Sonia Marsh - Gutsy Living

Life's too short to play it safe

Life is calling. How far will you go?

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Lately, I’ve noticed a trend in blog posts addressing the following questions:

  • How can I make my life more meaningful?
  • What is my life purpose and what can I do to make a difference?
At first I thought those questions were geared towards middle-aged and older people: those who start to re-evaluate their life after the kids leave home or they retire, but then I noticed how this question is becoming more prevalent in today’s youth.Perhaps a shift is taking place in the way people see their future life, the economy forcing people to rethink their short and long-term goals. It seems as if people are seeking alternatives to the 9-5 jobs?

What do you think?

Since our return from Belize in 2005, I have volunteered once with a group of nurses in a Mayan Village. Since that day, I’ve thought about joining the Peace Corps. Last Saturday a recruiter from the Peace Corps offered a seminar at Borders Books in Costa Mesa, California. I decided to attend. Here are a few points for those of you who might be interested.

  • There is no upper age limit for volunteers
  • Entire application process takes 1 to 1.5 years.
  • Safety and security of volunteers is highest priority
  • 27 month commitment, (includes a 3 month training period)
  • Living allowance covers cost of housing and other necessities
  • French and Spanish a plus
  • 48 days vacation to visit country or go home
  • Graduate school opportunities before and after
  • Develop skills for global marketplace
  • Receive advantages for federal employment
  • Earn $7,425 for transition when you return
  • Health and dental benefits, extended up to 18 months after your return
Peace Corps Programs:
Education 33%, Youth and Community 18%, Health and HIV/AIDS 18%, Business and IT 17%, Agriculture 8%, Environment 7%.Peace Corps Main Locations:
Africa 41%, Latin America 23%, Eastern Europe and Central Asia 17%, Asia 8%, Caribbean and N.Africa and Middle East 8%, Pacific Islands 3%.

The one comment I keep hearing from all Peace Corps Volunteers is: “I feel like I received more than what I gave.”

Your thoughts and opinions are truly valued.

Your grades are for you, not for me

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YOUR GRADES ARE FOR YOU, NOT FOR ME.

Flickr

What prompted my post today was part of a radio interview I heard this morning with the title: The Blessing of a B minus, by Wendy Mogel Ph.D. I happened to turn on my radio when she talked about how many parents expect their kids to get straight A’s, be on the varsity team, put in ridiculous hours of community service, belong to numerous clubs, and of course, it doesn’t hurt to be slender and good looking, all in the hopes of getting admitted to a great college.

Mogel’s book, which I have not read, is based on Jewish teachings, but that was not the focus of my post. I was interested in what she had to say about, not every kid fits the mold, and parents should not expect the same for each kid. I know that many parents want their kids to excel in Academics, but it really is a pity that we do not seem to value other professions, such as trade schools as much.
As a child, one of the best gifts I received from my parents was to realize that my grades were not a gift to please them, but to please me.

The reason I bring this up is because I see too many parents either bribing their kids with money to improve their grades, or rewarding them for getting good grades with purchases. I disagree with this. Please don’t take what I say to the other extreme of saying, “Kids deserve something for doing well in school.” Everyone deserves something once in a while, it’s just the “bribing” that I dislike.

When my sixteen-year-old son told me he didn’t do well on a test but did well on his homework, I said, “I thought homework was supposed to make you learn what’s on your test, ” and left it up to him to figure it out.

I know many of you live around the world and different parts of the U.S., and I’m curious to hear your thoughts, whether you’re a parent, a grandparent, or without kids.

How to retire comfortably for under $1,500 a month.

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 Ambergris Caye, Belize, where we lived in 2005

Many of you know my family lived in Belize for one year, from 2004-2005.
A week or so ago, I received a link to an article in US News on: How to retire comfortably for under $1,500 a month. The location: Belize.

I read the article with great interest, and decided to comment on what I think is true, and what I believe may be slightly misleading.

The couple in the article moved from Canada to Belize, three years ago. They bought a piece of property on the sea, but it does not say where. My guess is perhaps in Corozal/Consejo Shores area in the north, close to the Mexican border where we lived when we first moved to Belize.

Here are their expenses: (I added my comments after each category.)

  • Rent: $300 (PROBABLY RUSTIC FOR THAT PRICE. DEPENDS ON LOCATION TOO.)
  • Utilities: telephone, and Internet: $500 (Your biggest expense in this country.) (I AGREE.)
  • Groceries: $150 (IF YOU LIVE LIKE A LOCAL IT’S CHEAP. NOT WINE, FILET MIGNON.)
  • Health insurance: $50 (WE DIDN’T HAVE ANY.)
  • Entertainment: ($100 EATING BURRITOS AND FRIED CHICKEN OUT IS CHEAP. NOT TOURIST RESTAURANTS WITH AMERICAN STYLE FOOD THOUGH.)
  • Car expenses: $300 (GAS IS EXPENSIVE.)

They barbecue lobster and filet mignon at home. They have reliable Internet to keep them connected to the outside world. My biggest disappointment in Belize was the frozen lobster in the supermarkets. I never found a store with fresh lobster. As far as filet mignon, I would not call it “filet mignon” unless you ordered it from an upscale American restaurant and it was imported from the U.S. There were two butchers on Ambergris Caye, and their meat tasted better after a few months of living on the island. Seriously, your taste buds change.

They have reliable Internet. I’m not sure about that. There were several hours a week when the electricity shut off in the entire town/country. We went for eleven hours straight without electricity. We had a satellite dish and there were also times, during heavy cloud cover, we were without Internet.

Through Belize’s Qualified Retired Persons program you can establish foreign residency as young as age 40.  We applied for our QRP cards before leaving the U.S. They were supposed to arrive within six weeks from the Belize Tourist Board. We never received them, after one and a half years and paying $5,000 for them. The reason: they were being redesigned with a security feature attached. We never saw ours.

Belize is a beautiful little country. It’s a peaceful, eco-tourist retreat home to more than 540 species of birds, 4,000 species of flowering plants, and 700 kinds of trees. That I agree with. We fell in love with the sense of adventure and the beauty of the country, especially the islands and snorkeling.


Furthermore, Kathleen Peddicord  wrote an article on , “7 affordable places to retire abroad,” and strangely enough, France is listed among countries such as Panama, Belize, Mexico, Uruguay, Croatia and Malaysia. I have lived in France and Belize, and visited Mexico, and I certainly wouldn’t place France in the same category of affordability as Belize and Mexico, and not from what I hear about Panama either. So that seemed like a huge surprise.

Any tips on retiring comfortably for under $1,500 a month?
(Even if you’re 40.)

But will it make you happy?

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Economics Pictures, Images and Photos

Do you like to spend money on nice things or vacations?

A recent article in the New York Times, shows that people are happier when they spend money on experiences instead of material objects and when they stop trying to outdo the Joneses.

I completely agree with this statement which is why my husband and I moved our family to Belize in 2004, for one year. These were the days of conspicuous consumption when some parents in our neighborhood purchased a flashy new BMW, Mustang or large truck for their son or daughter, on their sixteenth birthday. We did not want our sons to think they were entitled to such material possessions, as did many of their peers. So we escaped to live a simple life in Belize where adventure and new experiences became part of our daily life.

There seems to be a new trend in the U.S., according to retailers, where “consumers have gravitated more toward experiences than possessions over the last couple of years, opting to use their extra cash for nights at home with family, watching movies and playing games.”

I think this is wonderful news, as far as getting families to spend more time bonding, than out spending. Jennifer Black, president of the retailing research company Jennifer Black & Associates says, “I think people are realizing they don’t need what they had. They’re more interested in creating memories.”

If we look back at our lives, what do we treasure most?

  • Memories
  • Purchases
  • Experiences

It’s sad to see that it takes a recession to make some people realize that spending time with family and friends means more than purchasing an electronic gizmo.

I don’t think the “I want it now” generation has been happy acquiring more stuff. Research shows that anticipation increases happiness.

As far as memories go, how many of you remember the bad things that happened on your trip abroad that later become your most exciting travel tale? I remember, at thirteen, getting stuck in an elevator in Budapest, Hungary, with my best friend. Although terrified at the time, we laugh about it today.

We need to get back to basics; memories, experiences, reconnecting with family, friends and community. I wonder what long-term consequences this will this have on a U.S. economy which relies on consumer spending to grow?

Female Nomad and Friends by Rita Golden Gelman–A must Read for all who seek travel, adventure and connection.

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When asked if I would like to host Rita Golden Gelman’s online book tour, I was honored to be a part of this Gutsy woman’s amazing life. She is all about connecting with people from around the world, and in her own words she says, “I opened my life to otherness; it becomes addictive. I still have no fixed address and hardly any possessions.”

I discovered her book, Tales of a Female Nomad: Living at large in the World, after returning from a year of adventures and personal growth in Belize, Central America. I can relate to what Gelman says about having hardly any possessions being addictive, as I experienced this with my own family in Belize. Having less gave me time, something I learned to value as more meaningful than having stuff. The time to connect with family and friends.

Gelman’s latest book: Female Nomad and Friends: Tales of Breaking Free and Breaking Bread Around the World is a moving anthology of essays that celebrates traveling, connecting, and eating around the world. Also included are more than 30 travel-inspired, taste-tested and author-approved recipes.

Many of you are familiar with Karen van der Zee’s blog: Life in the Expat Lane. She has four amusing stories published in Female Nomad and Friends: Tales of Breaking Free and Breaking Bread Around the World. One of her tales, “Wild for Worms,” starts off, “I had planned to eat worms tonight, but instead I’m facing a hamburger and fries. I am not amused.” Talk about a hook to get you reading. Another tale entitled, “Cow Feet Soup for Breakfast,” brought back memories of when my sons were so hungry one day, they ordered a bowl of cow foot soup on their way home from school in Belize. My sixteen-year-old said, “Mom, you should have seen the hoof. It was right there in the middle of the bowl covered in hair.”

In the opening chapter of her book: Female Nomad and Friends: Tales of Breaking Free and Breaking Bread Around the World, Gelman explains that the profits and author royalties are going to a special fund to send high school graduates from the slums in New Dehli to vocational schools. Gelman says, “Most young people are taken out of school as they are old enough to contribute to the family income by working in construction for one or two dollars a day.” This reminds me of the young caretaker we had in Belize who told my teenage sons he quit school at thirteen, and worked in the sugar cane plantations to put food on the family table. My boys learned more from listening to this young Belizean, than any lecture I could give on how lucky they are to have an education.

After suggesting Rita Golden Gelman’s book to my book club circle of friends, they decided to select it for our next meeting. I hope you will read it too. Please share with others and remember to connect.

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Female Nomad and Friends: Tales of Breaking Free and Breaking Bread Around the World- From the author of the international bestseller, Tales of a Female Nomad, Female Nomad and Friends is a moving anthology of essays that celebrates traveling, connecting, and eating around the world. Also included are more than 30 travel-inspired, taste-tested and author-approved recipes.

Rita Golden Gelman is the author of Tales of a Female Nomad and more than seventy children’s books, including More Spaghetti, I Say!, a staple in every first grade classroom. As a nomad, Rita has no permanent address. She is currently involved in an initiative called Let’s Get Global, a project of US Servas, Inc, a national movement designed to bring the gap year to the United States. Learn more at www.letsgetglogal.org

 We invite you to join us on the Female Nomad and Friends virtual tour. The full schedule can be seen at http://bookpromotionservices.com/2010/05/17/female-nomad-tour. You can learn much more about Rita Golden Gelman and her work on her website –www.ritagoldengelman.com

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