Chapter #2: 12 Month Countdown to the Adventure!

We had 12 months to get ready to go. It sounded like a long time, but at the end we were still scurrying around finalizing things. No solid travel plans had been set in stone that far out, but we knew enough to start planning and preparing. I know for every person and family the experience will be different, however this will cover what we have found and learned during our process. The first thing I did was jump online and start researching Penang, Malaysia. I had heard of it, but wasn’t sure where it was, what the language was, currency, food, ethnicity, government etc, and it was exciting and daunting to learn so much. YouTube is a great place to get ‘eyes on’ content. Seeing the country, cities, and places to visit are a great way to get a good idea of what you're getting into, at least visually. A caveat though, the majority of online videos show you the best of a place, the coolest locations, the top places to eat. You don’t see the down the road everyday places and life. It’s not a problem, but keep in mind there is an entire world out there beyond "internet content." I found myself watching hours of "walking around" and "driving around" videos (with no narration). I loved seeing the daily pulse and "man on the ground" feel of these (and it helped me not to be surprised when we actually were "in country"). It also helped greatly as I became familiar with different parts of the city, and helped narrow down the areas to where we are most interested in for apartments. Using mapping apps also helped to see the different travel times to and from work from those areas and influenced our decision on desirable areas. We also started learning basic local language (on YouTube) to help make our transition easier. Most Malays speak some English so that wasn’t a problem, however when trying to read the signs along the roads it helps to have a basic knowledge if you can.

Now there are things to consider before you make the big move, like where and how do you live? What to do with your current living situation now comes into play. If you own a home, what do you do? Sell? Rent? Caretaker? Create a zombie Apocalypse compound? This was the situation we were in (no zombies yet, so that option was off the table unfortunately). We own our home and wished to keep it, so we had a decision to make. If we rent, who will deal with rental issues? Finding tenants, vetting them, doing background and financial checks? What’s the cost of a property manager? Many variables go into this decision since it’s not as easy as just saying "let’s rent our house!" We could sell it, which would make some things easier, however what of the furnishings? Vehicles? What of all the things you’re not taking but are keeping? Many considerations. We had an epiphany and asked our daughter’s family of four (husband and two granddaughters) if they were interested in moving from Manhattan to New Mexico. They had just come out of the New York City covid lockdown, and after thinking it through they agreed to reside in our (and soon to be their) home while we are away. This allowed us to pack up minimal items to be stored. We packed up the bedrooms, stored some kitchen items so they wouldn’t be all mixed up, and moved random items into the garage/shop. The rest of the home stayed as it sits, both inside and out. It became a win-win, providing our daughter’s family a great opportunity to focus on their financial goals while taking care of our home. We understand they will change some interior decorating choices we have made (Grrrrrrrrr...), but we expect that as they make it into their home as well. A couple big benefits are that we now have someone we trust to receive and check our mail and forward anything needing our direct attention.

Which brings up the subject of vehicles. Do you sell them? If so, what will you do to get around when you return? Do you keep them? Will they devalue, will they run? If you’re not a "car guy" then letting go may be the right step. In our case we didn’t want to have to immediately purchase a new car when we return. Our cars are older and paid off, so just storing them seemed the right move for us. There is a checklist of items to do to store vehicles (any combustion motor really), which I had to do for motorcycles, cars, trucks, and OHV toys. Each one required a little different process. Not hard mind you, but time consuming. However, now coming home should only require new batteries (if needed), fresh fuel, and away we go (we are maintaining registration and worked with our insurance agent for a special type of policy). We covered them well, and set them up for long term storage awaiting our return (and if you're wondering, YES, I do miss my 1991 Suburban and Ford F-350).

Now some random things you might need to deal with. 

Pets:

For us, it was our girl Kona, a 14 year old Border Collie (we lost her sister a few months before, so leaving our deeply loved girl was and is difficult for us). It was a blessing when our oldest son, Rain, volunteered to take her. He has two little girls, and the oldest was born while they lived with us, so she's known Kona her entire life and loves her. Rain was 14 when Kona became part of the family, so it makes our hearts happy to know she’ll be loved with familiar family around her. Not knowing if Kona will be there when we return is difficult to think about. That being said, any pet decisions are best made by all of the family, so no one person is blamed and the heartache is shared. If you move out of country and have pets it’s a major decision to leave or take them with you. We were also concerned about her health and ability to handle the travel, the international quarantine upon arrival, and what her quality of life would be like in this environment. There are many hoops you must jump through and a lot of red tape involved, making taking a pet with you quite difficult and EXPENSIVE. There are many fees involved. Keep that in mind when thinking of becoming an expat.

Cell Phones:

Do your homework! Some phones work in other countries and some don't. For us I had to upgrade to a more current model, but Rochelle's was new enough to be switched over. Service providers are completely different overseas (at least in Malaysia), and we each had to start from scratch. There are ways to retain your US number for your return to the states (if you desire to keep it), so research options and set up what you can BEFORE you leave the country or else you may end up with no service for a while or pay huge international fees if you use it. Don't procrastinate finding out what's available, or it might cost you big time.

Clothing:

Clothes are a major item to consider when moving. What is the weather like where you’re going? For Malaysia the weather is hot and humid. So the use of a hoodie or jacket is not needed. EVER. Unless you're my wife and get cold in the air conditioned office. So don’t talk yourself into taking things you’ll never need! We planned on light, moisture wicking fabrics, lightweight short pants etc. Heavy cotton will not be wanted where we’re going. Be aware that most of the world's population is not as big (i.e. LARGE) as Americans are, so the clothing they sell tend to be smaller. Ever ordered Asia made clothes on line? And the XL is closer to a Med (Oh, only me? Right...). It’s even more true in country. Unless you are petite, TAKE WHAT YOU WILL NEED CLOTHING-WISE in your size. Some items will be hard to replace. Also shoes have the same size issue, you can find different sizes if it’s in malls with well known well stocked retailers. But sometimes you just can’t find shoes big enough. Example, Riot was looking for house slippers in Penang, We only found ONE pair that was big and comfy enough on an entire WALL of offerings. Just make sure you have a backup pair if your main pair bites the dust. NOTE: After being in the country for a while we have been able to find larger shoe sizes. You may have to search around a bit to find your size and style, but you should be able to find the shoe size you need.

Bank accounts:

We have learned we need local bank accounts here to do things. And to set those up you must use your passport (for a joint account we must have our marriage certificate as well). Your passport is required to pretty much set up everything, bank accounts, cell phones, renting apartments and the list goes on. Your US driver's license doesn’t work as an IDs for the most part. We also carry a copy (picture) of our passports with us in case it’s needed. Some credit cards work at various locations, and using an ATM is an easy way to get cash without going to a bank or money changer (yes, that’s what they’re called here). Just check for ATM fees and international fees first and look online for locations. I carry My Costco Visa card (although no Costco's here in Malaysia) which works in fixed retail locations and pay at the pump petrol stations (see that, PETROL, I'm international now). However some local food hawkers and vendors only take cash. So I also carry a sufficient amount of local cash in case there’s ever an issue (needed it a few times). These are just a few things to learn about before you head to another country. If you’re just going for a short vacation most of these things probably don’t apply to you. But for a long term expat stay getting information beforehand makes things much easier once you arrive.

Driving:

All that was required of us to drive here was to get our International Driver's Permit. This was easily obtained at our local AAA office in New Mexico. Took about 30 minutes. No tests, no questions. Fill out the forms, take pictures, pay your money, and BOOM, your done. You will have to produce the international permit to rent cars, motor bikes etc. If you want to buy a motorbike (at least in Malaysia) you need a motorcycle license. FYI: It's much easier to have one already versus trying to obtain one in your new country and trying to figure out all the requirements and tests (though every country is different). We keep our US license as well as our International Permit with us when driving (I will cover what it's like to drive in Malaysia in a later post). Here's some shots of the DMV in Penang. It's the same as in the states, line up and wait. The only issue is everything is done in Malay, even the paperwork. Not a great time.

These are some of the things that you really don't consider until you're truly moving out of the country. This is by no means a comprehensive list of all the things you will deal with. Every location, family, and situation is different. Hopefully this gives you a little insight from what we went through and as to what to expect when moving out of the USA.