I’m American with Mexican roots, my entire family and heritage is Mexican. I speak fluent Spanish and live on the border of TX and MX. I’ve visited Mexico numerous times and at one point of my life wanted to live in MX that was until I visited Peru. I visited Peru about a month and a half ago and absolutely fell in love with the country, the people, culture, food, EVERYTHING. It’s was magical! I also plan on moving to Peru for some time at the end of this year. Like you had mentioned in a previous video about the push and pull of changing your life. And in regards to me and my life I am also I’m done with this western mentality of working incessantly to the point you don’t truly live, and a constant struggle for money and material things that aren’t truly yours. But your story and testimony fuel me to want to make the move as well, so happy for you guys!
I'm so glad I've watched this video, I lived in the US for almost 30 years. And to this day I never get used to the culture, I was always heart broken thinking and missing my people, my family, my culture, my food, my land ……..the list is long. I am finally divorced now and I can do what I want, so I'm going back. It's like a dream come true!! I can't wait! I know there's a lot of problems there, but besides that, family and lifetime friend's company it's all that matters in this very short life, I have no more time to waste. No more lonely Christmas!!
I'm so happy to hear that! We love Peru (though, we may be bias, and that's not to say there aren't tough times), and I hope you can get back here if that's your goal! :) Thanks for watching!
Amazing video and I think your profession is great not only for yourself, but you are helping Peru and the world with your progress. I am from Chicago and I agree so much the country is going backwards instead of forwards. My girlfriend is from Peru and I would not mind moving there for a temporary time, but I do not think I would prefer to raise a future family there for the issues the country has. Although Arequipa is a nice small city, it has a much more calmer enviornment compared to Lima. Great video you guys deserve more views and credit!
Thanks so much for the comments! We think it is very important that if you see a problem in the world that you be active in attempting to resolve it. We strongly believe in getting in the thick of things to make a difference! After all the time we spent in Latin America and in Peru, it wasn't a hard decision to uproot ourselves and give it a go here. We love it! Arequipa is a wonderful city and a great community. There are a lot of opportunities in many different fields, and we are confident the future is bright as long as economic progress is accompanied by sound social and environmental policy. I'm curious about your thoughts on raising a family here in Peru. We've talked at length about this and felt it had advantages in some ways compared to the States. I understand that nowhere is perfect for that aspect of life. Indeed, I think we all have impossible standards for a place we want to raise a family. it's such an important decision, how can you not have high expectations?! Thanks again for the comment, it is great to see that we are generating some interest! Also, we are curious where your girlfriend is from. Lima? Take care!
The nice thing about latin america is that most of the countries are trying to change for the better and are really striving to improve and mostly have stable economies. My girlfriend is from Lima and I spent some time there. The issues for me mostly is the pollution, the lack of real public transportation and the traffic. Also another slight concern is the wages and the availability of jobs due to the immigration of educated Venezuelans. I do not really think the US is the place I would like to raise a family either due to the concerns of health care and education costs that you brought up earlier. These are definitely things to think about for the future. I did not spend too much time in Arequipa. How do you find the accessibility of purchasing international goods there? Are the buses there public or private? It is very nice to hear about expats in a country I am also interested in :)
Sorry for the delayed response! Arequipa is really a great place for us in so many ways, both personal and professional. In the way of purchasing international goods, it's a challenge. We haven't really been able to try shipping more than just small items from the States; this is something we are likely to try soon. Using an example from our most recent video, Amazon isn't really accessible and we haven't really found a comparable alternative. I'm certainly open to suggestions or if we are missing something! Public transportation here in Arequipa (and across the country) feels great to us, but we come from a city with a pretty lackluster public transportation system and very little prioritization of such things. We have absolutely no intention of owning a car here (for a lot of reasons) so we use the public transportation for both getting around the city and going to other places across the country. The "combi" system here in AQP is, I believe, entirely privatized. The only place I've seen a truly public system (again, I believe) is in Lima with the Metropolitana and what they are doing with the light rail expansion. And while these public and private systems are pretty substantial, they really don't quite meet demand, and traffic remains a huge problem. Lili and I noticed an enormous difference in the amount of traffic in Lima since we lived there in 2012. It's ridiculous! So, there could certainly be improvements and I think the national government and some local municipalities are trying to address the problem, but there's still a lot of work to be done. High-five!
Your son ate in 1 of the best restaurants in the world. The Central Restaurant is number 4 in the world and the owner of this restaurant is Virgilio Martinez, the best chef of the world in 2018 and 2019 .
As an American who has been living in Peru for almost forty years, you have missed the most important point and that is how do you intend to legally live and work here?
Thanks for the comment! We have actually address this, but not in this video (it would have been waaaaay too long, and we already broke it into 2 parts). If you're interested, we do have a couple of immigration videos and what we do for work videos. :)
Congrantulations... : im Alexander (born in peru) was born in lima but i lived in are Arequipa (my father is from there, miraflores city) for 3 years when i was very very young. As far as i can remember arequipa has cold climate ( i think. Correct me if wrong). But in any case congrats for your decision to prioritise life. what u said is true: cost of life in the states is expensive (expensive housing cost and broken abusively overinflated health-care system). Anyway you guys take care and congratulations. hope you reach all your goals. From a humble peruvian living in miami. FL thumbs up👍👍👍👍
Thanks, Alexander!!! As for Arequipa's climate, most Peruvians think it's cold; however, we are from Wisconsin, so the climate is absolutely beautiful to us!!! :) I hope you're enjoying Miami, and thanks so much for your comment!!!
WELCOME TO PERU!! ., ,. I'm glad to see people from other countries make roots in my country. . , I hope you do well in your future plans. ., Best regards.
Hi guys! I am Peruvian woman who lives in NJ more than 24 years, I was very interesting to listen what Americans said about to live in Peru SAFE and affordable life.
@@urbanart7325 Hi Ram! There probably is, but we only know about a Facebook group. If you search "Arequipa Expats", you should be able to find the group, they have some resources and share things going on in the city. Also, there are Lima and a Peru general ("Peru for Young Expats" mostly consists of people in Lima) expat Facebook groups; I know that the Lima group has meetups and may even host events together. Please let us know if we can help with a visit to Arequipa!! :D
The fandrich expedition, I suggest you to watch a Canadian RUclipsr who is living in Peru. Her channel in RUclips is: Veronique Angers, the episode: Porque prefiero Peru que Canada? Another RUclipsr, Kike Arnaiz,the episode : el canon del colca,Arequipa .I hope you enjoy this youtubers from Canada and Spain.
Thanks for the comment (and apologies for the delay in response)! Altitude is different for everyone. We've had friends come to visit that don't really notice the difference, and we have some friends who feel it significantly. For those that feel it, we've found it can be anywhere from 2 - 7 days (or more) to adjust, and then you may still have some lingering effects (maybe you're more tired than normal or you get more winded walking up stairs or hills). Everyone seems to have a ceiling for altitude. For example, I can only go a bit above 10,550 ft elevation, and after that, there's no adjusting. It just becomes dangerous. It's hard to say, and you kind of have to play it by ear to see how you're feeling. Sorry for the long answer, but there's no straight forward one to give. :)
While much of this seems genuine, I think it’s a bit naive. Corruption and “backwardness” exists everywhere. Fleeing one nest for another just changes the lenses. There are definitely things I’m not too thrilled with as an American in the states either but I recognize the US is a country of over 330 million people with varying opinions, cultures, etc. I can’t speak for Wisconsin, but I’ve lived all over the South and have traveled all over the world. The climate crisis is probably going to continue as long as money is involved and the big polluters (China, India etc) don’t prioritize it. I hope you’re enjoying your time in Peru and maybe we can meet for a beer when we pass through in October. Cheers 🍻
How did you find a job in Arequipa? My husband and I are planning on moving there next year. When he left Peru years ago, networking was key to finding jobs, but now with websites like CompuTrabajo, it looks one might be able to apply online. What was your experience? Were there any challenges being an expat and trying to get into a company?
Great question, Rin73! I (this is Lili) telecommute, so I kept the same jobs I had when we moved. I've made a couple of videos about this if you're interested. In our immigration videos we made, Clint talks about how he came into the country on a Business Visa to form his own company. However, he does have a second job teaching. We've found it easier, at least in Arequipa, to find most things (jobs, stuff for sale, apartments, etc.) once we're on the ground. Arequipa, specifically, is still has a kind of small-town mentality, even though its a fairly big and growing city. Places like Lima are more progressive, so it may be easier to find things online (CompuTrabajo, OLX, etc.). Sorry, we can only speak to this from our Arequipeno perspective. But let us know if you have more questions!!
@@TheFandrichExpedition That helps a lot, thanks! We're specifically moving to Arequipa, to live close to el Misti 😄 so it's nice to know there are more options than just what's on CompuTrabajo.
I disagree with you on stuff like health care and education. The U.S. really isn't efficient as far as what we spend on education and health care. For the amount of money we spend per capita on Medicare/Medicaid, we should be able to insure 100% of the population. Other countries do. Same idea for university education. Lots of administrative bloat. Even Elizabeth Warren mentioned this in her book The Two Income Trap (written before she became a politician).
I totally agree with you, there! I think what we were trying to get at is that exact thing, but also adding that I have been happy with the care I received from my doctors (I recently had a lot of medical care for cancer). That price though.....
I think the best way to sum up my thoughts would be to say that quality healthcare exists in the US, but accessing it is where the trouble starts. For most, not having insurance means a closed door for preventative care and for when serious illnesses progress. Costs have simply gotten out of hand and have made healthcare for the average American a really tricky prospect.
Awesome video! Glad Peru is working out for you two. I was wondering if you are looking for new partners to work with. I'm an electrical engineer, and I'm really interested to work developing new ways of energy in the country. Do you have an email?
My dad is from Iquitos and mom from Lima. I live in CA and have been thinking about the issues you are pointing out. Have you found private citizens to be more responsive to renewable energy?
Hi! Thanks for the comment! Generally, I would say "absolutely!", but if you speak to anyone, pretty much anywhere you can get a positive reception to renewables on some grounds. For example, even in the most conservative parts of the US where climate change denial and rejection of the scientific consensus are common, you can easily disregard all of that and make a sound economic case. The cost of clean energy systems continues to fall and have, in many places, already surpassed the economics of conventional fossil fuel energy systems. Furthermore, most people like the idea of being in control of their own fates. Renewables are fundamentally decentralizing power systems in places where they are implemented in small scales. This brings control of how energy is produced/consumed much closer to individual homeowners and allows for more independence and introduces new ways to invest in your property. So I often say that renewables are a fundamentally conservative issue, one that allows for more self-reliance, better economic outcomes and also paves the way for greater energy security/resilience (imagine most homeowners and businesses produce their own electricity, a natural disaster has a much more difficult time knocking out absolutely everyone's power, where current centralized systems are highly vulnerable and require enormous infrastructure investments). As for Peru, it's honestly difficult to find anyone who outright opposes the development of clean energy systems, on either small or large scales. There is no significant propaganda machine pumping out climate change denial (they'd be ridiculous to do so given the obvious effects one can see in Peru given the geography of the country) and most of the major political actors in the country agree on actions to mitigate and adapt to climate change. The frustration, as far as I have encountered it, is that most Peruvians object to the cost of implementation; they are both right and wrong. They are right in that the cost of project implementation is slightly higher than neighboring countries and definitely compared to other places around the world. This is mostly due to undeveloped supply chains for components and still lacking expertise and training. For example, there are only about half a dozen skilled clean energy project developers in all of southern Peru, an area the size of California, with 5.6 million people in it. My hometown of Madison, Wisconsin has more project developers and that's a community of about 350,000 people! So as the market continues to develop, prices here will continue to drop. Another big barrier along the same lines is dissemination of information. When I talk to people about how much a clean energy system will cost, their information is completely outdated; this is on project developers and clean energy advocates (like my organization) to get the information out there and to talk about the long-term cost benefits, which leads to another barrier. It is sometimes very difficult to have folks acknowledge these long-term financial benefits. In this community (Arequipa), there is some of the best solar resource economics of anywhere in the world. In many, many cases people can take advantage of less than 4-year returns on investment given that the region benefits from more than 300 sunny days per year. But even that seems like too long to wait for many. Some of it might be education, but I think it's mostly due to people feeling that it's simply too risky when there are other priorities like putting food on the table or putting a roof over their family, and that's entirely understandable. My organization is looking into ways to reduce these risks and pool resources so that communities can make smart investments in renewables together and have all of the long-term benefits to boot. Peru, like many other countries in the region, has huge (ENORMOUS) potential for clean energy development; technology costs are dropping rapidly, training for skilled workers is increasing, a sense of urgency about climate change is practically universal, and natural resources in solar, wind, bioenergy and geothermal are hugely abundant. To more directly answer your question: yes, there is a great response to renewable energy in Peru from almost everyone you speak to. There are still challenges, but the future looks very bright. :)
Being at the headwaters of the Amazon (etc.) plus having populations reliant upon those glaciers for water resources (esp for ag) makes the glaciers in Peru extraordinarily valuable and worthy of protecting.
@@clintonfandrich619 i am a 30 year old train technician from Belgium. Doing this job for 9 years now. I ll be in Arequipa in july maybe i could have a visit in your company. Awesome to see you guys sharing your experiences.
Hahah - this is the best comment we've received thus far! I wish we were cool enough to be hiding something. In reality, it's just really sunny here. :D
Hi Jeannette - Thanks for the comment! No, we don't drive regularly (though, we have rented a car a few times). We haven't owned a car in years, even before we moved to Peru, in favor of public transport. And luckily, Peru has a lot of public transport (inter-city buses, city buses, and taxis). :)
Hey Bruno. Thanks for the comment. I (this is Lili) telecommute, so my job is still in the States. Clint has a couple things going on, all in Peru. He has a non-profit that he funded, and he also teaches English. 🙂
You have missed the most important information about living and working in Peru. How do you intend to legalize your presents here? Have to talked to immigration about it or do you intend to be illegal aliens? You will not be able to legally reside or work here without some form of national identification which you must carry on your person daily. This ain't America where dead people vote and driver license ids are passed out like popcorn.
Hi Ryan! We do not intend to legalize my parents here. They can easily come and go as they please for three months every year, which is just perfect for their retirement schedule. We never had the intention of being "illegal aliens". We went through the legal immigration process and are happy to say that we've gotten past the biggest hurdles. We legally work here with permanent residency status and do have government ID.
@@janetvalenza8305 - Of course! Please check out our two videos, Immigrating to Peru (ruclips.net/video/Ss-WkiDUJVA/видео.html) & Immigrating to Peru - Our Story (ruclips.net/video/Fmiv7psjg4M/видео.html). In these videos we talk specifics about becoming a resident, and we also list some resources in the description box of both videos. I hope this helps!
I’m American with Mexican roots, my entire family and heritage is Mexican. I speak fluent Spanish and live on the border of TX and MX. I’ve visited Mexico numerous times and at one point of my life wanted to live in MX that was until I visited Peru. I visited Peru about a month and a half ago and absolutely fell in love with the country, the people, culture, food, EVERYTHING. It’s was magical! I also plan on moving to Peru for some time at the end of this year.
Like you had mentioned in a previous video about the push and pull of changing your life. And in regards to me and my life I am also I’m done with this western mentality of working incessantly to the point you don’t truly live, and a constant struggle for money and material things that aren’t truly yours. But your story and testimony fuel me to want to make the move as well, so happy for you guys!
I'm so glad I've watched this video, I lived in the US for almost 30 years. And to this day I never get used to the culture, I was always heart broken thinking and missing my people, my family, my culture, my food, my land ……..the list is long. I am finally divorced now and I can do what I want, so I'm going back. It's like a dream come true!! I can't wait! I know there's a lot of problems there, but besides that, family and lifetime friend's company it's all that matters in this very short life, I have no more time to waste. No more lonely Christmas!!
I'm so happy to hear that!
We love Peru (though, we may be bias, and that's not to say there aren't tough times), and I hope you can get back here if that's your goal! :) Thanks for watching!
The live give us a second chance
Amazing video and I think your profession is great not only for yourself, but you are helping Peru and the world with your progress. I am from Chicago and I agree so much the country is going backwards instead of forwards. My girlfriend is from Peru and I would not mind moving there for a temporary time, but I do not think I would prefer to raise a future family there for the issues the country has. Although Arequipa is a nice small city, it has a much more calmer enviornment compared to Lima. Great video you guys deserve more views and credit!
Thanks so much for the comments!
We think it is very important that if you see a problem in the world that you be active in attempting to resolve it. We strongly believe in getting in the thick of things to make a difference! After all the time we spent in Latin America and in Peru, it wasn't a hard decision to uproot ourselves and give it a go here. We love it!
Arequipa is a wonderful city and a great community. There are a lot of opportunities in many different fields, and we are confident the future is bright as long as economic progress is accompanied by sound social and environmental policy.
I'm curious about your thoughts on raising a family here in Peru. We've talked at length about this and felt it had advantages in some ways compared to the States. I understand that nowhere is perfect for that aspect of life. Indeed, I think we all have impossible standards for a place we want to raise a family. it's such an important decision, how can you not have high expectations?!
Thanks again for the comment, it is great to see that we are generating some interest! Also, we are curious where your girlfriend is from. Lima? Take care!
The nice thing about latin america is that most of the countries are trying to change for the better and are really striving to improve and mostly have stable economies.
My girlfriend is from Lima and I spent some time there. The issues for me mostly is the pollution, the lack of real public transportation and the traffic. Also another slight concern is the wages and the availability of jobs due to the immigration of educated Venezuelans. I do not really think the US is the place I would like to raise a family either due to the concerns of health care and education costs that you brought up earlier. These are definitely things to think about for the future.
I did not spend too much time in Arequipa. How do you find the accessibility of purchasing international goods there? Are the buses there public or private?
It is very nice to hear about expats in a country I am also interested in :)
Sorry for the delayed response!
Arequipa is really a great place for us in so many ways, both personal and professional. In the way of purchasing international goods, it's a challenge. We haven't really been able to try shipping more than just small items from the States; this is something we are likely to try soon. Using an example from our most recent video, Amazon isn't really accessible and we haven't really found a comparable alternative. I'm certainly open to suggestions or if we are missing something!
Public transportation here in Arequipa (and across the country) feels great to us, but we come from a city with a pretty lackluster public transportation system and very little prioritization of such things. We have absolutely no intention of owning a car here (for a lot of reasons) so we use the public transportation for both getting around the city and going to other places across the country. The "combi" system here in AQP is, I believe, entirely privatized. The only place I've seen a truly public system (again, I believe) is in Lima with the Metropolitana and what they are doing with the light rail expansion. And while these public and private systems are pretty substantial, they really don't quite meet demand, and traffic remains a huge problem. Lili and I noticed an enormous difference in the amount of traffic in Lima since we lived there in 2012. It's ridiculous! So, there could certainly be improvements and I think the national government and some local municipalities are trying to address the problem, but there's still a lot of work to be done.
High-five!
My son just returned from Peru. He loved his eating experience at Central
Good to hear! The food is seriously amazing!!!
Your son ate in 1 of the best restaurants in the world. The Central Restaurant is number 4 in the world and the owner of this restaurant is Virgilio Martinez, the best chef of the world in 2018 and 2019 .
As an American who has been living in Peru for almost forty years, you have missed the most important point and that is how do you intend to legally live and work here?
Thanks for the comment! We have actually address this, but not in this video (it would have been waaaaay too long, and we already broke it into 2 parts). If you're interested, we do have a couple of immigration videos and what we do for work videos. :)
Congrantulations... : im Alexander (born in peru) was born in lima but i lived in are Arequipa (my father is from there, miraflores city) for 3 years when i was very very young. As far as i can remember arequipa has cold climate ( i think. Correct me if wrong). But in any case congrats for your decision to prioritise life. what u said is true: cost of life in the states is expensive (expensive housing cost and broken abusively overinflated health-care system). Anyway you guys take care and congratulations. hope you reach all your goals. From a humble peruvian living in miami. FL thumbs up👍👍👍👍
Thanks, Alexander!!! As for Arequipa's climate, most Peruvians think it's cold; however, we are from Wisconsin, so the climate is absolutely beautiful to us!!! :)
I hope you're enjoying Miami, and thanks so much for your comment!!!
WELCOME TO PERU!! ., ,. I'm glad to see people from other countries make roots in my country. . , I hope you do well in your future plans. ., Best regards.
Thanks so much for the kind comment, Tianos!
100,000 Americans heading to Peru. I'm thinking Chicama....
@@scottyflintstone ,. Chicama it is
Hola from Chorrillos, we have visited Arequipa as well, It's a beautiful place.
Hi Lyndell! Glad to hear that you like our adopted city! We may be bias, but we think it's gorgeous.
Chorrillos is a cool area, too, though!
Hi guys! I am Peruvian woman who lives in NJ more than 24 years, I was very interesting to listen what Americans said about to live in Peru SAFE and affordable life.
Thank you so much for the comment, Sonia! :)
Thank you so much for these 2 vídeos, God bless you!!!!
Our pleasure!!
Is there an expat group that meet in your city in the event that my wife and I visit your city or Peru in general
@@urbanart7325 Hi Ram! There probably is, but we only know about a Facebook group. If you search "Arequipa Expats", you should be able to find the group, they have some resources and share things going on in the city.
Also, there are Lima and a Peru general ("Peru for Young Expats" mostly consists of people in Lima) expat Facebook groups; I know that the Lima group has meetups and may even host events together.
Please let us know if we can help with a visit to Arequipa!! :D
I do believe that. Democratic deterioration in the US will adversly affect democracies in other nations including Peru
Articulate and sensible. Thanks gor the great video.
Thanks so much for watching and the kind comment, Robert! We're glad people are enjoying it!
The fandrich expedition, I suggest you to watch a Canadian RUclipsr who is living in Peru. Her channel in RUclips is: Veronique Angers, the episode: Porque prefiero Peru que Canada?
Another RUclipsr, Kike Arnaiz,the episode : el canon del colca,Arequipa .I hope you enjoy this youtubers from Canada and Spain.
how long does it take to adjust to the altitude?
Thanks for the comment (and apologies for the delay in response)!
Altitude is different for everyone. We've had friends come to visit that don't really notice the difference, and we have some friends who feel it significantly. For those that feel it, we've found it can be anywhere from 2 - 7 days (or more) to adjust, and then you may still have some lingering effects (maybe you're more tired than normal or you get more winded walking up stairs or hills).
Everyone seems to have a ceiling for altitude. For example, I can only go a bit above 10,550 ft elevation, and after that, there's no adjusting. It just becomes dangerous.
It's hard to say, and you kind of have to play it by ear to see how you're feeling. Sorry for the long answer, but there's no straight forward one to give. :)
While much of this seems genuine, I think it’s a bit naive. Corruption and “backwardness” exists everywhere. Fleeing one nest for another just changes the lenses. There are definitely things I’m not too thrilled with as an American in the states either but I recognize the US is a country of over 330 million people with varying opinions, cultures, etc. I can’t speak for Wisconsin, but I’ve lived all over the South and have traveled all over the world. The climate crisis is probably going to continue as long as money is involved and the big polluters (China, India etc) don’t prioritize it. I hope you’re enjoying your time in Peru and maybe we can meet for a beer when we pass through in October. Cheers 🍻
How did you find a job in Arequipa? My husband and I are planning on moving there next year. When he left Peru years ago, networking was key to finding jobs, but now with websites like CompuTrabajo, it looks one might be able to apply online. What was your experience? Were there any challenges being an expat and trying to get into a company?
Great question, Rin73!
I (this is Lili) telecommute, so I kept the same jobs I had when we moved. I've made a couple of videos about this if you're interested.
In our immigration videos we made, Clint talks about how he came into the country on a Business Visa to form his own company. However, he does have a second job teaching.
We've found it easier, at least in Arequipa, to find most things (jobs, stuff for sale, apartments, etc.) once we're on the ground. Arequipa, specifically, is still has a kind of small-town mentality, even though its a fairly big and growing city. Places like Lima are more progressive, so it may be easier to find things online (CompuTrabajo, OLX, etc.). Sorry, we can only speak to this from our Arequipeno perspective. But let us know if you have more questions!!
@@TheFandrichExpedition That helps a lot, thanks! We're specifically moving to Arequipa, to live close to el Misti 😄 so it's nice to know there are more options than just what's on CompuTrabajo.
@@quipu37 - Glad to help!!!
I disagree with you on stuff like health care and education. The U.S. really isn't efficient as far as what we spend on education and health care. For the amount of money we spend per capita on Medicare/Medicaid, we should be able to insure 100% of the population. Other countries do. Same idea for university education. Lots of administrative bloat. Even Elizabeth Warren mentioned this in her book The Two Income Trap (written before she became a politician).
I totally agree with you, there!
I think what we were trying to get at is that exact thing, but also adding that I have been happy with the care I received from my doctors (I recently had a lot of medical care for cancer). That price though.....
I think the best way to sum up my thoughts would be to say that quality healthcare exists in the US, but accessing it is where the trouble starts. For most, not having insurance means a closed door for preventative care and for when serious illnesses progress. Costs have simply gotten out of hand and have made healthcare for the average American a really tricky prospect.
03:30 so you are gonna pay off that student debt by living in Peru?
Awesome video! Glad Peru is working out for you two. I was wondering if you are looking for new partners to work with. I'm an electrical engineer, and I'm really interested to work developing new ways of energy in the country. Do you have an email?
Hi Jose!
Absolutely! You can find my email here: mundosostenibleconsult.com/sobre-nosotros/
@@clintonfandrich619 Alright, I'll check that out. Thanks
Excelente video i believe the best in its class. Greate jobs guys.
Thanks so much, Martin! :)
My dad is from Iquitos and mom from Lima. I live in CA and have been thinking about the issues you are pointing out. Have you found private citizens to be more responsive to renewable energy?
Hi! Thanks for the comment!
Generally, I would say "absolutely!", but if you speak to anyone, pretty much anywhere you can get a positive reception to renewables on some grounds.
For example, even in the most conservative parts of the US where climate change denial and rejection of the scientific consensus are common, you can easily disregard all of that and make a sound economic case. The cost of clean energy systems continues to fall and have, in many places, already surpassed the economics of conventional fossil fuel energy systems. Furthermore, most people like the idea of being in control of their own fates. Renewables are fundamentally decentralizing power systems in places where they are implemented in small scales. This brings control of how energy is produced/consumed much closer to individual homeowners and allows for more independence and introduces new ways to invest in your property. So I often say that renewables are a fundamentally conservative issue, one that allows for more self-reliance, better economic outcomes and also paves the way for greater energy security/resilience (imagine most homeowners and businesses produce their own electricity, a natural disaster has a much more difficult time knocking out absolutely everyone's power, where current centralized systems are highly vulnerable and require enormous infrastructure investments).
As for Peru, it's honestly difficult to find anyone who outright opposes the development of clean energy systems, on either small or large scales. There is no significant propaganda machine pumping out climate change denial (they'd be ridiculous to do so given the obvious effects one can see in Peru given the geography of the country) and most of the major political actors in the country agree on actions to mitigate and adapt to climate change. The frustration, as far as I have encountered it, is that most Peruvians object to the cost of implementation; they are both right and wrong. They are right in that the cost of project implementation is slightly higher than neighboring countries and definitely compared to other places around the world. This is mostly due to undeveloped supply chains for components and still lacking expertise and training. For example, there are only about half a dozen skilled clean energy project developers in all of southern Peru, an area the size of California, with 5.6 million people in it. My hometown of Madison, Wisconsin has more project developers and that's a community of about 350,000 people! So as the market continues to develop, prices here will continue to drop. Another big barrier along the same lines is dissemination of information. When I talk to people about how much a clean energy system will cost, their information is completely outdated; this is on project developers and clean energy advocates (like my organization) to get the information out there and to talk about the long-term cost benefits, which leads to another barrier. It is sometimes very difficult to have folks acknowledge these long-term financial benefits. In this community (Arequipa), there is some of the best solar resource economics of anywhere in the world. In many, many cases people can take advantage of less than 4-year returns on investment given that the region benefits from more than 300 sunny days per year. But even that seems like too long to wait for many. Some of it might be education, but I think it's mostly due to people feeling that it's simply too risky when there are other priorities like putting food on the table or putting a roof over their family, and that's entirely understandable. My organization is looking into ways to reduce these risks and pool resources so that communities can make smart investments in renewables together and have all of the long-term benefits to boot.
Peru, like many other countries in the region, has huge (ENORMOUS) potential for clean energy development; technology costs are dropping rapidly, training for skilled workers is increasing, a sense of urgency about climate change is practically universal, and natural resources in solar, wind, bioenergy and geothermal are hugely abundant.
To more directly answer your question: yes, there is a great response to renewable energy in Peru from almost everyone you speak to. There are still challenges, but the future looks very bright. :)
Peru has lost about 30% of its tropical glaciers but it is still the country with most tropical glaciers on earth.
Being at the headwaters of the Amazon (etc.) plus having populations reliant upon those glaciers for water resources (esp for ag) makes the glaciers in Peru extraordinarily valuable and worthy of protecting.
your company is located in arequipa?:p still need some workers?
Hi Kenny!
The org is based in AQP, absolutely!
What are your credentials? ;D
@@clintonfandrich619 i am a 30 year old train technician from Belgium. Doing this job for 9 years now. I ll be in Arequipa in july maybe i could have a visit in your company. Awesome to see you guys sharing your experiences.
Such a nice couple, enjoy Peru!
Thanks so much, Ronnie! :)
The real question is: Why the sunglasses in your videos?? You hiding something??
Hahah - this is the best comment we've received thus far!
I wish we were cool enough to be hiding something. In reality, it's just really sunny here. :D
Haha! Only hiding my excitement to have sun everyday!!! :)
F.B.I agents !
Do you guys drive over there??
Hi Jeannette - Thanks for the comment! No, we don't drive regularly (though, we have rented a car a few times). We haven't owned a car in years, even before we moved to Peru, in favor of public transport. And luckily, Peru has a lot of public transport (inter-city buses, city buses, and taxis). :)
Absolutely amazing.
But how do you earn a living?
Hey Bruno. Thanks for the comment. I (this is Lili) telecommute, so my job is still in the States. Clint has a couple things going on, all in Peru. He has a non-profit that he funded, and he also teaches English. 🙂
Make wind turbines!
Wiscowsin
If you want to help the planet & the climate stay childless. Encourage others to do the same.
You have missed the most important information about living and working in Peru. How do you intend to legalize your presents here? Have to talked to immigration about it or do you intend to be illegal aliens? You will not be able to legally reside or work here without some form of national identification which you must carry on your person daily. This ain't America where dead people vote and driver license ids are passed out like popcorn.
Hi Ryan! We do not intend to legalize my parents here. They can easily come and go as they please for three months every year, which is just perfect for their retirement schedule.
We never had the intention of being "illegal aliens". We went through the legal immigration process and are happy to say that we've gotten past the biggest hurdles.
We legally work here with permanent residency status and do have government ID.
@@clintonfandrich619 Can you tell us about that process or refer us to a source to educate us on how to become legal residents of Peru?
@@janetvalenza8305 - Of course! Please check out our two videos, Immigrating to Peru (ruclips.net/video/Ss-WkiDUJVA/видео.html) & Immigrating to Peru - Our Story (ruclips.net/video/Fmiv7psjg4M/видео.html). In these videos we talk specifics about becoming a resident, and we also list some resources in the description box of both videos. I hope this helps!