Before You Move to Mexico, Eliminate as Much Paper as Possible and Consider a Mail Forwarding Service

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Before You Move to Mexico, Eliminate as Much Paper as Possible and Consider a Mail Forwarding Service

Mailing addresses are wonderful in the US and Canada; no one has the same address as you, your address will show up on Google Maps (and in the right place), and when you give your address to Amazon, Amazon accepts it and can deliver to you.
Not so much in Mexico.

Also, even if some NOB (“North of the Border”; the US or Canada) companies mailing to you in Mexico could send to an address where your mail would actually be delivered, many will not.

For these reasons and others, it is a good idea to stop receiving in paper as much as you can while NOB and get everything sent to you digitally, via email or access through the Internet.  In probably 95% of cases, your vendors, banks, brokerage accounts, credit card companies, etc., will welcome you doing this, and you can do it by just logging into your account on their website, clicking some boxes and giving your email address.  If this doesn’t work, you may want to call them and ask for assistance.

Ruthlessly eliminate as many pieces of paper coming to you as possible.  There is no downside to doing this now, even if your move is still several months in the future.  That way, if something doesn’t work properly or gets lost, you’ll have a chance while still NOB to fix it in a serene way.

Next, look at all your important documents, such as:

  • Driver’s license
  • Marriage certificate
  • Birth certificate
  • Residency visa (when you get it)
  • Passport
  • All credit cards and debit cards and any other cards you have
  • Car registration
  • Tax returns and receipts
  • Your most cherished photographs
  • Medical records, x-rays, and any lists of medications you’re taking
  • All the other pieces of paper you have that you need from time to time or are especially worried about no longer having

Wouldn’t it be a shame if you lost one, two, or all of them?

In many cases, it would be a complete disaster.

Don’t let it happen, at least in digital form.

Create a directory on your computer, create some subdirectories and scan each category of paper into its own directory.  Then, just think of how secure and at ease you will feel that there is no way to lose at least the digital version of these important documents and photos and how superior your will feel when someone needs your birth certificate or passport and you can just send it to them right from your computer, without having first to find it and then scan it.

Regardless of how much paper mail you eliminate, you’ll still have some.  What do you do about that?  You can either use your sister-in-law’s address where she can collect it for you (thank you, Lisa!), use some other trusted friend or relative, or you can use a commercial service.  There are now lots of mailbox companies in the US who will receive your paper mail and either scan it and send you the scan, or even from time to time physically transport it to you in Mexico.  Make sure you have one of these in place well before you move.

  • Look at each piece of paper mail you receive.  For each one, go to the Internet, to that company’s website, and ask for your correspondence to be sent via email.
  • Buy a low-cost scanner or go to Staples, Office Depot or another retailer who can scan for you.
  • Scan each of the paper in the list above into a place on your computer where you can find it.
  • Either ask someone who is stable, you can trust and who will collect your remaining mail for you if they would do it, or contract with a mailbox company who will do it and will provide you with a legal address. 

How to Figure Out What You Need to Bring to Mexico (and Some Examples)

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Things You Can't Get in Mexico and Should Bring to Mexico

How to Figure Out What You Need to Bring to Mexico (and Some Examples)

Woman sitting on a comfortable sofaThe best advice I would give is to make a trip to Lakeside [Lake Chapala / Ajijic area] several months before packing and moving here. Explore the local shops (furniture and home furnishings stores, hardware stores, drug stores, grocery stores, etc.) to determine what is available. Take a lot of notes. Then think about the things you might need in your new space. If you can’t find the specific things you want to set up a comfortable home for yourself locally, bring it from the US. The list is specific to the individual and what you personally find important.

Some real-life examples: There are high cabinets in the kitchen of our Lakeside home. But it is not possible to find a kitchen step ladder that folds to 1-inch wide for storage with more than two steps here. Likewise, for a telescoping ladder. While large extension ladders are available everywhere here, a 16-foot ladder that collapses to 3.5-feet for storage isn’t available. I brought these items from the US.

Other items I would recommend bringing from the US:

  • Soft sheets and bed linens that have a high thread count
  • Bed pillows that are comfortable to sleep on
  • Some health and beauty products that you can’t find here
  • Comfortable living room chairs and sofas – many of those available in Mexico are too firm or have a straight back by US standards
  • Specialty kitchen gadgets
  • An accurate oven thermometer that is marked in both Celsius and Fahrenheit – propane-fired ovens in Mexico are difficult to regulate for baking

There is a Wal Mart at Lakeside and Home Depot in Guadalajara. These stores are not fully stocked with all of the things that you are used to seeing in their US stores. The same item from Home Depot here is generally much more expensive as compared to the US. If you are like me, I know certain tools and pieces of hardware when I see them. But I don’t always know their name or how to describe them. Trying to ask for an item in Spanish when you don’t know the name of it in English is usually a lost cause. Moral to the story: If it is something you think you might need from Home Depot or Lowe’s, bring it with you. It is better to bring something than to regret that you didn’t.

— David Hudnall

What to Bring When You Move to Mexico: Patience, Flexibility, Humor… and Cash

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Things You Can't Get in Mexico and Should Bring to Mexico

What to Bring When You Move to Mexico: Patience, Flexibility, Humor... and Cash

Jet Metier and Chuck Bolotin with Mexican childrenMy usual advice to people moving to Mexico is bring Patience, Flexibility, and a Sense of Humor.  I am going to add Cash to that.

Mexico does not operate in a linear fashion.  It does not value time, money or efficiency the same way gringos do.  And it does not have an infrastructure that facilitates getting things done quickly.  A good example is the answer I received when I complemented a local Latina rental agent for building a very successful business. Her answer was “Thank you, I am so proud.  I can support 12 families.”

Family and community was the goal of her business, not profit.  She still lives above the office she started 18 years ago, although she could buy a big house.  She would prefer to insure the security of the families who work for her.  That is a Mexican value. But it also means that repair work goes to those families, even if they might not be immediately available.  Time is less important than relationships.

So be patient, things will (usually) take longer than you imagined possible, but sometimes they happen faster.  And be flexible; if the garbage truck is stuck between you and the highway you need to get to on a one-lane cobblestone street, back up, go over to the next street and drive one block the wrong way to the intersection.  You will probably not be the only one.

And laugh.  Mexicans laugh a lot.  While you are stuck behind that garbage truck and the driver comes over to your car and says “lo siento” – I am sorry, tell him you don’t mind the delay, but can he do something about the smell” and make a funny face (No me preocupa el retraso, pero ¿puedes arreglar el mal olor?).  You will both laugh. The truck won’t move any faster, but you will feel better.

Finally, Cash.  Mexico runs on cash; not credit and not electronic money.  Oh, there are places that take your credit card and you can use your debit card at Walmart, but most places want cash.  Paying a utility bill?  Pay it with cash at OXXO. Go to great Mexican restaurant? Pay cash.  Shop at the Wednesday Market?  Cash only. Go to a medical lab in Guadalajara for a test. Cash – in advance.  Despite this, the reliance on cash has not made its use easier.  As techies in the US would say, cash has a lot of friction in Mexico.

You need cash?  Go to the bank in the morning and they are out of it.  Go to the ATM (one of the two in town that will accept your card) and it can’t connect to the internet.  Go to the ATM at LCC, and there is a long line and when you get there, the machine is empty.  Go back to the bank and wait outside with 10 other people while the armored car brings cash into the bank.  Go to the one open teller after waiting for the armored car and she tells you that they are offline and can’t give you a withdrawal.   Rinse and repeat the next day.  Cash does not move quickly in Mexico.  So get a lot when you can.

But once you get used to that, you begin to automatically plan ahead, anticipate all the things that can – and probably will – go wrong, and enjoy life if Mexico.

Oh…and learn Spanish.  Things go faster and work better when you do. Except money.

— Patrick O’Heffernan

Broadcast site:blogtalkradio.com/musicsinfronterasmx

 Twitter:  @musicfridaylive 

 Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/musicfriday  

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My Fun List of What I Brought When We Moved to Mexico

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John Perdiagao and Cindy Bozeman in Mexico

Things You Can't Get in Mexico and Should Bring to Mexico

My Fun List of What I Brought When We Moved to Mexico

John Perdiagao and Cindy Bozeman in MexicoMexico has so many natural and handmade treasures one might wonder… what should I pack to bring that I might not find there…

Well … depending on what you hold dear I believe the answer differs for each if us.

For me it was sentimental cherished items such as my Mom’s ashes contained in the pearl urn and the old photographs that I hold dear from the “pre-Facebook” days. Another “must have” was my beautiful wood chest that my Grandpa built by hand especially for me. I even managed to bring my first cherished stuffed animal from my preschool years (surprised myself that I couldn’t throw that beat up puppy away). I admit I’ve tried throwing him out several times since I’ve been here… tears start welling up before I made it to the bin.  Very strange indeed. But I digress…

For my husband it was simple. He wanted his giant computer monitor and his two cats! 

Having lived here two years I admit that sometimes it’s really the small things that we crave every now and then.

Here’s a few examples…

  • Ghirardelli Chocolate chips – I found them locally here in Mexico but nearly had a coronary over the price…$7.00usd per bag!  Good gawd…enough to stop my cookie cravings.
  • Graham crackers – nope, Mexico must not know about magic cookie bars or s’mores. 
  • “ain’t nobody got time for that” self-tanning foam (hard enough to find in the US.  And yes, I need it now and then! I wear sunblock and stay white as a ghost. #itsaredheadthing
  • Frosted candelabra light bulbs for our chandelier (yes really, they only have clear). We had our friends mule them over. They were like …you want what?!?
  • Whitener strips – haven’t found them anywhere! Yellow is the new white.
  • Clothes and goodies from Ross. (Whaaaaaaa!! I do miss my Ross and Home Goods)
  • Anything from Marshall’s (think soap dispensers, soft throw blankets, trendy summer tops, lamps and shades).  Yes, lamps and shades …don’t get me started.
  • Another really odd “must have” that would have never entered my mind is a heating pad. It’s one of those things you may only need once in blue moon but when you need it you’ve got to have it. Like other things you wouldn’t think would be hard to find, why this item hasn’t made it to stores south of the border is anyone’s guess.
  • Dill pickles (they’ve gotta be here somewhere)
  • Grape jelly (Mexico has literally every other jelly except grape)
  • Butterfingers! I once brought an entire carry-on bag stuffed full for my husband …. BEST WIFE EVER!

All in all, nothing we can’t live without of course but believe me, my husband and I now bring back full suitcases every time we go home! Just cuz we can 😁😉

I hope you’ll find this helpful.

— Cindy Bozeman

#weloveourforeverhome

#noregrets

Before You Move to Mexico, Figure Out What to Take and What to Leave

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Things You Can't Get in Mexico and Should Bring to Mexico

Before You Move to Mexico, Figure Out What to Take and What to Leave

Quinton, Sharon, and Jessie Dube
Quinton, Sharon, and Jessie

The time between our visit Lakeside and our move to Ajijic was just over six months.  During those six months we: sold our house and car, bought a house in Ajijic, established a retirement date, set-up change of address and an account with virtual mail service, ported our Calgary phone line with Vonage, started the immigration process in Calgary to become residents in Mexico and set the date for our three day Estate Sale. However, before the Estate Sale could take place, we had to determine what was moving with us to Mexico.

Thinking that moving less furniture would be more economical than moving more, we decided that we would only bring our bedroom furniture, linens, kitchen dishes, flatware, pots and pans, a few sentimental items. That was an assumption, that we later learned was incorrect.  It is more cost effective to move more than it is to move a smaller amount.

We do wish that we had moved our living room furniture and our office furniture and bookshelves.  The furniture that we owned in Canada was high quality and comfortable and it would have suited our home in Ajijic.

There were also several physical therapy items (heating pads, support slings, ice packs, etc.) that we had purchased over the years in Calgary that now we are having to purchase online through Amazon. We cannot find all these items, not everything ships to Mexico and it is more expensive to get many of the items.

In hindsight, we should have shipped more. It would have been nice to keep the furniture we loved, photo albums, some books, and a few more personal items.  If we had more time to think it through during our six-month preparation, those are the items we would have brought to Mexico.

Quinton, Sharon, and Jessie

Back Up All Your Data Before You Move to Mexico

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Back Up All Your Data Before You Move to Mexico

Now that you’ve put all your important pieces of paper online, think (and more importantly, feel) what it would be like to lose it all.  Maybe you drop your computer, or someone steals it, it’s lost in a fire, or the hard drive crashes unexpectedly, right in the middle of you using it.  Feel your frustration, your anger and your fear.  All that data, all those pictures, all those personal papers, completely lost forever.  That’s nothing you can do about it.  Nothing.  All gone.  You’re devastated as you try to figure out your next move, but there really isn’t one.

Let those emotions set in and wait a moment before you read the next paragraph.

Now, feel the relief you have because you know that you backed up everything in the cloud.  Between the two feelings, this one is better, isn’t it?

I use Dropbox to continuously back up my computer, but there are plenty of other backup services that do pretty much the same thing.  I can’t stress enough how important it is to back up your entire computer to a cloud-based service, so that, if the worse happens, you can just download your saved items onto your new or repaired computer with nothing lost.  If you don’t know how to do this, ask someone who does, and please get it done.

  • Buy a service like Dropbox for your computer and install it.
  • Back up all your files.
  • Ask a knowledgeable friend to look at what you did to make sure you really did back up all your files and that they can be restored elsewhere. 

Before You Leave for Mexico, Visit Your Doctor, Dentist, and Maybe Your Auto Mechanic

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Before You Leave for Mexico, Visit Your Doctor, Dentist, and Maybe Your Auto mechanic

Whenever you move to a new place NOB (“North of the Border”; the US and Canada), you establish new service providers, and none are more important than your doctor and dentist.  Sometimes, this takes a while and sometimes, there’s an emergency before you’ve done it.  As with so many other considerations about your move, moving to Mexico is just like that, only more so.

Just before you leave the US or Canada, you may want to have that final checkup at your NOB doctor’s office and final dental cleaning at your NOB dentist, just so you don’t need a root canal while en route to your new home in Mexico or soon thereafter and have to start asking people for recommendations to the local endodontist, all while you’ve got this throbbing pain in your head.  Like so much other preparation, this problem probably won’t happen, but if it does and you’ve planned ahead, it won’t be a big deal.

While you’re visiting your NOB doctor or dentist, please let them know you’re moving to Mexico and ask them for all the documentation and records they have that would be useful to your new doctor or dentist, including your list of any allergies.  These records belong to you and NOB doctors and dentists are usually very happy to provide them.

While you’re there, ask for a list of medications you take on an ongoing basis.  Then, check to make sure you have enough for an extended period of time (well after you arrive in Mexico) and that you can get your medications in Mexico.  If you don’t have enough, have your doctor write a prescription so that you do.

And while we’re on the subject of preventive maintenance, if you’re planning on driving your car into Mexico, have that NOB 108-point check enough beforehand so that, if they find something, you can have it fixed before you leave, rather than on the side of the road in Mexico next to a bemused goat in a corn field between two towns whose names you can’t pronounce.

  • Make an appointment to visit all your medical doctors.  Tell them the reason for your visit and ask them to have all your medical records and a list of medications available for you.
  • Visit your doctor.  If necessary, ask your doctor to prescribe enough medications for you to last at least several months after you arrive in Mexico.
  • Take with you your paper medical records and list of medications and then scan them into your computer(see above).
  • Do the same for your dentist.
  • A month before you’re ready to leave, have your car checked and consider getting new tires.

What Should I Bring With Me When I Move to Mexico?

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Things You Can't Get in Mexico and Should Bring to Mexico

What Should I Bring With Me When I Move to Mexico?

Jet Metier walking to WalMart in MexicoWhat should you bring with you when you move to Mexico?

The short answer is: “It depends”. 

The longer answer is: It depends on:

  1. Where you will be living in Mexico.
  2. How comfortable you are with ordering products online.
  3. How attached you are to your furniture and other items/keepsakes.
  4. How important your home country branded products are to you.
  5. Things you may not easily find in Mexico.

Where you will be living in Mexico.

If you will be living within a short (1+/- hour) drive to a larger city, then you’ll most likely have a wide variety of shopping options. Anything you can buy at these stores, you won’t need to bring with you. 

Although you should know that any and all products shipped from the U.S. or Canada to stores in Mexico are subject to additional customs duties and a 16% IVA (Sales Tax) when they cross the border into Mexico. These additional fees and taxes will increase the retail prices of these products in Mexico.

General Merchandise:

Costco: 34 stores in 18 Mexican states Sam’s Club: 88 stores in 29 Mexican states

Walmart: 72 stores in 28 Mexican states Home Depot: 74 stores in 24 Mexican states

Best Buy: 10 stores in 5 Mexican states

Major Grocery Stores:

Soriana: 824 stores Chedraui: 138 stores Mega: 30 stores

How comfortable you are with ordering products online. 

If you’re comfortable with ordering products online, then you’ll have several good options when you’re in Mexico.

amazon.com ships many different products directly to Mexico from the U.S. (although you will still pay the customs duties and Mexican sales tax on these products). 

amazon.com.mx offers many (but certainly not all) of the same products available on its U.S. website. Most of these products are stocked and shipped directly from Amazon MX to your home in Mexico, which makes the shipping time shorter than ordering from the Amazon US website. 

You can also order directly from costco.com.mx just like you do in your home country. 

You will be surprised by how many dozens of online retailers in the U.S. will ship directly to Mexico and/or have a Mexican website that you can order from directly. 

There is also mercadolibre.com.mx which is like a Mexican version of Amazon. 

How attached you are to your furniture and other items/keepsakes.

There are many high quality, but affordable, furniture stores all across Mexico – from tables and chairs to sofas, desks, cabinets, etc. And, of course, there are always custom furniture makers in most mid-to-large cities and towns who can make you exactly what you want at very reasonable prices. 

But, if you have new furniture, or just furniture that you love and want to bring with you, that’s ok too. Maybe you have a favorite “easy chair” or a favorite bedroom suite that you just can’t part with. Or maybe you want to bring items that have sentimental value like family heirlooms (furniture, artwork, quilts, sculptures, etc.) that mean a lot to you. That’s ok too. 

Just remember that you may be moving to a location in Mexico that may have a very different climate than where you live now. This new climate may not be “friendly” to the furniture and other things you want to bring with you. For example, living on a coast in Mexico where the climate is hot and humid for many months of the year could damage your current furniture. The heat and humidity can often warp or crack furniture made of wood. The salty ocean air rusts and corrodes everything made of metal – including your outdoor patio furniture, as well as the electrical wiring in your house and your vehicle, metal doors and window frames, light fixtures, kitchen appliances and even your computer and other electronic devices. Just be sure that what you’re bringing with you will be “climate friendly” where you will be living in Mexico.

How important your home country branded products are to you.

Ok, you may not easily find Vegemite or Poutine at your local grocery store or restaurant, but if finding branded products from your home country is important to you, then you do have some very good options IF you live near a large city in Mexico. But, they WILL be more expensive than what you’re used to paying in your home country (due to shipping costs, duties and Mexican sales tax). 

For example, there are U.S.-equivalent shopping malls throughout Mexico where you will find popular U.S. and worldwide brands. In Guadalajara (Mexico’s 2nd largest city), you find just about everything you’ll ever want in these 2 shopping malls. 

There are also popular restaurants at these malls:

Applebee’s, Chili’s, McDonalds, Outback, P.F. Changs, Dairy Queen, Denny’s, Cheesecake Factory, Hooters, Carl’s Jr., Krispy Kreme

And there are similar upscale shopping malls throughout Mexico, including: Cancun, Tulum, Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico City and many more.

Things you may not easily find in Mexico.

If you’re a woman with a shoe size larger than an 8 or a man with a shoe size larger than a 10, then you will most likely have a problem finding shoes/sandals/boots in your size locally. 

If you wear large or tall clothing, then you will most likely have a problem finding clothes in your size locally.

If you like down pillows, 600+ thread count all-cotton sheets, soft/fluffy all-cotton towels or a soft mattress (Mexican mattresses are available in either “hard” or “rock hard”), then you will most likely have a problem finding this type of bedding locally. 

If you have countertop kitchen appliances (mixers, blenders, crock pots, steamers, bread makers, etc), that you love, then you’ll probably want to bring them with you. You will most likely have a problem finding these types of kitchen appliances locally. 

If you have favorite pots & pans and cutlery that you love, then you’ll probably want to bring them with you. You will most likely have a problem finding these types of cooking utensils locally. 

You will also want to bring your computers/laptops, tablets and mobile phones with you. Finding U.S.  brands of these products is possible, but more expensive in Mexico due to additional shipping costs, duties and taxes associated with importing these products into Mexico. Also know that computers available for sale at retail stores in Mexico will have Spanish operating systems and Spanish language keyboards (with ñ, á, upside down ? and ! keys, for example). 

The best advice on what to bring with you to Mexico is to just ask Chuck at Best Mexico Movers. He’s seen and done it all and can give you the best advice based on his own and his clients’ experiences. 

—  Lee Steele, Lake Chapala, Jalisco, Mexico

Before You Leave for Mexico, Get Up-To-Date

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Before You Leave for Mexico, Get Up-To-Date

Check the expiration dates on everything, including your:

  • Passport
  • Driver’s license
  • Credit cards
  • Debit cards

Then consider where it would be easier to renew any of these items– when you are NOB (“North of the Border”; the US and Canada) or when you’re a newbie in Mexico.  Relative to credit and debit cards, it can be extremely difficult or close to impossible to get your company to send you a new card in Mexico.  Just get items renewed early and this will be yet one more problem you will not have.

  • Check the expiration dates on all the items listed above.
  • Renew anything now, before you leave, that is due to expire any time soon.

Mark Rochon and Lisa Beeman Rochon

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Please join us in welcoming two of Lakeside’s newest residents: Mark Rochon and Lisa Beeman Rochon. Please say “hi” when you see them around town. Here’s Mark’s and Lisa’s story…

Where did you move from?

We moved from Martinez, California, which is in the east San Francisco Bay area. Martinez is a historic little town with several claims to fame. It’s where the martini was invented, the birthplace of Joe DiMaggio, and has the home of John Muir.

Where did you move to?

San Antonio Tlayacapan, which is between Ajijic and Chapala.

What work did you do in Martinez?

Lisa: I was an elementary school teacher. I taught 1st grade in a mostly lower-income, English Learner community.

Mark: I worked as a manager in computer information technology, mostly in retail systems, where, among other things, my degree in accounting came in handy.

What was it about the Lake Chapala area that caused you to want to move here?

Both: We had been coming to Mexico for years, sometimes many times in a year. We like to plan, so our 10-year plan was to move to Puerto Vallarta. Then, a few years ago, we were in Puerto Vallarta and started to notice things. For example, it was January, and it was still quite warm. This prompted us to reconsider the climate we would be comfortable in. Also, Puerto Vallarta was touristy, and it was fairly expensive. It’s a lot different when you consider living in a place as opposed to being a tourist.

So, we started researching the Lake Chapala area. That summer we came to visit for the first time. We stayed in Ajijic at Nueva Posada. We used Facebook a lot, first to connect with people online and then, to meet them in person, in real life, right here at Lakeside. Lots of people were willing to meet with us. It was great. We were charmed enough to take our 10-year plan down to five years. We’ve been back to visit several times since and loved it more every time.

Mark: In January of 2018, I got “downsized,” which altered our thinking a bit. I decided I was retired, not unemployed. It was time to take out the spreadsheets again and plan our retirement. The five-year plan became the year-and-a-half plan.

What are your plans here over the next few years?

Mark: My plan is to see what I become when I don’t have to go to work.
Lisa: We don’t really have plans, but we do have lots of ideas. We’re relatively young to retire, so hopefully we have a lot of time to find out who we are when we don’t have to work. We don’t plan to “reinvent ourselves”, so much as enjoy a second young-adulthood.

What are you most looking forward to doing at your new home here at Lake Chapala?

Lisa: Traveling and discovering more of Mexico, not as a tourist but as a resident here. It is much less expensive to travel when you start within the country. Also, we want to do what we couldn’t before, due to my teaching schedule– travel at times when everyone else isn’t.

What do you wish you knew “then” that you know “now”?

Mark: Not much, because we did so much research ahead of time. We are in awe, though, that all our plans worked.

Lisa: If we had to pick one thing that we’re glad that we did NOT know, it would be that our house would sell for much less than we had planned. If we had known that, we might not have had the courage to make the move, and that would have been a mistake. We’re so happy we did it and we’re here!

What are you most passionate about?

Mark: Having new experiences.

Lisa: I’m passionate about teaching. It’s not just a job; it’s a calling. I’m not done working with children… I’m just done getting paid for it.

What advice do you have for anyone moving here?

Lisa: Do your research.

Mark: We did extensive research on Facebook and any other place we could find. Then, my advice is to come down and visit, but not just one area, all different areas.

Lisa: Understand that you are moving to MEXICO, with all that that statement means. Don’t just move here because it is cheap. We love Mexico; the people, the food, the music, the joie de vivre. But understand that you are moving to another country—things aren’t going to be like they were North of the Border.

Mark: Come for the adventure. Work to speak the language. Duolingo is good for that. Right now, I can get by, but I’m working on getting better.

What was your biggest misconception about Mexico?
Both: We had very few misconceptions, because we did our research and travelled in Mexico a lot before we moved.

Lisa: An example of a misconception that many people might have is that it is dangerous here, that if you go one block past the tourist areas, it’s a terrible place. The truth is that one block past the tourist areas, or two blocks, or more, are just ordinary people, living their lives.

What hobbies and other activities do you plan to do here?

Mark: I plan to do more music. I play the guitar and the mandolin. I’d like to do all the things I’ve dabbled in in the past but didn’t have the time to do more of; to re-kindle many of my interests. For example, I love to read and to do art—drawing and painting. Also, I do card tricks. I grew up in Anchorage, Alaska, where I was on the Mother Moose television show once a week. My younger brother thought I was a star.

Lisa: I’d like to take ceramic classes. I’d also like to read, garden, cook, paint, and take welding classes. I guess I have some wide interests.

What’s the first thing you did after you put away your household goods?

Lisa: We still haven’t put everything away! My mom will be visiting soon, and we do plan on exploring the Guadalajara area more.

What was the most stressful part about moving to San Antonio?

Both: Driving here with six cats.

Lisa: Driving here with the cats was a little terrible, but now, it’s done. That’s how it’s worked for us– we had a plan, we knew it wouldn’t be great, but now, it’s over.

The hardest part was saying our goodbyes, including selling our house with all its memories. It was very emotional. We had great lives and a great house. But if we stayed in Northern California, we would have had to work until we died, so we changed our plan. We have no regrets, but it was not easy.

Mark: There are so many details: like banking, phones, moving the cats, etc. I had 137 to-do items on four lists. But it all worked out.

Both: It was also stressful that we had not sold our house when we left, but it’s finally closed now.

What were you most happily surprised by about moving to the Lake Chapala area?

Both: That it worked! We’re here!! It still feels like a dream.

Also, it’s nice to be able to communicate with our family and friends in the US remotely just the same way we did when we lived in California.

Is there anything you would like to ask from the community?

Lisa: Where’s the recycling in San Antonio?

What would you say about fitting in here at Lakeside?

Mark: Living here at Lakeside is socially like just entering college or high school. The people here are so open to having new friends.

Both: When we were in California, we just had our work friends and our family, but not much else, because we didn’t have the time for it. Already, we have more friends here than we had north of the border. That’s really nice.

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