One Year in El Salvador

A year ago this month, our family landed in El Salvador with our suitcases, our two pets, and a long list of questions.

It started as a two-week vacation, but by the second week, a joke on a balcony with a view of the San Vicente volcano had turned into a real question: "Could we really live here?" Two weeks after we flew home, we were back with our girls, this time looking at land, and a few months later, we were moving.

A year in, some things still surprise me. I've learned more Spanish in El Salvador than in all the years before, mostly by ordering food and chatting with neighbors. Our girls have picked up Spanish from neighborhood kids and cartoons. And WhatsApp really is how the whole country talks, from your landlord to your vet.

Not everything is done: we're still renting while we plan our build, and some steps in our own book are still ahead of us.

That's why I'm writing Moving to El Salvador. It's the guide I wish we had found the day we decided to move: the paperwork, shipping, banking, driving, schools, and first months on the ground, with every fee and law checked against its official source.

Each week, I'll share a short note about one piece of the move. If you're dreaming about El Salvador, or already packing, I hope it helps. Sign up below to get the next post and to hear when the book comes out.