 |
 |
 |
| Caribbean Property Magazine Home / November 2009 / 'Nicaragua: Discovering the Undiscovered' | SEND THIS PAGE TO A FRIEND  |
 |
 |
| REACH OVER 380,000 SUBSCRIBERS EVERY MONTH! |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 FULL - LENGTH ARTICLES FEATURING YOUR PROPERTY! Tell YOUR story and get exposure! Sell your property or business (or business opportunity) through editorials and feature articles! |
|
|
 |
 |
|
|
| VISIT OUR ARCHIVES! Click here to explore our archived articles. |
|
|
| TELL YOUR STORY! We want your articles, your stories, your experiences, your knowledge and your advice! Tell our readers what you have learned, what you love and what you think other people need to know about living, working, buying, selling, relocating and retiring in the Caribbean. |
|
|
| |
 |
| A comprehensive list of downloadable ebooks available from Caribpro. Titles include: |
 Retirement Planning For Offshore Living: Maintain and Enhance your lifestyles spending less than 25% of your monthly budget. |
|
|
|
|
| Belize: Living There How to Live, Retire, Work of Invest in Belize. |
| Nicaragua: Real Estate Property and land bargain amidst colonial splendour. |
| Plastic Surgery in The Caribbean: Inexpensive, High Quality Cosmetic Surgery. |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
| |
|
N O V E M B E R
 2 0 0 9Issue 34
|
||
|
NICARAGUA: DISCOVERING THE UNDISCOVERED
By Roger B. Keeling We once heard a real estate developer offer profound advice saying, “Inexpensive beachfront property does not become a better value, rather it becomes more expensive. Pioneers who stake their claim make significant money for their children and are able to enjoy the beauty for themselves, at value prices.” And so began our personal quest to be pioneers and “discover the undiscovered.” Our quest began in 2002, when my wife Carolyn and I acted upon that same advice and began our search for a beachfront property that would serve as a sound investment and provide for an occasional tropical getaway. We ventured into the latest “hotspot” of Costa Rica and were awed by the beauty of the Pacific coast and the availability of undeveloped property. Indentifying a beautiful piece of property was the easiest part of the process. However, “pulling the trigger” and actually purchasing the property is where our small, conservative North American mentalities kept us from expanding our horizons and making a wise decision. We decided that we just could not get out of our “comfort zone” and commit to buying a piece of land overseas, no matter how beautiful and inexpensive. Upon making our decision not to purchase, we returned to our daily routine in Atlanta. Time passed, the frantic pace of daily life continued to increase, traffic got worse, monthly expenses continued to climb, and after two years we decided to venture back into Costa Rica with a real commitment to take the plunge into international real estate ownership. But, upon arrival in the quaint little community we had discovered two years past, our anticipatory spirit was quickly broken as we researched availability and prices. The exact same properties we could have purchased on our previous trip for $69,000.00 were now selling at an astounding $499,000. Our fears and our procrastination had cost us our opportunity to expand our horizons, enjoy the beauty of a tropical environment and benefit financially from the discovery of the undiscovered. As any good pioneers would do, rather than accept defeat, we rallied and focused our determined and collaborated efforts on finding the next undiscovered paradise, having no idea how that one minor setback in Costa Rica would change our lives forever. ON ANOTHER “SCOUTING TRIP,” HOPING TO FIND A LITTLE PIECE OF UNDISCOVERED PARADISE…. FROM THE MOMENT WE PUT OUR FEET ON THE GROUND IN NICARAGUA, OUR HEARTS AND MINDS TOLD US WE HAD FOUND “HOME.” One month later, we and our daughter Claire travelled to Managua, Nicaragua on another Central America “scouting trip,” hoping to find a little piece of undiscovered paradise. From the moment we put our feet on the ground in Nicaragua, our hearts and our minds told us we had found “home.” And, just two short years after that first trip to Managua, we had packed up our Atlanta lives, said one last goodbye to the concrete jungle and began our journey down I-75 to Miami, where we would load our pets on an air-conditioned cargo plane and complete our greatly anticipated move to a new country.  But, as with every major step in life, there are always mountains to climb. We never anticipated the need to stop on the interstate and break up a dog fight in the back seat. We did not expect to arrive in Managua and find that our contractor had decided to tackle every stage of our home renovation all at once, rather than in staggered phases, demolishing all of our living space and placing our toilets in the backyard. Imagine our surprise, as we learned our new life in paradise would begin by sharing one small bedroom with our ten year-old daughter, three dogs, three cats and a bird, for six months!  With school starting for our daughter the Monday after our arrival, with dust and construction noise all around us, with roosters crowing at 5:00 a.m., with sporadic electricity and cold showers greeting us every morning, the reality of our new life was staring us square in our faces. Yet, we all agreed we had never been happier. Nicaragua was our new home, and we had no desire to look back. No second thoughts, no remorse. Our new Nicaraguan home has provided us with a life, a lifestyle and a level of happiness that we would not trade for any amount of money. To understand our new home, one must first know that as a country, Nicaragua is incredibly North Americanized. During the 1980’s, many Nicaraguans left their homeland to live in the United States and Canada. Their children were educated in U.S. and Canadian universities. They became bi-lingual, and they experienced North American amenities, culture, sports and foods. When the opportunity to return to their homeland was available, an overwhelming number of natives returned and began to open businesses and provide services never before seen in the country. Thus, for us, starting a new life in Nicaragua has come with relative ease, as we were able to transform our North American experiences into a lifestyle that includes much of what we love about our birth country, yet is seasoned by the fresh and simple qualities of Central America. Having everything we need on a smaller scale is actually one of the most endearing qualities of life in Nicaragua. When evaluating Central American countries, there are always subtle differences between nations that oftentimes appear indistinguishable. We love Central America as a whole, and find the challenges that it brings invigorating and entertaining on a daily basis, but there are absolutely particular qualities we have found in Nicaragua that enhance our experiences and make our daily life rich. We came from a city with skyscrapers and a fast-paced life, yet living in Nicaragua we are no longer burdened by the big city life. Panama City, Panama, Mexico City and even San Jose, Costa Rica, offer the “big city” lifestyle, but having everything we need on a smaller scale is actually one of the most endearing qualities of life in Nicaragua. There are cultural distinctions in Nicaragua that are probably most attributable to wars, foreign government domination and even military rule. Nicaragua has experience in all of these areas, but has reacted with very little resentment or change. Nicaraguans remain open, friendly, jovial and light-hearted, never seeming to be suspicious and closed to foreigners. Nicaraguans are curious about others, and compelled to help them, without giving a thought to their place of birth or the color of their skin. Our lives are filled with constant invitations to share dinner in the homes of our new Nicaraguan acquaintances, as well as attend their family weddings, funerals, christenings and birthday parties. We have been welcomed at every moment, even to the point of being showered with welcome gifts that included a rooster, hens, a calf, goats and even a pig. We never counted on having our own barnyard.  Nicaraguans are pleasantly courteous and extremely humble. In Nicaragua, you are often answered with the phrase, “a la orden.” Literally, it means “to the order”, expressing a person’s desire to please you and be at your service. Or, when you ask “how are you today”, the most common response is, "Bien, bien, gracias a Dios", which means “good, good, thanks to God”. That very person may have not eaten that day, they are potentially unemployed and more than likely one of their family members is sick. Given the opportunity, they will be happy to tell you about all of their problems, but in either case, their initial response will almost always be upbeat, hopeful, happy and with thanks to God. |
||
|
||
|
||
|
Another beauty of the Nicaragua people is their attention to their own personal appearance and daily habits. We are constantly amazed at the ability of Nicaraguans to keep their white shirts so brilliantly white, to meticulously iron their clothing and overall, present themselves to the very best of their economic means. They truly have great pride in their appearance, and most would not be caught in any type of social setting or public location without being dressed to the best of their ability.  |
||
Author : Roger Blair Keeling is a native of Louisville, Kentucky and attended the University of Kentucky, where he studied Architecture and Accounting. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and a Masters degree in Business Administration from the University of Louisville. Roger has more than twenty years of financial, real estate development and business experience. He served as Executive Vice President of Hillard Development Corporation and Chief Financial Officer of Vencor Atlanta. Since 1996, he has successfully operated the various companies that comprise Hunter Blair, Inc. and HB International, S.A. Roger now lives in Managua, Nicaragua with his wife Carolyn Hunter Keeling and their daughter Claire. Roger is a frequent speaker on topics related to living overseas and developing international resort communities and retirement properties. He can be contacted at 1-770-881-7725 in the U.S. or +011-505-8-850-3077 in Nicaragua. Roger is involved with the following organizations: |
||
|
||
 |
||
 |
||
F E A T U R E S 
But, as opposed to the North America of our parent’s and grand-parent’s generations, there is no longer novelty up north. The infrastructure of North America has robbed us of true identity and the joy of knowing truly special places and things. When you absolutely must purchase something special here, you might actually be required to get creative and search in unusual places for it, which often leads to even more enlightening and invigorating experiences.
Simply put, we have been fortunate enough to acquire many of the creature comforts we crave without too much effort, and at the same time, we have embraced the cultural differences and obstacles here that lead to surmountable challenges and humorous experiences. And, we have it all for a fraction of the cost of living that we faced in the United States. Our living expenses are now four to five times less than what we left behind, and that includes a maid, a gardener and our daughter’s private school education. 
Innovation in communications has made it possible for us, and for many of our expatriate friends here, to make a conscious decision to change our lives. We enjoy beautiful weather, a simplified lifestyle, incredible freedom, and the experience has enriched us forever. Long before we reached a point where we believed the best days of our lives were behind us, we are enjoying the splendor of a extraordinarily special place--Nicaragua. We truly have discovered the undiscovered.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Click Here to download this article in PDF format.
SEARCH OUR MAGAZINE ARCHIVES contact us submit an article list your property list your boat list a cultural event advertise with us list your property rental |
| |