I grew up poor. I was the first person in the family to ever graduate college. I went on to become a physician and then returned to my hometown [and] had a successful career. You know – The American Dream. But somewhere along the way, [it] turned into An American Nightmare. Striving to achieve and maintain all that ‘success’ created consequences that demanded more and more of me. … That successful American dream was killing me. So, my partner … and I decided to look elsewhere for our dream. A dream that would let us slow down and enjoy life.

We live in an almost-secret valley at 4,000 feet elevation. Here we have no need of air conditioning or heating as our days average in the mid to upper 70s F. … The fertile, volcanic soils allow me to grow wonderful gardens of all kinds. … Between leaving the stress behind, walking much more, and living a generally more healthy lifestyle, I don't need to take blood pressure or cholesterol medicines anymore. … Because there are so many natural wonders to experience in this tiny country, we can take mini-vacations on a whim. And we have also taken several world vacations we would never have been able to do before due to time and money. … Property taxes are almost nothing. Private medical and dental care is about 1/4 to 1/3 of what it costs in the States. We live on about 1/3 of what we spent before we moved. Plus, now we have a maid twice a week, a full-time gardener, and a full-time handyman. We have plenty of time to socialize with friends again. … And speaking of friends, those who visit us from the States – the ones who thought we were nuts for moving – always comment on how happy, relaxed, and healthy we are. So, closing that door on an old life and starting a new one here has been the best decision we ever made.