The Upside

I wrote a post several months ago entitled, "The Downside" about the personal drawbacks that came with moving to a semi-tropical climate with the intention of also writing about the positives.  And this post is way overdue!  So, here's what I enjoy most about living in Mexico...in no particular order. 

Disclaimer:  There's a lot of money-saving related bullet points in this post, and as annoying as I find the reign of the US dollar in other countries, I'm going to list prices in USD instead of pesos so my "devoted followers" (hi, mom!) don't have to Google the exchange rate of stuff.  Enjoy. 

1) MY BOYS

Easily the very best thing about moving to Mexico has been getting to spend way more time with my little family.  Back in Seattle, Ty and I were both working 10-12 hour days and we really only got to spend time together on the weekends... I used to leave the house before Ty's alarm clock even went off, and got home after dark, just in time to eat dinner and go to bed so I could do it all over again the next day.  

Now, we get to spend 94.6% of our time together whether we're living, working, relaxing or playing.  (Or sweating.)  I get that some couples may not see that as part of the "upside" to "early retirement" though.  Luckily/thankfully, we've been bestest friends for 13 years and we actually really like being together! 

I also love that my puppy isn't cooped up alone at home and depressed and neglected for 12 hours a day anymore while his mama and papa are slaving away at work... Because Bloo cares about exactly two things:  being with his humans....and eating their food.  So, I'm sure he loves that the three of us are always together now.  

Have you ever seen a more majestic creature?!?!  I think not.  

2)  SPANISH:

The second best thing has been being forced to learn a new language.  I know what you're thinking... "All this chick does is complain about learning Spanish - make up your mind!"  Yes, it sucks feeling inept every day and my stress level would be much lower if I only put myself in situations where I don't need to speak Spanish (only going to touristy stores and restaurants, only befriending/hiring bilingual Mexicans, etc.); but moving to Mexico has also made me appreciate(/cringe at) how spoiled we are as English-speaking people.  

I know it all comes down to money and other countries want our tourism dollars, so they cater to our single-language-speaking asses, but I witness SO much appalling ignorance and arrogance on a daily basis (from white visitors and residents alike) and it motivates me even more to learn Spanish just so I'm not considered "just like the rest of them."  I mean...  "No, I don't speak Spanish.  They need to cater to their customer base!"  is a sentence I've actually heard come out of more than one white lady's mouth since we've lived IN MEXICO. 

Side Note:  In case you haven't read my post, "No Hablo Espanol: Accidentally Rude," I go into this problem further.  

I'm also very much an "academic" person (a.k.a. big fat nerd) and so being able to "exercise" my brain and not let it turn to total mush while we're on permanent vacation mode, does a lot to improve my mental health and confidence, so I appreciate the challenge despite how much I complain about it.   

3) HEALTHCARE:

Healthcare gets its own section on this post, because hot damn, it's great!!  I was worried about what the hospitals and medical services would be like before we moved here (we, as humans, are too easily swayed by stereotypes portrayed in movies, it's alarming...) but everywhere we've been here has been equal to (or better than) what we were used to in the States.  Vallarta is actually quite the "medical tourism" city because of its quality and affordability.  Need dental implants and don't wanna hand over 15K?  Then come on down!  I can (and I'm gonna!) get Lasik eye surgery in Guadalajara next year for like, 900 bucks.  Sign this blind lady up.  

Although health insurance is available here, we don't feel the need to have it because healthcare is so cheap and we just pay for everything in cash as it comes up, and we don't have any major/ongoing health issues since we're young-ish.  Sure, you could argue about something catastrophic happening and yada yada, but we aren't "just in case" kind of people, we're more like "cross our fingers" kind of people.  (Well, Ty is, and I blindly trust him for some reason.) 

I've probably NOT had health insurance for more of my life than I've HAD it.  (Thanks, 'Merica.)  And even when I had it, I was too afraid of getting a hefty bill to use it.  (I once paid 1600 bucks for birth control AFTER insurance!  That's a friggen mortgage payment!)  So, I actually feel more secure and proactive about my health in Mexico than I ever did in the States, because here it's accessible, affordable AND high-quality.  

Some examples:

• I had my first full-body skin check (for cancerous-looking moles and spots) with an English-speaking, highly-regarded dermatologist who had all the latest bobs and gadgets and it cost me a whopping 35 bucks.  You read that right... THIRTY FIVE DOLLARS.   We couldn't even go out to dinner for 35 bucks in Seattle.  
• You can have your teeth professionally cleaned here for about $25 USD.  That's how much my dental co-pay used to be.   
• Eye exam = 25 bucks 
• New prescription glasses that were ready in 5 days = 37 dollars 
• I'm seeing a physical therapist right now for a pinched nerve that's causing numbness in my arm and hand for 18 dollars per week. 
• I had a dry, nagging cough for 3 months that just wouldn't go away and spent 30 dollars to see an ear, throat and nose *specialist* who cured me with a 4 dollar allergy medicine prescription I didn't know I needed.  
• Yearly Lady Exam at the Gyno:  40 bucks which included all the lab work 
• Ty can buy his blood pressure medication for about 20 dollars a month.  That's less than what he used to pay after insurance.  And he doesn't need to see a doctor or get a prescription here because it isn't a "controlled" medication. 
• You can also buy antibiotics here without a prescription.  I had a UTI last year (too much information?) and the antibiotics were 3 flippin dollars and we were in and out of the farmacia in 5 minutes.  

Side note about pharmaceuticals in Mexico: Medicines that aren't controlled substances (a.k.a. they don't get abused) are sold over-the-counter here by pharmacy technicians...which means less patients bogging down free clinics and urgent care centers trying to get a prescription for their non-emergency illnesses.  Which also means people spend less time sick, miss less work and school, spread less germs, etc.  

If you've ever had a bladder infection, you know that junk is PAINFUL, so getting to send Ty to the corner pharmacy for antibiotics while I writhe in pain at home, is priceless.  Back home, I would've had to make an appointment to see my doctor (even though I already know what's wrong with me), take (unpaid) time off work to go, pay the doctor's co-pay, pay to get the prescription filled and blah, blah, BLAH.  And I would have been in pain for days rather than hours.  

Amazingly, I have yet to make a trip to Urgent Care here (which was a regular occurrence back home because I'm a klutz who happens to like power tools) but when I do, I'm sure it'll be cheap and the quality of care will be top notch, as per usual.

4) FOOOOOOOOD

Although the cost of living isn't as cheap as you might expect (rent in this area isn't anything to get jealous about since it's a tourist destination, gas is 4 bucks a gallon and electricity is expensive enough to make us cringe when guests leave their A/C running all day)...but FOOOOD is another story.

The best shrimp tacos I've ever had in my life will set us back about 4 bucks for a filling order of three.  And they make the tortillas by hand to order.  Mmmm.  Tengo hambre! 

We can walk to the fish market and buy 2 pounds of freshly-caught tuna for 10 bucks...and any other kind of seafood, for that matter!  

Ty's first attempt at making sushi rolls with locally-caught tuna...

Produce is fresh, local and dirt cheap...all of this cost about 7 dollars.  You can't even buy 2 avocados in Seattle for 7 dollars!  

The traveling market that comes to La Cruz every Wednesday... Pennies per pound, people!  

Ty brings mangos home from the golf course because they're just everywhere.  If you showed this photo to customers inside any Whole Foods store in the States, they'd be thinking, "That's some expensive-looking litter!"  Needless to say, fresh, healthy food here is bountiful and CHEAP.  

5) SPONTANEITY: 

Because we have much less "adulting" to do (especially in the summer/slow season), I can just text my gal pals to meet in the Plaza to watch local men compete to be the first to climb up a greased poll to get to the laundry basket of beer at the top while the banda plays and kids are running around chasing a pig and we're buying homemade tamales from the lady on the corner.  Then we can just decide to go to one of our houses to go swimming, because it's hot and we have nothing else going on, so then we text more friends to come over who also have beach bum schedules, and then it just automatically turns into a big, shenanigan-filled, 6-hour pool party with half a dozen of your closest expat buddies who are all acting like they're 40/50-something going on 21...and when you woke up that morning you had zero plans and had no idea any of that was gonna happen. (That ALL actually happened yesterday - I can't make this crap up, people.)

And, even cooler.... Ty and I can just be like, "I don't wanna do boring chores or errands today... Let's go to the hot springs/movies/beach/country drive/fill-in-the-blank instead even though it's a Tuesday."  And we both just shrug and hop in the car to go on an adventure.  That's pretty priceless considering our pre-Mexico life was filled with boring to-dos and jam-packed calendars.  

6) MEXICANS

One of the best parts of living in Mexico...are the Mexicans!  They are seriously the kindest, sweetest, most generous, hard-working people.  And even though they put up with a LOT of crap from Northerners and ignorant tourists, they do it with a smile because they are patient and forgiving.  They're also fun and loyal and amazing hosts.  Our most favorite parties and events down here so far have been in the humblest homes of Mexicans where we've laughed and danced until the wee hours of the morning, even though no one else there spoke a lick of English.  Do yourself a favor...befriend a Mexican.  Or 30.  

7)  MISC SERVICES:

• Have a local seamstress sew you up some curtains?  15 bucks 
• Need a cell phone plan?  It's gonna set you back 11 bucks per month. 
• Have the A/C in your dorky Dodge Caravan recharged?  16 dollars (No lie!!!!  Pretty sure we've had to pay upwards of $200 before.) 
• A movie ticket to a blockbluster film at a super fance, air-conditioned, full-service theater?  5 bucks per person.  (I haven't paid five dollars for a movie ticket since I was like, 12.)  
• Oil change?  20 smackaroos.  
• Detailed car wash inside and out??!  FOUR DOLLARS and it's ready in an hour.  And car washes are like a "thing" down here... Our favorite one has a full restaurant and bar attached, so you have lunch and get your car detailed while you eat.  Amazeballs.  
• Full coverage car insurance?  $200 for a YEAR! 
• Set of spare keys made?  A buck a key.  
• Have your house cleaned really, really well 3 times per week, including having your laundry done?  FORTY TWO DOLLARS PER MONTH.  (All the moms reading this post are droooooooling right now.) 

8) BEAUTY:

I am a self-proclaimed "lazy girl" which means I wanna look halfway decent, but I'm too lazy to spend a lot of time getting ready everyday.  I'm all about products that allow me to have both.  Haha.  

I started getting eyelash extensions a few years ago when I was a super busy personal trainer in Seattle because I was tired of sweating my mascara off during work everyday.  Not cute.  And I was instantly HOOKED because I'd essentially wake-up with "make-up" already on.  Bonus!  10 more minutes of sleeping in the morning!  And my peepers stayed perfect-looking even through the most grueling bootcamp classes and 12 work hour days... 

In Seattle, I was paying 80 bucks every three weeks to have my lashes "filled" and now I pay a whopping 25 dollars, including tip.  It's like the *one* personal splurge I've ever had, and now I don't even have to feel "guilty" about pampering myself!  

For the same reason I wanted eyelash extensions, I also wanted to get my brows microbladed so I could skip filling them in every morning only to sweat them off by noon everyday.  (Microblading is a semi-permanent tattoo done in tiny strokes to resemble hair...a.k.a. no more make-up!)  My hair is light, so without makeup I look like I have no eyebrows...I used to dye them every couple of weeks, but in Mexico, dying them has turned out to be super pointless because they fade in just a few days due to constantly sweating and wiping my forehead, I think.  (Sexy, I know.)  

I researched microblading before we left Seattle and it was gonna be like 600-700 bucks.  Ouch.  So, when I saw that a salon in Guadalajara would be visiting Vallarta and taking appointments, I convinced Ty to buy me eyebrows for Christmas for $200 instead.  

I LOVE having them. (#wokeuplikethis) As soon as someone invents a device to magically tame my frizzy ass hair every morning and lets me become an even lazier lady, I will give them all my pesos and my lazy lady transformation will be complete!  

Other awesome stuff... 

• Haircuts: 15 bucks (men's cuts, $8.) 
• Pedicures:  10 bucks!!!!
• 60-minute massage: $30
• Fancy facials with lasers and whatnot: $25
• 60-minute acupuncture session: $30 

9)  GOLF:

This one is just for Ty.  He's currently golfing 3-4 times per week with a group of retired expats and he's in Tin Cup heaven.  (He just called and asked if he can play 9 more holes...he's like a kid in a candy store.)  I personally HATE when he golfs because I feel left out and I like to hog all of my husband's attention!!  But it makes him really really happy, and he's really really good at it, so I guess I'll include it on here.  (The 5 sets of spare clubs we've been toting around for 2 and a half years does NOT make me happy though, babe.) 

10)  MISC - Some other little things that are pretty great about living in Nayarit... 

• I LOVE the plants and trees and flowers.  It's a gorgeous, luscious greenthumb's paradise and if/when we ever get a place of our own down here, I'm going to turn it into a tropical oasis.  
• I've had to set an alarm clock, like, 4 times...?  Since May of 2016.
• Another one for Ty:  He really likes "driving like a Mexican", and I gotta admit, it's growing on me too, even though it made me really nervous at first.  You know how everyone in the States SUCKS at merging and it causes massive slowdowns for miles and miles and it makes your head explode?  Yeah.  That's not a thing here.  Drivers are definitely more assertive/efficient at getting where they need to go - even if it's kinda "iffy."  
• I came out of a store once to find a parking ticket on my windshield (yeah, apparently that IS a thing here) and it was for 9 dollars.  So, it's cheaper to illegally park in Mexico than it is to park in any parking garage in the world.  Dully noted.  

Long story short, as much as I complain about how hard it's been to adapt to a new country and lifestyle...there are TONS of moments where I think to myself, "I could live here forever."  And we really just might.  Who knows....