¡Viva Mexico!

Retirees… snow birds… people on the run from legal troubles. Most people think these are the traditional people wanting to leave the United States. However, a huge number of residents of the United States and even Canada are moving to Mexico for a variety of reasons. Digital nomads able to work from any location, people looking for a slower pace of life, a more family centered culture, the reasons are numerous.

Why have we travelled to Mexico and decided to spend more time there in the future? We have many reasons that I will share and expound more on the reasons tied to our health and peace of mind, since that is the purpose of Gut, Heart, and Soul. We do still love our home in the U.S. and are thankful for the service men in each of our family’s history, covering the Air Force, Army, Marines, and Navy. We just also love Mexico for a lot of reasons!

Visiting what may be the first Catholic Church in North America, located in Ixmiquilpan, Hidalgo

Family!

While yes, we are sadly leaving behind some family members in the United States when we travel to Mexico, we are also joyously arriving to town with as many family members! We personally visit the great city of Santiago de Queretaro, Mexico. I will simply call it Queretaro from now on – but be aware that Queretaro is both the name of the state as well as the shortened/common use form of the city name. This beautiful historic city is where my husband’s grandfather settled many years ago after living in Mexico City and San Miguel de Allende at earlier points in his life. We have a great tia (aunt) there, many amazing primos (cousins) for us and for our children, and we have also found an extended “framily” there (friends who have become like family). Actually, our “framily” is both in our US hometown and our Mexican hometown. Oddly enough, when our boys got into competitive swim, we began in a group that had three additional local families with connection to Queretaro! Something very interesting with Queretaro being one of the smaller states in Mexico.

Food

Enjoying helado con aqua in Queretaro!

I have shared in many other places (like my TMI article) about my dietary changes that have occurred since beginning my diagnosis journey. As a short recap, I now eat (in the US) gluten free, everything cow free (dairy, meat), and a modified Low Fodmap diet since I have already gone through the reintroduction phase. Please note that nothing has ever caused me hives or an anaphylactic reaction – my issues are all GI related. My husband also has some gut health challenges with a diagnosis of Ulcerative Colitis. You can read about his story here on Gut, Heart, and Soul soon! He has agreed to write a guest column.

When we first visited Mexico, we over prepared ourselves for ALL the “Montezuma’s Revenge” everyone else discusses since we already have very touchy GI systems. We took Pepto, Gas-X, Imodium, Tums, electrolyte powders, prebiotic and probiotic gummies, and other supplies from the US with us in a giant medicine bag. However, what we experienced was exactly the opposite of what we anticipated. I ate an entire beautiful personal sized loaf of bread when my husband’s cousin, Ana, prepared molletes for us one day and had NO REACTION! I felt great!

The fruit… I can’t even begin to properly tell you how delicious the fresh fruit is there, or how inexpensive it is! What we pay $16 for in strawberries from our local farm was the equivalent of $2. We went to a little avocado stand (yes, an entire tiny tienda with only avocados!) and bought several avocados for guacamole and after we paid, the owners said “here, take a few more!” That scenario is not uncommon in Mexico, as in the big picture, the society truly does look out for one another. For us, instead of “Montezuma’s Revenge” we have “Return to the US Revenge.” My husband and I (as well as our sons and his mother who have travelled with us) all feel heavy when we return and begin eating food here again. Our stomachs hurt. It takes around a month for us to get accustomed to eating food in the US.

Pace of Life

The pace of life in Mexico is much slower. Everything can wait, and most things have to wait if you’re dependent on other people. While this could cause a lot of stress for some people, I find it a nice change. Taking deep breaths, realizing what is truly important in life, and being thankful for what we already have are important to me.

More Images from Mexico

Living Costs

Living costs are much lower, as many of us know. We learn that many migrant workers come here and send as much back to their families as possible. The digital nomad culture is allowing many more people to enjoy life outside of the U.S. and Mexico is still close enough to allow for quick travel back to the States when needed. I touched a little earlier on the cost of strawberries, but that is only the beginning.

Medical Care Options & Cost

As with living costs, the costs of medical care in Mexico are much lower than in the United States. Yes, you can say you get what you pay for, but I have also heard some amazing stories of wonderful care from medical teams in Mexico when people have gotten hurt or injured on vacation. Our family members have also talked with us about cost comparing a few things between the U.S. and Mexico – births, major surgeries, etc. and going with a very high-quality, private pay option in Mexico seems to be just a fraction of the price for most procedures.

Not TimBits, but more helado con agua in Mexico!

TimBits!

Ok, this last one is a little joke for many of my close friends. For those who don’t know, Tim Hortons is a Canadian doughnut, coffee, and other food items chain – think Krispy Kreme or Dunkin, but more options.  TimBits are their doughnut holes.  And they are my absolute favorite! (Sorry Krispy Kreme… I feel like a bad North Carolinian saying that!) I have ZERO idea why I can get TimBits and other Tim Hortons goodies in Mexico, but I can NOT get them at home in North Carolina… but I can. If anyone has connections with Timmy’s HQ, let them know that North Carolina is ready, willing, and able to jump in on the bandwagon! Now, you may ask how a girl from the southern Appalachia area knows about Tim Hortons. I have friends who have Canadian parents as well as friends in and from New York, New Jersey, and Michigan, and I’ve personally traveled to 5 provinces of Canada thus far as of writing this article (more are on my bucket list.  It would be cool to make it to all the provinces and territories!) Ok… seriously though, I really want a 50 pack (wait… that’s the Canadian sets with the blessed metric system bonus… so a U.S. 40 pack) of birthday cake and chocolate snowball TimBits now. Why is the closest Timmy’s several hours away?!?