Halloween in Northern Michigan

It's that time of year again when all the ghost and goblins come out to play. My children are grown now and don't participate in the worlds largest candy scavenger hunt anymore so I usually tag along with one of my nieces or nephews on Halloween nigh to help out my sisters and to have an excuse to get dressed up. I love seeing the children dressed up as their favorite characters from this years popular movie, running from door to door hoping that this house gives out the full sized candy bars.

The name Halloween 
The word "Halloween" has evolved over the years. It's earliest appearance in the English language was back in 1745. Before that the day was referred to as All Hallows Evening. The day before all Hallows  day or all saints day. A day for honoring all Saints known and unknown. As time past All Hollows Evening was shortened to All Hollows Eve ( this term is still heard today) and then eventually into Hallowe'en and then Halloween.

Why we celebrate Halloween the way we do.
 There are rumors that Halloween has both Pagan and Christian roots. The name Halloween is of Christian origin but some of the traditions we still practice to this day resemble the Celtic Harvest Festival and it's Pagan influences.
 The custom of "Trick or Treat" didn't start in North America until some time in the 1920 where as Britain and Ireland have been doing it sense the early 1600's. In the beginning children would go door to door wearing masks and perform a simple task, like singing a song or reciting a poem for treats. The threat of a trick if no treat was given didn't start until more recent years and is more common in North America.
 Bobbing for apples is another popular Halloween practice. Bobbing for apples was first introduced to the Celtics by the Romans when they brought apple trees to Britain after their invasion.  It was originally a way to find a husband or wife. Unmarried youths would Bob for apples, the first to retrieve the apple would be the next to marry. I'm sure glad we don't still do that. I wouldn't want to marry the first guy to get an apple.
 Jock-o'-lanterns: the practice of carving gourds for lanterns has been around for over 700 years. They were said to keep evil spirits away and would be carried for protection or placed in the windows of homes to protect the home from spirits. Sometime in the 19th century Ireland popularized the practice of carving jack-o'-lanterns at Halloween time and the tradition stuck. Today there are contests to see who can create the most elaborate designs in their gourds.

Halloween in a Nut Shell or rather a gourd shell
 All in all weather permitting (it's snowing/raining as I write this) Halloween is a magical time in young children's lives where they can dress up as anything their imaginations can create and go out door to door asking for candy. Halloween isn't just for the young though. Many parents look forward to letting themselves shed some of their inhibitions and dress up as well. I heard a statistical on the radio yesterday. For every two pieces of candy the child gets the parent eats one. 
 So go out into the night you beautiful princesses, scary goblins, super heroes and mermaids.  Have fun but practice safety.  Make sure to be with an adult. Always check your candy before eating it and make sure your visible to traffic.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! 

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Grenada

 Also known as the spice isles Grenada is comprised of the main island Grenada along with six surrounding smaller islands.
 If fall is your favorite season than Grenada might be the place for you. Nutmeg is one of Grenada's main exports. The smell of Nutmeg always reminds me of pumpkin pie. Who needs pumpkin spice everything when you live in the spice isles? No need to run down to Starbucks for a latte, you can add a little fresh ground nutmeg to your coffee right at home when you live in Grenada.

Interesting things to do on Grenada 
 Grenada is home to the words first under water sculpture park. It's absolutely breath taking. Regardless of whether I move to Grenada or not seeing this underwater park is going on my bucket list.
Check out these amazing sculptures here.
 In late August Grenada has a two day long music carnival. This is a perfect time to immerse yourself into the local culture. You will be able to sample foods from around the Caribbean and dance long into the night.

Cost of living
 Cost of living seems to be higher than the other Caribbean islands I've researched so far. For instance a dozen eggs will run you close to $3.17 usd.

Jobs in Grenada
 The unemployment rate is high in Grenada so if your going there expecting to find work it may be difficult. You must have a job lined up to apply for a work permit. Your employer will initiate the work permit process for you. Work permits  are good for 1 year and can be reapplied for each year after that.

Becoming a Resident 
 If you find that you love the spice Isles you must live in country 2 years before applying to become a permanent resident.

Dual Citizenship or Citizenship by Investment
 Grenada offers something called citizenship by investment. In order to qualify you must meet certain criteria. You must be of out standing character, hold no criminal record, be in good health and have a high personal wealth. Along with that you must make an investment in one of the fallowing.
* Invest in a pre-approved Realest Investment,
* Invest $350,000 usd plus an additional $25,000 usd per dependent in the Mount Cinnamon Project or
 *Donate $200,000 usd plus an additional $25,000 per dependent to the National Transformation Fund.
  There are many perks that come with this such as no taxes world wide on income and Visa free travel to over 100 countries. Personally this is not an option, but for some it  would be beneficial and well worth it.

Health Care
 As with most of the other Caribbean islands any major procedures have to be done at one of the mainland Hospitals. Without private insurance the medical bills can really start to pile up.

 Housing
 There are many options when buying a home for under $200,000 usd. on Grenada. Homes that would go for over $300,000 in the U.S.  sell for as little as $100,000 usd here. I found 18 homes under $200K most of them 3-5 bedrooms,  2+ baths. You could live quite comfortably in one of these homes if you have a steady income coming in from somewhere else.


Schools
 Grenada offers both public and private schools. Their public school system is based on the British school curriculum.  If you choose private schooling for your child the curriculum is closer to that of the United States.

Do you know someone who might be interested in learning about Grenada? Why not share this post with them?


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Curacao

Curacao is the first Dutch Caribbean island I've come across so far.
 There are six in total. The Countries Aruba, Curacao, St. Marten and the islands of Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba are referred to as the BES-islands. Three individual public entities within the country the Netherlands. Dutch Caribbean Legal Portal

Willemstad with its beautiful pastel-colored buildings is the capital of Curacao and is home to the Queen Emma Bridge. The Queen Emma Bridge is a floating or pontoon bridge  across the St. Anna bay. At one time it was a toll bridge but now a days is free to cross. Other areas of interest on the island are the Hato Caves and the Savonet Museum.

Language
 Papiamento is the most widely used language on the island. Papiamento is a mix between Portuguese, Judaeo-Portuguese, Spanish, Judaeo-Spanish, English and Dutch. While English and Spanish are widely used on the island it is recommended that you learn Papiamento if you plan to move there.

Become a Resident 
Moving to Curacao does require applying for a residency permit which can take around 4 months. That gives you time to start working on your Papiamento. In order to apply you must show some sort of revenue coming in or else your permit will most likely be denied.


Schools
They offer both the American high stress style of learning as well as the more laid back approach of the Netherlands. It's nice to have both options. A child that struggles with the American style of learning may perform better with less pressure where as a child who craves structure may thrive in a more rigid learning atmosphere.


Cost of Living and Home Prices
Due to its location in the Caribbean it sees far less hurricanes than most of the other islands. Making your property investment safer.
Cost of living is comparable to a larger U.S. city but as far as Caribbean islands go falls lower on the list. For example a dozen eggs will cost you around $2.00 U.S.
A 4 bedroom home not on the water will run you around $220,000 USD or 395,000ANF. 

Fun Facts
Blue Curacao (the drink) is actually orange colored and flavored. It's dyed the beautiful blue color.

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Turneffe Atoll and the islands of Belize

Turneffe Atoll is actually one of three atolls of the Belize barrier reef. 

They include Turneffee island, the largest atoll ( 30 miles long and 10 miles wide) in the Mesoamerican barrier reef system, Glovers Reef, home to the Glover's Reef Marine Reserve and Lighthouse Reef know for it's underwater sink hole. Three of the four Caribbean atoll's are in Belize making this a very unique spot to live. These atoll's are sublime for snorkeling and a fly fisherman's dream come true.

 Ever heard of The Great Blue Hole? It's a massive sink hole in Lighthouse Reefs lagoon. Jacques Cousteau made it famous in 1979 when he brought his ship the Calypso there to measure it's depth. Through his research a depth of 125 meters or 410 feet was recorded. Jacques declared it to be one of the top 10 best snorkeling sites in the world.

Property on Turneffee 

Buying property in Belize is quite simple for expats. There are no regulations for foreigners who wish to purchase property. There is no Capital Gains Tax. Excellent! There is a stamp duty tax of 5 percent payed by the buyer at closing but the first $10,000 is excluded, so on a $100,000 dollar sale you pay 5 percent on $90,000. That's not to bad as far as I'm concerned.  I'm starting to get so excited about Belize. This might just be the place for us. 

Absolutely amazing retirement benefits.

The Belize retired persons incentive program for people over 45 (YEP I SAID 45!) Is amazing. You do have to have a pension that pays out a minimum of 2 grand a month and you and your family can not work once excepted to this program but it offers tax benefits and all sorts of cool stuff. This is the best place so far to retire in the Caribbean.  

It's also amazing for people not ready to retire. The property prices are simply wonderful. I found a freaken island for sale for $249,000. A 1 acre private island all to yourself, ready to be built on. I wish I was ready to move right now.

Working in Belize

Similar to Cozumel working in Belize can be difficult.  You need to apply for a work permit and if your looking to do a job that a Belizean can do your chances of getting the permit are slim, but not impossible.  However if your looking to start a business (especially one that will bring locals jobs) it's a little easier to get a work permit. There is of course all the paperwork, forms and permits that will need to be filed when starting any business and the process can take a month or two but your not restricted to the amount of property you can own and stuff like that. I could absolutely do my wedding business here or the snorkeling and boat tours. 

Cost of Living

Cost of living in Belize is considerably  lower than in the U.S. an ocean front view will cost you on average $300 to $800 a month. Local food is reasonable as well. If you buy all imported it will cost you but if you live as the locals do you can live very well for under $1000 a month.

Know someone who wants to start a small business?  Why not share this post with them? Belize might be your Paradise.  Let me know your thoughts in the comments.


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What's an Atoll? Whare are they and can you live on one?

I am extremely excited about this post. I love rare and unique things, atolls are just that. I am over the moon excited and I cant wait to tell you all about them.

 How did I pick the islands to research? Basically I brought up Google maps, zoomed in on the Caribbean and followed the coastlines picking out anything that sounded interesting. When I hit Belize I found Turneffe Atoll. At the time I hadn't realized exactly what an Atoll was, so before I post about Turneffe I want to tell you a little about Atolls and how their formed.
  An atoll ( /ˈætɒl/, /ˈætɔːl/, /ˈætoʊl/, /əˈtɒl/, /əˈtɔːl/ or /əˈtoʊl/),^[1][2] sometimes called a coral atoll, is a ring-shaped coral reef including a coral rim that encircles a lagoon partially or completely. There may be coral islands/cays on the rim.^[3](p60)[4] The coral of the atoll often sits atop the rim of an extinct seamount or volcano which has eroded or subsided partially beneath the water. The lagoon forms over the volcanic crater or caldera while the higher rim remains above water or at shallow depths that permit the coral to grow and form the reefs. For the atoll to persist, continued erosion or subsidence must be at a rate slow enough to permit reef growth upwards and outwards to replace the lost height. Wikipedia 

Crazy stuff right? But wait it gets crazier!

Because Atolls are often remote and hard to get to the government,  and not just the U.S., but France and Britain as well thought they would make great places to test nuclear weapons.  In fact the first hydrogen bomb was tested by the U.S. on Bikini Atoll and between 1947 and 1962 was home to more than 100 other nuclear explosions. Unfortunately as a result of this testing many Atolls were destroyed or damaged.
National Geografic.organization

Major bummer!

 I don't know an exact number of Atolls in the word, in fact no one really does. It's estimated to be around 400 but there are arguments out there that some of them don't completely qualify as atolls. People more qualified than myself have used satellite imagery and to their best guess it's around 400. So we will go with that number. Out of the 400 a lot of them are deserted or uninhabitable but there are some that are amazing. Did you know the Maldives are atolls? I didn't either but they are.
 I can't wait to find more Atolls during my research to live on. It's  my new passion! I must live on an atoll.
Up next Turneffe Atoll, Belize

Aren't Atolls amazing?  Know anyone who wants to learn more about them? Why not share this with them? Have a question about Atolls?  Leave me a comment.

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How to Rule Twitter

Stop Following Celebraties!
 If they have a blue check mark unfollow them.
Yep you heard me right! I'll give you a few seconds to start breathing again.

5....

4....

3....

2....

1....

Ok, are you breathing?  Should we keep going? 

Good, now that you've calmed down let me explain why I say that. 

Unless your really into that celeb and care what they do with their life there's no reason to follow them.  They won't follow you back,  they won't answer your repeated messages to them no matter how cleverly written you think your message was and they won't like or retweet your posts, ever.  So you're basically wasting your limited number of follows on them( yes there's a limit to how many people you can follow). If your a normal individual the limit is 5,000 there are circumstances that allow you to follow more people.  Here I'll let twitter explain it. They do a better job than I can.  Click Here.  Wait!  Come back when your done there's much more to learn my twitter cubs.
 So how do you rule twitter?

Step 1
 Follow people,  real live people like you and me.  How do I find these people you ask? That's a good question, I'm glad you asked. You can start by following your friends and the people twitter suggests for you, (but not the celebs, or at least not all of them) they do a good job of suggesting people.  Once you get bored of that try searching for people that have simular interests to you.  Search # tags. For instance if you like skiing search #skiing, if your into sports search #sports and if your into curly haired llamas with painted toenails, well I'm really not sure what you would search there but you get the idea.  Once you've followed a good group of people with simular interests to you it's time for step 2. This is where you start getting followers.


Step 2
 On average for every 100 people you follow about 10 will follow you back.  Is there some scientific algerythem for this?  Maybe! I don't know but per my experience that's what happens.  With that math if you follow your max number of 5,000 people your only going to get 500 followers back.  Dont get me wrong that's a great number of followers but we are here to be twitter masters. We want thousands of followers.  Right?  We want people to know how amazing our lives are( in 140 characters or less). Plus it's no fun just watching what other people are posting. We want likes and retweets and comments. We want to have conversations with people.  We want to direct message someone and make a connection.  In order to have that we ourselves need to be interesting and engaging. How do we do that you ask?  First check your profile and be honest with yourself.  Do you have intersting tweets?  Are there eye catching tweets in your time line? If not get out there in the world and start taking pictures and tweeting them. Take picture of fun things you do.  Take pictures of beautiful things,  if you find something interesting tweet it. Chances are if your interested in it someone else will be too.  Now you have a profile that people will want to follow. Time for the final step, and this is a big one.

Step 3
 Start liking,  retweeting and commenting on the people's tweets that your following. They will do the same in return and this is where the real magic happens. Every time  someone retweets your post their followers in theory are your follows too. Let's say 40 (just a random number, not an actual number) of your followers see your tweet and 1 of them retweets it. Now 40(still a random number) of their followers see it as well. Thats 40 of your followers and 40 of theirs bringing the total to 80 (still random) people seeing your tweet, and if one of their followers were to retweeted their retweet the number increases. Every time the number of people seeing your tweet increases the potential number of people who will want to follow you goes up.

Before you know it you will be getting 100 followers a day. So go out there you Twitter Masters and start Ruling twitter.

Know anyone who could use some twitter help? Why not share this with them? Be sure to follow me on Twitter cause ya know us Twitter Masters we love followers.
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Jamaica

My first impression of Jamaica was Hell No!

 With its murder rates being as high as they are, their unfriendliness towards expats and the LGBT community, according to Wikipedia (but I can't believe everyone feels that way), poor quality of living and the health care nightmares I've read about I wanted to stop my research within the first few minutes. I didn't, I kept digging and although there will be challenges for new comers I think the island has a lot to offer.

About the island
Jamaica as a country has gone through a lot of changes, some as recently as the 1980's and 90's. My opinion is that they are still trying to figure themselves out. Until England conquered the island in 1655 it was possessed  by Spain.  The island didn't achieve independence from the United Kingdom (England) until 1962. They have only had 75 years to figure this out. Jamaica is a Commonwealth realm, with Queen Elizabeth II as it's monarch and head of state.
 Jamaica is the third most populous English speaking country in the Americas  (after the United States and Canada) and the third largest island of the Greater Antilles.

Cost of Living
 Cost of living in Jamaica is 23% lower than in the U.S. and cost of rent is 69% less than in the U.S.. It makes it an affordable option for a Caribbean island paradise.

Property 
 Foreigners are eligible to by property in Jamaica without any restrictions. There is always lawyers involved in the process of buying land so there will be legal fees to pay as well as stamp duty (usually shared by the buyer and seller) of 4 percent and a 16.5 percent General Consumption Tax. There are registration fees and if a realtor is involved there will be fees to be paid to them. Even though the property prices are fair the taxes and fees can really start to add up. It is recommended to rent before buying when first moving to Jamaica so that you can figure out where it is you feel safe and at home.

What makes Jamaica Special
  With beautiful waterfalls and mile long beaches Jamaica has a lot to offer in the outdoor exploring department. Of course there's reggae music, what's not to love about that. Kingston, Jamaica is the home to the Bob Marley Museum. Kingston also happens to be the capital of Jamaica. Northeast of Kingston is the Blue Mountains, from its highest point (via hiking trail) both the North and South coasts of the island can be seen. Blue Mountain is also known for its coffee.
Blue Mountain Coffee is a highly sought after mild coffee known for it's lack of bitterness.
All in all a lot of good things come out of Jamaica.  I'm definitely going to keep Jamaica on my list of possible new homes.

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Read something you have a question about? Leave it in the comments and I will be happy to answer.

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Cozumel

Cozumel is an island 12 miles of the coast of Playa del Carmen, Mexico.  It's a popular vacation and cruise ship destination. The cost of living is very reasonable here, more so than anywhere else I've looked so far. There are many homes for sale under $300k U.S. dollars and even some commercially zoned beach front lots at good prices.
 Unfortunately as it was with Roatan the Mexican government puts limitations on business ownership. It does seem to be a little more relaxed in Mexico than in Honduras in the sense that there are ways to own a business without having a native as co-owner and there doesn't seem to be a limit on the amount of property you can own. It is well advised to hire a lawyer to help you through the process. They will advise you on the right paperwork to file and go to bat for you if one agency or area tells you one thing and a different area something totally opposite. As a foreigner you can not work in your own business.  There is a law that says no foreigner can do the work that a native of Mexico is able to do. Basically you have to hide in back pushing papers around regardless of the fact that you own the place.
Crime is high and the government is always looking for ways to either put you out of business or bribe you.
 It's really to bad because Cozumel is an amazing place. Not only does it have the beautiful Caribbean waters and miles of Sandy beaches but it also has Mayan ruins.

 Most of these islands I've researched would make great retirement places to live but I'm in the prime of my life. I don't want to spend my days in an office I want to be out enjoying all the island has to offer. Meeting the people, working along side them and integrating myself into their lifestyles. If you're able to work from your computer and live anywhere while doing so, this would be an awesome place for you.
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I find the Mayan ruins fascinating.



Bottled water because it true what they say. DON'T DRINK THE WATER!



If you do want to live there this might be a helpful tool to starting your Internet business.


 I'm starting to get frustrated and feel like we may never find the right place for us.
Next stop on my Caribbean island tour, Jamaica.

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Cayman Islands

Oh, those wily Cayman Islands! Where people go to hide their money. When you hear of the Cayman Islands most people's first thought is no taxes and it's true, you keep the money you earn. There is no property tax, no inheritance tax and no capital gains tax but there is a 1 time stamp duty of of 7.5% for land transfers and property sales due at the time of sale.

Real Estate
Property can be pretty pricey here. Its tough to find a home under $300,000  U.S. dollars and some go for as high as 36 million dollars.
On the island of Cayman Brac I did find .51 acre beach front lot that's ready for you to build your dream home on. There are no restriction on the amount of property ownership for foreigners here like there is on some of the other Caribbean islands I've looked at.

Cost of Living
Cost of living is a little higher as well. Just like with the other islands all food and other supplies are flown or shipped in so the prices reflect that. They do offer a more diverse variety of products at grocery stores than most of the other Caribbean islands. That's a plus.

Residency 
Getting residency and work permit paperwork is a lengthy and expensive process and it's recommended to hire a lawyer to help you through it. Bummer, but if your not worried about cost or have time restrictions than it could work out nice for you.

Healthcare 
No social health care on the islands and all residence are required to have health insurance. The medical care is said to be similar to how it is in the states and most common procedures can be done on the island. There are limited on island hospitals though so it might be a bit of time before you can schedule whatever it is needing to be done. For emergencies and more complex procedures you're often flown to the closest mainland hospital excepting patients.

About the Islands
The Cayman islands are part of the British overseas territory and is made up of three islands.
Grand Cayman:  the largest of the three is known for its beaches and colorful coral reefs. It's home to the Cayman Islands National Museum and the site of colonial Fort George ruins. George Town is it's capital and a large cruise-ship port.
Cayman brac:  the Eastern most island has a lime stone bluff that runs most of its length and is full of caves to explore. There is also a parrot reserve on the island for endangered parrots.
Little cayman: the smallest island is home to the pink-hued sand of Point O' Sand beach. Things to see include the South Hole Sound lagoon and Bloody Bay Marine Park with their huge under water walls covered in coral.
The Cayman Islands share the title for friendliest country in the world with Australia and the United Kingdom according Forbes.
 Did you ever watch the t.v. show Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous?  If that show was still around I know there would be an episode filmed here.

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It seems to me to be more of a wealthy retirement place than somewhere I could start a small business. Maybe once I've made my fortune ( or found my fortune in buried treasure) on one of the other islands I will come back to the Cayman Islands and retire.  It certainly sounds like a wonderful place to live, just not at this time in my life.


Next up Cozumel, Mexico

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