Here's your mission: Try to find a topic that is narrow, and focused, and relatively small in scope. Research a few facts and try to write 400-500 words on that article (don't write the lead or the nutgraf, but maybe just write the guts of the piece). This will probably come out to only 3-6 paragraphs, but practice the art of taking raw information and putting it down in a logical, comprehensible fashion. Imagine that you're trying to give the reader as much information as possible, but you still want to keep it comprehensible and entertaining...
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Tina wrote:
Every country, in the Caribbean, has its advantages and disadvantages from shopping, to the language they speak. The best way to get to know a place is to visit for a period of time, the longer the better. If you plan it right it can be very rewarding. Getting to know the infrastructure, the people and the way they live, can help you make the right decision. Finding the right place for you can be fun and exciting. Once you have found your place in paradise it’s time to make the move. I moved to the Caribbean over seventeen years ago. I live on an island called San Pedro in the country of Belize. My husband and I have lived and worked here since 1997. When I moved to Ambergris Caye in ‘97, I found the average age of ex-pats, living on the island, were fifty and older. That has changed in the last several years. Now the age of people moving to the Caribbean is thirty-five and up. There are several options for you to enter and stay.
1) 30-day visa - you can get stamped every thirty days, up to six months. After six months you have to apply for a work permit or leave the country and re-enter.(recommend a work permit)
2) Work permit (cost) There are two types of work permits:
a) Application for permission to employ a foreigner (after being in the country for six months), and
b) Application for Temporary Self-Employment. The six-month residency requirement can be waived.
3) Permanent Residency (US$1000). To be approved for Permanent Residency status you have to be in the country of Belize for one year. If you leave you can only do so for no more than 14 days. After being a permanent resident for five years you are entitled to apply for citizenship. You can have dual citizenship. Forms for residency and citizenship www.embassyofbelize.org
4) Retired status (US$700). This is for those that qualify.
A) You or your spouse must be at least 45 years old.
B) You must show that you have US$2000 a month to live on. If you ever plan on working in Belize do not go the retirement route. You can’t reverse this statue.
Once you have become either permanent resident or have retired status you have six months to bring in a shipping container full of your household goods duty free. You may find that you will want to ship a few things in, because living on San Pedro you are limited to the quantity and quality of the things you need from linens to your favorite hobby supplies. You are also entitled to bring in a golf cart, or other transportation like a boat or even a plane. These items must be used. Check with customs to find out more. Getting things in to the country can be done quite easy. It’s the wait the drives me crazy. Things here are quite a bit slower here than they are in the states. If it’s a stress free, laid back life style you are looking for, than San Pedro’s for you. “Right now”, is one phase you will have to get use to, which means sometime in the near future.
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Teachers Comment:
I like the breakdown of the various options facing someone who wants to be resident - it's very comprehensive and informative. Now that the facts are aligned, the next step would be to weave a story between those bullets - to take it from list form to story form. I like the facts, and the arrangement, and the key thing to take away from this assignment is the realization that feature writing is the juggling of both data and narrative - doing one's best to make the fact-telling as interesting as possible. Great job!
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