Moving to Paraguay?

Where did you visit in Paraguay? There is a big difference between being in the countryside and a larger city such as Asuncion. Maybe you could look at compromising by moving to a large city such as Asuncion, or even Buenos Aires, Argentina. It's 16 hours or so away, but much easier for him to go home and visit family, and still gives you a big city feel. I personally love Buenos Aires. Yet I also love the calmness of Paraguayan life. I think it's relaxing. However, there are so many factors to consider, and it can be really hard to live in another country. You have to love the culture to do it. Do you speak Spanish? What about a job? In order to seriously consider a move, you have to consider more than just your relationship with him. You have to look at if you could be happy in Paraguay. A major part of this is having something to do!

Obviously the fact you are looking into moving says a lot for the depth of your relationship. But a lot can happen in for years. He may change his mind about moving. You may no longer be a couple. For now I think the important thing would be to focus on having this discussion with him, and seeing what kind of compromises you both would be willing to look into for the sake of your relationship. Then look at your options.

I did visit Asuncion and I went to Buenos Aries as well and I LOVED it I would move there... But no I do not speak Spanish but I can learn I speak Italian and I can understand about 90% of what they say when they speak. I just know that I do not want to live my life here in NYC where its all about what you have and not about who you are the life there is much different and simpler. I do not know what I could do there that is another thing I thought about. I also have my own family here I am so confused I wish someone could just point me in the right direction.

Well, that's something only you can decide! I love Paraguay for the simplicity, the greater focus on family and less on material goods. But, that's a huge generalization. You have time to look into what you'd like and think about it. In your first post you mentioned not knowing if you could live in Paraguay because it's much simpler... In the 2nd, that you don't want to live in NYC because of the lifestyle. Please, take the time and think about what you want. Then ask us questions if you would like to know more about life in Paraguay. But we can't make the decision of if you should move or not, or stay with your boyfriend or not, for you. We can't even point you in the right direction. No matter how much you might tell us, thoose are personal decisions. Apart from that, I think anyone here would be more than willing to answer specific questions on lifestyle, job options, etc.

If you're confused... relax. It's not a decision that has to be made immediately. Like I said, talk with your boyfriend too. Look into your options and know that you have time (and more possible visits to South America) to help you make the decision.

Well ok let me clarify myself. I do want a simple life here in NYC you are always keeping up with the jones's. I am 25 and my boyfriend is 31 and I sometimes feel like my life is flashing by and am i really living you know. My boyfriend and I work a lot of hours a week and he knows that he does not want to live his life like this anymore. He also has a business there in the countryside which he has cattle and they raise them and sell them and that is his dream of what he wants to be doing for his life. I would most definitely have to learn the language or I will be lost but I feel that if I learn the language maybe it could work. Him saying he wants to move there scars me but if he said to me that he would want to go there for 6 months I would do it in a heart beat I think its a great life experience and I am very open to that. Also I do have a degree in Sociology and I am going to be going back for m Masters, is a degree here equivalent? I do know someone from there who came here and their degree was not equivalent. I know it is a personal decision. May I ask you a question when you moved there did you do it alone? Did you leave family behind? Friends?

My main reason for moving to Paraguay (it's not official yet- I'm moving there for good in July but have lived there before)is that I don't want to live my life stressed! I am 26. It's the age where I've graduated from college, worked, gone BACK to school, and worked again. I divorced and looked at what will make me happy, and decided it was not buying a house and paying on a mortage for the rest of my life. As you mentioned, I have also felt that life is passing me by. Turning 25 really felt like a mid-life crisis! People my age are marrying and finding jobs- I was divorcing and just finishing a new career. I felt like I was going backwards- I haven't accomplished anything yet, but I'm no longer a kid. Yet when I looked at what I want to do, I realized I never want to feel I missed out on life or didn't do something and it's too late. So before I CAN'T travel (because I am so settled into my job, or buy a house because it's what people with steady jobs DO at this time in their lives), I decided to return to where I was happiest.

Most people (American AND Paraguayan) do not understand this decision in the slightest, especially when I could work as a teacher here in the U.S. Why on earth would I LEAVE America to move to a 3rd world country? But I really loved so many aspects of Paraguayan culture. Simplicity, more than anything. Paraguayans know how to relax and enjoy friendships and family (over a nice cold terere)! I feel healthier and less burdened when living there. I AM healthier and less burdened when living there.

Work will always be work. But it seems to me that I'll be able to live less focused on that, and more on what's important. The wage in Paraguay is low. So is cost of living though. I'm a teacher, and hoping to find a job teaching English in Paraguay. With so many budget cuts here (I still have a job, but it's ever changing, which is hard), it will be nice to be an English-speaking foreigner (sounds silly, but such an important factor in the job hunt!) with a college education.

I don't know if your degree will transfer... It is debatable if mine will. I am going through the channels to find this out now, and frankly, it's a pain. No one cares about answering my questions. Without being in the country it's pretty hard to get anything done. Also, what would you do with your degree once in Paraguay? I speak Spanish well, I teach it here in the U.S. I still don't feel confident with all the aspects of using the language formally in Paraguay though (and I have lived in Mexico as well and used formal Spanish at university there!). Things like writing a Curriculum Vitae in Spanish are painstaking! Also, the culture of diplomacy and politeness is really interesting, and I always feel like I'm on tippietoes, because one wrong word means the person will decide not to help me. Yet Paraguayans are really friendly.. I think it's just that if you're not there in person, you're easy to forget and put aside... My point is, study Spanish. To live in Paraguay, you will need it. To work in Paraguay... You'll definitely need it, unless you find a job teaching sociology class in English at a university. I don't even know if that's an option in Paraguay (taking the course in English) like it would be in Mexico.

The first time I went to Paraguay, I knew no one. I lived there for a year and now have "family" and friends in Ciudad del Este. I'll be going to Asuncion so that I can have a new experience, but still have the knowledge of loved ones a few hours away. It's hard for my "real" (US) family to know I'll be moving to another continent though. My family and I are REALLY close, so it will be hard being so far away from them again. And of course I'll miss my friends as well. Because it's so expensive, it's hard to convince anyone to seriously consider coming to visit. I have a boyfriend in Paraguay, and I think it's hard for my family to realize that this time, it's likely to be a fairly permanent thing. I think they're petrified that we'll get married and have kids and I'll be there forever (could happen). I have said I'll go for 2 years or so. After that, I don't know. I'm leaving it open because I think it's pretty impossible for me to anticipate now how I will feel about living "forever" in Paraguay. My boyfriend is aware of this too, and if need be, willing to move with me later.

From experience, I know homesickness will hit hard. I'm already worried about certain aspects of the culture (being a fairly conservative woman in a country where the take on sex is a lot more lenient than my own views, and the sort of thought that women are taken care of by men...) These are big generalizations (or perhaps even stereotypes), but I'm trying to be honest with myself about my own personal culture shock issues that will crop up. Best to be prepared so that once I get there, I am not hit by sudden depression that everything isn't how I imagined. There are many positives and negatives. I'm excited for the chance to travel more. I love learning, and am hoping to expand my use of Guarani (there are some good sites for this!)

So... this long odessy of a reply will may not give you the personal help you were looking for, but it's my personal take on things, if that helps at all.