March 20, 2024 • 42 mins
Trading a familiar homeland for the allure of an expat life often reads like a dream, until reality's fine print emerges in bold. Embrace the candid tales from our Canadian friends, Walter and Shawnee, as they unveil the gritty and the gratifying aspects of building a home in Mexico's Riviera Maya. Amidst tales of transitioning from hobbyist gardeners to Expat life, this week's episode chronicles the true essence of building not just a house, but a home in a land woven with cultural intricacies and bureaucratic labyrinths.
We are incredibly thankful for engagement and stories from our listeners, who have found their own sense of 'home' across the globe. Stay tuned as we continue to share the wisdom and wanderlust of those who've charted their unique international courses. We'd love to hear your comments and questions. Email them to expatslikeus@gmail.com
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
But are you going to build the house?
Yeah, just go to the store andbuy the two biggest jar of
headache medication that you canpick and it says white tube.
I said, and it says if you'regoing to go through the first
one, but if you open the secondone you are in trouble.
So that's we have.
(00:31):
Luckily enough we still havethe second intact and we haven't
gone through much of the firstone yet.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
Welcome to ExPATs Like Us.
A co-production with me, vitaMargarita, exploring the world
of US ExPat Life in Mexico.
In each episode, we'll meet newpeople and hear their stories.
You'll also learn more aboutExPat Life and get a few tips on
everything from making yourmove to settling in, to living
your dreams and, most of all,having fun.
(01:04):
Let's dive in.
Welcome to ExPATs Like Us.
I'm your host, bob Bussey.
Speaker 3 (01:22):
And I'm Chris Kowalski.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
We're happy to welcome our friends and
neighbors Walter Vetterell andShawnee Lansiedel to this week's
edition of ExPATs Like Us.
Like many of us, walter andShawnee sold their home a couple
of years ago and said adios tosnow and cold.
For them, it was western Canadato make their home in Mexico.
However, instead of buying acondo or an existing house, they
(01:44):
bought an unfinished lot andembarked on an adventure of
building in Mexico.
Hi, walter and Shawnee, andwelcome to ExPATs Like Us.
Speaker 4 (01:52):
Hello, thank you, it's good to have you Thanks for
coming today.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
So tell us a little bit about your life in Canada
before you move here.
Speaker 4 (02:02):
So, career wise, I worked mostly in banking and
then I moved into working forthe Ministry of Agriculture.
That was, for the provincialgovernment.
Walter it was a self-employedelectrician and he worked also
for SkyTrain, which is a rapidtransit system in Vancouver, in
(02:25):
the lower mainland, in BritishColumbia, canada.
And so we had met about 11years ago and discovered that we
had some common interests.
We ended up deciding to buy anacreage, and the reason that
that came about is one of ourearlier dates that we had.
(02:47):
I invited Walter over fordinner.
I had a meatloaf that waswrapped in bacon that was ready
for the oven.
Speaker 2 (02:58):
That's the way to a man's heart, actually, right.
Speaker 4 (03:02):
Walter says that was a good start.
And then I asked him what wouldyou like a salad with dinner?
And he said sure, I head out tograb my hat, grab my basket,
head out to the backyard, picksome lettuce and all sorts of
things for a salad out of mygarden, came back in and he was
(03:23):
shocked.
He thought, well, thought I wasgoing to go to the fridge, not
to the garden.
And so that's when we kind ofstarted to realize that, yeah,
this is becoming a commoninterest.
We want to do more creating,more planning, maybe even do a
larger garden at some point, and, as we ought to know each other
(03:47):
better, we found this acreageand that acreage was transformed
into really a small farm.
We had 27 fruit trees, 18 berrybushes, 20 raised garden beds,
a greenhouse.
We were really looking at waysto sustain ourselves with
(04:10):
produce, between storing thatproduce and I'm a canner, so
preserving as well and so, as wewere getting to know each other
, transforming the land andsitting every Saturday morning
with our coffee and our paperand pencil and designing
different things in the yard, wewere able to enjoy those 10
(04:34):
years together.
And then, after 2019, ourinterests went south, literally.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
So was there something that precipitated that
or what made you decide to move?
Speaker 4 (04:47):
Yeah, so in 2019, we actually went to Mexico, to this
Riviera side of Mexico.
And this kind of leads us intothe next question really, why
did we choose the Riviera Maya?
Why did we choose to come south?
So for many years I've come to,I've traveled to Mexico, mostly
(05:11):
the West Coast side, becausethat's where it is, most of my
life, easiest, closest placebetween two boys Exactly it's
super easy A four, four and ahalf hour plane ride, very, very
simple.
And then, after Walter and I met, we continued to travel down to
Mexico and one of the usualnormal conversations we would
(05:34):
have on the plane ride cominghome was would you want to live
in Mexico?
Would you want to do the sixmonths, six months thing after
we retire?
And the answer was always yeah,but nothing really spoke to us
on that side of Mexico.
So we decided, okay, let's meetup with Walter's brother on the
(05:57):
other side of Mexico, becausein proximity to where his
brother and wife live, it mademore sense to come to this side
of Mexico.
I fell fast in love with thisside of Mexico.
I could not believe howbeautiful it was.
So before long we were talkingto a realtor in the clubhouse
(06:21):
and the realtor went around andshowed us condos, townhomes,
already built homes.
And then he just happened to betalking with Walter and said,
yeah, and I just bought a lothere.
Well then Walter's ears justperked up and he thought, wow,
(06:42):
this is interesting, can youtake me to where you bought your
lot?
So we had a look at his lot andwe got a plan of the
residential area that was mostattractive to us.
And then we found ourselves atour favorite beach one day and
(07:02):
Walter says to me so you know,between a scale of one to 10,
where are you in terms of livinghere full time After we retire?
Just live here full time.
And I said without hesitation,I'm at about a nine, and Walter
says holy oh.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
All right, that's pretty high on the scale.
Speaker 4 (07:25):
Pretty high and he says, wow, I was only at a five.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
So did that raise you up to about a seven or eight?
Speaker 1 (07:33):
That was just sold right there and the lot.
At the time we were not retiredyet and so with the purchase of
the lot it kind of gave us thetime frame in order to go back,
think about retirement, you know, rearranging everything in
(07:56):
Canada and then so because justthe lot was empty, Stay there,
Stay longer.
But then something that COVIDhit and that's kind of a
decision was made.
Okay.
Speaker 2 (08:14):
Yeah, that's a common theme amongst literally
everybody that we've talked tois, well, we're doing this and
that we're thinking of moving,and then COVID hit.
That is a common thing foreverybody, yeah, so that really
affected a lot of yeah.
Speaker 1 (08:29):
it made you rethink a lot.
We were working from home outof one point and then decided,
(08:53):
well, this is just, we need tochange.
So yeah, in 2022, February 2022, we were here.
We had started the design ofthe house and that was a project
(09:15):
on itself.
Every Saturday and Sundaymorning, with briefs, lots of
fun.
Yeah, back to the paper and wealready had all the paperwork
done when we got here fordesigning and approvals from the
country club not from the cityor the state or so and then the
(09:44):
whole other episode started.
Something like we.
Then we find out all therequirements that we're going to
be talking about in a minute.
Speaker 2 (09:58):
So what made you guys decide?
You know, most of us come downhere, chris and I, you know we
came down here Bada Kondo,that's it.
Here we are.
What I mean was it because youguys had a big lot and you were
used to the space?
Speaker 1 (10:11):
That has quite a bit to do with it.
We wanted to have some space.
I'm a hands-on type of personand I needed a project.
I mean, I wasn't coming here tobe, you know, just to drink
margaritas on the beach, so Ineeded I don't know.
(10:32):
We liked that part.
It was going to be our home.
We want to have a lot of input.
We had family.
We were planning for, you know,for guests and family to stay
with us, and so, yeah, that wasthe idea.
Speaker 4 (10:51):
You have a little bit more control, you know, over
the building of the house.
Have more control in having asmany solar panels as we want,
have a water source like acistern you know those things
were important and that have alarge garden.
You know, as you heard earlier,a manavid gardener.
Speaker 1 (11:13):
So yeah, so we haven't put that in practice yet
, we're still at the last stages.
So the house and the built andthe garden, so we still have
that to be said.
What type of fruits andvegetables have we been having?
Speaker 3 (11:32):
How long have you been in the project as far as
once I started constructionuntil this point.
Speaker 1 (11:37):
Yeah, that's, it is a year of construction.
Okay, a lot of builders willtell you that it's between eight
months to a year.
It can be built in eight monthsa year now and it's going to
take us a little bit longer tofinish because we are in the
(12:01):
finishing stages and you know,if you rush then your quality
could be yeah, it goes out.
So you have to.
I mean, we are having morecontrol on the finishing and the
details.
And, yeah, when is it going tobe finished completely with the
(12:23):
last picture on the wall?
That's going to be a process.
It's going to be two daysbefore we sell.
Speaker 4 (12:34):
That's pretty far there you go.
Speaker 1 (12:36):
That's how that looks , so anyhow.
Speaker 4 (12:38):
Okay go ahead.
And then what we didn'tanticipate was the amount of
administration work, not onlythat pertain to the house, but
also for us.
You know, we had to take timeto open a bank account, buy a
car, so we get out of a rentalcar to the driver's license and
(13:00):
then also making sure that thedeed got transferred into our
names.
Yeah, so yeah, a lot ofadministration work.
Speaker 1 (13:09):
That was the one video, something that one of the
big differences Usually thatprocessing Canada or the US
takes two to three days the most, and here it took us seven
months.
Wow, I wasn't going to startbuilding without with the law
(13:31):
and they're our name, so that'sbut it.
It allowed us to really enjoythe lifestyle that we were
planning, meeting extremely goodpeople and friends and by the
poolside here in thisneighborhood, and we, you know,
(13:51):
we had to learn the process ofopening a bank account and going
back and forth three or fourtimes to do certain things, like
you know, like paperwork, I wasat one point I was shown each
that called me one piece ofpaper, short Walter.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
Somebody went to license your car.
Speaker 1 (14:17):
Yeah, so it was always a one piece of paper
short.
Speaker 4 (14:23):
So yeah, but there was definitely a large learning
curve to ride and that yearallowed us to do that.
Speaker 2 (14:32):
And that's kind of universal for everybody that
moves down here.
You know those things you, weall have to do and that's kind
of been a theme on here aboutwhat we love and what we hate
about that sort of things.
You know, you guys just havethe whole concept of building
the house as well.
So tell me a little bit abouthow.
(14:54):
Do's construction here differthan what you're you were used
to Canada?
Speaker 1 (14:59):
Yeah, you know, first of all, we got to.
You know we can take the wholecountry.
Mexico is a big country.
We are in a very fast growingarea.
It's one of the most expensivepart of Mexico to build and,
with all the mega projects thathappen, it's happening or happen
(15:23):
around us in the 2023, have putit a lot of strain in the labor
market and the materials.
So, yeah, that's, you know, likethat would be the little bit
more difficult and but thedifference was the.
(15:44):
I mean, the first one to me isthe bureaucratic, like the seven
months to get the deed, thepermits process, the three
levels of government that youhad to deal.
Then how, for example, here inTulum, there is no inspections.
(16:05):
The city, neither the state,does inspections, for example,
like we've had in Canada.
You know, plumbing, electrical,building, structural and so on.
There's not basically agovernment or agency to control
the type of built.
(16:26):
So the owner and has to be awareand he has to get involved to
make it the to get what youreally want in order to there
are reputable constructioncompanies and engineers and
architects, but the ultimate, ifyou want a well built home, I
(16:51):
think it's a, it's a good ideato get in to follow what the
process of the other built andeven though that may be
discourage for somebody thatwould like to build and it says,
no, I don't want to getinvolved in the build of my
house, you have to be aware thatevery house that is already
(17:14):
built has gone through the samesystem.
So there is that.
What type of product are yougoing to get at the end?
Speaker 2 (17:24):
So do you think that a lot of people come down here
and don't realize that and justkind of find a kind of because a
contractor is going to say,don't worry about it, Don't
worry about it Come back a yearand you can move in your
beautiful home.
That's correct.
I imagine that that can be aissue.
Speaker 1 (17:40):
They have a term for that and it's key in hand.
They have that key in hand, sothey have it.
You just sign the contract andthat will build your house.
For me, particularly, that hasa lot of variables, to say the
least.
I mean, what type of faucet areyou going to provide, what type
(18:05):
of finishing, what type ofelectrical and or plumbing and
so on?
So they are good contractorshere, very responsible, good
work.
But at the same time, you havesome of them that they will try
(18:28):
to cut corners and sometimes itis not really something that is
in their control.
For example, one of the issuesthat we had in 2023, and you
follow that closely it was thepeso gaining strength over the
dollar.
So that was 10%, 15% of whatthe Canadian dollar.
(18:52):
So suddenly you sign a contractin US and now you get 15% or
20% or 15% less pesos.
So the contractor is going tosay, well, something had to move
(19:14):
in that.
So sometimes there are thingsthat are away from the control
of the both parties.
I mean, they build there on theowner.
So, yeah, that happened.
So we'll you know.
Speaker 2 (19:34):
I can see that's something that people wouldn't
think about.
The fluctuation in the exchangerate and just the money issues
that we have fluctuates all thetime, I mean even more than just
the interest rate, but alsoWalter mentioned earlier about
how the price of materials canchange.
Speaker 4 (19:54):
The minimum wage rate can go up.
So these things can increasewhile the builder is trying to
build your home Back in Canadawhen you sign for a contractor
to build your home, because theycan build homes quicker in
Canada based on our experienceso far in comparison here that
(20:17):
fluctuation doesn't play in asmuch, but here that has been a
tough experience.
Speaker 2 (20:22):
It swings all over the place here.
I mean, I think all of us haveexperienced that, but we're not
committed to a really big homeor a nice home like you guys are
, but we've all experienced thatin the last year or so.
Speaker 3 (20:37):
Corruption as far as government officials wanting to
bribe to get things done quicker.
Did you come across anythinglike that?
Speaker 1 (20:45):
He come across that.
But everything can be avoided.
You can.
One thing in my favor I had tosay the language I'm fluent in,
spanish, and that I can go andtalk to the people in the city
if I need to.
So it happens.
(21:10):
But for me, what is it?
Not so much the cost of thepermit, Because I mean, in
Vancouver, 60% of the cost ofthe building a house is permits
and paperwork, so it's prettyhigh.
And so we don't call itcorruption, we just call it that
(21:34):
that's how it works.
Speaker 4 (21:35):
How?
Speaker 3 (21:35):
it works.
Speaker 1 (21:39):
So here is that's what.
I don't really lean on thatword because it is the cost For
me.
I would like to see moreimprovements in the city roads,
the lighting, that type of thingwhere the money goes more than
anything else, but no.
Speaker 4 (22:01):
It is true.
I mean, we've had to payseveral times to get something
done, and it's not just to getit done quicker.
You pay this incentive and it's, but, like Walter says, when
you compare it to the cost ofpermits to building Canada, it's
(22:26):
relative.
Because, it's relative Sure.
Speaker 2 (22:32):
So, walter, with your background in construction and
your fluency in Spanish Spanishyour first language, I would say
yes and understanding of LatinAmerican culture probably more
than a lot of us, I'm guessingthat makes the process a little
easier than it would be for justsome gringo that just stepped
off the plane and decided tobuild a building.
Speaker 1 (22:53):
No, actually, my learning curve was after 38
years in Canada.
It's, I had a little bit of alearning curve, but for people
who then would like to come andbuild, I have an analogy.
I mean, I've seen the peoplethat come here very successful
(23:19):
professionals, business people,and with a they have a life
experience, huge life experience.
So you're a good tennis players, a good tennis player, and
you're used to playing arectangular court.
Well, here the court is a bigcircle, so you're going to have
(23:42):
to adapt your game Right andthat's, it's simple.
I mean, you're going to.
What I might advise to whoeverdecides to to take that is to do
your homework.
Ask a lot of questions, listento podcasts, find out who is the
(24:04):
good, reputable contractors.
Go see their work, find outthat they need to.
You know, like, how the paymentsystem works.
Don't find out that a contractis doesn't have the weight that
you used to have in Canada orthe US.
(24:26):
So you know those little thingsand they are people that
they're honest, hardworking,people that will follow, that
will help you out that way.
We were lucky to find them andso I.
You know, I cannot say that ourexperience had been terrible.
(24:46):
We had the normal hiccups thatanybody building a house would
have.
A good old friend of mine, acontractor, used to say but are
you going to build the house?
Yeah, just go to the, you know,to the, to the big, to the
store and buy the two biggestjar of headache medication that
(25:08):
you can pick.
And he says why two?
And I said and says, becauseyou're going to go through the
first one, but if you open thesecond one you are in trouble,
you know.
So that's, we're lucky enough.
We still have the second, thesecond second, intact, and we
haven't gone through much of thefirst one yet.
So, but they are hiccups, Imean.
(25:31):
So it's expected.
Speaker 4 (25:34):
And here yeah, and I'm being adaptable, I think is
something that has helped us alot, because, yeah, you're,
you're gonna, you're gonna runinto problems, it's inevitable,
but it's really how you dealwith them and if you can just
kind of keep a cool head and andand be flexible and adaptable,
(25:55):
that, yeah, that has helped usall along.
Speaker 1 (25:59):
There's one saying that is being used here the ones
that get angry loses.
So you have to have a lot ofpatience.
Be, you know there are ways toresolve every problem and you
know some people decideddifferent ways, but most of the
(26:20):
people that we have encounteredit's professional and to realize
.
I mean, everybody tries to makea buck, which is normal.
Speaker 2 (26:28):
Yeah, just like everywhere in the world.
Exactly.
Speaker 3 (26:32):
So, looking back on the process so far, is there
anything you wish that you'dknown that you could have maybe
headed off some some issuesgoing into this, or is there any
kind of advice that you wouldgive?
Speaker 1 (26:45):
expats that are considering.
Yeah, I knew very well that thethree rules of constructions
apply here quality, cost andtime.
There are three variables thatyou know you can't get them all
Because in the time factor itwas the one that really is taken
(27:06):
a little longer than expected.
I thought the process was goingto be a little bit quicker, so
there was a cost of renting atthe time, and so that's what you
know the push and we try tospeed up the process, and then,
of course, you start losingquality.
(27:28):
So that's what if I had anadvice?
It's just like when you gotraveling they tell you take
double the money and have theclose here, calculate it double
the time.
You know time is going to be,especially if you're going to be
here watching the build and youhad to rent as well.
(27:52):
So that was one of thevariables that it would be nice
to shorten it up, but, as I said, you lose control on the
quality and the cost.
So be patient, be patient, yeah.
Speaker 2 (28:06):
So, shawnee, tell us in your opinion, you know what's
something that you would havebeen more, you want people to be
aware of.
Or would you have donedifferently?
Not necessarily in justbuilding the house, but in
becoming an expat in Mexico?
Speaker 4 (28:20):
Right, Wow, there's probably so many learnings there
to share, right?
But to you know, to maybe keepit in line with the house, I
would say that one thing thatwas the biggest surprise to me
was the amount of administrationthat was needed to build the
house, and we actuallyinterviewed seven builders
(28:44):
before we picked one and none ofthem had mentioned anything
about the permit.
You know how much the permit wasgoing to cost at the city to
loom and, for that matter, howmuch any of the other permits
and there's many, many permitsthat you are responsible for,
(29:04):
the builders responsible for.
And so that you know, once, wekind of we kept track of our
budget the whole way through,and when I see that figure that
went to just administration, itwas shocking and, to be honest
with you, we did not factor thatin to the build of our home,
(29:26):
right, and now would you?
Speaker 2 (29:27):
You didn't know about it, didn't know about it, so I
would definitely want to knowthat in advance, that you know.
Speaker 4 (29:32):
Maybe sometimes the builder will include that in,
but it's a good question to ask.
You know, is it built in or areyou going to be coming to me
for this large permit price?
You know, to get that?
The plans even approved by thecity.
So there you have it.
Speaker 2 (29:48):
That's words to live by for people thinking about
building a house, because I cansee getting caught in that and
your budget's tight and oh my.
Speaker 4 (29:58):
God, yeah, definitely the build.
There's so many things that youcan do.
The builders.
Speaker 1 (30:02):
The builders will talk about square meters.
You know the cost per squaremeter taking in the US and kind
of, but the all thatadministration cost is aside and
that's kind of a gray area tothe.
So you're completely right, Imean it's.
That was a little bit of a ohwake up call.
Speaker 3 (30:23):
Yeah, what kind of percentage are you talking like
10% of the overall cost, 5%, 25%of the overall cost.
Speaker 1 (30:30):
Yeah, we're talking about one.
Fifth Would you say yeah?
One, yeah, but 20% for a marketin Australia to go up 10%.
Speaker 2 (30:38):
Yeah, okay.
So tell us where you're at withyour project now I know where
it is, but tell our viewers youguys are.
You guys are living, yes, inyour house, and it's not fully
done.
Speaker 1 (30:48):
It's not completely that we.
We have a the minimumrequirements a working swimming
pool, the air conditioner wherewe are, that's, but yeah, no we
have odd priorities.
Speaker 4 (31:03):
We have the pool finished before we have the
downstairs.
Speaker 2 (31:08):
Well, you know, there's restaurants around here.
Speaker 1 (31:12):
So and yeah, we are 85% or close and we now we are
working on the on the outside ofthe house and finishing the
some requirements that we haveto comply with some rock and
some Okay, color scheme thatwe've got approved, doing the
(31:33):
driveway that I think okay.
Speaker 2 (31:55):
So Shawnee, we play a game.
I don't know if you guys havelistened to previous podcast,
but we call it Cape AudreyK-Malo.
Cape Audrey is things that youthink are cool, k-malo things
that you don't like so much arestill adapting to give me one of
each for you personally.
Speaker 4 (32:12):
Okay, well, I have listened to previous okay and I
probably agree with pretty muchall the Cape Audrey's that
you've built with so far right,like the oh, the, the weather,
the people, the, the health care, the accessibility to good
health care and affordability,so many of them lifestyle, and
(32:34):
so for me it it narrowed down tolifestyle.
I had a certain type oflifestyle that I wanted to.
I was hoping to be able to livein my retirement and I knew
that that wasn't going to.
I was not going to be able tohave that lifestyle in Canada.
I, and you know, what I waslooking for was a slower pace.
(32:58):
I was looking to meeting peoplefrom all over the world who had
like-minded ideas as myself andand weren't living in fear.
You know, I Was looking at,hoping to find a place that was
more affordable.
Let let my your retirementdollars go a little bit further.
(33:19):
And they and the other thing,the other two things that were
really important to me is, youknow, I've lived in Canada my
whole life and I have seen thelaws getting tighter, the the
rules Getting more prevalent,the more all-encompassing yeah
(33:40):
losing freedom, personal rightlike I feel like I have been
come more regulated by thegovernments and I Been to Mexico
several times I knew that itwas a freer sort of like yes,
there's laws, there's rules,there's regulations here I'd say
there's a bit more common sensehere and and that was that was
(34:03):
a huge attraction for me.
So I appreciate that and Ireally appreciate the health
care system here.
I one thing that I wassuffering from when living in
Canada during COVID is All of asudden I didn't get to control
my old health care anymore.
That wasn't my choice anymoreand I Fortunately, knock on wood
(34:27):
have been a healthy individualmost of my life and because I
have controlled that and so youknow.
But my my k-padre is I get tohave control of my health again
and if and I can have affordable.
Yeah accessible health carehere and yeah.
Speaker 2 (34:49):
So what are you still adapting to or what have you
not like so much?
Speaker 4 (34:54):
Yeah, I, you know, I don't know how many times I told
Walter I do not want to live inMexico, you know, for the rest
of my life and not know Spanish.
I must learn to speak Spanishand it embarrasses me that I
have a fluent speaking.
It's not a speaking husband.
I have no excuse, you know, butI do have a 62 year old mind.
Speaker 2 (35:20):
Yeah right, it's not like being three years old and
you naturally pick up languageyeah.
Speaker 4 (35:25):
Hard.
It's like I find it extremelyhard.
So that's something I you know.
I just wish I could be I dreama genie and blink and I know the
language and a heartbeat, but Iknow that's not gonna happen
and I have to grow patience.
We talk about patience earlier.
I really need to grow patienceand realize that it just is
persistence.
(35:46):
And I do persist and I amgetting better and I will
continue to to try, but it comeswith.
Speaker 2 (35:54):
It's very tough.
If someone would have told methat I would know as little
Spanish as I do after living inMexico for almost three years,
I'd have thought you're nuts, Iwe all think it's gonna absorb
some to our brains, you know,and Some does, but not enough,
you know.
Speaker 3 (36:12):
Sometimes having a Spanish speaking spouse makes it
easy to get away with non-speak.
Speaker 2 (36:18):
Right, it gives you an excuse.
You don't have to struggle fordear life.
You know when you're out doingsomething.
So, walter, same question toyou Give me a k Padre and a k
Malo.
Speaker 1 (36:29):
For me is the same coin with it.
Both sides of the coin, they,you know, being more relaxed
into regulations and beingrelaxed into ethnicity, life,
doubt being that you know like,no, not so many controls in
(36:50):
government or or just a societyin general being with so many
rules and regulations, and, andon the other side of that
particular coin, we have the,the lack of.
Let's see, you know like, yousee more potholes on the, on the
(37:13):
street, you see, you know,holes that they have.
No, nobody put a piece of woodand it's the middle of the night
and you know somebody by fall,and that's always the same thing
.
The other way that you have,you know, the lack of a Signage
or the lack of, you know, morebylaws or in order to make it
(37:40):
more orderly, but at the sametime, I really enjoy the freedom
to have that.
You know like, yeah, the otherday somebody was stopped with no
seat belt and the police askedhim to put on the seat belt and
suddenly you have this pickuptruck with 20 or 30 years.
A workaholic stand on thehighway in the back of the truck
(38:06):
.
Speaker 2 (38:08):
Yeah, how do they get by with that?
Speaker 1 (38:12):
Yeah, I think the answer to the police officer was
their special.
Speaker 4 (38:19):
And I have to add for Walter, the weather.
And the reason I have to addthis is because I can't tell you
how many times a week I amshowed the weather app and what
it's doing in Canada and howcold it is and how much snow is
falling, and I have to add onemore to you that you miss
(38:39):
completely is the food the foodis amazing and so many options
around here.
Speaker 2 (38:52):
It's just it.
Speaker 1 (38:53):
Yes it's pretty good and well.
Thank you very much for havingus.
If anybody else need more helpwith building or any suggestions
that we can help, please, youknow they can contact you and
send us an email at expatslikeusat gmailcom and we will pass it
on to you or share it with you.
Speaker 2 (39:13):
Absolutely, thank you .
It's on Facebook, yeah, orFacebook, or we're on TikTok.
Now I don't quite understand it, but we are.
Speaker 3 (39:21):
We don't know how long that'll last.
Speaker 2 (39:22):
Right, I don't even know what it is.
Speaker 4 (39:28):
Find us there, right, you need to add a 14 year old
to your crew, right, exactly?
Speaker 2 (39:35):
Exactly Well.
Walter and Shawnee, thank youso much for sharing your story
of building a home in Mexico andfor the great tips and insights
you provided.
We'll look forward to yourhousewarming party in the near
future.
Speaker 1 (39:47):
Thank you you know.
Speaker 2 (39:49):
thank you, guys.
In each episode of expats likeus, we're going to teach you a
new Mexican slang word.
This is something you may notfind in your phrase book or your
online Spanish class or yourSpanish app or wherever you're
learning your Spanish.
Instead, this is a term usedprimarily by Mexican Spanish
speakers.
(40:09):
Today's word is Tokayo Tokayo.
How do you spell that?
Speaker 1 (40:21):
T-O-C-A-Y-O.
Speaker 2 (40:23):
Okay, tokayo.
What does Tokayo mean?
Speaker 1 (40:26):
It's a nickname given to anyone who shares your first
name.
Speaker 2 (40:29):
Okay, so that would be like um geez.
I can't think of an Englishword that would be that
equivalent.
Speaker 3 (40:36):
Yeah, I don't think there is one.
Speaker 2 (40:37):
That is a slang word.
It sure is All right.
Thank you very much, ericaKowalski.
From Me, vita Margarita, we'dlove to hear your thoughts on
today's topic.
Just look up expats like us onFacebook or send us an email at
expatslikeus at gmailcom.
(40:58):
You can also see the videoversion of today's discussion
and all of our discussions onour YouTube page Follow, like,
subscribe and leave us a review.
Thank you to our guests, walterVittorell and Shawnee Lancidal
(41:19):
for joining us for this episode,and thanks to our team, chris
and Erica Kowalski and SherryBussett, and thanks especially
to all our viewers and listeners, and thanks to everyone who
interacts with us on socialmedia.
I'm Bob Bussey.
Until next time, remember, ourlives are not defined by
geography or our physicallocation, but by memories,
events, people and places thatspan the globe.
Speaker 3 (42:13):
Thank you.
But are you going to build the house?
Yeah, just go to the store andbuy the two biggest jar of
headache medication that you canpick and it says white tube.
I said, and it says if you'regoing to go through the first
one, but if you open the secondone you are in trouble.
So that's we have.
(00:31):
Luckily enough we still havethe second intact and we haven't
gone through much of the firstone yet.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
Welcome to ExPATs Like Us.
A co-production with me, vitaMargarita, exploring the world
of US ExPat Life in Mexico.
In each episode, we'll meet newpeople and hear their stories.
You'll also learn more aboutExPat Life and get a few tips on
everything from making yourmove to settling in, to living
your dreams and, most of all,having fun.
(01:04):
Let's dive in.
Welcome to ExPATs Like Us.
I'm your host, bob Bussey.
Speaker 3 (01:22):
And I'm Chris Kowalski.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
We're happy to welcome our friends and
neighbors Walter Vetterell andShawnee Lansiedel to this week's
edition of ExPATs Like Us.
Like many of us, walter andShawnee sold their home a couple
of years ago and said adios tosnow and cold.
For them, it was western Canadato make their home in Mexico.
However, instead of buying acondo or an existing house, they
(01:44):
bought an unfinished lot andembarked on an adventure of
building in Mexico.
Hi, walter and Shawnee, andwelcome to ExPATs Like Us.
Speaker 4 (01:52):
Hello, thank you, it's good to have you Thanks for
coming today.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
So tell us a little bit about your life in Canada
before you move here.
Speaker 4 (02:02):
So, career wise, I worked mostly in banking and
then I moved into working forthe Ministry of Agriculture.
That was, for the provincialgovernment.
Walter it was a self-employedelectrician and he worked also
for SkyTrain, which is a rapidtransit system in Vancouver, in
(02:25):
the lower mainland, in BritishColumbia, canada.
And so we had met about 11years ago and discovered that we
had some common interests.
We ended up deciding to buy anacreage, and the reason that
that came about is one of ourearlier dates that we had.
(02:47):
I invited Walter over fordinner.
I had a meatloaf that waswrapped in bacon that was ready
for the oven.
Speaker 2 (02:58):
That's the way to a man's heart, actually, right.
Speaker 4 (03:02):
Walter says that was a good start.
And then I asked him what wouldyou like a salad with dinner?
And he said sure, I head out tograb my hat, grab my basket,
head out to the backyard, picksome lettuce and all sorts of
things for a salad out of mygarden, came back in and he was
(03:23):
shocked.
He thought, well, thought I wasgoing to go to the fridge, not
to the garden.
And so that's when we kind ofstarted to realize that, yeah,
this is becoming a commoninterest.
We want to do more creating,more planning, maybe even do a
larger garden at some point, and, as we ought to know each other
(03:47):
better, we found this acreageand that acreage was transformed
into really a small farm.
We had 27 fruit trees, 18 berrybushes, 20 raised garden beds,
a greenhouse.
We were really looking at waysto sustain ourselves with
(04:10):
produce, between storing thatproduce and I'm a canner, so
preserving as well and so, as wewere getting to know each other
, transforming the land andsitting every Saturday morning
with our coffee and our paperand pencil and designing
different things in the yard, wewere able to enjoy those 10
(04:34):
years together.
And then, after 2019, ourinterests went south, literally.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
So was there something that precipitated that
or what made you decide to move?
Speaker 4 (04:47):
Yeah, so in 2019, we actually went to Mexico, to this
Riviera side of Mexico.
And this kind of leads us intothe next question really, why
did we choose the Riviera Maya?
Why did we choose to come south?
So for many years I've come to,I've traveled to Mexico, mostly
(05:11):
the West Coast side, becausethat's where it is, most of my
life, easiest, closest placebetween two boys Exactly it's
super easy A four, four and ahalf hour plane ride, very, very
simple.
And then, after Walter and I met, we continued to travel down to
Mexico and one of the usualnormal conversations we would
(05:34):
have on the plane ride cominghome was would you want to live
in Mexico?
Would you want to do the sixmonths, six months thing after
we retire?
And the answer was always yeah,but nothing really spoke to us
on that side of Mexico.
So we decided, okay, let's meetup with Walter's brother on the
(05:57):
other side of Mexico, becausein proximity to where his
brother and wife live, it mademore sense to come to this side
of Mexico.
I fell fast in love with thisside of Mexico.
I could not believe howbeautiful it was.
So before long we were talkingto a realtor in the clubhouse
(06:21):
and the realtor went around andshowed us condos, townhomes,
already built homes.
And then he just happened to betalking with Walter and said,
yeah, and I just bought a lothere.
Well then Walter's ears justperked up and he thought, wow,
(06:42):
this is interesting, can youtake me to where you bought your
lot?
So we had a look at his lot andwe got a plan of the
residential area that was mostattractive to us.
And then we found ourselves atour favorite beach one day and
(07:02):
Walter says to me so you know,between a scale of one to 10,
where are you in terms of livinghere full time After we retire?
Just live here full time.
And I said without hesitation,I'm at about a nine, and Walter
says holy oh.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
All right, that's pretty high on the scale.
Speaker 4 (07:25):
Pretty high and he says, wow, I was only at a five.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
So did that raise you up to about a seven or eight?
Speaker 1 (07:33):
That was just sold right there and the lot.
At the time we were not retiredyet and so with the purchase of
the lot it kind of gave us thetime frame in order to go back,
think about retirement, you know, rearranging everything in
(07:56):
Canada and then so because justthe lot was empty, Stay there,
Stay longer.
But then something that COVIDhit and that's kind of a
decision was made.
Okay.
Speaker 2 (08:14):
Yeah, that's a common theme amongst literally
everybody that we've talked tois, well, we're doing this and
that we're thinking of moving,and then COVID hit.
That is a common thing foreverybody, yeah, so that really
affected a lot of yeah.
Speaker 1 (08:29):
it made you rethink a lot.
We were working from home outof one point and then decided,
(08:53):
well, this is just, we need tochange.
So yeah, in 2022, February 2022, we were here.
We had started the design ofthe house and that was a project
(09:15):
on itself.
Every Saturday and Sundaymorning, with briefs, lots of
fun.
Yeah, back to the paper and wealready had all the paperwork
done when we got here fordesigning and approvals from the
country club not from the cityor the state or so and then the
(09:44):
whole other episode started.
Something like we.
Then we find out all therequirements that we're going to
be talking about in a minute.
Speaker 2 (09:58):
So what made you guys decide?
You know, most of us come downhere, chris and I, you know we
came down here Bada Kondo,that's it.
Here we are.
What I mean was it because youguys had a big lot and you were
used to the space?
Speaker 1 (10:11):
That has quite a bit to do with it.
We wanted to have some space.
I'm a hands-on type of personand I needed a project.
I mean, I wasn't coming here tobe, you know, just to drink
margaritas on the beach, so Ineeded I don't know.
(10:32):
We liked that part.
It was going to be our home.
We want to have a lot of input.
We had family.
We were planning for, you know,for guests and family to stay
with us, and so, yeah, that wasthe idea.
Speaker 4 (10:51):
You have a little bit more control, you know, over
the building of the house.
Have more control in having asmany solar panels as we want,
have a water source like acistern you know those things
were important and that have alarge garden.
You know, as you heard earlier,a manavid gardener.
Speaker 1 (11:13):
So yeah, so we haven't put that in practice yet
, we're still at the last stages.
So the house and the built andthe garden, so we still have
that to be said.
What type of fruits andvegetables have we been having?
Speaker 3 (11:32):
How long have you been in the project as far as
once I started constructionuntil this point.
Speaker 1 (11:37):
Yeah, that's, it is a year of construction.
Okay, a lot of builders willtell you that it's between eight
months to a year.
It can be built in eight monthsa year now and it's going to
take us a little bit longer tofinish because we are in the
(12:01):
finishing stages and you know,if you rush then your quality
could be yeah, it goes out.
So you have to.
I mean, we are having morecontrol on the finishing and the
details.
And, yeah, when is it going tobe finished completely with the
(12:23):
last picture on the wall?
That's going to be a process.
It's going to be two daysbefore we sell.
Speaker 4 (12:34):
That's pretty far there you go.
Speaker 1 (12:36):
That's how that looks , so anyhow.
Speaker 4 (12:38):
Okay go ahead.
And then what we didn'tanticipate was the amount of
administration work, not onlythat pertain to the house, but
also for us.
You know, we had to take timeto open a bank account, buy a
car, so we get out of a rentalcar to the driver's license and
(13:00):
then also making sure that thedeed got transferred into our
names.
Yeah, so yeah, a lot ofadministration work.
Speaker 1 (13:09):
That was the one video, something that one of the
big differences Usually thatprocessing Canada or the US
takes two to three days the most, and here it took us seven
months.
Wow, I wasn't going to startbuilding without with the law
(13:31):
and they're our name, so that'sbut it.
It allowed us to really enjoythe lifestyle that we were
planning, meeting extremely goodpeople and friends and by the
poolside here in thisneighborhood, and we, you know,
(13:51):
we had to learn the process ofopening a bank account and going
back and forth three or fourtimes to do certain things, like
you know, like paperwork, I wasat one point I was shown each
that called me one piece ofpaper, short Walter.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
Somebody went to license your car.
Speaker 1 (14:17):
Yeah, so it was always a one piece of paper
short.
Speaker 4 (14:23):
So yeah, but there was definitely a large learning
curve to ride and that yearallowed us to do that.
Speaker 2 (14:32):
And that's kind of universal for everybody that
moves down here.
You know those things you, weall have to do and that's kind
of been a theme on here aboutwhat we love and what we hate
about that sort of things.
You know, you guys just havethe whole concept of building
the house as well.
So tell me a little bit abouthow.
(14:54):
Do's construction here differthan what you're you were used
to Canada?
Speaker 1 (14:59):
Yeah, you know, first of all, we got to.
You know we can take the wholecountry.
Mexico is a big country.
We are in a very fast growingarea.
It's one of the most expensivepart of Mexico to build and,
with all the mega projects thathappen, it's happening or happen
(15:23):
around us in the 2023, have putit a lot of strain in the labor
market and the materials.
So, yeah, that's, you know, likethat would be the little bit
more difficult and but thedifference was the.
(15:44):
I mean, the first one to me isthe bureaucratic, like the seven
months to get the deed, thepermits process, the three
levels of government that youhad to deal.
Then how, for example, here inTulum, there is no inspections.
(16:05):
The city, neither the state,does inspections, for example,
like we've had in Canada.
You know, plumbing, electrical,building, structural and so on.
There's not basically agovernment or agency to control
the type of built.
(16:26):
So the owner and has to be awareand he has to get involved to
make it the to get what youreally want in order to there
are reputable constructioncompanies and engineers and
architects, but the ultimate, ifyou want a well built home, I
(16:51):
think it's a, it's a good ideato get in to follow what the
process of the other built andeven though that may be
discourage for somebody thatwould like to build and it says,
no, I don't want to getinvolved in the build of my
house, you have to be aware thatevery house that is already
(17:14):
built has gone through the samesystem.
So there is that.
What type of product are yougoing to get at the end?
Speaker 2 (17:24):
So do you think that a lot of people come down here
and don't realize that and justkind of find a kind of because a
contractor is going to say,don't worry about it, Don't
worry about it Come back a yearand you can move in your
beautiful home.
That's correct.
I imagine that that can be aissue.
Speaker 1 (17:40):
They have a term for that and it's key in hand.
They have that key in hand, sothey have it.
You just sign the contract andthat will build your house.
For me, particularly, that hasa lot of variables, to say the
least.
I mean, what type of faucet areyou going to provide, what type
(18:05):
of finishing, what type ofelectrical and or plumbing and
so on?
So they are good contractorshere, very responsible, good
work.
But at the same time, you havesome of them that they will try
(18:28):
to cut corners and sometimes itis not really something that is
in their control.
For example, one of the issuesthat we had in 2023, and you
follow that closely it was thepeso gaining strength over the
dollar.
So that was 10%, 15% of whatthe Canadian dollar.
(18:52):
So suddenly you sign a contractin US and now you get 15% or
20% or 15% less pesos.
So the contractor is going tosay, well, something had to move
(19:14):
in that.
So sometimes there are thingsthat are away from the control
of the both parties.
I mean, they build there on theowner.
So, yeah, that happened.
So we'll you know.
Speaker 2 (19:34):
I can see that's something that people wouldn't
think about.
The fluctuation in the exchangerate and just the money issues
that we have fluctuates all thetime, I mean even more than just
the interest rate, but alsoWalter mentioned earlier about
how the price of materials canchange.
Speaker 4 (19:54):
The minimum wage rate can go up.
So these things can increasewhile the builder is trying to
build your home Back in Canadawhen you sign for a contractor
to build your home, because theycan build homes quicker in
Canada based on our experienceso far in comparison here that
(20:17):
fluctuation doesn't play in asmuch, but here that has been a
tough experience.
Speaker 2 (20:22):
It swings all over the place here.
I mean, I think all of us haveexperienced that, but we're not
committed to a really big homeor a nice home like you guys are
, but we've all experienced thatin the last year or so.
Speaker 3 (20:37):
Corruption as far as government officials wanting to
bribe to get things done quicker.
Did you come across anythinglike that?
Speaker 1 (20:45):
He come across that.
But everything can be avoided.
You can.
One thing in my favor I had tosay the language I'm fluent in,
spanish, and that I can go andtalk to the people in the city
if I need to.
So it happens.
(21:10):
But for me, what is it?
Not so much the cost of thepermit, Because I mean, in
Vancouver, 60% of the cost ofthe building a house is permits
and paperwork, so it's prettyhigh.
And so we don't call itcorruption, we just call it that
(21:34):
that's how it works.
Speaker 4 (21:35):
How?
Speaker 3 (21:35):
it works.
Speaker 1 (21:39):
So here is that's what.
I don't really lean on thatword because it is the cost For
me.
I would like to see moreimprovements in the city roads,
the lighting, that type of thingwhere the money goes more than
anything else, but no.
Speaker 4 (22:01):
It is true.
I mean, we've had to payseveral times to get something
done, and it's not just to getit done quicker.
You pay this incentive and it's, but, like Walter says, when
you compare it to the cost ofpermits to building Canada, it's
(22:26):
relative.
Because, it's relative Sure.
Speaker 2 (22:32):
So, walter, with your background in construction and
your fluency in Spanish Spanishyour first language, I would say
yes and understanding of LatinAmerican culture probably more
than a lot of us, I'm guessingthat makes the process a little
easier than it would be for justsome gringo that just stepped
off the plane and decided tobuild a building.
Speaker 1 (22:53):
No, actually, my learning curve was after 38
years in Canada.
It's, I had a little bit of alearning curve, but for people
who then would like to come andbuild, I have an analogy.
I mean, I've seen the peoplethat come here very successful
(23:19):
professionals, business people,and with a they have a life
experience, huge life experience.
So you're a good tennis players, a good tennis player, and
you're used to playing arectangular court.
Well, here the court is a bigcircle, so you're going to have
(23:42):
to adapt your game Right andthat's, it's simple.
I mean, you're going to.
What I might advise to whoeverdecides to to take that is to do
your homework.
Ask a lot of questions, listento podcasts, find out who is the
(24:04):
good, reputable contractors.
Go see their work, find outthat they need to.
You know, like, how the paymentsystem works.
Don't find out that a contractis doesn't have the weight that
you used to have in Canada orthe US.
(24:26):
So you know those little thingsand they are people that
they're honest, hardworking,people that will follow, that
will help you out that way.
We were lucky to find them andso I.
You know, I cannot say that ourexperience had been terrible.
(24:46):
We had the normal hiccups thatanybody building a house would
have.
A good old friend of mine, acontractor, used to say but are
you going to build the house?
Yeah, just go to the, you know,to the, to the big, to the
store and buy the two biggestjar of headache medication that
(25:08):
you can pick.
And he says why two?
And I said and says, becauseyou're going to go through the
first one, but if you open thesecond one you are in trouble,
you know.
So that's, we're lucky enough.
We still have the second, thesecond second, intact, and we
haven't gone through much of thefirst one yet.
So, but they are hiccups, Imean.
(25:31):
So it's expected.
Speaker 4 (25:34):
And here yeah, and I'm being adaptable, I think is
something that has helped us alot, because, yeah, you're,
you're gonna, you're gonna runinto problems, it's inevitable,
but it's really how you dealwith them and if you can just
kind of keep a cool head and andand be flexible and adaptable,
(25:55):
that, yeah, that has helped usall along.
Speaker 1 (25:59):
There's one saying that is being used here the ones
that get angry loses.
So you have to have a lot ofpatience.
Be, you know there are ways toresolve every problem and you
know some people decideddifferent ways, but most of the
(26:20):
people that we have encounteredit's professional and to realize
.
I mean, everybody tries to makea buck, which is normal.
Speaker 2 (26:28):
Yeah, just like everywhere in the world.
Exactly.
Speaker 3 (26:32):
So, looking back on the process so far, is there
anything you wish that you'dknown that you could have maybe
headed off some some issuesgoing into this, or is there any
kind of advice that you wouldgive?
Speaker 1 (26:45):
expats that are considering.
Yeah, I knew very well that thethree rules of constructions
apply here quality, cost andtime.
There are three variables thatyou know you can't get them all
Because in the time factor itwas the one that really is taken
(27:06):
a little longer than expected.
I thought the process was goingto be a little bit quicker, so
there was a cost of renting atthe time, and so that's what you
know the push and we try tospeed up the process, and then,
of course, you start losingquality.
(27:28):
So that's what if I had anadvice?
It's just like when you gotraveling they tell you take
double the money and have theclose here, calculate it double
the time.
You know time is going to be,especially if you're going to be
here watching the build and youhad to rent as well.
(27:52):
So that was one of thevariables that it would be nice
to shorten it up, but, as I said, you lose control on the
quality and the cost.
So be patient, be patient, yeah.
Speaker 2 (28:06):
So, shawnee, tell us in your opinion, you know what's
something that you would havebeen more, you want people to be
aware of.
Or would you have donedifferently?
Not necessarily in justbuilding the house, but in
becoming an expat in Mexico?
Speaker 4 (28:20):
Right, Wow, there's probably so many learnings there
to share, right?
But to you know, to maybe keepit in line with the house, I
would say that one thing thatwas the biggest surprise to me
was the amount of administrationthat was needed to build the
house, and we actuallyinterviewed seven builders
(28:44):
before we picked one and none ofthem had mentioned anything
about the permit.
You know how much the permit wasgoing to cost at the city to
loom and, for that matter, howmuch any of the other permits
and there's many, many permitsthat you are responsible for,
(29:04):
the builders responsible for.
And so that you know, once, wekind of we kept track of our
budget the whole way through,and when I see that figure that
went to just administration, itwas shocking and, to be honest
with you, we did not factor thatin to the build of our home,
(29:26):
right, and now would you?
Speaker 2 (29:27):
You didn't know about it, didn't know about it, so I
would definitely want to knowthat in advance, that you know.
Speaker 4 (29:32):
Maybe sometimes the builder will include that in,
but it's a good question to ask.
You know, is it built in or areyou going to be coming to me
for this large permit price?
You know, to get that?
The plans even approved by thecity.
So there you have it.
Speaker 2 (29:48):
That's words to live by for people thinking about
building a house, because I cansee getting caught in that and
your budget's tight and oh my.
Speaker 4 (29:58):
God, yeah, definitely the build.
There's so many things that youcan do.
The builders.
Speaker 1 (30:02):
The builders will talk about square meters.
You know the cost per squaremeter taking in the US and kind
of, but the all thatadministration cost is aside and
that's kind of a gray area tothe.
So you're completely right, Imean it's.
That was a little bit of a ohwake up call.
Speaker 3 (30:23):
Yeah, what kind of percentage are you talking like
10% of the overall cost, 5%, 25%of the overall cost.
Speaker 1 (30:30):
Yeah, we're talking about one.
Fifth Would you say yeah?
One, yeah, but 20% for a marketin Australia to go up 10%.
Speaker 2 (30:38):
Yeah, okay.
So tell us where you're at withyour project now I know where
it is, but tell our viewers youguys are.
You guys are living, yes, inyour house, and it's not fully
done.
Speaker 1 (30:48):
It's not completely that we.
We have a the minimumrequirements a working swimming
pool, the air conditioner wherewe are, that's, but yeah, no we
have odd priorities.
Speaker 4 (31:03):
We have the pool finished before we have the
downstairs.
Speaker 2 (31:08):
Well, you know, there's restaurants around here.
Speaker 1 (31:12):
So and yeah, we are 85% or close and we now we are
working on the on the outside ofthe house and finishing the
some requirements that we haveto comply with some rock and
some Okay, color scheme thatwe've got approved, doing the
(31:33):
driveway that I think okay.
Speaker 2 (31:55):
So Shawnee, we play a game.
I don't know if you guys havelistened to previous podcast,
but we call it Cape AudreyK-Malo.
Cape Audrey is things that youthink are cool, k-malo things
that you don't like so much arestill adapting to give me one of
each for you personally.
Speaker 4 (32:12):
Okay, well, I have listened to previous okay and I
probably agree with pretty muchall the Cape Audrey's that
you've built with so far right,like the oh, the, the weather,
the people, the, the health care, the accessibility to good
health care and affordability,so many of them lifestyle, and
(32:34):
so for me it it narrowed down tolifestyle.
I had a certain type oflifestyle that I wanted to.
I was hoping to be able to livein my retirement and I knew
that that wasn't going to.
I was not going to be able tohave that lifestyle in Canada.
I, and you know, what I waslooking for was a slower pace.
(32:58):
I was looking to meeting peoplefrom all over the world who had
like-minded ideas as myself andand weren't living in fear.
You know, I Was looking at,hoping to find a place that was
more affordable.
Let let my your retirementdollars go a little bit further.
(33:19):
And they and the other thing,the other two things that were
really important to me is, youknow, I've lived in Canada my
whole life and I have seen thelaws getting tighter, the the
rules Getting more prevalent,the more all-encompassing yeah
(33:40):
losing freedom, personal rightlike I feel like I have been
come more regulated by thegovernments and I Been to Mexico
several times I knew that itwas a freer sort of like yes,
there's laws, there's rules,there's regulations here I'd say
there's a bit more common sensehere and and that was that was
(34:03):
a huge attraction for me.
So I appreciate that and Ireally appreciate the health
care system here.
I one thing that I wassuffering from when living in
Canada during COVID is All of asudden I didn't get to control
my old health care anymore.
That wasn't my choice anymoreand I Fortunately, knock on wood
(34:27):
have been a healthy individualmost of my life and because I
have controlled that and so youknow.
But my my k-padre is I get tohave control of my health again
and if and I can have affordable.
Yeah accessible health carehere and yeah.
Speaker 2 (34:49):
So what are you still adapting to or what have you
not like so much?
Speaker 4 (34:54):
Yeah, I, you know, I don't know how many times I told
Walter I do not want to live inMexico, you know, for the rest
of my life and not know Spanish.
I must learn to speak Spanishand it embarrasses me that I
have a fluent speaking.
It's not a speaking husband.
I have no excuse, you know, butI do have a 62 year old mind.
Speaker 2 (35:20):
Yeah right, it's not like being three years old and
you naturally pick up languageyeah.
Speaker 4 (35:25):
Hard.
It's like I find it extremelyhard.
So that's something I you know.
I just wish I could be I dreama genie and blink and I know the
language and a heartbeat, but Iknow that's not gonna happen
and I have to grow patience.
We talk about patience earlier.
I really need to grow patienceand realize that it just is
persistence.
(35:46):
And I do persist and I amgetting better and I will
continue to to try, but it comeswith.
Speaker 2 (35:54):
It's very tough.
If someone would have told methat I would know as little
Spanish as I do after living inMexico for almost three years,
I'd have thought you're nuts, Iwe all think it's gonna absorb
some to our brains, you know,and Some does, but not enough,
you know.
Speaker 3 (36:12):
Sometimes having a Spanish speaking spouse makes it
easy to get away with non-speak.
Speaker 2 (36:18):
Right, it gives you an excuse.
You don't have to struggle fordear life.
You know when you're out doingsomething.
So, walter, same question toyou Give me a k Padre and a k
Malo.
Speaker 1 (36:29):
For me is the same coin with it.
Both sides of the coin, they,you know, being more relaxed
into regulations and beingrelaxed into ethnicity, life,
doubt being that you know like,no, not so many controls in
(36:50):
government or or just a societyin general being with so many
rules and regulations, and, andon the other side of that
particular coin, we have the,the lack of.
Let's see, you know like, yousee more potholes on the, on the
(37:13):
street, you see, you know,holes that they have.
No, nobody put a piece of woodand it's the middle of the night
and you know somebody by fall,and that's always the same thing
.
The other way that you have,you know, the lack of a Signage
or the lack of, you know, morebylaws or in order to make it
(37:40):
more orderly, but at the sametime, I really enjoy the freedom
to have that.
You know like, yeah, the otherday somebody was stopped with no
seat belt and the police askedhim to put on the seat belt and
suddenly you have this pickuptruck with 20 or 30 years.
A workaholic stand on thehighway in the back of the truck
(38:06):
.
Speaker 2 (38:08):
Yeah, how do they get by with that?
Speaker 1 (38:12):
Yeah, I think the answer to the police officer was
their special.
Speaker 4 (38:19):
And I have to add for Walter, the weather.
And the reason I have to addthis is because I can't tell you
how many times a week I amshowed the weather app and what
it's doing in Canada and howcold it is and how much snow is
falling, and I have to add onemore to you that you miss
(38:39):
completely is the food the foodis amazing and so many options
around here.
Speaker 2 (38:52):
It's just it.
Speaker 1 (38:53):
Yes it's pretty good and well.
Thank you very much for havingus.
If anybody else need more helpwith building or any suggestions
that we can help, please, youknow they can contact you and
send us an email at expatslikeusat gmailcom and we will pass it
on to you or share it with you.
Speaker 2 (39:13):
Absolutely, thank you .
It's on Facebook, yeah, orFacebook, or we're on TikTok.
Now I don't quite understand it, but we are.
Speaker 3 (39:21):
We don't know how long that'll last.
Speaker 2 (39:22):
Right, I don't even know what it is.
Speaker 4 (39:28):
Find us there, right, you need to add a 14 year old
to your crew, right, exactly?
Speaker 2 (39:35):
Exactly Well.
Walter and Shawnee, thank youso much for sharing your story
of building a home in Mexico andfor the great tips and insights
you provided.
We'll look forward to yourhousewarming party in the near
future.
Speaker 1 (39:47):
Thank you you know.
Speaker 2 (39:49):
thank you, guys.
In each episode of expats likeus, we're going to teach you a
new Mexican slang word.
This is something you may notfind in your phrase book or your
online Spanish class or yourSpanish app or wherever you're
learning your Spanish.
Instead, this is a term usedprimarily by Mexican Spanish
speakers.
(40:09):
Today's word is Tokayo Tokayo.
How do you spell that?
Speaker 1 (40:21):
T-O-C-A-Y-O.
Speaker 2 (40:23):
Okay, tokayo.
What does Tokayo mean?
Speaker 1 (40:26):
It's a nickname given to anyone who shares your first
name.
Speaker 2 (40:29):
Okay, so that would be like um geez.
I can't think of an Englishword that would be that
equivalent.
Speaker 3 (40:36):
Yeah, I don't think there is one.
Speaker 2 (40:37):
That is a slang word.
It sure is All right.
Thank you very much, ericaKowalski.
From Me, vita Margarita, we'dlove to hear your thoughts on
today's topic.
Just look up expats like us onFacebook or send us an email at
expatslikeus at gmailcom.
(40:58):
You can also see the videoversion of today's discussion
and all of our discussions onour YouTube page Follow, like,
subscribe and leave us a review.
Thank you to our guests, walterVittorell and Shawnee Lancidal
(41:19):
for joining us for this episode,and thanks to our team, chris
and Erica Kowalski and SherryBussett, and thanks especially
to all our viewers and listeners, and thanks to everyone who
interacts with us on socialmedia.
I'm Bob Bussey.
Until next time, remember, ourlives are not defined by
geography or our physicallocation, but by memories,
events, people and places thatspan the globe.
Speaker 3 (42:13):
Thank you.
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