| Finding
Life and Property in Trinidad |
| After five
years of being back at school and working three jobs, I felt my life
had lost all meaning when finally divorce left me financially and emotionally
destroyed. I had honestly given up, but heck, if I was going to die
it wasn’t going to be in busy San Francisco with people rushing 24/7, it
was going to be on a tropical island.
So on March
10th, I left San Francisco, California and landed ten hours later in Port
of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. While in transit my heart beat fast and
my stomach quivered with fear of the unknown. As I made my way through
customs, I was stopped at the checkpoint by a woman, with ebony skin and
wide eyes who asked me for my passport. She smiled a smile of genuine
warmth and we struck up a short conversation.
I guess it
is all just a part of being on an Island; a little slower, a little warmer…
a little more human. |
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| The First
Few Months:
The first few
months of my new life went quickly and busily.
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I rented an
apartment for about $US100 per month in south Trinidad in charming Princes
Town, a place with only about 25,000 people. It was in the country but
a mere twenty minutes from San Fernando, the second largest city in Trinidad
and another hour from the capital. |
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| It was
quiet, no traffic, but people were friendly….and if I craved it, city life
was only minutes away!
There were
fruit stands sprinkled everywhere and fresh fish and vegetable markets
a short walk away from where I was staying. Day by day, I found my health
returning to me. I was walking regularly, joined a gym, and my mental outlook
began to improve along with my body. After a while fatigue disappeared.
Oh
boy, I had not felt this good in years; come to think of it I had never,
ever felt this good! I even took a part time job as a high school counselor
and was enjoying myself so much that I forgot why I came here in the first
place. As a result, my plan drastically changed from coming here to die
to coming here to “make a comeback!'
After four
months I was in the best shape of my life and developed a social network
of dear friends and family. |
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Offshore
Resources Gallery
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| Now that I
look back at my life, I see how I let myself become consumed with the American
culture of fast food and fast living and obsessed with performance, achievement,
status and the collection of material objects. All the things that I thought
I needed (which ran me into the ground and almost killed me) I no
longer wanted. I came to a point where the simple things were all that
mattered… family, friends, health and a sense of community and home.
Real Estate
Now that I
had been rejuvenated, I vowed I would never go back to living the way I
did before. I was determined to create and sustain the life I wanted in
the Caribbean. My first task was to look at housing and real estate around
the island, which is what I did with a good friend who worked in a local
bank.
I discovered
that it is legal for a foreigner to own a home in Trinidad but that the
price of land and property drastically changes from one part of the Island
to another. |
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In the capital
of Trinidad you can pay $US800,000 for a home or live closer to the beach
(about
45 minutes away) and pay as little as $US50,000 for a two storey,
four bedroomed, two bathroomed house. I almost lost my mind when I found
out how low the prices could be. I personally bought a 6,000 square
foot lot in a new development in Princes Town for $US8,500. I’m twenty
minutes from the beach! No smog, congestion or stressful living!
To get a better
idea of the real estate market check out www.sipreal.com
for more information. This is an excellent resource and gives you an accurate
picture of local real estate prices with lots of photos.
Currently,
I am looking at investment opportunities and find the stock market is very
stable. In addition Trinidad has one of the only financial institutions
that guarantee your principal in a mutual fund account from Unit Trust
Corporation. |
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| Escape
From America Magazine - The Magazine To Read To If You Want To Move Overseas |
| - Began Summer
1998 - Now with almost a half million subscribers, out eZine is the resource
that expats, and wantabe expats turn to for information. Our archives
now have thousands of articles and each month we publish another issue
to a growing audience of international readers. Over 100 people a
day subscribe to our eZine. We've been interviewed and referenced
by the Wall Street Journal, CNN, The Washington Post, London Talk Show
Radio, C-Span, BBC Click Online, Yahoo Magazine, the New York Times, and
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getting started - Gilly Rich - Editor |
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| Unit Trust
also has accounts which earn over 20% on mutual funds. Yeah, you heard
me right. I was shocked myself but if you don’t believe me, check out the
website for Unit Trust Corporation and decide for yourself. www.ttutc.com
I currently have an account with them and have been very satisfied. Another
good resource with great links is www.stockex.co.tt
if you want to find out more about investing in Trinidad.
Living and
or Retirement
The exchange
rate is 6 Trinidadian dollars to one $US, so stronger currencies will go
much further in Trinidad, especially since the cost of living is much lower,
about a third less than in the USA. Many elderly and retired Americans
struggle to survive in the good old US of A. As for me I would rather
live a good life in Paradise when I retire.
A big plus
for living in a climate that is tropical and warm all the year round, is
no heating bills. Your clothes last longer too, no beating up in
the dryer because, as the locals say, you just “hang and dry”.
Conclusion
In my opinion
Trinidad has the best of both worlds; slow island life with access to 21st
century amenities. Chill by the beach or sample the nightlife. Cool
coconut water or or KFC, TGIF and Burger King. When I first left America
I was ready to give up on life but Trinidad saved me and showed me possibilities
that I had lost sight of. For me, it is my paradise.
I have now
been to Trinidad four more times and have collected detailed information
on investing, real estate, employment and I am in the process of buying
my second piece of property. Look out for future articles on Night Life,
Carnival, Investing, Real Estate, and Employment. For more information
or any questions please email me and I will try to answer your questions.
mchristophermsw@yahoo.com
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