TheAwakening on Nostr: How we made the move to El Salvador Why did we make the move? First, let me provide a ...
How we made the move to El Salvador
Why did we make the move?
First, let me provide a bit of background on our situation. My wife was born and raised in a small town in Colombia, while I was born and raised in the U.S. I spent my childhood growing up on Air Force bases since my father was a career Air Force officer. He retired in 1972 when I was in the 5th grade, and after that, I spent most of my time in the Pacific Northwest. About 20 years ago, I went through a divorce after 15 years of marriage. Through that process I was incredibly fortunate to meet the woman who would become my wife after a three-year, very non-conventional courtship.
When we first met, I only spoke English, and she only spoke Spanish. We came from two different worlds, but early on, I knew she was the perfect person for me. I spent a lot of solo time teaching myself Spanish and researching how to bring her to the U.S. legally. It was a long and expensive process, but she finally came to the U.S. legally in December 2004. Two weeks later, we got married in my parents' home in Gladstone, Oregon. Sadly, none of her family could attend, as they didn’t have U.S. visas. This was especially hard for her, as she’s very close to her family and had never been apart from them in her 35 years of living. The whole story of our courtship, how we met and what that looked like is an interesting and unique story saved best for another day.
After five years of marriage, my wife became a naturalized US citizen. Unfortunately, over the years, only one member of her family has been able to obtain a tourist visa. Most have been denied, some of them denied multiple times, no real reason ever given. This means the vast majority of her family will never be able to visit her in the U.S. Her sister applied for a residence visa over 13 years ago and is still waiting. Meanwhile we've watched countless millions of people, including criminals and known bad actors, move to the front of the line ahead of us.
With the millions and millions of people entering the US illegally, we do not feel safe anymore. The government has a reason why they are doing this and it is at the expense of its own citizens. When flying in and out of the country, the scrutiny of passports and security is very high. Meanwhile one can cross into the US/Mexico border, go through a minimal amount of processing and then receive money, phones and whatever else the government is handing out. These people are then dumped on other communities across the US and we have no idea who these people are. My wife and I no longer feel safe living in the US. More importantly, the government has not prioritized the safety and security of its citizens.
The other factors for our decision to move to El Salvador can be summed up in one word: freedom. A little over three years ago, President Bukele declared Bitcoin as legal tender in El Salvador. Most importantly, no one was forced to use it; people have the freedom to choose whether they want to use dollars, Bitcoin, or both. The country’s treasury is held in Bitcoin, and El Salvador is undergoing a remarkable transformation before the world’s eyes. Bitcoin requires education and time to understand it. This is happening in El Salvador.
Now, let’s compare this to the U.S. US politicians have utterly ruined the country. Somehow, many have managed to accumulate millions of dollars of wealth on a $174,000 annual salary. How does this happen when the tax rate is around 50% before even paying for a mortgage or basic living expenses? At best, this is corruption. It isn’t a partisan issue—both sides are guilty. We’ve witnessed very elderly, incapacitated, drooling politicians wheeled into the Congress and Senate like they are gods in order to cast votes while being told what to do by their handlers. For those that are arguably still barely coherent, they seem to have no problem casting a vote for something they haven’t had time to read or presented for public debate. These are the tell tale signs of a nation in severe decline. It's embarrassing and enraging.
The US politicians have successfully divided the population into 2 groups. Each group hates the other. It is doubtful that either side will accept the results of the upcoming election, fraudulent or not. These are my opinions and I truly hope I am wrong.
I’ve also grown to despise the sick maturation of AML (Anti-Money Laundering) and KYC (Know Your Customer) regulations. These measures are no longer about preventing fraud or stopping money laundering—they're about government control. The assumption is that everyone is a criminal unless you can prove otherwise, and if you don’t comply, you can be prosecuted as a money launderer, even if you’ve done nothing wrong. These rules have taken on a life of their own, and effectiveness is no longer the goal. US politicians keep expanding them.
Banks limit ATM withdrawals, cap daily ACH payments, and impose wire transfer limits. Why? The banks claim it’s for our protection, but I believe it’s a move to slow down any future bank runs. It’s no secret that banks are struggling financially. I have zero trust in banks. El Salvador is the only country where I can have a chance of living on a bitcoin standard if that is what we decide to do.
El Salvador represents hope and freedom. It is a beautiful country with beautiful, good hearted people. They have a true leader as president who cares about his own citizens as well as others who live within the borders of El Salvador. We are extremely thankful for the opportunity to live in El Salvador. I wish I had the vocabulary to fully express the intenseness for our gratitude about this. We look forward to many great years in El Salvador and we will see what the future brings.
I hope this answers the question of “Why El Salvador”. In the near future, I would like to outline the process we went through to get ready for this move. Moving to another country is not trivial. It is very different than moving to another state or region in the same country. If you are thinking about making this move, you can do it. Do not get overwhelmed. It is taking care of one step at a time. It reminds of the age old question, "How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time." There are many things to think about and decisions to be made. Throughout this process we have learned many things. I plan on sharing these lessons here in future posts. Sharing is caring.
Additionally, we have lived here for exactly 2 weeks now. It seems like much longer and I mean this in the most positive way. In addition to accomplishing a lot during this time, I feel like my soul has been cleansed. This is not hyperbole. This is exactly how I feel. There are many other topics that I can think of to cover in the future … more to come.
Why did we make the move?
First, let me provide a bit of background on our situation. My wife was born and raised in a small town in Colombia, while I was born and raised in the U.S. I spent my childhood growing up on Air Force bases since my father was a career Air Force officer. He retired in 1972 when I was in the 5th grade, and after that, I spent most of my time in the Pacific Northwest. About 20 years ago, I went through a divorce after 15 years of marriage. Through that process I was incredibly fortunate to meet the woman who would become my wife after a three-year, very non-conventional courtship.
When we first met, I only spoke English, and she only spoke Spanish. We came from two different worlds, but early on, I knew she was the perfect person for me. I spent a lot of solo time teaching myself Spanish and researching how to bring her to the U.S. legally. It was a long and expensive process, but she finally came to the U.S. legally in December 2004. Two weeks later, we got married in my parents' home in Gladstone, Oregon. Sadly, none of her family could attend, as they didn’t have U.S. visas. This was especially hard for her, as she’s very close to her family and had never been apart from them in her 35 years of living. The whole story of our courtship, how we met and what that looked like is an interesting and unique story saved best for another day.
After five years of marriage, my wife became a naturalized US citizen. Unfortunately, over the years, only one member of her family has been able to obtain a tourist visa. Most have been denied, some of them denied multiple times, no real reason ever given. This means the vast majority of her family will never be able to visit her in the U.S. Her sister applied for a residence visa over 13 years ago and is still waiting. Meanwhile we've watched countless millions of people, including criminals and known bad actors, move to the front of the line ahead of us.
With the millions and millions of people entering the US illegally, we do not feel safe anymore. The government has a reason why they are doing this and it is at the expense of its own citizens. When flying in and out of the country, the scrutiny of passports and security is very high. Meanwhile one can cross into the US/Mexico border, go through a minimal amount of processing and then receive money, phones and whatever else the government is handing out. These people are then dumped on other communities across the US and we have no idea who these people are. My wife and I no longer feel safe living in the US. More importantly, the government has not prioritized the safety and security of its citizens.
The other factors for our decision to move to El Salvador can be summed up in one word: freedom. A little over three years ago, President Bukele declared Bitcoin as legal tender in El Salvador. Most importantly, no one was forced to use it; people have the freedom to choose whether they want to use dollars, Bitcoin, or both. The country’s treasury is held in Bitcoin, and El Salvador is undergoing a remarkable transformation before the world’s eyes. Bitcoin requires education and time to understand it. This is happening in El Salvador.
Now, let’s compare this to the U.S. US politicians have utterly ruined the country. Somehow, many have managed to accumulate millions of dollars of wealth on a $174,000 annual salary. How does this happen when the tax rate is around 50% before even paying for a mortgage or basic living expenses? At best, this is corruption. It isn’t a partisan issue—both sides are guilty. We’ve witnessed very elderly, incapacitated, drooling politicians wheeled into the Congress and Senate like they are gods in order to cast votes while being told what to do by their handlers. For those that are arguably still barely coherent, they seem to have no problem casting a vote for something they haven’t had time to read or presented for public debate. These are the tell tale signs of a nation in severe decline. It's embarrassing and enraging.
The US politicians have successfully divided the population into 2 groups. Each group hates the other. It is doubtful that either side will accept the results of the upcoming election, fraudulent or not. These are my opinions and I truly hope I am wrong.
I’ve also grown to despise the sick maturation of AML (Anti-Money Laundering) and KYC (Know Your Customer) regulations. These measures are no longer about preventing fraud or stopping money laundering—they're about government control. The assumption is that everyone is a criminal unless you can prove otherwise, and if you don’t comply, you can be prosecuted as a money launderer, even if you’ve done nothing wrong. These rules have taken on a life of their own, and effectiveness is no longer the goal. US politicians keep expanding them.
Banks limit ATM withdrawals, cap daily ACH payments, and impose wire transfer limits. Why? The banks claim it’s for our protection, but I believe it’s a move to slow down any future bank runs. It’s no secret that banks are struggling financially. I have zero trust in banks. El Salvador is the only country where I can have a chance of living on a bitcoin standard if that is what we decide to do.
El Salvador represents hope and freedom. It is a beautiful country with beautiful, good hearted people. They have a true leader as president who cares about his own citizens as well as others who live within the borders of El Salvador. We are extremely thankful for the opportunity to live in El Salvador. I wish I had the vocabulary to fully express the intenseness for our gratitude about this. We look forward to many great years in El Salvador and we will see what the future brings.
I hope this answers the question of “Why El Salvador”. In the near future, I would like to outline the process we went through to get ready for this move. Moving to another country is not trivial. It is very different than moving to another state or region in the same country. If you are thinking about making this move, you can do it. Do not get overwhelmed. It is taking care of one step at a time. It reminds of the age old question, "How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time." There are many things to think about and decisions to be made. Throughout this process we have learned many things. I plan on sharing these lessons here in future posts. Sharing is caring.
Additionally, we have lived here for exactly 2 weeks now. It seems like much longer and I mean this in the most positive way. In addition to accomplishing a lot during this time, I feel like my soul has been cleansed. This is not hyperbole. This is exactly how I feel. There are many other topics that I can think of to cover in the future … more to come.