas
00:03:21
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Hi everyone, welcome to episode 254 of Beyond Retirement.
00:03:26
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Last week I had the pleasure of chatting with Michael Cobb, CEO and co-founder of ECI Development, a company that helps people move overseas and start a new life in a foreign country, specifically Latin America.
00:03:39
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Mike talked about how many people who move overseas are in search of a new adventure and a better quality of life.
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That can include lower costs of living, better weather, and...
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Exciting activities.
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If you're considering a move outside your home country in the future, this is definitely an interview you should go and listen to.
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Mike had so many pieces of advice about moving overseas that it's hard to decide what to focus on.
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The lure of escaping harsh winters and high costs of living may be attractive to some people.
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And one key takeaway from the episode was that many people are now running towards a better quality of life, lower cost of living, and better weather in Latin America.
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Contrary to what many people think, your quality of life can be higher in developing countries than it is at home, while the cost of living can be significantly lower.
Cultural Adaptation and Humility
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For example, food is often organic, yet much less expensive than at home because it's grown locally, which contributes to living a healthier life at a reduced cost.
00:04:43
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But there are lots of other things to consider, and it's still important to be well informed before deciding to make such a major change.
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I think the most important thing that Mike said was that you should approach the plan to move with humility.
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Assume that you don't know about anything in the country you're going to be moving to.
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I think his exact words were, forget what you think you do know, and you don't know what you don't know.
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It's important to ask lots of questions and learn as much about the local culture as possible before you make a move.
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After all, you don't want to end up in a place that doesn't meet your expectations.
Community Engagement Abroad
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And the consumer guide that he talked about?
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Absolutely priceless.
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I've learned so much from it.
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Go grab it from the link in the show notes to last week's episode.
00:05:30
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A lot of thoughts went through my head while Mike was talking about life as an expat.
00:05:34
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For those who are considering a move overseas, he suggested that the first step should be to take a trip to explore the area.
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Spend some time there and see if you can envision yourself living there long term.
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You want to make sure that the location is a good fit before you buy anything.
00:05:53
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Another thing to keep in mind is that you'll need to make new friends once you're living overseas.
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Of course, this isn't any different than if you're moving to a new neighborhood in your home country.
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But in a foreign country, social isolation can happen if you're not careful.
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So work on finding ways to get involved in the local community, join local clubs and organizations, participate in community service, and be open to new experiences.
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Mike suggests that engaging in social responsibility is a great way to make a difference in the local community.
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You can be part of the solution, make a difference, and feel fulfilled.
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Of course, take some time first to make sure that you know what's really needed.
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Don't just jump in thinking you know best how to make things better because your idea of better may not be right.
Maintaining Connections and Remote Work
00:06:41
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It's essential to adapt yourself to the new culture that you're going to be living in.
00:06:46
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Learn to embrace the differences and keep yourself open to learning and adopting new traditions and customs.
00:06:52
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What had the biggest impact on me was his brief conversation about considering the need to find a group of your peers and activities that you enjoy in the community you select as your new home.
00:07:03
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You want to enjoy all the new things this new country has to offer while staying true to your roots.
00:07:10
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I'd been thinking that I want to live surrounded by locals wherever we end up because I want to be part of the community in my adopted country.
00:07:18
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I don't want to be living where everyone is speaking English and trying to North Americanize the community and all the activities in it.
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But Mike pointed out that life can be really lonely if you don't have friends and interests in your native language unless you speak the local language well.
Living Life to the Fullest
00:07:36
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And remember that modern technology allows us to work remotely, so you don't necessarily need to retire to live overseas.
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Many people work from home or run their businesses while living abroad.
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So if you're looking for a new adventure instead of a retirement spot, this might just be the experience you're looking for.
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To close up for today, I want to encourage everyone out there to take a chance and live your life to the fullest.
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Life is too short to always wonder what if.
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Whether it's a move overseas or just exploring a new hobby, do something every day that makes you feel alive.
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It's never too late to start something new and get out of your comfort zone.
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Your life will be richer for it and you'll be glad you did it.
00:08:18
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Thanks so much for listening today.
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I really appreciate it.
Retirement Roadmap Planning
00:08:21
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Next week, I'll be chatting with Barbara Waxman about redefining retirement and the idea of investing in yourself.
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I hope you'll join us there.
00:08:31
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And that's it for this episode of Beyond Retirement.
00:08:34
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Thank you so much for hanging out with me.
00:08:36
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I hope you enjoyed it.
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Are you ready to start rocking your retirement?
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Head on over to www.beyondretirement.ca forward slash rocking it and sign up to plan out your own roadmap for retirement.
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Don't wait till it's too late.