New member to Belize Forum

Last activity 22 June 2016 by BunnieMarie

1284 Views

15 replies

Post new topic

nwlivewireMember20 June 2016 21:49:11

Greetings!

I joined this site back in late 2011, thinking I would retire to Thailand.

Well, I've now retired, but have changed my mind about retiring to Thailand.

I'm now in the final stages of paying off all debts in the USA and this Fall, I will begin my initial "scouting mission" of relocating me and my "stuff" from the Pacific Northwest to the Austin, Texas, area.

Come Spring season, if all goes well with what I find in the Austin area this Fall, then I will physically relocate me and "my stuff" to Texas. At that time, I will then make preparations for an initial "scouting mission" to Belize.

The purpose for my relocation from Oregon to Texas is to establish a new State residency. This needs to be done prior to departure to Belize. I will not be renting or buying a place in Texas (just yet), but will be establishing residency, voter and licensing, mail forwarding, etc.

When those few things (and a few others) are accomplished, THEN I can turn my sights to Belize.

Being retired military, I have access to my Post 9/11 GI Education Bill. This program is administered by the US Veterans Administration (also known as the VA). While I am scouting Belize, I'll be in contact with the University of Belize to see if they would like to submit an application for VA education certification so I can use my GI Bill at the U of B. If they say YES to their submitting and getting approved, then I will attend school in Belize - once they are officially certified by the VA..

Meanwhile, while I am waiting for them to become "certified", I can then apply for the QRP and get settled in.

If the U of B says NO, and the U of B is not interested in the US government paying for my foreign tuition and fees, then I will attend school in Nicaragua at Keiser University - at their San Marcos campus. They are already VA/GI Bill approved. No waiting will be necessary and I will make Nicaragua my "home base".

Why is this important to me - this GI Bill thing? Well, my tuition is paid for by my nation, so I will not have any education debt hanging over my head when I graduate (Yippy Skippy!). And, I will receive a small, tax-free living stipend for every month I am in school, too. This makes my education an affordable option for use in a foreign nation with low cost-of-living platforms. And, believe it or not, this will also save the US government money, too, as even foreign tuition rates are less expensive than the in-state tuition rates the government would have to pay were I to educate in the States.

Go figure!

So there are many wins here for me and my government. And many wins for my future.

So this is where I am right now. Like I wrote earlier, I initially considered Thailand, but crossed Thailand off my list.

Then I considered the Republic of the Philippines, but have now crossed that off my list as I cannot solely own property in my name there. And I'm not interested in marrying anyone or in obtaining citizenship through that scheme.

Right now, it's just me and my kitty and this is enough for me at this stage in my life.

I will eventually be buying some land and planting trees and other things - tropical agriculture and tropical forestry. That's where my GI Bill will come in handy.

So I hope the U of Belize is open to getting certified by the VA so I can use my GI Bill in Belize and by-pass Nicaragua. This will allow me to skip a step if the University of Belize says "YES!"..

So I look forward to visiting and doing my initial scouting mission in Belize this Spring, 2017, and hope I get a YES!.

V/R,
nwlivewire

Launia Tate SullivanContributor20 June 2016 22:31:20

111

That sounds very well planned.
Best wishes
France

billdoesbelizeSerial expat20 June 2016 23:32:46

253

Welcome to the Belize Forum nwlivewire. Hope all goes well for you. Let us know if we can help.

guestposter3251Guest21 June 2016 02:24:58

214245

Do you have a question? I dont understand the Texas step. I dont see why you cant just do the scouting steps as many have done. Online school may be an option. The culture is Belize is very different from the US, make sure you understand it and can live with it. You can certainly own land but fraud is pretty common so relationships are important as references. Land is often difficult to sell and there are set asides for the Maya to be aware of. Health care is adequate for simple stuff but triple bypasses means Cancun or the US. I would think your mail could all be handled online.

backthatActive member21 June 2016 04:01:15

Hey, I enjoyed reading your post. I am also retired Military (Navy) and I plan to move to Belize. Stay in touch.

BunnieMarieActive member21 June 2016 04:29:16

We have been trying to figure out what would be the best thing for us and with me being in a wheelchair it creates many interesting scenarios for us. Many that we could do without and for the better part my husband is very patient. I think this forum is a fantastic place to meet people and find out much needed information.

nwlivewireMember21 June 2016 05:45:03

Will do!

nwlivewireMember21 June 2016 06:00:29

The Texas step is multi-folded in purpose.

1. Shorter, less expensive hops back and forth from Belize to US.

2. As a disabled Vet, if my primary residence is in Texas, then I will pay zero property tax in Texas as I am 100% VA disability rated. So when I buy or build a home in Texas that is designed for me to "age in place", I at least won't have to worry about property taxes in my old age, or have to sell my home because my pensions might not keep up with jumps in property taxes (seen this happen too many times with seniors).

3. The Texas University system has many very respected and unique disciplines. Archeology is one that UT Austin does well with - especially with Central American sites.

*******

I've been through Belize, Honduras, the Yucatan, Guatemala, and Nicaragua in my travels back in 2003-2004.

As I get closer to my target dates, I'm sure I will have many questions. My hope is that those of you who are actually on the ground will be on this site, and provide me with some answers and/or guidance.

V/R,
nwlivewire

guestposter3251Guest21 June 2016 17:05:00

214245

Wait a minute are we talking about the Texas two-step here

nwlivewireMember21 June 2016 17:57:42

#10

HAHAHA!

Yep. For sure - it's a Texas two-step!

Too funny!

V/R,
nwlivewire

nwlivewireMember21 June 2016 18:11:21

#11

Another ps....

My regional target areas of interest in Belize are somewhere within an hours drive in/around the CAYO District. Belmopan is where the U of B is located at, although they seem to have a few branch locations.

San Ignacio/Santa Elana is where my initial interests are at the moment, although I will be taking a hard look at the Corozal and Orange Walk Districts, too. But those are secondary areas of interest.

Cayo is first on my list. As I understand things (please correct me if I am incorrect), the Central Farm Campus is located near San Ignacio.

V/R,
nwlivewire

Cochise8933Contributor21 June 2016 18:49:30

#12

159

That is the shortest reply Bill has ever written. Lol

guestposter3251Guest21 June 2016 19:33:20

#13

214245

http://www.ub.edu.bz/http://www.galen.edu.bz/http://www.sjc.edu.bz/http://mjc.edu.bz/BACKUP/images/stories … atalog.pdf http://www.uqroo.mx/

terrificSerial expat21 June 2016 20:48:27

#14

582

Central farm is betwen Belmopan and San Ignatio. close to spanish lookout. There are plenty of nice areas around Belmopan through to San ignatio along what was the Western highway. If Belize University is a viable option for you I think that along area would be a good location. as the commute from OW or Corozal would make it difficult.

nwlivewireMember21 June 2016 20:53:41

#15

Thank-you for this information katzgar!

Yes. I will also be stopping by Galen to see if they will fill out the four page US Government form for VA/GI Bill certification of their university, too.

I cannot do this for them as this form can only be filled out by the university that wishes to be VA/US gov't certified (to include whatever supporting documents they need to submit with the form). The certification process is NOT complicated, and the form is very easy to fill out. But only the school can do it. And it can take up to a year to get approved (things go slow - you know how the gov't is).

So I will be bringing several copies of this four-page form with me and put it under every single University decision-maker I can get an appointment with - to include the Ministry of Education on the National Level. It's actually a win-win for all of us if they say "YES!" and fill out the form. They will attract high-quality US Vets for students, PLUS, the institution will reap the financial benefits of being paid the foreign tuition rate schedules, PLUS, the Belize nation won't have to subsidize that student through scholarships or loans. Everyone wins - and my government saves money on me, too!

It just makes sense to me that they will say YES! But you never know....

V/R,
nwlivewire

BunnieMarieActive member22 June 2016 00:51:22

#16

Thank you

Articles to help you in your expat project in Belize

Using phones in Belize
Belize has a national telecommunications company, Belize Telemedia, Limited, and several mobile phone companies ...
Connecting to the internet in Belize
Belize enjoys decent internet coverage. Unfortunately it is slow and expensive. The country has many internet ...
How to drive in Belize
In Belize, you can drive with an international driver's license, and you can often drive with a license from ...
Where's the Beef?
Before visiting Belize to determine if it was a country we could permanently relocate to, we did an awful lot of ...
Sports in Belize
Sport has always been a part of Belizean life. Although the country does not have a lot in terms of professional ...
Banking in Belize
Belize was once known to be a real banking haven, a place where banking secrecy was guaranteed. The situation ...
Childcare and education in Belize
If you are moving to Belize with your family, you likely have questions about child care and education. There are ...
How to handle your mail when you move to Belize
When you’re moving to another country, one of the most challenging tasks you’ll face is how to deal ...