In the last few months, many parents and students have contacted me to ask what happened to my blog here at New Globals.  “What’s all this talk about Uruguay?” they want to know.  “What happened to the posts about studying abroad, saving on college costs, avoiding student debt and getting a personalized international education?” they ask.  “Why did you change it?”

The simple answer is that I wrote a 300+ page book packed with tons of information, student success stories, and how-to advice for those ready to get an outrageously relevant education on campus, online, on the road, and on their own terms and time lines.  It’s all right there in The New Global Student:  Skip the SAT, Save Thousands on Tuition, and Get a Truly International Education, which was published last year by Crown/Three Rivers Press, a division of Random House.  In addition, I have maintained a blog here at NewGlobals.com for the last two years in which I have written extensively about advantageous and affordable ways to get a great college education.

But there are other reasons I’ve stopped blogging about education and have instead focused on writing about my new life in Uruguay and the topics that intrigue me most—life abroad, mindfulness, frugality, sustainability, gardening, and simple living.

Here are the main issues that have convinced me to shift my efforts:

1)     Fear causes paralysis. Since the publication of my book, I have talked with hundreds of parents and students interested in doing high school and college differently.  I’ve received loads of wonderful emails from those who are wildly enthusiastic about the Bold School approach.  “This resonates with me,” they say.  “I’ve been looking for a book like this for years,” they write.  But then, when parents check in with me months later, they often admit that they have not taken any steps to change the course of their children’s education.  Why?  Because they are afraid.  They’re worried that their kids won’t like it, or it won’t work out, or it will be too hard to try something new.  Even though they know there are far better (and far less expensive) options for their kids, they just can’t pull it together to make even one small change.  And so, they do what everyone does in that situation:  they hunker down and continue doing what they’ve always done.  I can inform, cajole and cheer (and I continue to do so, especially with private clients) but in the end, the decision to overcome fear in order to soar is not mine to make.

2)     Exhaustion limits perspective. The longer I am out of the United States (five years now), the more amazed I am at how frequently and proudly Americans wear the “exhaustion” word like a badge of honor.  “I’m swamped.”  “When I get a chance to breathe…”  “When things settle down…” We use exhaustion as our way to claim that we are busy and therefore doing all the things that lead to success and happiness.  When is the last time you heard someone say, “Oh, I’ve got plenty of time” or “My schedule is wide open”?  And on the rare occasions when we do hear it, we’re likely to think, “Why isn’t this person busy?  Don’t they have a life?”  Many teens and twenty-somethings absorb and adopt this mindset, packing their schedules to ensure their own exhaustion/validation.  Others run the other way, avoiding commitment and responsibility at all costs. The challenge is finding balance, and until we slow down long enough to see our possibilities and recognize the ones that tug at us, we will continue to struggle, strive and fail to thrive.

3)      It’s easier to ignore than to innovate. Keeping our heads in the sand is a protective mechanism.  We don’t like thinking about the future, especially when it may involve instability and change.  Our learned helplessness—behaving as though we have no choice about what we do, where we live, etc.—is reinforced every day, and worse, we are the ones most likely to keep ourselves from making decisions that lead us to greater ease and more fulfillment.  The world is changing, and ultimately, it is up to each of us to decide if, when, and how we will change along with it.

4)     Life goes on. When I wrote The New Global Student, I was living in the cosmopolitan city of Buenos Aires, Argentina with varying combinations of our four daughters.  Now, they are off on their own, living happily in their chosen destinations (New York, Buenos Aires, and a cruise ship in the Mediterranean) and Tom and I are living in a farmhouse in rural Uruguay.  Instead of writing about education, I am writing fiction—specifically, stories about those who have made big changes in their lives (some planned, some unintentional) and learned how to thrive. It’s a theme I find fascinating.

Perhaps I sound disgruntled or disappointed, but that’s not the case at all—I’m simply being mindful of how it’s all unfolding. I’m truly grateful that I’ve had such a fantastic opportunity to reach so many people who are ready to do things differently.  It’s been a tremendous gift to me in many ways, but it’s been a profound lesson in letting go.  I recognize that my role is to share stories and information that can help others and to do so with grace and generosity. Being attached to the outcome limits my energy, and I want to use all that I have in ways that allow me to be of service.  That requires me to step back in order to see my own possibilities more clearly.

I invite you to explore the many posts and links to education and study abroad resources I’ve included in this blog the last two years, and hope you’ll be intrigued to follow along in this new direction.  Though New Globals is still a very appropriate theme for me personally and this blog can be accessed at NewGlobals.com, it’s now become my personal blog at MayaFrost.com/blog.   Just keeping things simple.

Life is all about transitions.

Change is coming.  It’s always coming.

This is my place to explore and embrace it.

Thanks for joining me!

Taeko, my oldest daughter, made this incredible video for my 50th birthday today–it includes bits from many loved ones and an assortment of embarrassing photos.  I laughed and cried and laughed and cried.

I feel tremendously blessed to have so much love and adventure in my life.

Thank you–from the bottom of my heart–to everyone who contributed!

Love,

Maya

The last few days have been all about nature. Here’s a photo of a caterpillar on the wall of our house.  We’ve been noticing all kinds of things like this because this week our friend Rudi came to visit.

Rudi is a retired biology professor from UCLA and one of the world’s top authorities on butterflies.  We love Rudi.  He can be curmudgeonly and bawdy as hell, but he is also brilliant and passionate about conservation. Rudi moved to Buenos Aires about the same time we did–in 2006–and now he is ready to move back to the U.S.    In his case, it’s due to frustration:  he has been volunteering tirelessly in the conservation community in BA and feels that his contributions are not entirely appreciated.  He just wants to do good research, learn what butterflies are in the area and lay the foundation for ongoing studies about the changes in nature in Buenos Aires.  The conservation community in BA is in a rather nascent stage and he’s a little too far along in his thinking to be fully embraced by the locals.

So, when we picked him up at the ferry terminal in Colonia, I teased him by saying we were going to talk him into moving to Uruguay rather than the United States.

“No way,” he said.  ”I’m going to where I can connect with people who really care about conservation.”

It took less than ten minutes for him to start exclaiming about the natural areas around him.

“Do you see that?  That’s wild country.  It’s natural.  See, it hasn’t been cultivated.  My God, look at that!  That’s sure to be packed with all kinds of fascinating butterflies.”

Tom drove Rudi’s rental car as we explored back roads all over the area while Rudi looked out the window.  He frequently said, “Stop right here!” and would get out with his butterfly net, exclaiming “Look at that!  I’ve never seen anything like it.  I have no idea what it is.”  And he’d carefully catch it and take a specimen to study later.

Rudi was like a kid in a candy shop.  His countenance changed:  he seemed at least twenty years younger than his 70-plus years each time he jumped out of the car to take a closer look at a flower or insect.

Two days later, Rudi was seriously considering buying a piece of natural property upon which to conduct research.  We sent him off on a bus to Montevideo, where he was to meet a 90-year-old world-famous Uruguayan entomologist to see how he might be able to collaborate with scientists here.

The next day, Tom and I went to visit our friend Sara.  Sara is an Argentine woman who lives just up the road from us on 100 acres of gorgeous natural habitat.  She spent most of her life in the United States and has been involved in environmental organizations for many years.  As we sat on her patio and gazed out at the magnificent view, she told us that she wanted to turn it into a nature preserve.  She is looking for a foundation, something truly focused on conservation, to take it over eventually.  We told her about Rudi, the well-respected butterfly journal he publishes quarterly and the foundation he has established for conservation efforts to preserve natural butterfly habitats.

This is how things are happening here.  We meet someone.  We have a conversation.  Shortly thereafter, we meet someone else who has a similar idea.  Things come together.  Everything feels connected.  We seem to be in the role of making introductions and offering encouragement.  It’s thrilling.

Rudi will be back.  He forgot his butterfly net at our house.  He has others, but this one is his travel net, the one he takes everywhere.

We’ll take him over to Sara’s and see what happens.

This is where we spend most of our time when we’re not outside.  We picked up the couch and two chairs for $75 from Julio, the guy in Nueva Helvecia who sells old furniture from his garage.  We’ve been waiting for the remate (auction) season to start–that’s where people buy furniture here in Uruguay.  Our first local auction is this weekend.  In the meantime, we make do.  Note the backseat of the Mehari put to use as a coffee table.  The House Hunters International people would have been truly horrified.

I have no idea what kind of truck this is or how old it is.  It passed us while we were walking in Nueva Helvecia (the old Swiss colony) and when we saw it parked a couple of blocks away, Tom had to take a picture of it.  Sterling example of the kind of daily drivers you see on the roads in Uruguay.  They make things last a long, long time here.

One of the things that people ask me most often is what qualities are most likely to lead to long-term satisfaction and success as a freelancer or entrepreneur living abroad.

Is it language skills?  No.

Is it the ability to schmooze and network?  No–but this certainly helps.

Is it a fat bank account?  Well, sure, that can make things easier, but having enough money isn’t a guarantee that you’ll be happy long-term abroad–or anywhere else, for that matter.

The reality is that there are two qualities that really make a big difference:  flexibility and frugality.

See, if you’re able to look at options, try new things, adjust as you go, and continually assess how things are going, you won’t get stuck doing something you hate or that isn’t working.  This is true no matter where you live!  So, although you might have a particular skill set (of course you do) and a history of work experience (sure), keep in mind that these will complement but not necessarily determine what you choose to do while living abroad.  Most of my expat friends aren’t doing anything related to their previous lives–and that’s why they’re so happy!  They have given themselves permission to try something new–in many cases, something they would never have considered back home.

And that’s where the frugality thing comes in.  If you don’t require a lot of money to live, you give yourself a lot more room to be creative about what you do.  You don’t have to make a ton of money, or make much right away if you have a little in reserves.  It doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg to start something–most expats I know here in BA have started their own business venture on well under $1,000.  Okay, so they might not pay themselves from Day One, but they aren’t going into debt.

It’s also true that if they are living on less,  they are watching their finances closely.  They are not likely to be running up a big fat Visa bill because they are mindful about their spending and their bank balance.   And if you’re paying attention, you won’t be as likely to sink a ton of money into a business that is not taking off reasonably quickly.

Keep in mind that I’m talking about freelance opportunities or micro-businesses, which in the world of independent expats tend to be those that generate enough income for one person after the first three months.  Obviously, there are many levels of investment and different expectations from person to person, but many freelancers and solo entrepreneurs can find ways to support themselves–if they’re frugal–within six months.

If you’re an adult considering moving abroad, ask yourself if you have these two qualities–and be honest about your answer!

If you’re a college student dreaming of spending time abroad, consider the value of developing flexibility and frugality and how these two qualities can help you create a location independent livelihood in the future.   Lifestyle design requires awareness, and being flexible and frugal are a result of understanding your own limits (often self-imposed) and needs.

If you’re a parent, I strongly recommend that you find ways to teach your kids how to be flexible and frugal!  No matter what they do in the future–and no matter where they choose to live–being flexible and frugal will ensure that they have opportunities to do whatever they find most thrilling and fulfilling.

So, what do you think?  Are you flexible and frugal?  How important are these two qualities in your own life and work?

This week, my husband and I bought a small farm in Uruguay (that’s it in the photo). I wrote about the experience here on my mindfulness blog, but I wanted to write a post here on the key element that made it such a simple, smooth, fast and utterly enjoyable experience: I found the property on MercadoLibre.com, the Latin American version of eBay, and dealt directly with the owners.

Why was this better? Well, besides saving several thousand dollars in realtor’s fees, I was able to connect directly with a motivated seller who was responsive and honest. Actually, in my case, the owners aren’t online, so they had a friend post the ad on MercadoLibre.com and handle the correspondence. They couldn’t have picked a better friend for the job–it would have been hard to find a realtor who was that attentive!

I know. I spent some time going through real estate sites in Uruguay. Since there isn’t one big RMLS sort of site that has all listings, you have to cruise through site after site, many with broken links and clunky navigation and most with forms to fill out rather than an email address for requesting more information. Several realtors got back to me quickly–but only to say that the property I was interested in had sold two months ago (they just hadn’t taken it off the site). Two offered to show me properties if I came to their office. I explained that I was two hours away and would rather look at some properties online before making the trip. No response. Other realtors never returned my messages at all.

That’s when I decided to see if I could find listings for sale by owner. I checked Craigslist–which has many international sites and can be a great source for finding real estate. My husband and I had a great experience selling a home in Oregon through Craigslist–it was all completed in less than a month and everyone was completely happy with the outcome. Unfortunately, there are only a few Craigslist real estate listings for Uruguay (and most are in Montevideo), so I headed over to MercadoLibre and found exactly what I wanted at a fraction of the price I was expecting to pay. I sent a message to the address listed, and within minutes, Julio got back to me with more photos and answers to my questions!

Don’t worry–you don’t have to be fluent in the language.  I wrote short sentences in Spanish and asked very basic questions. I’m sure I didn’t express myself perfectly but Julio had no problem understanding me. I could understand his responses easily with a little help from an online Spanish/English dictionary (I don’t know much real estate vocabulary).  Although I had worried that this might be a cumbersome or confusing way to get the info I needed, it turned out to be easy and fun.

If you’ve been dreaming of looking at real estate abroad but don’t want to get tied to a realtor, pestered by their regular emails or frustrated by a lack of response or updated info, try Craigslist or MercadoLibre (in South America). You’ll get an idea of the properties that are for sale by owner and in many cases, receive a lot more information about a listing than you’d ever find on a real estate website.

Even if you’re not completely committed to the idea of buying something abroad, checking the Craigslist or MercadoLibre sites is a great way to dip a toe in without taking the plunge. Take a look at the prices, compare listings, and get a feel for the area you are considering. You might just stumble upon the property of your dreams at a price you never imagined possible.

Back in 1982, I had just returned to the US from a year-long study trip through Asia during my senior year in college. I’d had a fantastic experience in a dozen countries, I had some college loans to repay, and I was ready to go home and get a job.

The economy had other ideas for me.

This was during a terrible recession that made jobs scarce in Oregon, and despite applying for over 75 jobs, I was unable to find one. I was even doing those “information interviews” where you go in and just talk to someone in your field of interest, just to make contacts.

No luck.

It didn’t help that I lived in a town of 350 people and had to drive into Portland (35 minutes away) to submit applications or show up for interviews. Remember that this was pre-internet–I couldn’t search online. I had to drive into town (three miles away) to buy the newspaper each day to look at the “help wanted” ads! Plus, my father had just had open-heart surgery and I was supposed to stay at home and watch over him. Oh, and my high school friends were all married and had kids and wondered what the heck I was doing–going to college and traveling around the world hadn’t helped me get a job. They were all making more money than I was with nothing but a high school degree. And the amount I’d paid for college could have been a down payment for a house and still buy me a perfectly nice pick-up. Clearly, I’d screwed up.

Thankfully, I decided to expand my options. Even though I had JUST come back from a year abroad, and even though I had student loans to repay, I applied for a job teaching English in Japan.

It seemed like a long-shot. My parents were not happy. I questioned whether I was willing to commit to the two-year contract they required.

But I did it anyway. I got the job–and it completely changed my life. Bonus: I got paid way more than I would have had I been working at an entry-level job in Oregon.

What I gained from that teaching experience abroad was a tremendous sense of confidence in my ability to go somewhere completely foreign and figure out how to thrive. I was in a small town in a rural area up in the snow country, and was one of only half a dozen foreigners for hundreds of miles. (Pre-internet, pre-fax, pre-video.)

I ended up meeting the love of my life–a fellow English teacher who had grown up only ten miles from my Oregon town. We got married, had two kids there, and moved back to the US where we started an export company, two retail stores and a variety of other projects.

What we’d learned from being abroad is that we could do just about anything if we forged ahead and didn’t listen to the voices in our heads (and from others) suggesting we might fail.

Years later, when the Japanese economy tanked, my husband and I took advantage of it: we put the export company in a coma, sold a business, and took our four girls (ages 7, 8, 10, and 11) to India and Nepal for three months. That opened our eyes to new possibilities and planted the seed that led to our family’s move abroad in 2005.

I know how taking a job abroad during a slumped economy led to unimaginable opportunities for my family and me–and that’s one of the reasons I recommend it to twentysomethings who are having a hard time gaining traction in the US economy right now.

Sometimes, all it takes to thrive is opening up to a new set of options.

One thing I love about being in Buenos Aires is seeing how twentysomethings from the US are taking full advantage of the slow economy at home to go abroad and find interesting opportunities.

Things may suck in your town, your state or your country right now, but it doesn’t mean you don’t have options elsewhere! You can stay and compete for the same jobs with tons of others who have the same degree and experience you do, or you can get out and make yourself more valuable to employers and the world.

My advice to ANYONE is that if you are not thriving, then do something else. There is no reason to stick with a job that bores you to tears or in a work place that makes you dread each day. This is important for people of all ages but especially true for young people!

When you are young, you should be getting out there and learning in a range of settings that truly challenge you. It’s been shown that those who have lived abroad have more creativity and improved problem-solving skills. Well, obviously—when you have to figure out what’s going on, how to make things work, and how to make your way in an unfamiliar place, you have to get creative! Being adaptable and innovative is absolutely the key to success for those in the 21st-century global economy.

If you’re not actively increasing your ability to be flexible and creative and you’re not learning more about yourself and the world around you, quit what you’re doing and dive into something that allows you to come alive. Do not waste another minute doing the “right thing”—there’s plenty of time for that later, if you’re still interested in it. Instead, focus on your natural interests and talents. You won’t go wrong if you do what you love to do and you’re creative about finding new ways and places to use your skills.

Of course, if you have student loans, it’s a much bigger challenge. That’s one of the reasons I wrote The New Global Student—to help young people avoid college debt so that they are free to pursue their interests after graduation!

Remember: the key is to challenge yourself in new ways. You’ve done the classroom thing already. Think about how to leverage what you know and layer more knowledge and skills on top of it.

In what non-classroom ways can you expand and deepen your experiences and options?

Keep in mind that your life doesn’t have to follow a straight and predictable line. Often, your best opportunities are those that might seem to take you off on a tangent. The most interesting and successful people I know are the ones who have learned to trust their instincts and go where their interests lead them rather than follow a prescribed path. Don’t be afraid to do something that excites you even if it sounds kind of crazy.

My new book shows how people of all ages and with limited resources (some with less than $1,000) are creating new lives for themselves abroad. This has been an option for years, but it’s even more compelling if you happen to be in a situation in which you are:

* unsatisfied
* unable to find a job or an internship
* losing hope in your ability to do something creative, meaningful, fulfilling and self-supporting.

If you’re in your twenties and not fully engaged in work that lights you up, go find your spark somewhere else–at least for the time being. Who knows where it will lead?

Doug Lansky is the guru for solo travel. He contributed a nice piece in my book about how he set out on a six-month trip and ended up being on the road for ten years–during which he was paid to write a syndicated column with millions of readers and served as the host for a travel show on television. He also wrote several books, including his hilarious anthology of crazy signs and a guide for those traveling around the world on their own.

These days, he has a sweet life in Sweden with his wife and three little girls, and spends time each year in the U.S. offering his hilarious “Get Lost” lecture on college campuses.

Learn more at http://www.DougLansky.com