Thank You

[It Aint Necessarily So]

Thanks to all here who have taught me or caused me to think. This is a special community for me. There is nothing else like it in my life. Only here is it possible to have protracted discussions, sometimes over years, with those holding both similar and other religious and political opinions without there being the personal consequences that follow if one tries to do the same at work or around the Thanksgiving table. I've read many of you for years writing your thoughts freely and I have benefitted from it. This has been a comfortable space for a long time.

Now I need a musical reference from pop culture.

"Sometimes you wanna go, where everybody knows your name, and they're always glad you came. You wanna be where you can see, our troubles are all the same. You wanna be where everybody knows your name."

 

[PoetPhilosopher]

Thanks to all here who have taught me or caused me to think. This is a special community for me. There is nothing else like it in my life. Only here is it possible to have protracted discussions, sometimes over years, with those holding both similar and other religious and political opinions without there being the personal consequences that follow if one tries to do the same at work or around the Thanksgiving table. I've read many of you for years writing your thoughts freely and I have benefitted from it. This has been a comfortable space for a long time.

Now I need a musical reference from pop culture.

"Sometimes you wanna go, where everybody knows your name, and they're always glad you came. You wanna be where you can see, our troubles are all the same. You wanna be where everybody knows your name."

Thanks. It has been a pleasure having you here, too, and learning from your insights.

 

[Revoltingest]

 

[Orbit]

Thanks to all here who have taught me or caused me to think. This is a special community for me. There is nothing else like it in my life. Only here is it possible to have protracted discussions, sometimes over years, with those holding both similar and other religious and political opinions without there being the personal consequences that follow if one tries to do the same at work or around the Thanksgiving table. I've read many of you for years writing your thoughts freely and I have benefitted from it. This has been a comfortable space for a long time.

Now I need a musical reference from pop culture.

"Sometimes you wanna go, where everybody knows your name, and they're always glad you came. You wanna be where you can see, our troubles are all the same. You wanna be where everybody knows your name."

Thank YOU for all your posting! I thoroughly enjoy your posts. I also really like hearing bits and pieces of your expat life in Mexico. In fact, I'm getting curious about how one would retire to Mexico! How do you know where to settle?

 

[It Aint Necessarily So]

I'm getting curious about how one would retire to Mexico! How do you know where to settle?

I live in an expat community. It's not necessary to know Spanish here because there are so many non-Spanish speaking people living here and the various people we do business with (restaurants, storekeepers, professionals, repair, construction, etc.) cater to that market and are or hire bilingual people. Our lives combine local culture with the one we bought with us. We live on Lago (Lake) Chapala (our village is called Ajijic) near Guadalajara. The other large expat community is nearer Mexico City, and is called San Miguel de Allende.

These people offer a several day orientation to Mexican life for potential expats. They're here on Chapala

Focus On Mexico

And feel free to message me with anything.

Also, Google Lake Chapala and Ajijic for pictures. This is one of my favorite local photographers (open in another tab; it's a photo album):

https://www.facebook.com/michaelasirbu.LCRE/photos/a.566343190226277/1539025642958022

 

[JustGeorge]

I also like hearing about life in Mexico.

Do you venture much outside of the expat community?

 

[ChristineM]

@It Aint Necessarily So

And thank you too for being so interesting and informative.

 

[It Aint Necessarily So]

Do you venture much outside of the expat community?

We rarely leave. I think the last time I was more than five miles from my front door was in December 2021, when we flew to Tijuana, walked through the border tunnel, got a Covid booster, had lunch, and flew home the same day. There's nothing we want or need that isn't here or available through Amazon unless we need to visit a government office, and that's almost never.

Our life became much smaller by design on retirement. We're done with our world travels, and we have no kids or grandkids to visit, so there's nothing there for us anymore. This is practically our whole world, which might not be enough for many, but it suits us. It's all bridge (we spend a few days a week in the bridge club ten minutes away), local restaurants, visits with friends (Brad and Bobbi are due here in 80 minutes, just back from their Georgia adventure to see the grandkids during that hurricane; we'll be ordering Chinese delivery). My wife is on the terraza practicing ukulele with her friend Christie. That's the way all of our days go.

 

[Secret Chief]

We rarely leave. I think the last time I was more than five miles from my front door was in December 2021, when we flew to Tijuana, walked through the border tunnel, got a Covid booster, had lunch, and flew home the same day. There's nothing we want or need that isn't here or available through Amazon unless we need to visit a government office, and that's almost never.

Our life became much smaller by design on retirement. We're done with our world travels, and we have no kids or grandkids to visit, so there's nothing there for us anymore. This is practically our whole world, which might not be enough for many, but it suits us. It's all bridge (we spend a few days a week in the bridge club ten minutes away), local restaurants, visits with friends (Brad and Bobbi are due here in 80 minutes, just back from their Georgia adventure to see the grandkids during that hurricane; we'll be ordering Chinese delivery). My wife is on the terraza practicing ukulele with her friend Christie. That's the way all of our days go.

Sounds like hell.