Life will never be the same again

Five months ago, desperate to get back out into the world and live a semi-normal life, I moved from Australia to a little beach town on the Pacific coast of Mexico. While it was undoubtedly one of the best decisions of my life, here are three things I wish I’d known before packing up my life and buying a one-way ticket to Mexico:

In hindsight, this was very naive of me, but prior to my arrival in Mexico, I had grand visions of perfecting my Spanish, chatting to the locals, immersing myself fully in the culture, language, and day-to-day life of Mexico. I was thrilled at the idea of learning another language, feeling like a local, and experiencing the real Mexico.

Boy, oh boy, was I wrong.

The reality has been more like receiving tiny snippets of Mexico, and great big doses of international tourism, flocks of remote ‘digital nomad’ workers, and everyone speaking English!

But it’s not all bad.

Because of this western influence, day-to-day life is incredibly comfortable. I can still find western coffee shops, practice my Spanish and enjoy tacos all in one place. I have the option every time I open my mouth to speak in Spanish or in English, I can choose to eat traditionally or enjoy Western/International food and I feel safe, knowing my community around me is comprised of a huge variety of men, women, and children from all over the world.

Tourism is a huge cornerstone to the Mexican economy and while the influence of western culture and gentrification is no doubt impacting the traditional culture, the money and opportunities brought in from this industry is also essential to the local economy. It’s a bit of a catch 22.

While this influence will fluctuate from town to town and region to region, I am learning to appreciate the combination of western convenience meets traditional Mexican culture. I love buying my fruit and veggies from my local tienda, yet also having the option to shop in an organic health food store. I love the choice of authentic street tacos or vegan brunch cafes. And I love being part of a community heralding from every corner of the earth.

Once in Mexico, it becomes common knowledge that the internet connection is genuinely pretty average. Ranging from great one second to complete outages that can last hours and hours if not days!

Yet everyone manages to get by. Just the other day the signal went out for the entire region leaving phone lines, wifi connections, and basically all technology useless for almost four hours.

Learning to lean into the flow and surrender to that which you can’t control (a.k.a. the wifi) can be a steep learning curve, yet also a powerful lesson in surrender. When the wifi is out, you have no choice but to go enjoy the beach, step away from your devices and just be present in this beautiful part of the world. It’s the perfect reminder to ground yourself, be present, and remember who you at your core.

If you want a more reliable connection, you can generally head to the bigger cities but even there, there are no guarantees. It’s just life in Mexico!

 Once you’ve tasted freedom, there is no going back. Life in Mexico is liberating, it’s exciting and it’s fun every single day. 

Imagine waking up each morning and starting your day with a beach swim or surf. Then taking your time to grab a coffee, say hi to a few neighbours and friends before working poolside or in a cute little cafe.

As you wrap up your workday, imagine yourself picking up some delicious Mexican food to take down to the beach, to enjoy with friends as you watch the sunset, sip a margarita, and marvel at the beauty of life all around you.

Once you start living a life like this, you can never go back. The idea of sitting in an office, commuting hours each day, or sitting in traffic is no longer viable. Once you’ve experienced this freedom, this beauty, and this way of living, life starts to feel fun and easy. Things start to align and flow like never before and suddenly, you feel lighter, brighter, and more yourself than you’ve ever experienced.

Of course, not every day is sunshine and rainbows, even in Mexico, but if you feel the pull to create a life for yourself here, or anywhere abroad, I could not recommend it more!

After five months in Mexico, I can’t imagine ever leaving. I feel incredibly grateful, privileged, and fortunate to live this lifestyle every day, but that is not to say you can’t achieve this too! With the state of the world, moving abroad can feel challenging and scary right now, but it is still available to you. The choice is always yours.