Hello People! My name is Mora and welcome to my channel! I make videos about traveling to, and living in, Mexico. And I’ve been in Mexico for about 8 months now.

For the first 5 months or so I moved every 1-4 weeks, exploring different parts of Mexico, driving around with my two dogs. But for the last almost 3 months I’ve been staying in Michoacan near the town of Patzcuaro. I landed in this beautiful spot for some rest from traveling and giving the dogs a break too. It wasn’t my original intention to come to this part of Mexico, I usually try to avoid locations with travel warnings! I thought I would head into Hidalgo and then down to Puebla by now. But for a variety of reasons I felt pulled in this direction so here we are. And I’m so glad because it’s so beautiful here, and the people are so nice!

I just got back from a whirlwind trip to California to see my son and other family and it was great! Too fast!  For the first time in Mexico I felt my allergies spring up. But it shouldn’t be surprising, there is always something new blooming in Michoacan! That’s why it’s so beautiful here!

But I was interested to note, on my way back to Mexico, that I had no regret. I looked forward to coming home here and I feel very comfortable. I wasn’t saying to myself “oh I wish I could stay in the States”. Not at all. And that tells me a lot about my own satisfaction with this part of the country and my own comfort level here. One of the things I like about it is that, it’s not the first, but it’s one of the first handful of places I’ve lived in Mexico that feels to me like “real Mexico” You know it’s not built around tourism and there are just a lot of nice, really hard working middle class, regular people here and I like it!

So this video is about the Highs and Lows of living in Mexico. It’s important to note that these are very subjective feelings and what might bother me could be no problem for you!  Or what gives me great joy, may not even show up on your radar. We are all different, but this is my take on the pros and the cons of living in Mexico.

It’s also interesting to note that I did not feel inclined to make a video like this until after my first 6 months here. I think it’s like when you’re in a new relationship and everything seems cute, or interesting, or delightfully different at first. But then after a while real life settles in and things don’t appear as cute, just really different!

I’m still really glad that I’ve come to live in Mexico!  If you’ve seen some of my other videos you’ll know what a significant life change that it’s been for me, and I’m so glad I’m here, but here are some of the “lows” of life in Mexico for me.

Hitting a Wall: The Tougher Side of Expat Life in Mexico

If you’ve been following my journey, you know I’ve shared a lot of the highs of living in Mexico. After about the six month mark, though, I felt a little like I hit a wall. It’s hard to admit sometimes that the honeymoon might be over! The excitement and adventure blunted these feelings for me in the initial months of being here, but for me, at about 6 months, I suddenly felt a little homesick.

I just felt that I’d love to walk down the street and hear my own language, to greet someone without feeling the strain of a language barrier. I miss wandering into a bookstore and getting lost in the pages, or sitting down at a restaurant and knowing exactly what to expect. I’d like to go into a grocery store and find everything I’m looking for!

These are things you don’t think about until they’re gone—all the little comforts you take for granted in your home country. The inside jokes, the wordplay, the shared cultural moments. Here, when I’m around other people I sometimes feel like I’m watching life from the outside, never fully part of it. I expect that to change gradually as I make friends and become more fluent in the language.

Animal Welfare

I think I’m pretty good at going with the flow and adapting to things like power outages, slow bureaucracy, not drinking the water, and the struggles of not speaking Spanish very well. But lately what’s hit me is the cost of suiting up in my emotional armor every time I leave the house. You see, every time I step outside, I prepare myself for the possibility of seeing something that breaks my heart, like stray animals in such poor condition that I’m convinced they won’t survive another day. This is the first location in which I have encountered this.  Luckily it’s just a couple of puppies and for the most part the dogs I’ve seen in Mexico have appeared to be well taken care of. But these two… 

So I’ve been feeding them for the last month or two. I try to make sure they eat it before some other dog comes to horn in and they don’t get any. As you can see this one girl has put on some weight, but her sister is shy and wouldn’t stand up for herself and was starving to death. So I make sure she gets a chance to eat now too.

I don’t know what the people around me think about me feeding these dogs. I have avoided talking about it trying to avoid any confrontation or questions that might put people on the defensive. But I can’t watch them starve to death right in front of me. My concern is that when they get big enough they won’t be able to slide underneath the gate, and then how will I get them food?

The Reality of Expat Isolation

There are many things people complain about Mexico when they come from other countries, from the sound level and noise, to a lack of infrastructure in some areas. I am not bothered by these things, though a lack of water is concerning for people everywhere. 

This feeling of being an outsider may be part of the natural ebb and flow of living in a new country. I’m almost 8 months in now, and the excitement that initially carried me through is wearing off a little. Maybe it’s just the normal process of adjusting to life so far from my original home.

I have so much to be grateful for! We all have character and personality strengths and weaknesses. It turns out that my strengths make me particularly suited to this kind of lifestyle: exploring and moving around. I don’t need a lot of social support, and that’s something you can go without when relocating anywhere! I feel super lucky to have a few good friends and a family that I love, but I don’t need daily interaction with my relationships.  

This, however, is also a weakness! Because I’m independent I don’t always feel the need to reach out and make new relationships, and sometimes it’s easier not to. But putting yourself out there in a new environment is so important! There are opportunities I have let pass me by when I could have been more interactive! So I’m determined to turn a new leaf and get out and create more of a social life! 

For those of you who are wondering about building a social circle in a new home like this, I can assure you that the opportunities are there. Even in a place not known for its “expat community” I’ve noticed chances to volunteer, gatherings for lunch etc..

The Highs: Why I Fell in Love With Mexico

Because I’m narrowing down these positives to the top three, they are going to have to be the biggest reasons I love living in Mexico.  I can’t talk about the wonderful food or the amazing culture, but these shifts in my life enable me to enjoy things like food and culture even more. 

1. A Slower, More Intentional Pace of Life due to the Cost of Living here and Not Working

• Mexico’s culture tends to embrace a slower pace, which can help you live more in the moment, enjoy life’s small pleasures, and reduce stress. And it’s not just the culture. The less expensive cost of living was one reason I came here, so I could stop working when I really needed to and slow the pace of my life way down.
• There’s a sacredness in slowing down, in no longer working so much that life passes by unnoticed. Since moving to Mexico and radically changing my life, I now have the time, energy, and focus to truly appreciate the world around me. I can pause to really listen to the wind in the tall trees, feel the warmth of the sun on my skin, and wonder at the mysteries of everyday life. It’s in these moments that I realize what a luxury it is to be fully present, to live without the constant rush, and to let the beauty of life unfold right in front of me.
• I couldn’t have this luxury without the time to NOT WORK. And I couldn’t not work in the United States, so the cost of living here is an integral reason I’m able to have a slower, more intentional life.

2. A Renewed Sense of Gratitude

• Being immersed in a new culture with fewer material distractions can deepen your appreciation for what you have, from health to relationships. But being in Mexico has made me take a good look at what mental distractions I’ve been using for years, and what, if any, value they lend to my life. Mostly I’m talking about screen time, in all its forms.
• The simple act of being here, free from the constraints of a demanding work life, has gifted me a profound sense of gratitude that colors my daily life. Each day in Mexico, I find myself appreciating the little things that I used to never notice—a warm breeze rustling the oak leaves, the laughter of children playing in the plaza, or the taste of fresh, local fruit. This newfound gratitude isn’t just a fleeting feeling; it’s a lens through which I can now view my life. With each moment of peace, I’m reminded of my journey and the meaning I’ve found in simplicity. In a physical sense, and also in a mental sense. My peace of mind is a treasure to me, and in this serene environment, gratitude emerges effortlessly, enriching my days and allowing me to understand my life’s purpose in a way I never thought I could before.
• Sometimes I really remember back to what it felt like, in my body and in my mind, to be living a life I didn’t want to live. To get up everyday to do work I was beyond sick of and which was draining my soul. The feeling of heaviness and dread, thinking something like “don’t think about it, just do it” just to get through another unhappy day, everyday. I remember those feelings and thoughts vividly because I don’t want to take my life here for granted. 
• The change I made by moving here was monumental in my life and I’ll always be grateful for that little inspiration that whispered to me:  “consider another way” and for the strength I had (for unknown reasons) to actually consider it and then do it! I’m so grateful!

7. Expanding My Worldview Past the Tension in the U.S.

• Immersing yourself in a different culture broadens your perspective and helps you see the world—and your place in it—differently.  This last of the top three is a little bit hard to put into words, so let’s just call it Expanding my Worldview.
• I recently looked back on something I’d written when I first got to Mexico. It was about the relief of being here and not feeling like someone was about to jump down my throat at any time! Not that my life was full of confrontation all the time in the states! No, it was more a feeling of TENSION. Was the guy in line at the supermarket going to lose his temper?  Would you witness road rage on the freeway today? Would someone with acute mental health problems, or high on drugs, approach you if you sat for a minute on a public bench?  Wait. Who in the US sits on a public bench!?!  No one unless you are so unfortunate as to live on the street.

It’s a tension you don’t know is there until it’s gone. Like the loud hum of a refrigerator in the kitchen. I realized I had been waiting to be criticized, rebuked, judged, canceled, or otherwise found guilty of some human transgression while living daily life.  It’s in the air there, in the media, in our entertainment and news, at work when someone gets fired and they lock the door in case of someone going “postal”. It’s everywhere. Our heroes are those that have the sharpest tongue and take down, or “own”  their enemies, not with logic or reason, but with meanness, cruelty, or virtue signaling. 

That’s just not the way it is here. People seem very slow to negative emotions, and even slower to some kind of negative emotional outburst. People here are polite and kind. I found myself, at the airport in the Bay area on the shuttle to get a rental car, with two women and a man, all seemed to be striving not to make eye contact at any cost. I was in my habitual state of open friendliness from being in Mexico and the difference was so clear!  And I understand it! A year ago I was the same way! You don’t know who’s crazy in that world!

But here people seem normal. You greet each other in a polite way. You do sit on benches in the park because it’s lovely, everyone does, and no one is accosting you. And no one seems about ready to jump down your throat.

So, by “expanding my worldview” and the experience of living in a place that is not filled with that tension, I’ve remembered what it’s like to live in what I would call a normal society, where community and harmony are valued.  

A lot of people from other countries mention this quality in Mexico. It’s something hard to put into words but is sooo valuable to a happy life!

Moving Forward

It’s not easy to talk about the “negatives” of living in Mexico. Whenever I make a video about “negatives” I lose a subscriber or two. I guess because they don’t want to hear about anything but the good parts? But I have a secret motto for this channel, and it has to do with telling the truth. The way I see it, the world and our experiences are like every possible color of the rainbow. There’s the brightest of the bright, every mood and nuance of color in between and the darkest of the dark. To suppress or deny the harder colors is to deny reality, and you lose something when you do that. I’d rather give you the whole picture and tell the truth.

Despite the “negatives”, I’m so happy to be here. I know some of these difficult feelings will integrate into my total experience, and blend with the rhythm of my life in Mexico. But for now, I just wanted to share the reality of what life here can feel like. The isolation, the homesickness, and yes, the emotional weight of it all. This is part of the journey too.  And the joy and lightness and fun!  Even when things don’t go smoothly, I can laugh at the mishaps and missteps and keep going, knowing that each challenge is like another color in the rainbow.

The ups and downs are all part of the process. The freedom I’ve gained has made me more present, more grounded, and more grateful for the life I’m living. I don’t have all the answers, but I’m excited for what’s next, and I couldn’t have said that a year ago!.

Thank you for tolerating my congestion in this video! I will have to report back on if these allergies are a temporary condition or not. Believe me, I know that if my complaints are about homesickness and allergies I’m a very lucky person in this world.

I’m so grateful for the support and comments from my viewers. It really means a lot when you’re traveling alone and I appreciate it!

When I look back on the last year and my “life transformation” I know I had a lot of the ingredients I needed on my side: desperation, excitement, hope. I sometimes wonder if I had moved to Iceland, or Brazil, or Vietnam, would I have had such a good result? 

I don’t think so. It might have been good, but there’s something about Mexico. Well, many things, but something in the land and the people, the history and the culture, the food and the weather, that have combined with my need for a new start and made me feel really successful!  It’s a unique country and I’m so grateful to have landed here!

1. Homesickness
2. Animal welfare
3. Relocation Isolation

1. Less expensive cost of living leading to a slower pace of life
2. A renewed sense of gratitude
3. Expanding my worldview past the the tension