Along with many others, the book, “Under the Tuscan Sun,” written by an expat from San Francisco who moves to Italy and restores an old villa, charmed me. I can relate to her story because of my own similar experience however, my expat adventure takes place in Mexico.
Truly, simply replacing the names could retell the story. Italy would become Mexico, villa would become Hacienda, olive tree becomes mesquite tree, pasta becomes ceviche, Rafael…well, Rafael could remain the same!
I often compare moving to Mexico to moving to Spain or Italy. The first thing you must do is leave behind the “this is how we do things in the United States” mentality. Because guess what? We’re not in Kansas anymore Toto! And, that was the whole idea right? To explore and create a new life that offers the depth and richness that we felt was lacking back in Kansas?
So, here is where the richness of living in Mexico comes into play. We learn patience because “tomorrow’ takes on a whole new meaning here. Most people know that mañana does not really mean tomorrow. It actually refers to some point in the future.
In the United States we are not raised to be patient so this can be a somewhat frustrating process for expats. However, this newfound patience teaches you how to slow down and relax. This new sensation of relaxing allows you to see, sense, and feel the beauty that is right before your eyes. Instead of fretting over whether the “plomero” will actually arrive at 11:00 a.m., you learn to start your day a bit easier and softer. You learn to linger over your morning coffee and enjoy watching the hummingbirds as they flitter among your bougainvillea drenched garden. Slowly, you learn to let go of expectations that are unimportant. Expectations that just fill our minds with busy clutter and take away from a “living in the moment” sensibility that I find most expats crave. We just have to learn how to let go and truly live.
So, when you determine you are ready to make your new home “Under the Mexican Sun” take deep breaths, relax, and feel your new colorful life unfold around and within you. Bienvenidos a Mexico!
