Nearly half a million Finnish families own a summer cottage. Not a vacation home in the aspirational sense, but rather something simpler.

A place sometimes near water, usually in the woods, where the whole point is to slow down and disconnect.

There’s an inner peace Finnish people find in nature that can’t be located anywhere else. And perhaps it’s central to why Finland continues to top the rankings as the happiest country in the world.

In this fourth episode of my series exploring the Nordic nation, I headed out to the countryside to spend time with a couple who live long, uninterrupted stretches of the year in their summer cottage. Together, they’ve built a life that seems to orbit around this place.

They showed me the full cottage experience: foraging for berries and mushrooms, swimming in the sea, and of course, sitting in the sauna. At the end of it all, we sat down for dinner together to reflect on what makes living disconnected from city special.

This is Episode 4 of a five-part series on why Finland has been ranked the happiest country in the world. Watch the full video below, and subscribe so you don’t miss the final episode.

Nearly half a million Finnish families own a summer cottage. Not a vacation home in the aspirational sense, but rather something simpler.

A place sometimes near water, usually in the woods, where the whole point is to slow down and disconnect.

There’s an inner peace Finnish people find in nature that can’t be located anywhere else. And perhaps it’s central to why Finland continues to top the rankings as the happiest country in the world.

In this fourth episode of my series exploring the Nordic nation, I headed out to the countryside to spend time with a couple who live long, uninterrupted stretches of the year in their summer cottage. Together, they’ve built a life that seems to orbit around this place.

They showed me the full cottage experience: foraging for berries and mushrooms, swimming in the sea, and of course, sitting in the sauna. At the end of it all, we sat down for dinner together to reflect on what makes living disconnected from city special.

This is Episode 4 of a five-part series on why Finland has been ranked the happiest country in the world. Watch the full video below, and subscribe so you don’t miss the final episode.

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In America, most people live with a low hum of financial anxiety running in the background. Medical bills. Childcare. The nagging fear that one bad month could unravel everything.

In Finland, that particular kind of dread mostly doesn’t exist.

In this third episode of my series on the world’s happieset Country, I sit down with Anu Partanen, a Finnish author who spent nearly a decade living in the US before moving back home. Her book, The Nordic Theory of Everything, came out of that experience and the gap she observed between how the two countries organize daily life.

I also took a short train ride outside Helsinki to meet Aleksi Linna, a fellow YouTube creator, to understand what Finland's social safety net actually looks like on the ground. As a first-time father, he walked me through the specifics of paid parental and monthly child benefits deposited directly into your bank account.

Lastly, I spent time with Tomi Waltari, a Finnish guy with a full-time job and a family, who somehow still has the bandwidth to pursue an ambitious, basketball-related passion project on the side.

This is Episode 3 of a five-part series on why Finland has been ranked the happiest country in the world. Watch the full video below, and subscribe so you don’t miss what’s next.

In America, most people live with a low hum of financial anxiety running in the background. Medical bills. Childcare. The nagging fear that one bad month could unravel everything.

In Finland, that particular kind of dread mostly doesn’t exist.

In this third episode of my series on the world’s happieset Country, I sit down with Anu Partanen, a Finnish author who spent nearly a decade living in the US before moving back home. Her book, The Nordic Theory of Everything, came out of that experience and the gap she observed between how the two countries organize daily life.

I also took a short train ride outside Helsinki to meet Aleksi Linna, a fellow YouTube creator, to understand what Finland's social safety net actually looks like on the ground. As a first-time father, he walked me through the specifics of paid parental and monthly child benefits deposited directly into your bank account.

Lastly, I spent time with Tomi Waltari, a Finnish guy with a full-time job and a family, who somehow still has the bandwidth to pursue an ambitious, basketball-related passion project on the side.

This is Episode 3 of a five-part series on why Finland has been ranked the happiest country in the world. Watch the full video below, and subscribe so you don’t miss what’s next.

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Most cities are designed around cars, commerce, and efficiency. The stress they create is just something you absorb without noticing.

But not Helsinki, the capital of the happiest country in the world (nine years running).

In this second episode of my Finland series (here’s part 1 if you missed it), I spent time walking the streets with locals to see how the way a city is built might have more to do with happiness than we’d expect.

I explored a neighborhood that used to be working class and a little rough around the edges with Timo Hämäläinen, a blogger and urban planner who works for the City of Helsinki. He shared with me the the city had of making the area more people-centric.

I explored another neighborhood with Pauliina Seppälä, a Helsinki community organizer who showed me what it feels like to have everything you need within walking distance. We also discuss the tradeoffs of Finnish society, such as whether he country’s famously strong social safety net might quietly be make people less engaged.

This is Episode 2 of a five-part series on why Finland has been ranked the happiest country in the world. Watch the full video below, and subscribe so you don't miss what's next.

Most cities are designed around cars, commerce, and efficiency. The stress they create is just something you absorb without noticing.

But not Helsinki, the capital of the happiest country in the world (nine years running).

In this second episode of my Finland series (here’s part 1 if you missed it), I spent time walking the streets with locals to see how the way a city is built might have more to do with happiness than we’d expect.

I explored a neighborhood that used to be working class and a little rough around the edges with Timo Hämäläinen, a blogger and urban planner who works for the City of Helsinki. He shared with me the the city had of making the area more people-centric.

I explored another neighborhood with Pauliina Seppälä, a Helsinki community organizer who showed me what it feels like to have everything you need within walking distance. We also discuss the tradeoffs of Finnish society, such as whether he country’s famously strong social safety net might quietly be make people less engaged.

This is Episode 2 of a five-part series on why Finland has been ranked the happiest country in the world. Watch the full video below, and subscribe so you don't miss what's next

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In most places, access to art and culture has a price. The good stuff sits behind a paywall most people can’t afford.

Finland, though, felt different to me.

In this first video of my series on exploring why Finland continues to be ranked the happiest country in the world, I showcase something that kept coming up as I spent nearly a month living in Helsinki: free, accessible community spaces. I reflect on what they might actually be doing for people’s wellbeing.

I spent time with Jaakko Blomberg, a community organizer behind Helsinki Urban Art, who spearheaded the transformation of a Soviet-inspired neighborhood in East Helsinki into an open-air gallery featuring artists from all over the world.

I also wandered into a neighborhood flea market that nobody officially organized and talked to residents there about how an event like this comes together.

This is Episode 1 of a five-part series. Watch the full video below, and subscribe so you don’t miss what’s next.

In most places, access to art and culture has a price. The good stuff sits behind a paywall most people can’t afford.

Finland, though, felt different to me.

In this first video of my series on exploring why Finland continues to be ranked the happiest country in the world, I showcase something that kept coming up as I spent nearly a month living in Helsinki: free, accessible community spaces. I reflect on what they might actually be doing for people’s wellbeing.

I spent time with Jaakko Blomberg, a community organizer behind Helsinki Urban Art, who spearheaded the transformation of a Soviet-inspired neighborhood in East Helsinki into an open-air gallery featuring artists from all over the world.

I also wandered into a neighborhood flea market that nobody officially organized and talked to residents there about how an event like this comes together.

This is Episode 1 of a five-part series. Watch the full video below, and subscribe so you don’t miss what’s next:

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Every New Year’s Day, millions of people tune in to watch the Tournament of Roses Parade. Giant floats covered in flowers roll down Pasadena’s Colorado Boulevard, each more elaborate than the last.

Most cost upwards of six figures to build. Some exceed $1 million.

But in a tiny town of 10,000 people in Los Angeles County, a different kind of float comes to life.

One built entirely by volunteers. One funded by $2 donations and drag queen bingo nights.

How The Rose Parade All Started

The Rose Parade began more than 130 years ago as a way to promote Pasadena, which back then was mostly orange groves and farmland. Individual citizens entered floats to showcase what the city (and region) had to offer.

In 1917, Sierra Madre’s Board of Trade (what we’d call the Chamber of Commerce today), decided to throw their hat in the ring. They’ve been entering a float ever since and are the second-oldest participant in the parade’s history.

Over the decades, the tradition evolved. When Prop 13 made it too expensive for the city to fund, community groups took over.

Eventually, the Sierra Madre Rose Float Association was born, a nonprofit that’s kept the parade dream alive through sheer grassroots determination.

Designing the Sierra Madre Float

Every January, the Tournament of Roses announces the parade’s theme for the following year. That’s when Sierra Madre opens the floor to anyone who wants to submit a design.

In early February, a committee reviews all submissions to determine what’s feasible to build and decorate. The board then ranks the designs and takes them to the Tournament’s theme draft, where all float builders gather.

“You walk in, you pull a number, and whatever number you draw is the order in which you get to choose your designs,” explained Ladonna Gaydosh, a long-time volunteer of more than two decades.

Once approved, the real work begins.

How Sierra Madre Raises the Money

Building a Rose Parade float isn’t cheap. Even Sierra Madre’s modest operation costs around $50,000 annually, including $25,000 just for flowers.

So how does a small town pull that off without corporate backing?

“We do one big mailing a year,” said Evelyn Shaffer, the association’s treasurer. “We mail a letter to everybody in the city of Sierra Madre, including all the businesses, and we ask them to help us build this float.”

The responses range from $2 in cash to $500 checks. On average, donors contribute about $50.

Beyond the annual appeal, the association gets creative.

They host drag queen bingo twice a year to raise thousands of dollars per event. They also organize paid trips to television show tapings like The Price is Right and run opportunity drawings with gift baskets.

“It’s really a grassroots fundraising that we do,” Evelyn said.

Local civic groups chip in, too. The Rotary Club, Women’s Club, and others donate grants for specific projects like repairing engines or upgrading barn ventilation.

And sometimes, the float receives the ultimate tribute.

“We’ve even been in people’s wills,” Evelyn shared. “We’ll get a surprise bequeath and it’s usually people who have worked on the float years ago and had so much fun.”

What Keeps Volunteers Coming Back

For many volunteers, the most rewarding part isn’t the parade itself. It’s watching an entire community come together for a common cause.

“A lot of time, nowadays, that’s lost in just growth and expansion of people,” said Paula Kim, another volunteer who’s been involved with the association for close to a decade. “You lose that sense of community and I think it’s important.”

Want to lend a helping hand? Donate to or join the Sierra Madre Rose Float Association all year round as they design and build their float. Visit their website to learn more.

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When you travel, you meet certain people who shake up your view of the world. Their choices and actions challenge conventional wisdom while simultaneously showing you a different path forward.

In my case, I met a man on the Mississippi Gulf Coast last year who changed my perception of what fatherhood could be.

In 2024, I decided to visit the state for the first time with hopes of a more local experience. I turned to Couchsurfing, a social network that connects travelers with hosts willing to open their homes to complete strangers like me. Since joining the platform 10 years ago, I’ve used it to make meaningful connections all over the world.

Will Ladnier’s profile was the first to show up in my search results for Biloxi, and his adventures all over the globe immediately caught my attention. But what intrigued me even more were the frequent travel companions I saw pictured in his photos: his two young daughters, Julianna and Aubrey.

From the base camp of Mount Everest in Nepal to the ancient ruins of Petra in Jordan, Will and his daughters have spanned the globe, more than any other family I know. These experiences have provided Julianna and Aubrey an education in humanity that few children (and many adults) ever get to experience.

“Meeting people,” Julianna said to me when I asked her about her favorite part of traveling.

“And the food,” she added with a huge grin.

From the outside looking in, you might think, “maybe this Will guy is just super wealthy,” or perhaps “he must homeschool his kids.” But the reality is much closer to a typical American life than you might assume.

Will is a fixer. He earns a modest living leading boat restoration and cleanup projects along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. His daughters attend school during the academic year, while their family adventures usually occur during summer breaks, just like most Americans.

To make travel a reality, Will’s embraced the art of working within constraints (budget, schedule, work obligations, etc) and leveraged resources like Couchsurfing that provide free accommodation. He also enjoys connecting with locals, who often invite his family into their homes, charmed by the oddity of a single father traveling alone with two young daughters.

“It opens doors,” he said of traveling as a single dad with kids. “You’re trusted more, you’re respected more, and I’ve really appreciated that.”

For most people, the idea of hiking a stretch of the Camino de Santiago in Spain or camping near Mount Sinai in Egypt sounds like a daring adventure. But for parents with kids? They might tell you it’s impossible, improbable, and maybe even irresponsible.

But traveling this way has offered Will and his girls more positives than negatives over the years. Will, Julianna, and Aubrey are a novelty to everyone they encounter in some place new, and that often works in their favor.

“He’s really good at networking,” Julianna said of her father’s ability to relate to total strangers. “As far as I know, as soon as he got his driver’s license, he was out and about (here in Biloxi). He’d buy boats, fix them up, sell them, and then he was driving…that naval vessel for the research program (at the University of Southern Mississippi).”

Plastered on the walls of the hallway entrance to Will’s home is a huge world map. Dozens of pins mark the countries he and his girls have visited, connected by threads of string that trace how they got there.

This map, along with the countless photos and videos of their adventures, are sources of pride for Will. They’ve created a quiet confidence in him that echoes in other parts of his life as a man and father.

Most parents want to wait until their kids reach a certain age before they start traveling. But Will believes there’s value in doing so sooner rather than later. His girls, for instance, were still in elementary school when they traveled through 9 different countries in a single calendar year.

And, yes, the younger they are, the less likely they’ll remember every single detail of every single place. But to Will, that doesn’t mean his kids aren’t absorbing or learning from the experience.

“If you’re staying in your house, having a good time, that’s great,” Will said. “There’s nothing wrong with it, but it’s repetitive. Much of the day is repetitive.

“You get out of that and you break that monotony, get out in the world, and add to that the fact that you’re happy, you’re tasting new foods yourself, (etc.),” he continued. “Your child is learning at an elevated rate that you (can’t) even hardly comprehend.”

When I asked Julianna what she’s learned from her father’s example, the answer was simple.

“Live each day to the fullest,” she said. “He’s always going. He never stops. When he does, he’s usually worn out (and) it’s like a good day to take a break. But that doesn’t happen often.”

What Will’s managed to accomplish for his daughters, the places they’ve been able to go, is impressive, especially considering what life has thrown at him so far. His ability to navigate the unknown of traveling with two kids seems to originate partly from a firm resolve he developed in the face of extreme hardship nearly two decades before.

In 2005, Hurricane Katrina swept through and tore up the Gulf Coast. With no insurance on their homes at the time, Will and his family lost everything.

A devastating disaster like that would break most people, but not Will. He persisted and has found a way to create a little bit of joy each day since. He’s learned to have faith that the passage of time will ultimately help you heal.

“As much as you think it’s never going to pass, that it’s ruining your life, you’ll come out stronger,” he said to me, reflecting on the hardships of his past. “And you’ll be a better person and you’ll appreciate things more.”

I don’t know how I luck out meeting people like Will through all my travels around the world. People like him teach me so much about making sense of what is often a nonsensical existence here on earth.

I don’t have kids, and I’ve never really thought about what that would look like for me until recently. The only models I’ve had in the past are traditional scripts, the so-called normal ways we think about parenting.

Find a full time job with great benefits, buy a house in a good school district, and raise your kid in a comfortable suburb for at least the next 20 years.

Rinse and repeat.

But during a two-night stay in Biloxi, Mississippi, Will showed me there’s another way to look at fatherhood in this day and age. One that doesn’t revolve around accumulating more material possessions children can touch and see.

Rather, it’s guided by an outlook of giving kids something more valuable that money can’t buy: a wealth of experience that increases their awareness of the world along with their places in it.

While traveling Mississippi's Gulf Coast in 2024, I met Will Ladnier, a single father who's taken his daughters to 35 countries and counting. From hiking Everest Base Camp to visiting the lost city of Petra, they've experienced more of the world than most peop…

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Scrolling through my Substack timeline last week, I came across a post from where she offered advice to people interested in becoming nomads. In particular, one line in her introduction grabbed my attention:

"You MUST take the leap even if you don't have all the answers. Once you get out into the world, you will realize that you are far more capable than you thought, and your confidence will soar."

It’s a sound piece of advice that applies beyond travel. After all, we’re really just winging it when it comes to life, making up the rules as we go.

That line plus the rest of her piece got me thinking about how travel has shaped my thinking around living better in general. I thought about the skills I’ve developed on the road and how they serve me no matter where I am.

1. Be Resourceful

Money matters, especially when you’re on the road. Whether you’re on sabbatical or working remotely as a digital nomad, you’ve got to learn how to stretch every dollar you have.

Traveling through Europe for the first time, I took this idea to heart. Instead of constantly splurging on hotels, hostels, or Airbnbs, one of the ways I saved money was by trading my skills as an English-speaker for stays in 3-star resorts.

The deal was this: spend several hours a day chatting with locals in Poland, Hungary, and Czechia who wanted an immersive experience. In return, you got free food, accommodation, and a memorable cultural exchange.

Three weeks of this saved me nearly a month’s worth of expenses, but the main benefit wasn’t solely financial.

Volunteer work like this taught me that our most valuable resource isn’t always our bank accounts. It’s actually things we take completely for granted, like our time or skills that come second nature to us.

2. Have a Plan, But Be Flexible

I’ve never been someone who likes to make rigid plans about my trips (or my life for that matter). But I’m also not one to fly totally by the seat of my pants, either.

You don’t have to make a binary choice between the two. Travel has taught me that there’s a sweet spot somewhere in the middle.

During my second trip to Europe in 2022, I planned a 5-day visit to Budapest. What I did during those days I left totally up to chance.

One night, I walked into a traditional Hungarian restaurant to have dinner by myself. Another guy, also on his own, asked me if I wanted to share a table since we were both in for a long wait.

As someone who appreciates random moments of serendipity like this, I said yes.

Over bowls of goulash, he shared with me why he was in Budapest. He’d chosen to flee Russia instead of fighting the war in Ukraine.

He left behind his family, lost his job, and saw his finances frozen thanks to sanctions. He had to convert most of his savings into crypto just to survive.

We may have been sharing a meal that night, but we didn’t share the same reality. I was in Europe by choice, free to return to the U.S. at any time. He was there because he has no country to go back to.

Meeting him was a reminder of how we often take stability, especially in America, for granted. We make long-term plans, assuming we’re in complete control of our future.

But the truth is, anything and everything can change in an instant.

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3. Empathy Is Humbling

There are few experiences that humble you faster than being unable to express yourself in another language.

Most Americans don’t experience this, because we have the luxury of speaking English, the lingua franca of the world. But it’s a lonely feeling when you’re physically present, yet mentally elsewhere in the company of others.

I remember being in San Miguel de Allende, hanging out with my Mexican ex-girlfriend and meeting her friends for the first time. They laughed and reminisced, while I caught maybe every fifth or sixth word, my brain translating everything a beat too late.

I wanted to share my thoughts and feelings. I wanted to connect more than superficially.

But despite five years of Spanish classes as a teen and later 5 months living in Colombia as an adult, I still hesitated every time I opened my mouth.

Experiences like this make me think about immigrants to the U.S. who don’t speak any English. I think about how difficult it already is to build a new life abroad, combined with the struggle to express exactly who you are.

It must be isolating, vulnerable, crippling even. As someone who’s seen the other side as by traveling, I’m now familiar with those feelings.

What Ties Everything All Together

Travel teaches you how to be comfortable with the idea of not knowing what’s next.

When you think about it, everything that appears permanent is actually pretty fragile. Jobs, relationships, etc. - they’re all held together by looser threads than we’d like to admit.

But the skills you build through travel can help you thrive in an increasingly unpredictable world.

• Being resourceful gives you confidence you can figure things out in spite of your limits.

• Being adaptable helps you roll with the punches.

• Being empathetic reminds you there are people out there who’ve lived similar experiences, too.

Putting these skills into practice has helped me reframe how I view uncertainty. Rather than fearing the unknown, I remind myself there's an opportunity for something positive to happen instead.

As Jill said about a living nomadic life, you need to leap without having all the answers. It’s scary, but the journey will show you what you’re capable of. That’s the kind of souvenir I want to hold onto.

There are three skills in particular I’ve developed while being on the road that have served me beyond my travels.

Listen to the full narrated article now.

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What happens when childhood bullying leaves scars that linger for decades?

This question formed the foundation of a live conversation we (Tom and Bill Kuegler, Letters With My Father, and Jon Santiago, World of Nuance) conducted here on Substack.

The effects of childhood bullying often extend far beyond the schoolyard. The three of us came together to explore how these formative experiences shape our worldviews, relationships, and even life choices through an honest dialogue.

What does bullying look like beyond physical intimidation? How do parents navigate the delicate balance between protection and fostering resilience? And how might cultural differences affect the intensity and nature of bullying?

From Tom's six years of social exclusion to Bill's perspective as a parent trying to protect his son, we share personal insights and reflections on how these experiences continue to influence our lives today.

Key Takeaways

• The role of school administrators in preventing bullying: Bill argued how crucial it is for educators to recognize bullying early and intervene. He noted that in Tom's case, teachers and administrators failed to address the situation despite the clear warning signs.

• The different forms bullying can take: Tom explained that his experience wasn't primarily physical. It instead involved subtle social exclusion and psychological tactics that made him hyperaware of social cues and left lasting impacts.

• The impact on relationship formation: Tom reflected on how his bullying experience made it harder for him to trust men than women. Its created a lifelong pattern of being more cautious in male friendships and constantly checking for signs of rejection.

• The cycle of bullying: Tom acknowledged that after being bullied, he occasionally found himself exhibiting similar behaviors toward others at his new school. He reflected on how victims like him might be able to perpetuate the pattern.

• The delicate parental balance: We discussed the challenge of knowing when to let children handle conflicts themselves versus when to step in. What lines do you draw between intervention and vigilant observence.

• The importance of instilling inherent self-worth: Tom reflected on how American culture often ties worth to achievement and how that makes it difficult for bullied children to maintain self-esteem.

• The shift away from community in America: Bill pointed out how American culture is seemingly shifting away from community orientation over time. Parents seems more absent and neighbors less involved in each other's lives, which creates environments where bullying can thrive.

Takes on Bullying

• I got bullied as a kid and it changed the course of my life - Tom Kuegler

• The letter I should have written 20 years ago as your Father - William Kuegler

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Questions For You

We'd like to hear from you:

1. How has bullying (either experiencing it or witnessing it) shaped your approach to relationships?

2. If you are a parent, how should you handle a situation in which your child is being bullied?

3. How can we create environments where children develop resilience without enduring trauma?

Leave a comment and let us know your thoughts!

People & Things We Referenced

• Adolescence (Netflix documentary series)

• The White Lotus (HBO TV series)

Join Our Communities

Letters With My Father is a newsletter that showcases the powerful connection between generations through candid, heartfelt correspondence between a father and son. Through open letters, Bill and Tom tackle everything from family dynamics to life's big questions and offer two unique perspectives separated by decades of experience but united by mutual respect.

Subscribe to their newsletter for these authentic exchanges that model vulnerable communication between family members.

World of Nuance showcases stories of people living unconventional lives across the globe. Through documentary-style videos and thoughtful essays, Jon Santiago aims to challenge binary thinking and celebrate the beauty found in the many contrasts of life.

Subscribe to my newsletter and YouTube channel to explore different ways of living all over the world.

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What’s it like to come of age in a town where dead residents outnumber the living nearly 1000 to 1?

Try asking the citizens of Colma, California.

While most towns have parks or shops at the center of their cities, Colma, meanwhile, has cemeteries. Seventeen to be exact, occupying nearly 75% of the town’s 2.2 square miles.

For many of you, this might sound like a scene straight out of a horror film. But for the people who grew up there, it’s simply a place they called home.

From Joe Dimaggio to Levi Strauss, this small, unincorporated town just south of San Francisco has served as the final resting place for Bay Area residents for almost 140 years. But in the last seven decades, it’s also blossomed into a suburban enclave.

After World War II, returning vets armed with GI benefits wanted to settle down and needed affordable housing. The developers in Colma delivered.

They built new neighborhoods where a generation of baby boomers grew up playing hide-and-seek in the shadow of millions of headstones. During Colma’s centennial celebration last year, I met two such past and present residents named Etta and Susanna.

Childhood in the City of Souls

Etta was born in Colma and shared a three-bedroom-one-bath household with 5 siblings and her parents. Susanna, meanwhile, moved there when she was 9 after the construction of I-280 in Daly City displaced her family.

For both these women, daily life looked a lot like what you’d expect in a tiny American town. It was the 1960s, so children walked to school, played games outside, and of course got into a little mischief.

“There was a lot of building going on around the neighborhood,” Susanna said. “And there were kids who would go to steal copper out of the walls (of new developments).”

With fewer than a 1,000 living residents, Colma during this period was a place where neighbors knew and looked out for one another. It became a tight-knit community where everyone knew each other’s business.

“I used to go to the Colma Creek and catch frogs,” Etta said. “And we’d sell them to the pet shop (on Mission Street).”

What set Colma kids like Etta and Susanna apart from children elsewhere in the bay was a connection to the town’s primary residents.

The dead.

To them, cemeteries functioned like public parks. A narrow passageway through the Italian Cemetery served as a shortcut for kids biking through town. The big pond at Cypress Lawn became a place for picnics and for feeding ducks.

“You had to get permission,” Susanna said. “(I’d ask my) mom is it okay if I could go down on my bike to (the pond)?”

“Oh my mom never knew where we were,” Etta said jokingly in response.

Even though the cemeteries functioned like their own personal playgrounds, kids knew how to be respectful. Etta says their parents taught them good manners, like to never step on gravestones since that would be inconsiderate or worse - sinful.

For some kids, living among a sea of graves sparked curiosity rather than fear. Etta, for example, made a habit of practicing her math skills, calculating the ages of the deceased from the birth and death dates labeled on their headstones.

“It was interesting,” she said. “Very peaceful, park-like.”

Susanna, though, had the opposite experience. Since she wasn’t born in Colma, she was terrified when she first arrived.

“It was scary,” she said. “We moved in on Halloween, which was goofy, but to me it was spooky.”

What the Dead Taught the Living

Today, both women look at their hometown with pride and fondness. It played a formative role in making them the people they are today.

But it also helped them develop a healthy relationship with something most Americans would rather avoid than acknowledge. In a country where death is often sanitized and brushed to the side, these women grew up hyper aware of their mortality.

“It’s just been like ‘yeah, this is a fact of life,’” Etta said. “When you’re a young kid, you see these people born, and they die, and it just was never a scary thing at all, or creepy.”

Instead of trying to outrun death, long-time Colma residents like Etta and Susanna have come to accept it. They’ve learned that recognizing the end of our lives doesn’t have to take away from living it.

And as the town’s motto goes, “It’s great to be alive in Colma.”

Colma’s 17 cemeteries became an extension of their childhood playground. They rode bikes through the Italian Cemetery, and had picnics by the …

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For nearly 5 years, Sara Burdick wandered the world non-stop. From Buddhist temples in Thailand to mountain peaks in South Africa, she saw and experienced it all.

But no matter where she went, one place kept calling her back. It was the country she booked a one-way ticket to, the country where her journey first began.

Colombia.

“I kept wanting to come back,” she said. “I would meet Colombians along the way and I would tell them, ‘Oh yeah, I want to go back.”

So in 2023, she returned, but not just for another visit. Sara decided to stay for good. And last year, she doubled down on her commitment by buying a tiny coffee farm in the Antioqueña countryside.

In the latest video I published to my YouTube channel, I chronicled Sara’s story of leaving the U.S. and what her new home is like. But in this post, I’m going to get into the details of how she bought her property, and why it turned out to be one of the best decisions of her life.

How Sara Made Money to Buy Her Colombian Coffee Farm

Growing up in rural Kentucky, Sara always knew she wanted to own land someday. Her late parents had done it, so why not her?

“I saw how my parents lived,” she said. “The land where they lived was paid off, so we didn’t have any bills. I knew at some point I wanted to be (like that, too).”

At the same time, Sara knew the tradeoffs. While her family’s lifestyle in their Kentucky holler gave them a sense of control, it also meant limited opportunities.

“My dad used to paint barns and do work for neighbors,” she said. “We lived off the land mostly.”

Sara wanted financial freedom, but on her own terms. So when she set off for college, Sara chose a career path that provided relative stability. She became a registered nurse, which to this day continues to be a profession in high demand.

For 15 years, her nursing career allowed her to save the money she needed to travel the world and ultimately buy her Colombian farm outright. And despite owning her home debt-free, she keeps her nursing license active, just in case she ever needs a backup plan.

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How Much Did Sara’s Colombian Coffee Farm Cost?

Sara bought her home and the 1.5 acres it sits on for $220,000,000 Colombian Pesos. At today’s exchange rate, that’s about $50,000 USD - a steal compared to the $100,000-plus price tag of similar properties nearby.

“I don’t have a mortgage,” she said. “I bought it straight (cash).”

Here’s a breakdown of the costs.

Payment

• The first 50% of the sale was paid upfront.

• The final 50% was paid off in December 2024.

Fees and Taxes

• Notary: $2,000,000 COP that she split 50/50 with the seller. This equates to around $500 USD.

• Property Taxes: $400,000 to $600,000 COP per year. This is about $100 to $150.

The home is a fixer upper. So in addition to the above costs, Sara’s paying various other expenses to improve the property.

For example, she paid $1,400,000 COP ($350 USD) to have a new wood stove built, brick by brick.

“That kind of project is good,” said Sara’s partner Rafa . “Because a guy came one day, and made it, and that’s that.

“But if you need something big, you need to bring people from Medellin,” he added. “So that’s why it can become so expensive because you have to pay them, and then give them food, and give them (a place to sleep).”

The Purchasing Process

Buying a home in a foreign country might sound intimidating on the surface. But according to Sara, the process isn’t as complicated as you might think.

With some patience plus support from her partner, Rafa, here’s how she got it done.

Step 1: Moving Her Money Across Borders

Transferring money from America to Colombia was Sara’s biggest challenge. The previous owner of her home wanted to be paid in cash, which meant Sara had to convert a large sum of U.S. dollars into Colombian pesos.

To do this, she opened two Colombian bank accounts. Sara did this after tying the knot with Rafa, which enabled her to legally bank in her adopted country.

When she transferred her money from the U.S., the banks placed a temporary hold on it to ensure her funds were legitimate. Once the hold was lifted, she was able to withdraw and pay the seller what she owed.

Step 2: Confirming the House Was Legal to Buy

Not all properties are registered with the proper authorities (especially in the Colombian countryside). This, of course, can cause major problems if you get deep into the home buying process.

As part of the process, Sara had to verify her new land had the correct paperwork (similar to a title deed) and was legally eligible to purchase. To do this, she and the seller hired a notary to review the farm’s documents and confirm everything was legit.

Step 3: Inspecting the Land

Last but not least, Sara had to make sure the property was safe to live on.

This meant checking for environmental risks that could prove dangerous in the long run. For example, she had to inspect for problems like unstable trees.

While the process was long, it was relatively simple. Unlike in the U.S., there weren’t layers of middlemen to deal with (think real estate agents, loan officers, title companies, etc.).

To close on the house, the only people involved were Sara, Rafa, the seller, and a notary.

Sara’s Advice For Moving Abroad

Thinking about taking a leap and moving abroad like Sara did? She has some advice for you.

“If you’re going to buy in Colombia, you need to know a local who can tell you that you’re getting a good deal,” Sara said. “That you’re not going to get ripped off.”

Also, plan ahead and save money, but don’t overthink it. Otherwise, your dreams may never get off the ground.

“Don’t be afraid of the what if,” she said. “I was so afraid of ‘What if this? What if that?’

“Maybe they happen (but) maybe they don’t,” she added. “What if you never do what you want to do. Then one day, you’re at the end of your life, and the nurse is asking you what you regret. That’s what you regret.”

It took Sara time to build the courage she needed to press the reset button on her life. But ultimately, she didn’t let fear stand in the way of what she wanted.

Now she owns a home in a country she loves. Without debt, without stress, and most importantly without any regrets.

Want to hear more about what it’s like to be a foreigner living in the Colombian countryside? Then be sure to subscribe to Sara’s newsletter and YouTube Channel, where she shares dispatches about daily life.

Colombia.

In 2023, she returned there permanently, and purchased a tiny coffee farm in the Antioqueña countryside for just $50,000 USD.

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For Sara Burdick, the answer to that question was about 3,000 miles away from the United States in Jericó, Colombia.

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I first met Sara in late 2018 when we were both traveling solo along Colombia’s Caribbean coast. Like most backpackers abroad, we crossed paths as guests staying at the same hostel.

By then, I was already a seasoned international traveler with more than 20 countries under my belt. That year alone I had visited South Africa, China, and Japan for the first time.

But Sara, on the other hand? She had just left behind a lucrative career as an ICU nurse. Her journey was just beginning.

When I reconnected with Sara, we reminisced about those times. We laughed about her being such a travel rookie that she didn’t realize it was a no-no to drink the tap water at our hostel.

(She unsurprisingly got sick, btw.)

With more than a dozen countries visited in the past 7 years, Sara has come a long way. So much so that she decided to plant roots in the country where her travels first kicked off.

Last year, I stumbled upon her Substack newsletter, Life in Colombia. She chronicles her daily existence inside a rural town located just 3.5 hours from Medellin. The stories and images she shares offer refreshingly honest insights on living as a fish out of water in a completely new country.

They were enough to convince me that I needed to tell her story here on World of Nuance. So I reached out, and the result is this 35-minute vlogumentary that takes you inside the world she’s building for herself outside of America.

Lessons You Won’t Find in the Final Cut

Sara’s Biggest Fears

Like anyone who decides to press the reset button on life, Sara wrestled with her fears before making the leap. Running out of money topped her list, followed closely by an irrational fear failure.

“I thought failure would be going back home, going back to work,” she confessed. Today, she’s perfectly at peace with returning to the U.S. if she ever needs to.

The Economics of a Colombian Coffee Farm

Owning a coffee farm in Colombia can be lucrative, but you need to have connections to thrive. Since she doesn’t have a network of buyers back in the states, Sara isn’t focused on going into the business.

Also, all the work that goes into picking coffee happens by hand. According to Sara, laborers who pick coffee in her area only earn about $45,000 to $50,000 COP a day.

That’s equal to about $11 to $12 USD. Keep that in mind the next time you drop $7 on a fancy pumpkin spice latte next fall.

How to Visit Jericó

If you ever want to visit (which I strongly recommend), don’t do what I did. Skip the 3.5 hour bus ride to and from Medellin.

Instead use the carpool service, which trims the trip duration by about an hour. You can also rent a car instead and enjoy a scenic drive through Antioquia.

Questions For You to Ponder

Leave a comment here on Substack or on YouTube with your answers to the below questions.

1. If money and obligations back home weren’t factors, what’s another place in the world you would live and why?

2. What’s a major life pivot have you made that changed everything? How did you finally muster up the courage to take the leap?

3. What’s a dream you’re still keeping to yourself? What’s really holding you back from chasing it?

Links and Resources

• “If I Just Left My Job and Traveled, What Would Happen?” - Freedom Focus

• I Bought a Mini-Coffee Finca in Colombia - Life in Colombia

• Why Most Expats Fail: Living Abroad Won’t Solve Your Problems - Life in Colombia

• It Took Me 20+ Years to Realize This - Life in Colombia

• Sara Burdick on YouTube

• Workaway

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