I moved from the US to South Africa 3 years ago. It's easier to achieve the American dream here.

14.10.2024 - 21:46 / insider.com

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Christian Salafia, a former US Navy engineering laboratory technician and cyber and information security consultant who moved from Florida to South Africa in 2021.

The following has been edited for length and clarity.

I moved to South Africa for my now-wife three years ago. It's the best decision I've ever made.

Back in late 2019, early 2020, my then-girlfriend Kim and I had known each other for years on Facebook, but it was always "Happy Birthday," nothing more interactive than that. Then she invited me to South Africa.

I needed to renew my passport, and she needed to renew hers. So, we said, "Whoever gets theirs first travels first." Hers came quicker, so she came out to the US in February 2020, just as Covid was starting to make noise around the world.

We spent 10 days together, and I thought, "This is probably going somewhere, so next time, I'll come out to South Africa and see what life is like out there."

Three days after she went home, the world shut down. So, I didn't get to come out until November 2020.

When I finally came out to South Africa, I absolutely fell in love with the country.

When I stepped out of the plane for the first time in South Africa, I felt immediately relaxed.

One of the first things we did on my first trip was have lunch on the beach, with Table Mountain just a few kilometers away. I remember standing there looking over the Atlantic, Table Mountain on my left, soaking in the scenery.

We stayed at a hotel resort, which is about four hours away, and saw the wide open spaces with the rolling hills and the animals just roaming around. It just feels so unspoiled.

At the time, I spent two weeks and an additional two weeks because I contracted Covid before I could go home. We came back to the US in December 2020, and she stayed through New Year.

I called my daughters — I have two adult daughters — and asked, "How would you feel if your dad decided to move to South Africa?"

My daughter said: "Does she make you happy?" And I said: "Absolutely." And she goes: "Go, have fun."

And so, in August 2021, I came out here with three suitcases — I had sent two boxes — and built a new life halfway around the world.

Before I left the US, I was making close to six figures, and it was still very stressful to make sure bills were paid and to wonder whether I was going on vacation.

But here, through the lower cost of living, we're able to have the life that most Americans think is the American dream.

We're in a very nice house in the Winelands, and we have a car. I'm now semi-retired; I get a Navy disability pensionand am a cyber and information security consultant.

We go on vacation. we can go on nights out and go to the theater and the