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BECOMING AN EXPAT: DO YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES?
The Expat Dream Takes Hold
Do you have what it takes to become an expat? Part of the answer lies in you believing it – believing that you can succeed in an environment foreign to all of your life experiences. And, I am not referring to your perfect dream or fantasy land environment; I am talking about reality, because when you move to a new and foreign land you quickly become immersed in its reality, which believe me is 180 degrees from the place that you are leaving!
First off, you have to decide if you are a candidate to become an expat. Not everyone fits that mold, but one way to determine if you fit the profile and discover if an expat life should be part of your future is to take this little test ...
The TestOkay, that was all in good fun, but hopefully you get the point – you must really have a passion to want to abandon your current home in order to surrender to a new way of life in a new country.
- Have you spent days at work trying to look like you are busy and productive – when you are actually fantasizing about becoming an expat!! (YES / NO)
- Are you staring at that computer screen with glazed eyes – but instead of seeing Excel spread sheets, you see yourself spreading your towel out on an exotic beach and an afternoon of blissful naps and naughty novels. (YES / NO)
- You think you are the next India/Indiana Jones on a mission to seek hidden relics in Mayan temples. Instead you are seeking new markets for the company. You give your sales pitch to the glazed eyes of potential customers – who are busy daydreaming about their own expat adventures. And thus, do not hear a word you say! (YES / NO)
- You dream about becoming a world famous botanist who will uncover new medicinal plants and new cures for mankind’s ills. Hey, that Nobel Prize might be next! (YES / NO)
That is exactly what happened to me and I found my passion to be Belize, which is such a unique and terrific country, and one you should take a serious look at as you evaluate the right place to make your expat dreams come true!
Expat On Your Mind
If you find yourself checking off even one “YES” on the test, it could be you are ready to explore more of living abroad.
You are not alone. Relocation abroad has become a very common syndrome in these financially insecure times when the thought of stretching your dollars makes you to want to stretch your life, too, and seek a way out. Who does not dream of becoming an escape artist and leaving it all behind for a saner life; a more satisfying and less stressful lifestyle you can easily afford. Imagine having something left over at the end of each month.
Who doesn’t want that!
No Rose-Colored Glasses Allowed
But fantasizing about becoming an expat is one thing – actually taking the steps to become one requires that you do your part beforehand. My recommendation is my mantra and it never changes ... do your homework.
We all love our rose-colored glasses and idealistic fantasies of what it is to live abroad. It is hard to let go of those glasses. But you must – for your own sake and well being. And believe me; you will actually feel better when you do.
Because when you decide to make that quantum leap to another culture, to go off to find another way of living on this earth, and to find one that is also affordable – it takes a lot of homework. So get ready to dive in to your research and to become involved in networking with those who have gone before you.
Like all potential expats, you have to research extensively and prepare yourself for not only the glorious thrills and perks of living abroad, and, yes, they are there waiting for you, but also you have to discover the down to earth realities of such a move. In that way you can gain the knowledge, facts and figures that will greatly help ensure a better experience for you and your loved ones. And, protect your wallet too!
You do not want any unpleasant surprises. By doing this all important groundwork beforehand and gathering reliable information, you will be prepared for the realities of becoming an expat.
My Own Challenges and Experience
Can I tell you again how unexpected my own journey to living in Belize was!! I was not even looking – it just happened, I had a chance to go for a visit, and I took it. It was done on a whim, a hunch and a sense that fate was giving me a push. That it was where I was supposed to be. There, Belize – it was as simple as that!
I could have ignored this opportunity. Instead, after doing my homework (there is that hint again), I chose to jump in with all my heart. And, included the kids and dogs as well!
Reflections of an Expat
I am so busy and happily immersed in this great new expat life, I do not even have time to step back and think about the life that came before. But, though I may have felt compelled to move to Belize, you can bet I did plenty of research before I did. That has greatly helped me adjust easily and successfully to living here and starting my own business, as a single woman yet! (That is another article in the future.)
I get asked all the time how I feel about being a genuine expat now. I can state honestly and with all my heart that I feel truly blessed to have Belize as my home and have made wonderful friendships here.
People are very curious about what I consider my greatest reward in being an expat. That is an easy question to answer. I have found the most satisfaction in following my heart to live in Belize. Instead of spending years wondering about it like so many people do, I took a chance on life, did my homework, too, and have never looked back.
What do I consider to be the biggest misconception about becoming an expat? Let me say it right up front – many folks leave their brain at the border. No doubt about it. But things are different in Belize and there are things you need to know and learn. That learning will stand you in very good stead and provide the basis for your successful and satisfying move to Belize.
I am always queried as to some of my favorite places here. And, I frequently answer – I love the pyramids and the barrier reef. There is so much to see and do in this glorious country, but those two places really grab my heart and thrill me every single time.
And if I am not traveling about, what is a favorite form of recreation? Oh, how I love to spend time with my friends. (And here, there is time to do it because it is a valued part of everyday life!) Also, I am delighted to be learning the local Creole language.
I am asked if there are “ugly Americans” in Belize. Yes, indeed. Some people move abroad and then want to change what they find in their new country. I consider this a very presumptuous attitude! I think part of my ease in adaptation here results from loving Belize just as it is, accepting it as it is, and wanting to leave it as it is.
People who are thinking about moving to Belize ask me where most expats congregate when they get here. Do they move all over the country or cluster in one area. I will say that expats tend to lean towards the San Ignacio area and San Pedro Island. Now, why would that be?
The San Ignacio area has ancient pyramids, stunning mountains, and the river for people to explore. San Ignacio is my home also and I love its beautiful scenery. I find it very calming. San Pedro Island is famed for its diving and fishing activities.
Of course, people want to know if expats are loners looking to leave civilization and its constraints behind, or are they joiners who want to immerse themselves in a new culture and new experiences and make new friends? In my experience, most expats are “joiners,” for sure.
Beware of Different Business Ethics Abroad
One of the first lessons of the newly arriving expat is to beware and BE AWARE that other countries do not necessarily practice business in the same way to which you are accustomed in the United States. They are usually not looking out for your interests. That is one of the reasons why my company has been so successful – we always looking out for the best interests of our customers.
My Personal Mission is to Provide Guidance
After I made my leap abroad and in to the expat life I so love now, I realized that on the ground guidance would have made our life much easier and the initial settling in process so much more simple. Nowhere do I find this assistance to be more important than when you move out of the U.S.A., make a decision to stay in a foreign country, and decide to buy property. So after I set up Rainforest Real Estate, I made it my personal mission in Belize to provide support, and honest, ethical real estate transactions in our beautiful country.
So no matter how I am contacted (in person, by telephone, or email) with questions and concerns, I do my absolute best to ensure top customer service. My team and I are now known for our superb customer service and we back up that reputation with our professionalism and by being dedicated to honest ethics.
Yes, we are winning awards here in Belize and in the United States and getting lots of press attention. We are very proud of our constant, everyday efforts to give our all to support our customers, who invariably become our friends.
ExPat Community Center
And by the way, we are here for you both BEFORE AND AFTER you make your land/home purchase in Belize – or, even if you do not. My company serves as a meeting place, a community center for expats before, during, and after sales. We are a friendly information exchange on many topics of concern including cultural questions and real estate issues.
Not only do we know wonderful places to eat, we enjoy sharing our knowledge of Belize and its unique history and culture. And we are proud to offer our extensive expertise in the field of real estate. It is also our company’s pleasure to continue our relationship with everyone we meet.
Comments From Other Expats
I am always interested in other people’s experiences and how they came to be expats and how they feel now about living life in another culture. There is a lot to be learned and gleaned from these expats. Perhaps you too like to hear such stories and I am including several of them in my future articles in Caribbean Property and Lifestyles Magazine, so keep an eye out for those.
Paul Green authored our post on “practical internet privacy” back in August. That usefulness of that article caused us to look at what else Mr. Green had authored. We found this interesting rumination on doing the right thing, so to speak, regarding the alleged rights of intellectual property (IP) holders, as filtered through his Christian set of values.
Want to know that the Bible and Jesus really said about the State and taxes? Read on.
Some time ago, I had to decide whether or not to use a friend’s original copy of Windows on a used computer. As a Christian, I actually had to pray, "Lord, what do I do?"
I resolved that particular internal dilemma in the short term, when I realized the computer had originally been bought with Windows. So effectively I was just reinstalling what had already been paid for. That was as far as my conscience would go then, but I started to examine the whole issue:
Imagine the scenario if the person who first invented the wheel lived under a patent/copyright regime like ours. So, for 25 years plus, he is the only one who can make wheels. Anyone else has to pay him for a license.
No matter how bad his business plan or his wheels are, unless he is a complete imbecile, one thing we can be sure of is that by the time 25 years are up, he is going to be running the biggest business on planet earth. Big enough, probably, to influence politicians enough to add another 25 years to the patent monopoly.
You can imagine everyone as this man’s slave, because no one can do much without paying him. Yet, rather than blaming the copyright/patent system, some people report unregistered wheels and call for more government regulation, maybe even price controls, on the monopoly. Few can see anything other than a “dog eat dog world of dangerous wheels” if ever the system was “unregulated” and besides, hundreds of thousands of people are employed in the “industry.”
“Pirated” wheels are everywhere, of course, as people need them. The news corporations, whose printing or airwave monopolies are granted in similar manner, report regularly that people have been killed by “dangerous pirated wheels,” that they are a menace to society and a threat to the “legitimate” economy. Believing this, most of these “pirates” have vaguely guilty consciences, half believing themselves to be thieves while throwing up a few weak excuses. Many decent people with clear (but also ill-informed) consciences and limited means, just walk everywhere. There are calls for the government to provide these people with wheels to make “society more just.” There has been some delay however, due to a related lobbying corruption scandal involving affiliates of the Wheel Maker set to benefit from the resulting government contracts.
As we imagine this scenario, I wonder how many would join me in hoping that there would be at least some, with clear consciences, who see right through the whole scam and make just as many wheels as they want and share or sell them freely to their friends?
Think about it. Do you really believe that every wheel became the moral or “intellectual” property of the inventor?
It was there all the time in God’s creation – the “inventor” just discovered it. Certainly of course, any wheels he made himself were his own. But if one was purchased, in the absence of a special agreement, or even if a wheel was just visually observed – would there be anything wrong with duplicating wheels with one’s own materials?
The real advantage the wheel inventor had was being first. He could have made some money just from that. If he was also a good wheelwright, maybe he could be in big demand. But he certainly should not have been able to build a global monster corporation all because the force of the state backed his monopoly.
Now let us get up to date:
When a CD is purchased, money is put down and a product is received. I submit that there is no proper lease/non-distribution agreement. If there was, it would indeed be dishonest to violate an agreement voluntarily entered into.
A key moral issue here is the legitimacy of any agreement.
Most governments recognize something called “constructive notice.” For example, this means that if a business sticks “LLC” or “Ltd.” after its name and you become a customer or supplier, you are taken to have agreed that the owners can dodge their debts to you (“limited liability”) if it asks the government for permission (declares bankruptcy, etc.). There may be other reasons, but to incorporate for this reason is an immoral choice made by the owners to join in this alliance with the State. It is perfectly possible to operate without incorporation and there are good-sized businesses which do not. In the U.S. at least, churches are free to operate without incorporation also and an increasing number do so.
Another form of “constructive notice” is the small print that comes with a product like a CD. Does this constitute a real agreement?
Of course not – it is one-sided. You could equally write “sold, absolutely” on your own sales receipt and call that an agreement. On the internet, the same goes for “click here to accept terms.” With no less moral legitimacy you could, prior to purchase, send an e-mail stating your terms and that if they did not prevent the transaction, take it as agreed to.
It is perfectly acceptable in private business to enter into proper, signed or verbal, nondisclosure agreements. Software enhancements are often done in this way. But mass sellers do not require this, it would hit mass sales and it is practically impossible to obtain agreements preventing purchaser’s friends or third-parties accessing and copying software or music/video.
Instead, everything is turned on its head through this government monopoly grant called “copyright.” It is entirely involuntary. We are forced into an agreement, like it or not. But it is a lie: You never did agree not to copy.
This is the basis of a big-business/big-government alliance that affects many areas of life and business. It is one pillar of our modern hierarchical corporate state – along with forced limited liability, monopoly central banking (huge loans to favored corporations with money created from thin air), zoning, “eminent domain,” land use control and of course taxes, regulations and mandates. These and other factors have created the trend of big business getting bigger along with its ally, big government.
Economically and politically this is “fascism.” Contrary to socialist PR, fascism is not the opposite of socialism. Superficially, socialists do point out the errors of big business. However their solution is not liberty, but merging everything into one mega monopoly corporation in the vain idolatrous hope that it will not behave like one, if it is renamed “government.” One corporation to rule them all is not the solution to corporate abuse.
So now let us look at another key moral issue at stake: If I sold you an item without a special agreement, is that not final? Does it not belong to you, rather than the government or to me? Certainly it does and you would have every right to do with it as you please. At a minimum, I would expect a sharp rebuke if I tried to control what you do with it afterward.
This is why encryption keys, serial numbers and hardware/dongle dependency for mass-market software, while permissible of themselves, are invariably a manifestation of an unfree market. It goes against the nature of things that can be easily duplicated. A business model that does not take into account the reality that, with a click of a mouse (or at most a few lines of code) data can be duplicated, is just not sound. It inevitably involves threatening customers that the government will act against them, should they decide to investigate the software code of their purchase, or make any changes to (i.e., “crack”) the program they have purchased or been given.
Sellers are on a more solid moral foundation when selling subscriptions for support, upgrades and enhancements from one convenient, reliable, up to date and virus-free source. Just like the Linux operating system vendors, some of whom are running moderately sized profitable businesses. As a reaction to the UNfree, proprietary legal environment, this software functions under a license called the Gnu Public License. This and also the Creative Commons license effectively turns the law back on itself. This is a most commendable development which ensures users’ legal right to copy, share and improve freely. It is also true that the hostile legal environment can limit market discipline, with mixed motives among often voluntary programmers, i.e., not always just to satisfy users.
But if a seller does go the “proprietary” route (acting as if it owned the data on other’s computers) and the software gets hacked/cracked (as it surely will), it really is their own fault. They are then left to hope the majority (sometimes a 10-1 plus majority) who are cracked software users feel satisfied, scared or guilty enough to send some money or make a purchase anyway. But if a seller tries to put users under surveillance by requiring personal details they really have no business with; or forces them to seek permission every time they upgrade their computer – users are going to resist all the more.
Is it really right to blame hackers/crackers, who are not committing some actual harm like stealing money from an account or damaging a system? If it is simply duplicating software and bypassing serial numbers, are they not merely adjusting code on their own computers and sharing it with others? It is true there are some criminal and morally confused elements among hackers. But so it is with any unjust law – call to mind Prohibition in the U.S.A. – this attracted criminal elements as well as ordinary people.
Even supporters of “intellectual property” become especially annoyed by the obnoxious, tyrannical coercion of the government/corporate monopoly and the fascist police state methods required to enforce the granted monopoly. To give recent examples: putting Internet users under surveillance; demanding private records from ISPs; then threatening or prosecuting 12-year-old girls on the “evidence,” and setting up anonymous “rat on your neighbor” call lines.
The moral discussion of “intellectual property” often brings up the word “stealing.” More recently, corporate fascists have claimed “file sharing is communism.”
They are speaking based on present copyright law – which varies from country to country. The big news these people need is – government is not God. Remember also that “democracy” gave us Hitler – so a majority vote does not represent the perfect “will of God” either.
If we believe in private property then we must accept that what is ours is so absolutely, to modify, share or do with as we wish – whether it is bought and paid for, or is given by someone who owns it. Furthermore, if someone chooses to make music publicly available through a radio or computer – without first getting a valid personal, voluntary agreement – then morally it is our choice what we do with it, including recording and sharing. Nobody forced them to make it publicly available on a radio station or the Internet
If they do not want anyone to copy it, let them keep it in the privacy of their own studio. This is exactly how concerts and cinemas operate and is one answer to the concern as to how artists can make money. Public appearances do generate big money for artists. For artists, the wider their recordings are distributed, the better known they become and the more people will likely attend a concert.
Also, if voluntary contributions can work well for many subway “buskers” and street musicians, there is no reason this cannot work for other musicians. Low cost downloads and CDs are another option, especially considering that a CD can be produced for pennies. Why would anyone want an MP3 copy if a high-quality original is cheap?
Yet, those in favor of intellectual property constantly trumpet, as the supposed moral high ground, that the big idea is to save the “entertainment industry.” But what is really so good about a few huge corporations owning most of the media; elite media bosses choosing what is available to view or listen to; and a few big superstars. Below this artificial corporate hierarchy are the vast majority of musicians and artists. No matter how good they are, they are on the bottom because they have not been chosen by the elite. The only dream of many is the remote chance, like winning a lottery, that they will be chosen. In the present corporate hierarchical pyramid system, everyone is spoon fed by and controlled from the top.
Some people want to live and make a living in this environment and others just do not realize that this is not a normal state of affairs. Some, who may have climbed a way up the corporate wage-slave ladder, or depend on one of the corporations in some way, may hate what I am saying, because it is an immediate term threat. But when big media giants downsize, this is good not bad: the tentacles are unwinding and more “slaves” are released to do something more productive – like maybe start their own business or make their own music. Let us all start looking at the big picture and let things “rip.”
I had one very satisfied customer whose computer I had just repaired who turned sour on me after the train of conversation led to these matters. He was a ‘70s producer who now frittered away his time on fanciful projects while living on residual income from a few hits back then ...
Popular support can free up the system, and millions of file sharers are doing just that. The more things adapt to this free market, the more ordinary artists can find free market ways to earn money – if they are good enough. Aside from live concerts, once prices come down to a reasonable level, original CDs or fast convenient downloads will sell like hot cakes and there may be little demand for “piracy,” so-called. Music lovers can have much more music for their money. Compared to current output, standards and trends could only improve. Large media giants would be obsolete and the artists could all make more money in accordance with how much they are enjoyed, without the oppressive middlemen.
What does the Bible say about intellectual “property”? Nothing. It does, however, say a lot against the power of the State.
Finally, we have been talking about morality a lot, so what does the Bible say about intellectual “property”?
The answer is ... nothing.
That is, you will not find any scripture, Old or New Testament, referring to “intellectual property.” You will find a lot against the power of the State, however. I recommend a thorough, slow reading of 1 Samuel Chapter 8 and beyond to start with. This will show you that government is not God’s idea at all. According to this chapter, it is idolatry and slavery, tolerated by God rather than endorsed and given a strict limit of toleration at 10% of surplus. Governments today are close to 50% and in some cases beyond.
Those who love rules, regulations and generally directing other people’s affairs, should think about whether they are willing to use violent force against people who do not want such direction. Or in the case of artists, against their customers, who may wish to do as they choose with that they have purchased.
That is the nature of government – violence. Cannot see that? Then, as a totally innocent person, try publicly ignoring a minor bureaucratic order you disapprove of and are satisfied is unsound and unjust. Then ignore the court that fines you. Then resist officers coming to take your goods. Finally, resist the police who come with guns. ... Get the point now?
Normal people would not personally use violent force against others who do not follow their whims, ideas and opinions. Nor would they personally invade a person’s house, armed to the teeth, and demand money – even in the name of assisting a poor person they profess to “care” about (i.e., the “social justice” doctrine). Christians then, should stop supporting, voting and campaigning for a gang to do it for them. They should not be accomplices and in “covenant” with such people – including politicians. A good start would be to avoid mainstream media documentaries, debates and “news” advocating one person’s “expert” opinion being imposed on another by force and/or through another person’s money being confiscated.
The threat of violence and the force of the State (if the State is to exist at all – there was none for 450 years under the Old Testament ideal – see Acts 13:19–21) is to be reserved for actual wrongdoers, not to control the innocent. This limitation is always mentioned in the major New Testament references to civil rulers. Politicians and rulers are not authorized to decide what is right and wrong – that comes from God alone. Nor do they have the God-given authority of a parent over a child or a master over a slave.
That doctrine, once again widely held, used to be called the “divine right of kings.” Both the English and especially the American revolutions were fought over it – and thank God it was then defeated. But, unlike early church teaching, many of today’s Christians claim we should obey rulers totally; that the State is effectively a manifestation of God in the flesh – unless and until the government actually makes us do something wrong (as they understand it). This might be a doctrine for a slave on a plantation, but not for free people made in the image of God to “reign in life as kings through ... Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:17). We are told plainly “do not yield yourselves as slaves to men” (1 Corinthians 7:23) and that, “the rulers of the ungodly lord it over them ... but it shall not be so among you” (Luke 22:25). The whole book of Galatians is dedicated to the concept that even the God-given rules and regulations of the Old Testament were temporary and now obsolete, how much more the secular/pagan rules of modern governments.
Romans chapter 13 was abused by Hitler to neutralize Christian resistance and was written on the floor of the totalitarian Roman tax collection offices. I recommend reading that most misquoted of scriptures again several times, prayerfully. If it is not clear to you what a “wrongdoer” is, go and read the Ten Commandments – you will find them in Exodus 20. Where do Christians get the idea they can decide right and wrong for themselves, or worse, ask corrupt politicians to decide? What has right and wrong to do with wearing seatbelts, obeying speed limits or thousands of other rules and regulations and why do so many support the use of force against the innocent in these ways?
Romans says there is “no authority except God’s” – that is, if it is not God’s law it has no proper authority (but we should be prudent ... for the Lord’s sake and our own ...) Only in so far as the state is punishing an actual wrongdoer should we support (including by taxation) any action from our conscience rather than just prudently comply due to the threat of official “wrath.”
Regarding prudence in the face of an immediate tax demand, Jesus enlightened his disciples when He said in Matthew 17:26 “the children of the king don’t have to pay taxes ... but we don’t want to make these tax collectors angry ... pay the tax for you and me.”
It is a reflection on the state of churches in this area that this scripture is almost unheard of in comparison to the “render unto Caesar” passage. Had Jesus, in that passage, said in public what He said privately to His disciples in Matthew 17, He would have faced Roman charges of treason or sedition. In fact, He was later accused of tax resistance (Luke 23:2). Instead, His words cleverly invited the hearers to choose between the Roman-deified Caesar (Government) and the true God. What He certainly did not say is the modern church interpretation – that Caesar can decide how much is his and anyone who does not pay is a thief.
Having considered these scriptures, then consider patents and copyright. You will see they are nothing more than using the threat of State violence to control property that is rightfully under the domain of another. I invite you to change your mind on these things ... Repent!
- For the origins and history of copyright read Gary North’s excellent article.
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