The American Dream And Where To Find It
“The American dream is still very much alive. You just have to look outside America to find it.”
So said a store-owner in Coronado, Panama, to our in-house Managing Editor, Charles Conn. And nobody could agree with her more than Charles…
Charles grew up in Panama with an American-expat dad and Panamanian mom. Always curious about his American heritage, he left Panama to attend college in the United States. Once he’d graduated, Charles spent years trekking around the country—working any job he could get—trying to find his share of the American dream.
Twenty years after leaving home, he was still searching for that dream when personal circumstances drew him back to Panama… where Charles was in for a surprise…
His home country was almost unrecognizable.
The unrest that he’d grown up with through the Noriega years and the American occupation was a distant memory.
“Panama had gone through an economic boom that just transformed it from a Third World backwater place that I had so many mixed feelings about,” says Charles. “Now it was an aspiring city with skyscrapers everywhere and entire new neighborhoods I had never seen before. I was fascinated…
“So, I thought maybe now would be a good time to put down roots and try to make it here… rather than trying to make it in the States where I felt like I was working hard on the treadmill and going nowhere.”
(Eventually, of course, Charles found his way into our Editorial Department. And, if you were at our Live and Invest in Panama Conference earlier this year, you’ll have heard him tell his story).
The particulars of the American dream, of course, are a personal thing.
Maybe it’s the traditional approach of working hard, working your way up, and reaping the rewards…
Maybe it’s about finding true freedom to pursue whatever you want to do…
Maybe it’s about returning to a safer, simpler way of life…
Whatever dream you aspire to, I can tell you that Panama offers a solution.
I left Paris behind for the opportunity I saw in Panama City. Now I can get from my tranquil home in the hills to the buzz of the city in 15 minutes (something I could never have in Paris)… be at the core of a growing business… and get to travel almost every month. For me, it’s been an energetic and dynamic two years, and I can’t wait to see where it goes…
And that’s just Panama City.
If you’re looking for the complete opposite—a simpler, slower pace of life where you’re completely surrounded by the best of nature—there’s the Azuero Coast…
And you’ll find many options in between… from the pleasantly cool hills of Boquete or Santa Fe to the “city beaches” where you can enjoy seaside living with full services at hand.
We’ll introduce you to each one of these dream lifestyles at our 2018 Live and Invest in Panama Conference, Feb. 21–23.
Among the expats we’ve invited to speak this year, one is running a business… and one is living his retirement dream in an expat enclave high in the mountains. Each one is excited to share his (or her) story with you and to help you discover the possibilities.
Our days will be action-packed, full of all the information you need to decide whether Panama is for you… and, if so, the help you’ll need to move forward with your Panama plan.
It all starts here on the ground in Panama City, Feb. 21–23, 2018. Full details are here. (Remember to use Coupon Code PREPTY50 to save an extra US$50 on your seat.)
Dream big…
Valentine Fouché
Editor, Live and Invest Overseas Confidential
