WEBVTT - EXTRA: You Forgot to Live Overseas ‘Til Now 0:00:10.287 --> 0:00:13.047 You're listening to a Mother mea podcast. 0:00:13.727 --> 0:00:16.767 Mamma Mere acknowledges the traditional owners of land and waters 0:00:16.767 --> 0:00:21.047 that this podcast is recorded on. What if you've always 0:00:21.127 --> 0:00:25.407 wanted to live somewhere else and life hasn't given that to. 0:00:25.407 --> 0:00:28.327 You yet, but the pool won't be wished away. 0:00:29.047 --> 0:00:31.127 What if you did it once before and you remember 0:00:31.167 --> 0:00:34.607 the freedom, the treat of the new, the energy released 0:00:34.607 --> 0:00:38.887 by fresh places, by a different culture, a true restart. 0:00:39.607 --> 0:00:42.407 What if you're looking at your post work act and 0:00:42.447 --> 0:00:46.607 you're thinking, would the pressure be less somewhere else? Would 0:00:46.687 --> 0:00:50.367 the joy be multiplied? Would my dollar go further? Would 0:00:50.447 --> 0:00:55.727 my wanderlust be sated? If I lived overseas Asia, perhaps 0:00:55.767 --> 0:00:58.607 where many post work ossies are living for chunks of 0:00:58.727 --> 0:01:03.087 time on retirement visas or long stays, swapping the suburbs 0:01:03.087 --> 0:01:06.847 for seaside apartments, or Portugal or Spain or Mexico. 0:01:07.327 --> 0:01:08.247 What would it be like? 0:01:08.647 --> 0:01:11.927 Would you be would you be safe? Would you feel 0:01:11.967 --> 0:01:15.367 like a new version of yourself? If you've wondered about 0:01:15.367 --> 0:01:18.647 any of this. As another one of our bonus episodes 0:01:18.727 --> 0:01:22.847 about post work life in partnership with Aware Super, We've 0:01:22.887 --> 0:01:27.367 got someone we'd like you to meet Maggie Lazarre is 0:01:27.407 --> 0:01:31.567 American and three years ago she moved alone to Panama 0:01:31.647 --> 0:01:35.847 in Central America, and she was so bombarded with questions 0:01:35.847 --> 0:01:39.407 of how she did it, because she's started social media 0:01:39.407 --> 0:01:42.407 accounts men talking publicly about how much she enjoys it. 0:01:43.327 --> 0:01:46.287 She kept getting asked by everybody how she retired alone 0:01:46.327 --> 0:01:49.487 to another country, and so she started a community called 0:01:49.607 --> 0:01:53.327 single Women Retiring Abroad. And whether you're single or not, 0:01:54.127 --> 0:01:56.367 and wherever you might be dreaming about heading off to 0:01:56.447 --> 0:01:58.207 when you don't have to go to work every day, 0:01:58.607 --> 0:02:01.367 you're going to like Maggie's story and her energy and 0:02:01.407 --> 0:02:05.087 her honesty and her tales of what's working, what's not, 0:02:05.487 --> 0:02:08.487 what she loves about her choice, and what she'd do differently. 0:02:09.367 --> 0:02:13.007 So got some great advice for the questions to ask yourself. 0:02:12.687 --> 0:02:15.007 Before you make a big decision like this. 0:02:15.447 --> 0:02:18.207 Of course, considerations for Australians considering a move like this 0:02:18.287 --> 0:02:20.487 are a bit different to Maggie's, and you'll find some 0:02:20.567 --> 0:02:23.167 links to relevant info in the show notes about that. 0:02:23.567 --> 0:02:25.487 But look, I think you're going to be inspired and 0:02:25.687 --> 0:02:28.927 entertained by Maggie all the same. We spoke to her 0:02:29.167 --> 0:02:33.327 in Panama just last week. Well, I wasn't in Panama. 0:02:33.687 --> 0:02:37.247 I was in Sydney. But as you'll hear, Maggie very 0:02:37.327 --> 0:02:41.527 much was So can you tell me a little bit 0:02:41.607 --> 0:02:45.687 about what brought you to where you are now, a 0:02:45.727 --> 0:02:47.847 little bit about what you were doing in your pre 0:02:48.007 --> 0:02:49.047 Panama life? 0:02:49.807 --> 0:02:54.327 Okay, Well, I am in an advanced practice nurse. I've 0:02:54.367 --> 0:02:57.167 been a nurse for over forty three years. I was, 0:02:58.007 --> 0:03:00.647 and then I retired about a couple of years ago. 0:03:01.007 --> 0:03:03.487 Can I be rude, Maggie and ask you how old 0:03:03.527 --> 0:03:07.567 you were when you retired. I was sixty two, right, great, 0:03:07.647 --> 0:03:10.807 So that's that's quite a good young age. 0:03:11.127 --> 0:03:16.407 Right, and in US term, that considered early. But I 0:03:16.487 --> 0:03:20.207 wanted to continue doing some business and I thought I 0:03:20.207 --> 0:03:24.447 would retire in Africa somewhere. So I went and did 0:03:24.487 --> 0:03:28.567 some scoutings over there, and I was like, I'm not 0:03:28.687 --> 0:03:33.087 feeling it. I had come to Panama to see the Canal. 0:03:33.847 --> 0:03:37.687 It was a bucket item list, and I fell in 0:03:37.687 --> 0:03:40.967 love with the country when I came. I remember vividly 0:03:41.047 --> 0:03:44.207 sitting in a boat. I had gone on a trip, 0:03:44.927 --> 0:03:47.127 and then I sat there in the boat and I 0:03:47.207 --> 0:03:49.727 was like, this is nice. I liked the way I 0:03:49.847 --> 0:03:54.127 felt in that space so when I went back to 0:03:54.287 --> 0:03:57.807 Africa and did some research, I checked the healthcare system. 0:03:58.207 --> 0:04:00.327 I was like, I'm not feeling as good as I 0:04:00.407 --> 0:04:03.247 did when I was in Panama. So I returned to 0:04:03.287 --> 0:04:06.327 Panama a couple of times, and each time I came back, 0:04:06.407 --> 0:04:09.487 the food, the weather, the people, I was like, I 0:04:09.527 --> 0:04:12.487 really like this place. So that's how I ended up 0:04:12.527 --> 0:04:16.287 in Panama. It was a connection to the place, the people, 0:04:16.487 --> 0:04:20.327 the culture, and also the closeness to the States. So 0:04:20.367 --> 0:04:22.687 I didn't feel like I was I had to travel 0:04:22.847 --> 0:04:25.327 like fourteen hours for my kids to come see me, 0:04:25.927 --> 0:04:27.687 So it wasn'tn easy transition. 0:04:28.607 --> 0:04:31.167 Can I ask you that, when you were working as 0:04:31.247 --> 0:04:34.127 a nurse for all those years and you know, raising 0:04:34.167 --> 0:04:37.007 your kids and all the things, did you always dream 0:04:37.087 --> 0:04:40.167 that you wanted to retire abroad? Like was the seed 0:04:40.287 --> 0:04:42.647 that you knew it wasn't going to be in the US? 0:04:42.767 --> 0:04:45.327 Was that always there? Can you remember how that started 0:04:45.327 --> 0:04:45.567 for you? 0:04:46.527 --> 0:04:51.087 Actually, No, I don't think I ever thought of retiring abroad. 0:04:51.927 --> 0:04:54.447 I thought I would travel a lot, because I've always 0:04:54.487 --> 0:04:58.327 loved to travel. But it was just, you know, things 0:04:58.367 --> 0:05:04.207 were happening politically, the country was changing, and it was like, well, 0:05:04.287 --> 0:05:06.807 maybe there is an alternative somewhere else. 0:05:07.167 --> 0:05:09.047 Did you know other women who had done it, who 0:05:09.327 --> 0:05:11.807 got and retired overseas to a brand new country. 0:05:13.167 --> 0:05:17.607 Well, I watched a lot of YouTube videos and you know, 0:05:17.807 --> 0:05:20.607 and going to Africa, I met a bunch of people 0:05:20.647 --> 0:05:25.047 who had retired there or younger people who had just 0:05:25.327 --> 0:05:30.727 gone there for business. So I had become more you know, 0:05:30.887 --> 0:05:35.167 acclimated to the idea. It wasn't so foreign. So when 0:05:35.407 --> 0:05:40.367 I decided to quit my job early and to travel 0:05:40.447 --> 0:05:44.047 around and scout, and then it was like, oh, I 0:05:44.087 --> 0:05:46.687 can do this. Then you start doing research in terms 0:05:46.687 --> 0:05:52.767 of cost of living, lifestyle, then it became more acceptable 0:05:52.767 --> 0:05:54.607 in my mind that I could do it. But it 0:05:54.647 --> 0:05:58.127 wasn't something that, oh, I've been to Panama twenty years 0:05:58.127 --> 0:06:00.927 ago and I'd always want to return. Some people have 0:06:01.087 --> 0:06:02.127 that story. I don't. 0:06:02.327 --> 0:06:06.007 It's interesting that I think sometimes the world can think 0:06:06.007 --> 0:06:10.007 that your adventures are behind you when you're one, you're older. 0:06:10.127 --> 0:06:13.847 You know that like traveling to exotic, exciting places is 0:06:13.887 --> 0:06:16.847 for young people and all that kind of stuff. But 0:06:17.087 --> 0:06:19.927 that is clearly not the case. I mean, obviously, what 0:06:19.967 --> 0:06:23.847 you've done in setting up single women retiring abroad is 0:06:23.887 --> 0:06:27.887 tapped into the idea that you can keep having adventures 0:06:27.927 --> 0:06:30.007 and have the life you want no matter what. And 0:06:30.047 --> 0:06:31.967 in fact, this might be the perfect time to do it. 0:06:32.007 --> 0:06:35.047 Would you agree exactly? And you know, when you're doing 0:06:35.087 --> 0:06:39.087 some research, Even when I was considering Panama and other places, 0:06:39.647 --> 0:06:42.607 there is a study that was done by university and 0:06:42.647 --> 0:06:46.807 they find that people are starting to think about the 0:06:46.847 --> 0:06:51.167 possibility of retiring abroad in their fifties. So I think 0:06:51.167 --> 0:06:56.167 it's becoming more acceptable that you can have the lower 0:06:56.207 --> 0:06:59.007 cost of living, you can have the adventure, then you 0:06:59.047 --> 0:07:01.647 can have more money to travel, you know, if you're 0:07:01.647 --> 0:07:05.767 not bugged down by you know, aging parents for example, 0:07:06.047 --> 0:07:08.487 or healthcare system where you feel like you know, being 0:07:08.527 --> 0:07:10.847 treated right. So I think there are a lot of 0:07:10.887 --> 0:07:15.447 factors that converge to make the idea of retiring abroad 0:07:15.527 --> 0:07:17.807 a little bit more palatable to a lot of us. 0:07:18.127 --> 0:07:20.287 What did your family think of the idea? 0:07:20.527 --> 0:07:21.087 You know, that's the. 0:07:21.167 --> 0:07:23.007 Question I get a lot, and I tell them I've 0:07:23.087 --> 0:07:27.287 always been a free spirit, you know. I remember when 0:07:27.327 --> 0:07:30.207 I sold my business early nineties, I took a couple 0:07:30.287 --> 0:07:33.207 of years and traveled around the globe. So when I 0:07:33.287 --> 0:07:36.127 was ready, they were like, oh, that's Okay, we'd already 0:07:36.207 --> 0:07:39.567 thought you'd go somewhere. Yeah, right, So I did not 0:07:39.767 --> 0:07:43.247 have the struggle that some people have in terms of 0:07:43.607 --> 0:07:46.367 telling their families and getting resistance from that. 0:07:46.527 --> 0:07:49.207 Now, and do you it was kind of the thought 0:07:49.247 --> 0:07:53.007 of setting up like single women retiring abroad. Do you 0:07:53.047 --> 0:07:57.487 think that there are women who would love to do 0:07:57.567 --> 0:08:00.007 this for you know, their post work life, but they 0:08:00.087 --> 0:08:01.967 might feel worried about doing it on their own if 0:08:02.007 --> 0:08:03.487 they're not in a couple. Is that kind of the 0:08:04.247 --> 0:08:07.727 idea is to give support and encouragement to women like, no, 0:08:07.887 --> 0:08:10.407 you can still go and do this without. 0:08:11.447 --> 0:08:15.687 Exactly And I think for me, I tell people I 0:08:15.767 --> 0:08:18.727 do some consultation now, but I tell them you need 0:08:18.767 --> 0:08:22.007 to know your why why are you doing it? Because 0:08:22.047 --> 0:08:25.967 to me, if you have a strong why, whatever challenges 0:08:26.047 --> 0:08:28.567 you encounter is going to bring you back to the 0:08:28.647 --> 0:08:31.607 reason why you wanted to do this in the first place. 0:08:32.087 --> 0:08:34.287 And my why I want to share it with you 0:08:34.567 --> 0:08:38.727 is that as a clinician and having been or experience 0:08:38.767 --> 0:08:41.607 a healthcare system for my patient on the other side, 0:08:41.647 --> 0:08:46.087 as a provider, I just did not want to age 0:08:46.407 --> 0:08:51.647 in that system of being in a facility and having 0:08:51.687 --> 0:08:55.287 people take care of you. I absolutely reject that in 0:08:55.367 --> 0:08:59.647 my mind. So I wanted to create a model of 0:08:59.687 --> 0:09:03.047 aging and that's what's why is about. It's creating a 0:09:03.087 --> 0:09:07.527 module of aging abroad that is affordable and sustainable on 0:09:07.567 --> 0:09:11.447 my turn, meaning I want to be at home and 0:09:11.527 --> 0:09:13.487 if I need some help, the help comes to me, 0:09:14.127 --> 0:09:18.447 versus me being forced to enter a facility. So once 0:09:18.567 --> 0:09:22.007 I did that and I crystallized that, then I saw 0:09:22.087 --> 0:09:25.527 talking to women, I saw watching videos and people were 0:09:25.527 --> 0:09:28.367 asking the same questions. They're like, you know what, my 0:09:28.447 --> 0:09:30.727 social security is this much. I don't think I can 0:09:30.807 --> 0:09:33.767 live comfortably in the US because of that. Are there 0:09:33.807 --> 0:09:36.607 any options? And then a little light bulb went off 0:09:36.607 --> 0:09:38.487 in my head and I'm like, well, you know what, 0:09:38.847 --> 0:09:42.207 I did it and I'm here. Therefore I can help 0:09:42.247 --> 0:09:45.087 other women to follow in my path. Yes, you can 0:09:45.127 --> 0:09:46.847 do it. I'll show you exactly how to do it. 0:09:47.207 --> 0:09:50.727 And that's what single women is. And then now on 0:09:50.767 --> 0:09:53.087 the ground, we have a sisterhood where we're trying to 0:09:53.127 --> 0:09:58.087 support each other. So it feeds my soul for the 0:09:58.247 --> 0:10:02.447 need to be creative, to always have goals. That retirement 0:10:02.447 --> 0:10:04.167 doesn't mean I'm going to sit here and try to 0:10:04.167 --> 0:10:06.967 play golf and play pickable. I don't do any of those. 0:10:07.287 --> 0:10:11.927 Not your saying. It's interesting because obviously here in Australia 0:10:12.007 --> 0:10:14.367 we have a different kind of health system, right, so 0:10:14.407 --> 0:10:19.847 we have more support for people, no question. However, the 0:10:19.887 --> 0:10:24.007 cost of living is, you know, just like in America, 0:10:24.167 --> 0:10:26.687 just like in lots of other places, means that for 0:10:26.847 --> 0:10:30.847 many many people who thought that maybe their retirement funds 0:10:30.887 --> 0:10:32.967 here we have a kind of this thing called superannuation 0:10:33.007 --> 0:10:34.807 where you pay into it through your working life and 0:10:34.807 --> 0:10:36.967 then you get access to it later. But you would 0:10:37.007 --> 0:10:40.367 imagine like what that can buy you. Now, the lifestyle 0:10:40.407 --> 0:10:42.687 that that can afford you that you maybe have been 0:10:42.767 --> 0:10:45.887 dreaming of has changed a lot with how expensive everything is. 0:10:45.927 --> 0:10:48.247 So I think that in Australia that's why a lot 0:10:48.247 --> 0:10:50.167 of people might be looking to parts of Asia or 0:10:50.287 --> 0:10:53.807 other places to do this. But obviously doing this at 0:10:53.807 --> 0:10:56.087 this stage of life, and this is what you're just 0:10:56.127 --> 0:10:58.727 talking about, is your considerations of choosing a place are 0:10:58.807 --> 0:11:01.087 quite different than they would be if you were backpacking 0:11:01.127 --> 0:11:05.367 at nineteen, right, So how do you go about finding 0:11:05.447 --> 0:11:08.967 out whether or not what you just described is possible 0:11:09.047 --> 0:11:09.727 in country? 0:11:09.767 --> 0:11:10.287 You don't know? 0:11:10.367 --> 0:11:12.687 So you know what the health system is like, like, 0:11:12.727 --> 0:11:16.447 what are the main considerations you tell women to look 0:11:16.447 --> 0:11:17.927 into to choose their place. 0:11:19.167 --> 0:11:22.687 I have developed what I call it's an assessment tool. 0:11:22.927 --> 0:11:26.007 I tell people, the assessment tool is going to say 0:11:26.047 --> 0:11:30.647 this is me, these are my likes and dislikes in retirement. 0:11:30.847 --> 0:11:33.647 If I were to choose the ideal place, what I 0:11:33.687 --> 0:11:36.567 would I be looking for? Is it cost of living, 0:11:37.127 --> 0:11:40.807 cost of health care. And for us doing my research, 0:11:40.927 --> 0:11:43.727 we have three main things that we look for. The 0:11:43.807 --> 0:11:45.767 cost of living, it has to be less than what 0:11:46.047 --> 0:11:49.247 you had wherever you're coming from. Otherwise, what's the point 0:11:49.687 --> 0:11:53.167 cost of health care? That is very prohibitive for people 0:11:53.207 --> 0:11:57.487 in my country where people are making choices between buying 0:11:57.527 --> 0:12:01.607 medications or buying food right. And then the third thing 0:12:01.967 --> 0:12:05.487 is the presence of an expert community. So to me, 0:12:05.687 --> 0:12:09.007 I tell these people know your why and if you 0:12:09.087 --> 0:12:12.807 have these three things and we have some other factors, 0:12:12.847 --> 0:12:17.207 you know, a distance, weather, language, all the things that 0:12:17.327 --> 0:12:21.127 it's like it is it a deal breaker or can 0:12:21.167 --> 0:12:24.047 you work through it? Right? So those three things you 0:12:24.127 --> 0:12:27.407 must have, especially because of our age group, healthcare has 0:12:27.487 --> 0:12:29.727 to be on the top of the list. You have 0:12:29.807 --> 0:12:33.127 to reduce your cost of living and I said, you 0:12:33.167 --> 0:12:34.967 don't need to be a pioneer. You want to have 0:12:35.007 --> 0:12:38.007 a community that can embrace you and support you. 0:12:38.527 --> 0:12:41.047 And is that what you found in Patama? Is the 0:12:41.167 --> 0:12:43.287 Are there a lot of people doing what you're doing. 0:12:43.767 --> 0:12:46.927 Some people are doing things, But I think our group 0:12:47.007 --> 0:12:51.167 is unique in the sense that I found my niche 0:12:51.207 --> 0:12:54.687 early and I find that that is something that I 0:12:54.807 --> 0:12:57.527 was blessed to find, you know, I was I had 0:12:57.607 --> 0:13:00.567 clarity that this was this group that I was going 0:13:00.647 --> 0:13:05.367 to focus on and provide services for. Other groups are 0:13:05.407 --> 0:13:07.887 like more social groups. You know, they go here on 0:13:07.967 --> 0:13:11.047 trips and stuff, which is but I'm not the kind 0:13:11.047 --> 0:13:13.167 of person that just wants to go go go here, 0:13:13.207 --> 0:13:16.487 go here, go there. I need to have something of 0:13:16.767 --> 0:13:20.527 essense that I feel like I'm contributing, I'm helping, I'm building. 0:13:21.087 --> 0:13:26.007 So I've created community here, our group of sisters we 0:13:26.087 --> 0:13:30.287 call the SWAT Sisters. I started that, so we all here. 0:13:30.367 --> 0:13:32.687 You're in the hospital, we got you. You need somebody 0:13:32.727 --> 0:13:35.287 to translate for you, we got you. I speak Spanish, 0:13:35.527 --> 0:13:40.047 I teach Spanish. So if it's not there, you create it. 0:13:40.727 --> 0:13:44.207 But I think women need to be clear, and I'm like, 0:13:44.487 --> 0:13:47.127 are you heavy in debt. That's no way to come 0:13:47.167 --> 0:13:50.247 here with a lot of debt. Right, do you have 0:13:50.367 --> 0:13:53.887 aging parents that you're responsible for? Those are not things 0:13:53.927 --> 0:13:57.847 that we can get away from. I don't have that situation. 0:13:58.327 --> 0:14:01.207 But if somebody has aging parents and you're not going 0:14:01.287 --> 0:14:03.487 to be able to relax and enjoy retirement if you 0:14:03.527 --> 0:14:06.167 have to worry about that and the guilt won't let 0:14:06.207 --> 0:14:09.767 you enjoy your retirement. So when we come, we go 0:14:09.887 --> 0:14:12.807 through all that, and I always tell them maybe not now, 0:14:13.167 --> 0:14:15.487 maybe maybe a little bit. You know, you need a 0:14:15.527 --> 0:14:19.127 little time to clear out your finances and try to 0:14:19.127 --> 0:14:22.087 see what other options you have for your aging parents, 0:14:22.527 --> 0:14:25.207 your home. It's a big decision. 0:14:27.007 --> 0:14:29.807 After the break, Maggie shares a moment when she knew 0:14:29.927 --> 0:14:33.407 moving abroad was the perfect decision for her, and another 0:14:33.727 --> 0:14:36.367 that made her question whether it might have been a mistake. 0:14:37.087 --> 0:14:38.167 Stay with us. 0:14:40.527 --> 0:14:42.927 Tell me a time. You know, when you were telling 0:14:42.927 --> 0:14:45.247 me before about when you chose Panama, you were sitting 0:14:45.247 --> 0:14:47.447 on this boat and you were like it felt right. 0:14:47.967 --> 0:14:50.567 Tell me what life is like in Panama. On a 0:14:50.647 --> 0:14:53.247 day when you're like this was the best choice ever? 0:14:53.407 --> 0:14:57.127 Like why, tell me a great one? And then I 0:14:57.127 --> 0:15:00.567 want you to tell me because nothing is perfect. Of course, 0:15:00.647 --> 0:15:03.087 then I want you to tell me something that you 0:15:03.127 --> 0:15:04.607 know has been a little bit challenging. 0:15:05.407 --> 0:15:07.647 Well, I think the other day I was telling someone 0:15:07.727 --> 0:15:10.567 I was took the metro because I don't drive here, 0:15:11.087 --> 0:15:13.247 so and then I'm blessed that they have a metro 0:15:13.367 --> 0:15:17.567 system and a good bus system and Uber is super affordable. 0:15:17.767 --> 0:15:20.087 So I remember I was in this little area that 0:15:20.247 --> 0:15:23.487 isn't a little bit busy. So the energy of the 0:15:23.607 --> 0:15:28.127 place is Panama. So you get off the subway, somebody's 0:15:28.287 --> 0:15:31.727 trying to sell you trash bag for your kitchen, and 0:15:31.767 --> 0:15:36.007 then there is a stand with avocados and pineapples. I 0:15:36.007 --> 0:15:38.567 can go there and get that and get right on 0:15:38.607 --> 0:15:39.647 the train to get home. 0:15:39.967 --> 0:15:40.487 And I was. 0:15:40.487 --> 0:15:44.527 Walking there and I said, this is still a good place. 0:15:45.007 --> 0:15:50.087 The feeling of feeling comfortable that you can blend in, 0:15:50.327 --> 0:15:54.647 that you don't stick out, and people are happy, it 0:15:54.767 --> 0:15:58.247 rubs off on you. So for me, it's almost every 0:15:58.327 --> 0:16:00.647 day I love to get out and just in there 0:16:00.687 --> 0:16:03.087 with the people. I'll sit on the bus and listen 0:16:03.087 --> 0:16:05.887 to the conversation because I speak Spanish. I hear these 0:16:05.887 --> 0:16:08.447 little old men talking politics, and I'm sitting there, I'm 0:16:08.447 --> 0:16:13.847 like they probably don't think I understand it. That is 0:16:13.887 --> 0:16:16.847 always a good thing for me. It kind of reinforces 0:16:16.967 --> 0:16:19.807 every day that I made the right decision. And it's 0:16:19.807 --> 0:16:20.607 been two and a half. 0:16:20.567 --> 0:16:22.607 Years, so that's fantastic. 0:16:22.727 --> 0:16:26.967 And in a difficult situation when I got robbed two years. 0:16:26.807 --> 0:16:28.527 Ago, tell me about that. 0:16:28.607 --> 0:16:30.207 But just I mean, not that I want to dwell 0:16:30.247 --> 0:16:32.647 on the negative, but I imagine that there'll be women listening 0:16:32.647 --> 0:16:34.807 to this who one of the things they would worry 0:16:34.807 --> 0:16:37.367 about about making a move like this alone is they 0:16:37.447 --> 0:16:41.767 might worry about security or safety or feeling unsafe. Right. 0:16:42.527 --> 0:16:46.047 But I think for me, being a savvy traveler, it 0:16:46.167 --> 0:16:49.527 was just my carelessness. I was in an area that 0:16:49.687 --> 0:16:52.767 was very touristy and you know that, and I watched 0:16:52.807 --> 0:16:55.607 so many videos about people get pick pocketed and those 0:16:55.607 --> 0:16:59.127 double deckor buses and everything. And I was working with 0:16:59.167 --> 0:17:02.007 a friend. Again, I'm in the zone. I'm excited. I 0:17:02.087 --> 0:17:04.127 was wearing a backpack. That was the first no no. 0:17:04.967 --> 0:17:07.007 If you're going to wear a backpack, wear it in 0:17:07.087 --> 0:17:09.687 the front, right, And I had right and I had 0:17:09.767 --> 0:17:13.287 my wallet with everything in it. Mistake number two. You 0:17:13.287 --> 0:17:15.687 don't need to carry everything in your wallet when you 0:17:15.727 --> 0:17:18.567 are out. So he bumped into me and he said, 0:17:18.567 --> 0:17:22.087 excuse me, and he put this hoodie on and the 0:17:22.127 --> 0:17:24.967 cameras we have cameras couldn't see his face. He was 0:17:25.007 --> 0:17:27.727 a professional, but I had to go through that. But 0:17:27.807 --> 0:17:30.567 I had to do the police and uh, you know, 0:17:30.687 --> 0:17:36.007 have no money and trying to follow report. But I 0:17:36.127 --> 0:17:38.687 did it, and I went to the bank and the 0:17:38.727 --> 0:17:41.087 bank reimborced my money. That was the first thing that 0:17:41.127 --> 0:17:44.927 reimbursed my money. So I tell people, don't make the 0:17:45.007 --> 0:17:47.847 mistake that I made, and everybody will chime in, well 0:17:47.927 --> 0:17:50.847 you should no better, oh dull. I'm like, yes, you're right. 0:17:51.527 --> 0:17:54.367 But you got through it, you know, like it happened, 0:17:54.367 --> 0:17:56.447 and it didn't make you get on a plane home. 0:17:56.527 --> 0:17:58.727 It made you go, okay, well we'll deal with this 0:17:58.967 --> 0:17:59.727 like it's okay. 0:18:00.367 --> 0:18:02.927 And for them to understand that you need to have 0:18:02.967 --> 0:18:06.047 this police report in hand. This is not a digital 0:18:06.127 --> 0:18:08.567 place where you could say I'll email you this, email 0:18:08.607 --> 0:18:13.727 you that. So understanding the culture that it's different from 0:18:13.727 --> 0:18:17.327 what you used to is the first step in relaxing 0:18:17.367 --> 0:18:18.727 and acclimating here. 0:18:20.727 --> 0:18:24.327 Up next, Maggie opens up about the emotional challenges of 0:18:24.327 --> 0:18:30.607 adjusting to life abroad and living on around. You've talked 0:18:30.607 --> 0:18:33.527 about this amazing community you've built, but I imagine some 0:18:33.527 --> 0:18:35.607 people would think, Oh, I would miss my family. I 0:18:35.687 --> 0:18:38.447 might get lonely. What do you tell people about the 0:18:38.487 --> 0:18:42.567 emotional adjustment to being somewhere different by yourself. 0:18:42.967 --> 0:18:45.687 One other thing I tell women, I say, if you've 0:18:45.807 --> 0:18:50.367 never traveled, you've never left your family, you've never left home, 0:18:50.647 --> 0:18:52.567 You're probably going to have a heart of a time. 0:18:54.407 --> 0:18:58.367 If you are one hundred percent responsible for everything, whether 0:18:58.487 --> 0:19:03.047 it's your aging parents or your teenager or your adult 0:19:03.167 --> 0:19:06.047 child who refuses to leave, or you don't allow to leave, 0:19:07.007 --> 0:19:11.087 it happens. Be hard for you. If you're not a 0:19:11.167 --> 0:19:14.367 hands off kind of person. And you're not, you can't 0:19:14.407 --> 0:19:16.367 think on your feet. You know, if you if you 0:19:16.407 --> 0:19:18.967 get into a situation you got to say okay, one, two, three, 0:19:19.007 --> 0:19:21.967 watch neck boom and be able to make decisions like that. 0:19:22.127 --> 0:19:25.727 It's going to be hard for you. With families. I 0:19:25.807 --> 0:19:29.047 tell people, if you're really close, make sure you budget 0:19:29.487 --> 0:19:33.327 for frequent trips back. Yeah, because I remember when I 0:19:33.367 --> 0:19:36.367 moved from one state to another. Oh, I was so homesick. 0:19:36.847 --> 0:19:40.207 I left the northeastern part of the US, and I 0:19:40.287 --> 0:19:44.167 moved south. My first Christmas, it was eighty five degrees 0:19:44.287 --> 0:19:46.327 and I felt that I was in the twilight zone. 0:19:46.487 --> 0:19:49.207 You mean, no snow, no farther bliss. 0:19:48.927 --> 0:19:52.327 What is this? I felt so sad. So I went 0:19:52.407 --> 0:19:55.407 home and then it was like ten degrees and the 0:19:55.487 --> 0:19:57.687 snow was this high, and I'm like, okay, I know 0:19:57.767 --> 0:19:59.247 why I left. Now I'm good. 0:20:00.007 --> 0:20:02.367 This is a familiar story to me, Maggie. I left 0:20:02.407 --> 0:20:05.207 England to come and live in Australia. I'm like, yeah, no, 0:20:05.487 --> 0:20:08.167 this is the hot Christmas is a strange, but better 0:20:08.207 --> 0:20:08.767 than snows. 0:20:10.607 --> 0:20:13.087 But I think going back and forth is a nice 0:20:13.287 --> 0:20:16.567 compromise for some people just to kind of check in 0:20:16.727 --> 0:20:19.327 the check on you. Oh are you doing okay? Well 0:20:19.327 --> 0:20:22.127 we're okay, you can come visit, and then it kind 0:20:22.127 --> 0:20:25.127 of set off after a little while. But some people 0:20:25.167 --> 0:20:28.407 tell me point blank, I couldn't leave my dog, I 0:20:28.447 --> 0:20:31.687 could leave my family. I Will says, I'm so glad 0:20:31.687 --> 0:20:32.527 you have clarity. 0:20:32.847 --> 0:20:35.327 Yeah, it's not for everybody. Yeah, it's not for everybody. 0:20:35.367 --> 0:20:37.767 You need to have clarity, right, but it. 0:20:37.807 --> 0:20:39.607 Is for people who have got that as you say 0:20:39.687 --> 0:20:41.647 that independent free spirit, It's like. 0:20:42.007 --> 0:20:45.287 Yes, and want to explore you know, because the language 0:20:45.327 --> 0:20:48.887 could be a good challenge for some people. Of course, 0:20:48.887 --> 0:20:52.047 it's not easy to feel people talking, you know, and 0:20:52.087 --> 0:20:56.327 you can't understand right, so that should weigh heavily on 0:20:56.447 --> 0:20:58.127 your decision as to where you go. 0:20:58.367 --> 0:21:01.487 You already spoke Spanish, I assume I did, so that 0:21:01.607 --> 0:21:02.527 was also part of. 0:21:02.647 --> 0:21:04.447 That made it easier for me. And I said, you 0:21:04.487 --> 0:21:07.967 can't compare your situation to mine because I had this 0:21:08.127 --> 0:21:12.007 going for me. Yeah, so so you consider an English 0:21:12.047 --> 0:21:12.887 speaking country? 0:21:12.967 --> 0:21:13.767 Yeah, for sure. 0:21:14.287 --> 0:21:16.487 This has been an amazing conversation. I guess I'd like 0:21:16.527 --> 0:21:19.487 to ask you, Baggy, without its sounding too brutal, do 0:21:19.527 --> 0:21:21.967 you think this is a Is it for you a 0:21:22.007 --> 0:21:24.447 permanent move? This is where you're going to be now? 0:21:24.927 --> 0:21:26.767 Is that how you see it? Or do you like 0:21:26.887 --> 0:21:27.847 it's year by year? 0:21:27.967 --> 0:21:28.087 Like? 0:21:28.127 --> 0:21:30.327 What? How do you look at the future? 0:21:31.327 --> 0:21:33.447 You know? I spoke to a couple of my lady 0:21:33.567 --> 0:21:35.767 sisters the other day and this one said, oh, I 0:21:35.887 --> 0:21:38.567 just signed a three year list or I just signed 0:21:38.567 --> 0:21:41.847