solajijic Posted May 20, 2013 Report Posted May 20, 2013 Gringal: "We did one thing I don't regret: Moved all of our favorite furnishings with us to Mexico, on the theory we wouldn't feel like we left our lives behind if we did. Those "old friends" that came with us are good company." I believe this to be a key ingredient to some people having a better settled feeling here and others who still feel as though they are "just" visiting. This is just like moving across the US or Canada and you should bring part of yourself and what is visually familiar with you. Our daughters and their families are comfortable because this place looks like Mom and Dad live here. And after all this time I am still surprised how many people say "I wish I had my china, or my mothers chair, my kids now want grandpas humidor...." This is your life here it is not really a perpetual vacation. We plan to stay here, however we also know that when our youngest begins to have children we will have to have a place near her family for more frequent and lengthy visiting. When we discuss it I get anxious about how to make it have the same comfortable familiarity that we have enjoyed with our lifelong belongings. I dealt with that anxiety by going on Craigslist in the city and choosing an apartment with the right price point. Since the listings usually include many interior pictures I had a good sense of the space and what I would need to fill it. Then I went back to Craigslist, Ebay and internet furnishing sites and choose what I would need, down to linens and kitchen items. I used www.Pinterest.com and made an account and each bulletin board they allowed was designated as a separate room. then I furnished each room. So now I have a really good idea of what it would cost me to set up housekeeping in inner-ring suburban Cleveland. Not that I want to but it would be best for family relations if we did eventually. So if you are thinking about going back this is a way to do some planning. Not to mention it was loads of fun.
bwhite1948 Posted May 20, 2013 Report Posted May 20, 2013 Of the 6 couples and 1 single I know who have returned to the US over the past 9 years, all of them spent a long time considering their decision to leave; I can't believe that your friends acted out of haste. Big life decisions can't be made quickly. I am glad to report that all of the people I know who have left (after considerable debate over pro's and con's of such a move) are all very happy to be where they are.
giltner68 Posted May 20, 2013 Report Posted May 20, 2013 Valgal, my apology, just a figure of speech, I should have said that I don't have a dog in this fight
bennie Posted May 20, 2013 Report Posted May 20, 2013 shipped to mexico, 2 dressers, 3 mirrors, framed prints, sheets towels, many small objects, clothes, shoes, my telephone. people move here w/a suitcase, i dont get that.
TioBob Posted May 20, 2013 Report Posted May 20, 2013 A number of years ago after living here about four years I needed to travel to California. When I crossed the border at Nogales I was struck by how clean everything was. No basura on the side of the road. Through Arizona, Nevada and to the Sierra Nevada to my old hometown no trash nor potholes to my memory. After a week I reversed my route. Needing to change dollars to pesos I decided to enter through down and dirty Nogales instead of the truck crossing. Crossing into Mexico the traffic was as expected. Cars cutting me off, making left turns a half a block early on the wrong side of the road, horns honking and dirt and basura everywhere. I wanted to stop and kiss the ground. I was home. A sudden rush came over me as soon as I crossed the border. I don't know why, nor do I know why I have a peace here I never had before. I really don't care why, I'm just glad I do. We have to listen to and follow our hearts and then we will be home.
Ginger Posted May 20, 2013 Report Posted May 20, 2013 My situation's different but I've observed that SOME (certainly not all) try to do a geographical cure & they could wind up in a suite in the Ritz & not be happy. Others may be newly retired & suddenly they're together 24/7 which is a totally new experience & not always a pleasant one. You've seen them in restaurants. They're the couple that have not said a word to each other throughout the whole meal. It helps to have realistic expectations & there's no harm in finding that this area isn't the place for you but somewhere else may just be perfect. I asked on this board before I came what I should bring with me. Most of the men said "Lose the stuff." The women were smarter & I'm glad I followed their advice. It would have been too costly to move furniture but I sure brought towels, sheets & kitchen stuff & paintings I valued. For anyone who isn't used to moving around different cultures it really is best to rent for a while & for those who do leave I hope they find their sweet spot.
valbogyo Posted May 20, 2013 Author Report Posted May 20, 2013 Gringal: "We did one thing I don't regret: Moved all of our favorite furnishings with us to Mexico, on the theory we wouldn't feel like we left our lives behind if we did. Those "old friends" that came with us are good company." I believe this to be a key ingredient to some people having a better settled feeling here and others who still feel as though they are "just" visiting. This is just like moving across the US or Canada and you should bring part of yourself and what is visually familiar with you. Our daughters and their families are comfortable because this place looks like Mom and Dad live here. And after all this time I am still surprised how many people say "I wish I had my china, or my mothers chair, my kids now want grandpas humidor...." This is your life here it is not really a perpetual vacation. We plan to stay here, however we also know that when our youngest begins to have children we will have to have a place near her family for more frequent and lengthy visiting. When we discuss it I get anxious about how to make it have the same comfortable familiarity that we have enjoyed with our lifelong belongings. I dealt with that anxiety by going on Craigslist in the city and choosing an apartment with the right price point. Since the listings usually include many interior pictures I had a good sense of the space and what I would need to fill it. Then I went back to Craigslist, Ebay and internet furnishing sites and choose what I would need, down to linens and kitchen items. I used www.Pinterest.com and made an account and each bulletin board they allowed was designated as a separate room. then I furnished each room. So now I have a really good idea of what it would cost me to set up housekeeping in inner-ring suburban Cleveland. Not that I want to but it would be best for family relations if we did eventually. So if you are thinking about going back this is a way to do some planning. Not to mention it was loads of fun. That is a fantastic idea. And the person who said that their friends took time to research where they were moving to, good job and I am glad they are happy. Take the time, do not rush and really examine why you are leaving. Where ever you go, there you are.
valbogyo Posted May 20, 2013 Author Report Posted May 20, 2013 It depends on the person. I understand and feel the same way when ever I return. I am a very imperfect person with many, many flaws. Not that great looking, falling apart here and there, a little messy, very imperfect. I feel very at home in my imperfect house, driving around in my Fred Flinstone car, along the littered and broken streets. Like the lakeside area I do have some charming qualities, though.
TioBob Posted May 20, 2013 Report Posted May 20, 2013 Home is a lot like people. It's not important how it or they look, what is important is how they or it makes you feel.
bennie Posted May 20, 2013 Report Posted May 20, 2013 its kissing the ground w/the garbage, that is weird. garbage is the same anywhere, its global. anyway, each to his own!
valbogyo Posted May 20, 2013 Author Report Posted May 20, 2013 its kissing the ground w/the garbage, that is weird. garbage is the same anywhere, its global. anyway, each to his own! Ha! I missed that visual. No, I would not kiss the ground in Mexico or anywhere!
LaChula Posted May 20, 2013 Report Posted May 20, 2013 shipped to mexico, 2 dressers, 3 mirrors, framed prints, sheets towels, many small objects, clothes, shoes, my telephone. people move here w/a suitcase, i dont get that. 1995, no Internet to research living here, 2 short visits, felt it was right for me, moved down all by myself with 3 suitcases, no furniture, and feel I have been in Paradise ever since. Things have changed greatly and many of the changes haven't been to my liking (Walmart's, fraccs and shopping strips where there were farms and orchards, lots of traffic on the carretera and many of the people who move here now don't come because they love Mexico and want to experience and integrate into the Mexican culture.). But, no importa. Inmy almost 18 years, I have not have been harassed by transitos, my houses haven't been broken into, no one to my knowledge has cheated me. Rather, my experiences here have been very positive. I have lived in 3 different houses in centro Ajijic, first 2 rented and since 2000, in my very Mexican, kind of rustico dream house I own. If I were to win 10 million$$$ in the lottery, I would not move to another house nor to anywhere else in the world. I am very, very blessed.
bennie Posted May 20, 2013 Report Posted May 20, 2013 i shipped dressers as the rustic ones are rough on the inside. finally i found a place in guad that made me a nice small dresser, perfect, varnished matte inside out. i went back to have another made larger size (as i was selling the US one), store went out of business. i had a bed frame made locally, but the work was bad. there was one great place here in the late 90s to buy reproductions, but they closed. when i got here there were few options, glad i took the few things i did. i had several faux mirrors made here which look good. real gold leaf can be bought in guad. i may have sold too many things i shipped, like a rug. i could see myself only bringing clothes if i was buying the perfect place w/the perfect funishings. im not buying, but i have only seen one in all the yrs here. i didnt come to invent a new identity, i like the one i have.
holdrja Posted May 20, 2013 Report Posted May 20, 2013 Really interesting discussion. We researched places to retire for over a decade before building down here. Had spent 10 - 12 years with once or twice a year visits here, and had lived in Mexico AGES ago, first year of college, so skipped the "rent for 6 months" but agree that is a totally good idea. No family ties back up north, and it is easier I think when you bring your best friend with you -- in this case, the spouse. Shipped a container load down here -- lots of stuff for the stables, and enough to furnish our home here. We are really happy and content here, and plan to be here for the rest of our lives. We did a lot of studying on cultural issues before coming down, and try to treat the differences as something interesting, or almost like a game to play. So far, coming up on 2 full years here, so good. I had expected to be homesick in some ways but hasn't happened yet.
Shelley Ronnfeldt Posted May 20, 2013 Report Posted May 20, 2013 I'm in the bring one suitcase camp. Possessions aren't all that important to my husband and I, and we knew we were going to rent, at least for awhile. It was us, two dogs, and whatever else we could manage to fit into the sedan. We've never regretted it. I enjoy trips back to the US to shop and visit friends, but am always thrilled to come home to Mexico. I could not afford the lifestyle I live here back in the US unless I were to go back to work, god forbid! I agree, one should think long and hard before packing up lock, stock, and barrell and moving to another country - whether that be moving to Mexico, or back to your homeland. The memories are often sweeter than the reality.
valbogyo Posted May 20, 2013 Author Report Posted May 20, 2013 I'm in the bring one suitcase camp. Possessions aren't all that important to my husband and I, and we knew we were going to rent, at least for awhile. It was us, two dogs, and whatever else we could manage to fit into the sedan. We've never regretted it. I enjoy trips back to the US to shop and visit friends, but am always thrilled to come home to Mexico. I could not afford the lifestyle I live here back in the US unless I were to go back to work, god forbid! I agree, one should think long and hard before packing up lock, stock, and barrell and moving to another country - whether that be moving to Mexico, or back to your homeland. The memories are often sweeter than the reality. One point that is important to remind people about is that it is easy to move to Mexico with nothing but a suitcase or two, at least to these expat areas. You can easily rent a place with everything you need: linen, fully equipt kitchens, TVs, etc. It is not easy going the other direction. That was the big shocker for my friend who went to Europe. Having not been a renter for decades, they really did not know that, except where there are a lot of holiday homes, long term rentals do not typically come fully furnished with appliances.
LaChula Posted May 20, 2013 Report Posted May 20, 2013 That is true, my rented houses had enough basics to get started. But most Mexican-owned homes that do not rent to the ex-pats are not furnished and you have to provide your own appliances.
bennie Posted May 20, 2013 Report Posted May 20, 2013 my rental is fully furnished. but i had them remove the bedroom furniture, some other furniture, tacky artwork/cheesy surburan mall artifacts. im not a plastic vertical blinds type of person, but i live w/that. i still dont know how to work most appliances.
LaChula Posted May 20, 2013 Report Posted May 20, 2013 my rental is fully furnished. but i had them remove the bedroom furniture, some other furniture, tacky artwork/cheesy surburan mall artifacts. im not a plastic vertical blinds type of person, but i live w/that. i still dont know how to work most appliances. Stove? Refrigerator?
rufus Posted May 20, 2013 Report Posted May 20, 2013 There is a lot of good information in this thread. I would like to hear more.
valbogyo Posted May 20, 2013 Author Report Posted May 20, 2013 There is a lot of good information in this thread. I would like to hear more. About moving here, or moving "back"? Moving back is more challenging, in my opinion, if you do not have family support or enough money to establish yourself in the new local. If you leave Mexico, and you don't meet the new financial requirements, you may not be able to come back. So really do your homework before moving... anywhere, I guess. For those with the means..... it could be another fun adventure.
bennie Posted May 21, 2013 Report Posted May 21, 2013 lachula, i can work refrigerator (normal) stove (gas normal), but not oven. the blender is in spanish, but there is google so thats the next step. the neighbor taught me my the washer, next the digital oven. there are other contraptions which are useless, so i skip. i pass on microwave, dont want that. never use fans, but they have them. used garbage disposal once, but its too noisy, never ever use a dishwasher. i had some of these things in the US but i disconnected them.
Gilligan Posted May 21, 2013 Report Posted May 21, 2013 About moving here, or moving "back"? Moving back is more challenging, in my opinion, if you do not have family support or enough money to establish yourself in the new local. If you leave Mexico, and you don't meet the new financial requirements, you may not be able to come back. So really do your homework before moving... anywhere, I guess. For those with the means..... it could be another fun adventure. Just as a point of clarification, even if you don't meet the new financial requirements you can come back. Come back on a tourist visa and just leave the country every 180 days. There are buses, planes and people always going up to the border, so for a few hundred bucks you can be here 363 days a year. For those with little money, my bet is Mexico is still cheaper than almost anywhere up NOB.
valbogyo Posted May 21, 2013 Author Report Posted May 21, 2013 Just as a point of clarification, even if you don't meet the new financial requirements you can come back. Come back on a tourist visa and just leave the country every 180 days. There are buses, planes and people always going up to the border, so for a few hundred bucks you can be here 363 days a year. For those with little money, my bet is Mexico is still cheaper than almost anywhere up NOB. Good point.
El Toro Furioso Posted May 21, 2013 Report Posted May 21, 2013 Very good thread. Thanks to (almost) all.
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