In part five of our Expert Expat series, we interview Cassie Kauffman, author of Life Transplanet. Cassie, originally from Colorado, lives in Puerto Rico with her husband Britton. They do not have any plans to move back to the states because they just enjoy the island life so much. They moved to Puerto Rico in the first place for the lifestyle. As many expats do, they miss their family back in the U.S. You can follow them on their blog to see all the beautiful island scenery Puerto Rico has to offer.
Read Cassie’s Interview:
What did you find to be the most difficult thing about moving to a new country?
Probably selling/giving away all of our stuff and starting a whole new life in a tiny house without a stove or full-sized fridge in a land with a different language and culture than our original one.
Do you speak Spanish? If so, when did you learn it? If not, does that present difficulties?
I knew Spanish from traveling to Mexico, but the Puerto Rican Spanish is quite different. Britton, my husband, spoke virtually no Spanish at all before moving here. It does present difficulties; in pretty much everything there is an additional challenge or barrier to work through. But with patience and lots of smiles communication can still occur.
Where have you noticed stark cultural differences?
Dress, Punctuality, Religion, Traditions, Work Ethics, and Social Situations. The differences are subtle because Puerto Rico is actually part of the U.S. (a commonwealth) and many people travel there and have family stateside. But there are still many noticeable differences.
Do you have a favorite website or blog about your country?
There are quite a few. If I had to just give one (besides our own :), the most interesting and thought-provoking is probably War Against All Puerto Ricans because it explains the colonial thinking that is still present and how it is hurting/affecting Puerto Rico in a multitude of ways.
What is your best tip for people moving to or visiting your country?
Those are really two different questions altogether.
To visit:
1) Get a rental car and plan on staying for a while. See the whole island(s). This is an amazingly diverse place with waterfalls, caves, gorgeous beaches, hot springs, a dry desert, a tropical rainforest reserve, incredible snorkeling, surfing, diving, boating etc, uninhabited islets, golf, shopping, festivals, food and culture and you won’t see much at all in a day stop on a cruise.
To move:
2) Be flexible and patient; things move differently here. Also, probably good to bring your own source of income (or start your own business) as the economy is not super great to find traditional work.
Is the cost of living higher or lower than the last country you lived in and how has that made a difference in your life?
Cost of living overall is less expensive, but it also greatly depends on how you live. We have never been big spenders on consumer items and so that aspect hasn’t been that much different. Being frugal was a big reason we were able to retire to the Caribbean before either of us turned 35. Another big factor -and cost saver- for us is that we live on a piece of property that allows us to grow our own tropical food year-round. We have chickens for eggs, turkeys, bananas, pineapples, mangos, papaya, passion fruit, avocados, breadfruit, figs, guava, canistel, sapodilla, pomarrosa, tamarind, quenepas, rambutan, mangosteen, loquat, citrus of many sorts, Barbados cherry, mulberry and so, so much more growing. Plus we can fish in the ocean for our food (and swim or hang out in it for free entertainment!)
Have you run into any bureaucratic, insurance, tax or medical issues as an expat?
Not really anything too crazy. No one likes dealing with bureaucracy anywhere and that is true here as well. Most people self-insure here or use the government programs, but other insurance is available as well. There are virtually no property taxes. The highest taxes here are actually sales taxes. Medical costs are dramatically lower than stateside. Britton got what we think was Dengue or Chikungunya and that was quite the experience!
What advice would you give expats to help them fit into their new community?
This would warrant a whole blog post, so I will just add one:
Think of your social network (not just virtual, but living, breathing, people) as important, if not more than any other factor in fitting into your new community. The people who live here or have moved here know a lot more than you and will help you to navigate everything from grocery stores to those awkward social faux pas moments.
When and why did you start your blog?
We started our blog in 2008 when we first knew we were going to move to Puerto Rico. It took us a while to actually get to that point, so it also includes all the ups and downs and regular life in Colorado before we made the big jump in 2013. At first we just wanted to keep our friends and families and others in the loop about our life and move and also have a journal record for ourselves. It has since turned into a lot more along the way and we enjoy sharing our experiences/knowledge and helping others.
