What I Learned From Flying 'Off The Beaten Path' For A Week...

Willemstad, Cura?ao

(Written 17th April, 2023)

A ‘Dushi’ life lesson:

One’s identity, beliefs, actions, goals change, and that’s OK :)

Cura?ao is a place that I probably wouldn’t have never checked out if it wasn’t for having a friend living here…

Initially, I had some resistance about the idea of visiting.?

I kept feeling like it may not be the kind of place I would want to go to (not a fan of hot weather or extremely touristic spots).

Not to mention that I’ve been to a few other Caribbean islands like The Bahamas, St. Thomas, Sint Maarten, Dominican Republic among others in the last 15 years.

So it didn’t sound like a new, unexplored path to me.

But given I really wanted to meet up with this friend of mine, I decided to spend my birthday here regardless.

Interestingly, with almost a week of context, I realize there’s

3 things to consider that make this experience different.

1. The place itself
2. The length of travel
3. My mentality

As I expected, Cura?ao has similarities with the other islands but it is still different in many ways.

On the other hand, a week in this place is not much but it is by far a lot better compared to the 8 hours you get when getting off a cruise for a quick shopping experience.

With that in mind, being able to spend a week on this island has also given me a variety of lessons, ideas and new ways to look at things (in relation to personal life & business too)

That’s exactly what I want to share with you here.

The first and foremost, is the reminder that…

“Not all countries are created equal”.

For me personally, that’s what makes the world so beautiful and interesting.

Every place you go ALWAYS has something different, new, unknown in some way.?

And despite how boring or close to your culture it may seem, you may still be surprised by the things that make that country special in its own unique way.

After more than a decade traveling, this is something that becomes more relevant with time.

Especially when you develop specific tastes, interests and goals.?

It is easier to discard anything that’s not within the planned blueprint.

I guess it naturally makes sense to prioritize and want to spend time in places where I want to develop ties, relationships, find opportunities and do business.?

But you don’t know what you don’t know…

It’s one thing to have an idea about the country, but it’s a completely different thing to see & experience it for yourself (and then come to a rough conclusion).

That’s why, although I’m strategic about my choices of countries…

One of the biggest takeaways in this trip was:

“I still want to give myself the opportunity to explore other countries (that I would otherwise never check out) while transitioning between my bases.”

(Which means, it will probably lead to hearing more of these kind of stories in the future from me)

Being surrounded by this friend of mine who’s already been here for over 2 months… I was eager to hear his take on Cura?ao so far.

To my surprise, he came here with a similar perspective to mine…

Not too eager but still wanted to test the waters and see things for himself.

Ironically, has liked it so much, that he’s already bought 2 properties, 2 cars and is setting up a company here too.

Certainly unexpected and eye opening at the same time.

I personally would have invested a little differently but… hey, THAT’S the point.

There is no ‘ONE SIZE FITS ALL’.?

In the case of Cura?ao specifically, it seems to be a perfect mix between the Netherlands and the Caribbean - clearly the sweet spot for some…

You get:

• European ties,?
• The comfort of the language (for Dutch or Spanish speakers)
• Diverse culture and extremely nice people,
• Many tax incentives and,
• Obviously ‘nice’ warm weather.

And those seem to be exactly the kind of things my friend was looking for.

So in retrospect, it makes absolute sense!

Sure, his goals, favorite weather, circumstances, business goals and global life plan are different from mine.

But there’s an element that remains the same.

The execution of these ‘internationalization strategies’ to grow in our personal and professional lives, which we both believe in.

Which highlights the importance of knowing what you want and finding a tailormade strategy for you.

So is this place good or not? I can’t answer that for you.

Whether Cura?ao is a place that could become part of your Global Plan, is probably up to you to discover.

If it aligns with your goals, with your intentions and the things you’re looking for, then it might just be.

At least, for my own personal journey, Cura?ao was a really nice place to spend some quality time with friends and learn some Papiamento.

But beyond that, it does not feel relevant for my life at the moment.?

It is true that sometimes you love the place, sometimes it feels ‘meh’ and sometimes you hate it…

But either way, it’s part of this journey.

So all in all, this is a simple reminder.

• A reminder to practice going off the beaten path more often.
• A reminder to be open and receptive to exploring less known ideas.
• A reminder to be clear about our mission and maximize each opportunity.

Especially now that I am on a quest to find the best things each country has to offer.?

Some may be for me, some may not.?

But nevertheless, I want to share my findings with you so you can also discover what could be possible for yourself and you can live the life that you WANT.

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