Ten years ago I met Meri and Gary Scott , and that brief time created the immediate need that arose this year to go to Ecuador at the equinox in June to celebrate life and make plans for the rest of my time here.
As you all know by now, Sharon is inspired to travel with me there and wants to take everyone with us, :) so they can learn from the amazing life-changing experience that awaits us all in Ecuador. I am including this fascinating letter from Gary Scott because it is another reminder that many Americans (in particular) are chucking the old life to move to Central and South America. “Portable Parents” is A MUST READ for anyone tired of the same-old, same-old!
Hi Gary,
If you remember one of the ideas we talked about in Tampa was the concept of Portable Parents…The flight back to Portland was spent feverishly scribbling ideas about what Portable Parents meant to me, the impact & “issues” that my ideas might pose on my family, and the next steps I needed to take upon returning home. In the late hours of the flight a peace came over me, I knew that these thoughts and ideas were the “key” to unlocking THE puzzle…namely the lifestyle change that I was wanting & elimination of the 60 hour work week & corporate America.
Upon returning home I convinced my wife that our next vacation would be in Ecuador…and oh by the way we were leaving in March. She was confused and apprehensive, but I had 6 weeks to ease her fears and convince her that I had not lost my mind…. We traveled with our 2 children, our 11 yr. old son and 6 yr. old daughter….
Ecuador is EVERYTHING you write about and more. We fell in love with the people. The spirit, kindness, warmth, and sense of family we found was incredible! There are not to many places in the U.S. where I would feel comfortable walking city streets at 11pm with my kids…after only a couple of days in Cotacachi we were strolling the streets as a family.
I have some exciting news…we have decided that we are moving to Ecuador!!
…this decision is the beginning of Portable Parents. In fact, the activities we are currently undertaking are all important elements, selling our stuff, selling our house, researching schooling, etc. I have continued to write and build out the notes I took on the plane. They are still only jumbled ideas and unconnected stories, but every day brings new material for Portable Parents as we prepare for our move to Ecuador.
I wanted to share our passion and explain what Portable Parents means to us…
We will sell or give to charity EVERYTHING we own. We will keep some clothes, electronics, and a few household items…but we are approaching this adventure as a new beginning. I came home from work earlier this week and Gina said that she was giving away her china. I know that this was a tough decision, but was very proud of her that she is embracing this dream.
Our primary residence will be Ecuador. We will home-school our children. We will learn Spanish. We will work on building our Portable Parents business. However, we also plan on traveling to other countries and expect to visit 2 or 3 different places each year. If we like a city we visit, we will stay for a few months; if we don’t, we will move on to the next one. These travels will be central elements to the kids’ school curriculum… they will live the experiences not simply read it in a text book.
By eliminating our material possessions, home schooling the kids, and building an online business, we will be completely Portable.
We are not without fears and trepidation. But even the kids are supportive, agreeing to give it a try. I have a great since of pride from their willingness to make such a change…to leave friendships, activities, and their hometown. I am confident that these fears will subside, and that this experience will be the most amazing journey for our family. It will provide balance, reducing our focus on financial rewards and provide physical, emotional, and spiritual health.
I have still not been able to boil down the PROBLEM…and certainly not in the 11 words you taught us in Tampa. In addition, I would welcome any suggestions about the types of PRODUCTS that I could produce for my market. I am happy to take any criticisms as well…
Regards, Sean
