- Kimberly Kelley, a former spiritual leader and musician, moved from the US to Panama in 2023.
- The 71-year-old found that retirement in her home state of Arizona wasn’t stimulating enough.
- She dates men 10 years her junior, saying she doesn’t want to take care of an “old man”.
This essay is based on a conversation with Kimberly Kelley, 71, an American expat living in Panama.
I’ve always been an adventurous person and couldn’t stand the thought of stagnation in my senior years.
My military career in the Air Force as a young man took me to places like England and Germany. I was fascinated by the different perspectives, cultural differences and architecture.
Then, when I came back to the US, I enjoyed traveling all over the country. My ex-husband and I were musicians who played 160 venues a year. We drove around the state in an automobile and must have covered half a million miles.
Then, in 2015, we planted a church in Sedona, Arizona, and I qualified as an ordained minister online. It was a spiritual center that brought together people of different faiths and religions.
I got divorced in June 2020. But I didn’t really have any friends. It seems people couldn’t get past my title “Reverend Kimberly”. They wouldn’t curse around me or drink too much – as if they had to honor me.
Soon, I was itching to leave. I had already read magazines about living abroad. But I knew I couldn’t leave while my 97-year-old mother and 19-year-old shih tzu were still alive.
They both died in 2022. I realized that apart from my brothers and cousins, no one connected me to the US. I considered going to Bali, but was put off by the 15-hour travel time.
I had 2 months to get my affairs in order before I left the US
Another option was a Spanish-speaking country, because I had at least some background in the language. Belize and Panama were on my list of possibilities.
In April 2023, I hired Shawna Lum, a relocation coach. She suggested I go on a scouting mission to Central America. I loved Belize, but I also loved the 12 days I spent in Panama that summer.
My employee drove me all over the country and once we visited San Lucas, whose nearest town is Coronado, I felt right at home. Before I left, I would have put a down payment on an oceanfront condo.
The place ticked all the boxes for me – warm weather, a beach, a mix of expats and locals, and a thriving pickleball community.
Shawna walked me through all the paperwork and I booked my flight for October 25, 2023. I barely had two months to get my affairs in order before I left Sedona.
Shawna’s best tip was to fit all the things I wanted to take in just two suitcases. “Sell the rest,” she said. I sold the big box items in my rental apartment, like my tilt, bookshelf, convection oven, and beloved Keurig.
I picked up countless bags of clothes at Goodwill and a nearby women’s shelter.
The big day came. I have never felt so free as when I stepped out of the airport in Panama and felt the sun on my face.
Since then, I have fallen back in love with my life. I love the location of my apartment because it’s quiet, uncrowded and unspoiled. The food is much healthier because it is less processed, and fresh fruit and fish are delicious.
The dating pool is small – but quite large
The cost of living is much cheaper. I used to pay $3.50 for an avocado in Arizona. Here, they cost $1 each. My rent is $1,000 a month for a 2,500 square foot, two bedroom condo with an ocean view.
I have met many people who love pickles as much as I do. I made contacts on social networks that became good friends. More than a dozen of us hang out, meet for lunch or coffee. I call them my tribe. The locals have been nothing but warm and friendly.
In terms of love, I have never dated in the US after breaking up with my ex-husband. I didn’t want to. But here, I’m having a lot of fun. I’m very active, so I tend to date men who are at least 10 years younger than me. I don’t want him to take care of an “old man”. I prefer someone who can keep up with my energy level.
Yes, you get guys who come down here for adventures like hiking, but forget to show their knees. And you get the retired pro who just runs between the golf course and the pool.
The dating pool is small, but there are plenty of good men to dance, sing karaoke, play board games, or pickle. It’s not serious, but I’m seeing a guy who has been taking me to the nicest restaurants.
My retirement has turned out to be as fun and exciting as I had hoped. The polar opposite of stagnation.
