My name is Michelle & I’ll tell you a bit about myself… (all of this is my own opinion, if you don’t like it, you don’t have to read it)
I’m 51 years old & it’s 2017. I started this blog in 2012.
There were many things I wasn’t liking about people in Ontario (Windsor was nice, but very polluted) & it was starting to wear on me, including the cost of living.
I hadn’t moved since my parents moved us to Toronto in 1984.
I started thinking about moving from Canada around 2009, but I just wasn’t ready at that point.
Once my son left to go to College, I decided now was the time to start researching.
I wasn’t even thinking of Panama when I first started researching, as I had heard there was a lot of crime, so I didn’t even bother.
After researching a few other countries in Latin America & crossing them off my list, I talked to a few expats & eventually settled on Panama.
Here was my list of what I was looking for in a country:
- Clean air & water (for the most part)
- Organic produce and health food stores
- Reliable fast Internet
- Nice friendly people
- Relatively modern facilities if you paid the right price
- Lower cost of living
To make a long story short (LOL, no such thing with Michelle), I decided Panama had everything I needed and I was going to take the leap.
I hope you learn from my mistakes and experiences so you don’t have to go through them.
I use this site primarily to vent, as living in Panama hasn’t been easy although sometimes things are positive. I also realized that everything I’m experiencing would be a way to help you if you are thinking about moving to Panama, as I know many people are contemplating this move.
I don’t know how long I will stay here for, but the last thing I want if you are an expat, is to come to this country & have to deal with all the drama I’ve experienced. Most expats will NOT tell you the truth about what day to day living is like here in Panama. I do NOT understand why this is, & I heard from expats in Mexico, that it’s the same thing.
I don’t lie, & I don’t exaggerate. Everything that happens to me happens. Does it happen to everyone? Of course not, but I believed the Kool-Aid when I did my research only to find out later on that MANY crucial facts had been hidden from me.
Also it depends on which area you live in & if you have connections.
If you have tons of money, you probably won’t experience everything I experience, because you will be living in the RICH areas of Panama which generally (not always) don’t encounter these problems.
The rich people ALWAYS get preferential treatment. It’s not like in North America where almost everyone’s living situation (I’m talking water & electricity & Internet) is the same.
While I certainly didn’t think living in Panama was going to be like North America, I didn’t expect constant problems with companies & threats by Panamanians.
If anything ever happens to me like I get suddenly beaten, robbed or killed & it’s around the time a thread was being updated, you will know it’s because of one of my stories on my blog. While there’s violence everywhere, it seems when Panamanians don’t like something I do (even things out of my control), instead of correcting the problem or communicating, they either ignore me or threaten.
If I suddenly disappear, just follow the trail of stories on my blog & you will find the person responsible.
I don’t mean to sound so negative, but I feel I need to protect myself from people who threaten.
Enjoy!
Michelle